Decapitation Required
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Victor: Tell me something, Jimmy. Do you even know how to kill me? |
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When a character or group is lauded to be immortal, indestructible, or otherwise unkillable, oftentimes one of the few if not the only things they are not immune to is decapitation. This could be a reveal, it could be known from the getgo as "the only way to kill them", or - as in the quote above - it could be in-universe speculation which may or may not get put to the test.
The head and brain are logical targets for disabling or killing an enemy, be they living or otherwise - after all, they're basically the cockpit from which a majority of living things pilot their meat suit of a body. Many Humanoid Aliens and constructs that are especially durable may operate on similar logic, which only makes sense.
The other reason for the prevalence of this trope, particularly of the latter form, probably has roots in the Rule of Perception. An audience can swallow a character being shot full of bullets or losing a gallon of blood and shrugging it off, even when there isn't a good reason for it. And the removal of vital organs, up to and including the heart, is still conceivably survivable because hey, they can just grow a new one! After all, one can survive a few seconds with no heart even in real life, so as long as you can regenerate within that timespan you're good, right?
But decapitation crosses the line from "should be dying" to "already dead by definition" - in the minds of viewers and characters alike, you have zero time to heal, and it takes more than a Healing Factor to explain how you can be alive if your head is not attached to your neck. Whether or not that "more" is employed - and what's made of it - is entirely down to the creators' discretion.
Removing the Head or Destroying the Brain is a specific subtrope of this for undead - that said, beings who are "already dead" generally have a higher chance of averting this trope than those who aren't. Using this to dispatch Multiple Head Cases has varying results, depending on how much the heads control the body. Some are sufficiently disabled with the removal of one head, while still-more persistent types may require the removal of all of them - and then there's the potential for a Hydra Problem...
Oh, and don't even bother trying this on Dem Bones, unless your aim is comedy (or you're looking to shatter that skull completely).
A subtrope of Attack Its Weak Point, found at the intersection of Achilles' Heel and Off with His Head. When this applies to a robot, it's likely because of a Cranial Processing Unit. When cutting something's head off doesn't kill it, it's just Losing Your Head.
See also Chunky Salsa Rule and Boom! Headshot!.
As a Death Trope, Spoilers ahead may be unmarked. Beware.
Anime and Manga
- In The Twelve Kingdoms, beheading is one of the certain ways to kill an immortal (the others being cutting the body in two and use of special enchanted weapons), and is shown to be the preferred method in execution.
- Subverted hard with Hidan from Naruto. Azuma thinks it'll work and succeeds, but all it does is piss Hidan off. Shikamaru later blows him up to the point where the only part left is his head. Hidan cusses him out.
- Averted in Ninja Scroll: Jubei thought Gemma was dead from this, but he reappears with a faint scar around his neck.
- Berserk has Guts fighting a monster that can regenerate as long as its head is intact...which it brags about to Guts.
- Mermaid Saga. Not the only way to kill an immortal, but the most effective and most attempted.
Comic Books
- In the French series Zorn et Dirna, Death is trapped in a magical mirror, and now every single living creature is fated to age forever, unless the spinal column is severed, in which case the dead one's soul goes into the killer's. It is specifically mentioned that butchers have adapted by developing the skill of removing meat from an animal without cutting the spine.
Fan Works
- Averted by Jaune Arc in The Games We Play. His special ability "The Gamer's Body" turns all damage into lost hit points; a decapitating blow has no visible effect on him save for the blade passing (apparently harmlessly) through his neck. In fact, he suggests to an ally that trying it is a good way to identify an imposter.
Film
- In the Highlander series, beheading is the only thing that will kill an immortal. The best way to behead an immortal is with some variety of blade, hence all the Sword Fights that immortals get into in the series.
- The Mummy Returns: The only way to kill an Anubis Warrior is by cutting off its head.
- In addition to the page quote, X Men Origins: Wolverine uses this on Weapon XI. This is shown in the movie as being the only way to kill anyone with a Healing Factor. It doesn't work, in this case.
- Horribly subverted in The Thing.
Literature
- Played with in Mistborn. The Lord Ruler is lauded as an immortal god, and it's common knowledge that "decapitation only irritates him," so nobody ever tries this. It's also one of the many things he claims to have survived in a Badass Boast while fighting the heroes. However, the source of his agelessness, once revealed, makes one wonder if this was actually true, and according to Word of God it was a big fat lie.
- In Brandon Sanderson's earlier work, Elantris, Elantrians are most reliably killed by beheading. Anything less will simply leave an unhealing, eternally-hurting wound. Burning also works.
- The short story Dragon Reserve, Home Eight by Diana Wynne Jones features "hegs", people with superhuman abilities including being able to "mind read, kindle fire or move objects at a distance, heal or kill by use of mind alone, survive shooting, drowning, or suffocation..." By law, once discovered they are executed by beheading, which is the only thing they cannot survive.
- In the Keys to the Kingdom series, beheading is one of the few ways to surely kill Denizens.
- Played for Laughs in Terry Pratchett's Carpe Jugulum, in which vampires from different areas of Uberwald have to be dispatched in varying ways (lemon in the mouth, nail through the knee, hide his sock) but all involve cutting off the head (which, conveniently, also works on people).
- The Brollachian from Shadow Keep is a part ogre part octopus brute that feels no pain and can regenerate missing limbs and chunks of flesh. However, Maryld stated that he can be slain if beheaded, but the heroes never get the chance of trying this on it.
Live-Action TV
- Heroes: It's stated that characters with a Healing Factor can't survive decapitation, although it's never actually shown. The more commonly referenced means of taking one down is by shooting or stabbing a very specific point in their brain, but that only works temporarily; if the object is removed, they will still heal. Not so, allegedly, for full decapitation.
- On Supernatural, this is how the "unkillable" Leviathans are finally defeated. It still doesn't actually kill them but it incapacitates them until their heads crawl back over to their bodies, a problem solved by simply putting the head in a box.
- It seems that in this case, just removing the head doesn't work, but destroying the brain does.
- Subverted In Torchwood: Miracle Day. Jack Harkness suggested cutting off the head of an assassin who is being kept alive by the miracle (despite being burned to a crisp. The authorities try it, and he's still alive. Jack himself also subverts this in all post 9th doctor appearances except the aforementioned Miracle day.
- "Braining" always worked on Star Trek: The Original Series.
- Decapitation is one of the few ways to kill a vampire in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. They instantly turn to dust once their head isn't attached to their body. Angel brings up another caveat; vampires have a Healing Factor but their brain won't heal from some injuries, meaning they could be left brain-damaged for all eternity if something happened to it. This is mentioned, but it never comes up in the actual story.
Oral Tradition, Folklore, Myths and Legends
- A specific remedy for vampires.
- In fact, it's a very popular folkloric cure for practically any kind of monster and, as a sort of bonus, works just as well on humans.
- Zombies in general, with the exceptions of Braindead and Return of the Living Dead.
- Averted with the Hydra from Greek Mythology. It started off with nine heads, and every time one was cut off it would grow two in its place. Hercules finally defeated it by cutting off its heads and having a friend cauterize the stumps with fire to prevent them from regrowing.
- The weakness of Medusa, the gorgon. While her two sisters were immortal, Medusa had a mortal neck covered in metallic scales which could be severed, killing her.
Tabletop Games
- Subverted in Dungeons and Dragons; Vorpal weapons instantly decapitate enemies on a critical hit, but some enemies either don't have heads to remove, or aren't inconvenienced by it.
- Specifically, the latter includes monsters with regeneration (though Ogre Mages need to reattach their heads within ten minutes), most Constructs, and Undead (save for vampires).
- Pathfinder has Vorpal weapons that are much likes the ones in Dungeons and Dragons. In addition, Pathfinder also introduces the Jabberwock creature, which has a particular fear of vorpal weapons; striking one cause it to become temporarily shaken.
- Decapitating a Harrowed from Deadlands doesn't kill them. It reduces them to fully conscious but helpless heads.
- In the French RPG Trinites it is usually the surest way to kill the eponymous beings for good.