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{{trope}}
{{quote|'''Victor''': Tell me something, Jimmy. Do you even know how to kill me?<br />
'''Logan''': I'm gonna cut your goddamned head off. See if that works.|''[[X
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 [[The Reveal|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.
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The reason for the prevalence of this trope, particularly of the latter form, probably has its roots in the [[Rule of Perception]]. An audience can swallow a character being [[Nigh Invulnerability|shot full of bullets or losing a gallon of blood and shrugging it off]], [[Made of Iron|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, [[Healing Factor|they can just grow a new one!]] After all, [[...And Show It to You|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 dy''ing''" to "already dead by definition," and you have ''zero'' time to heal. In the minds of viewers and characters alike, you just can't ''be'' alive if your head is not attached to your neck, and it takes more than a [[Healing Factor]] to explain how you can be.
[[Removing the Head
The intersection of [[Achilles Heel]] with [[Off
{{examples}}
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== [[Film]]: ==
* In the ''[[
* ''[[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
* [[Losing Your Head|Horribly]] subverted in ''[[The Thing (
== Folklore: ==
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== [[Literature]]: ==
* [[Playing
** 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 more 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
* [[Played for Laughs]] in [[Terry Pratchett]]'s [[Discworld
* The [[Stock Ness Monster|Brollachian]] from ''[[
== [[Live Action TV]]: ==
* ''[[Heroes (TV series)|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 [[Achilles Heel|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 (TV series)|Supernatural]]'', this is how the "unkillable" Leviathans are finally defeated. [[Losing Your Head|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, [[Losing Your Head|removing the head doesn't work]], but [[Removing the Head
* [[Subverted Trope|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 [[Body Horror|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:
* Decapitation is one of the few ways to kill a vampire in ''[[Buffy]]''. They instantly turn to dust once their head isn't attached to their body. ''[[
== [[Tabletop Games]]: ==
* Subverted in ''[[Dungeons and Dragons
** 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).
* ''[[
* Decapitating a Harrowed from ''[[Deadlands]]'' doesn't kill them. [[Fate Worse Than Death|It reduces them to fully conscious but helpless heads]].
* In the French RPG ''[[
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