In the Back: Difference between revisions

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Only a [[Dirty Coward]] would shoot someone in the back. Or even knife him.

[[Back to Back Badasses]] is to prevent this -- provided the other character is [[Power of Trust|trustworthy]].

[[Back-to-Back Badasses]] is to prevent this -- provided the other character is [[Power of Trust|trustworthy]].

On the other hand, if they can't let you escape, and you are the [[Dirty Coward]] fleeing a fight, it may happen anyway. Particularly up against a [[Combat Pragmatist]].

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Compare [[Back Stab]] for a video game special move based on this trope. Can be used as [[Dynamic Entry]], in which case a [[Surprisingly Sudden Death]] usually ensues. Beware [[Backstab Backfire]]. ''Don't'' compare [[Right Through His Pants]]...

== Anime and Manga ==

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* On ''[[The Galaxy Railways]]'', {{spoiler|Manabu's brother}} dies when a space pirate shoots him in the back. Later, {{spoiler|Bruce}} is killed when a thug he pissed off earler in the episode shoots him in the back while he's buying a drink from a soda machine.

* Juubei attempts to kill Kazuki this way in ''[[Get Backers]]'', but Kazuki dodges very slightly at the last second.

* Rokudo Mukuro from ''[[Katekyo Hitman Reborn]]'', after [[I Surrender Suckers|pretending to have resigned his fight with Tsuna and given up]], attacks Tsuna while his back is turned.

* Rokudo Mukuro from ''[[Katekyo Hitman Reborn]]'', after [[I Surrender, Suckers|pretending to have resigned his fight with Tsuna and given up]], attacks Tsuna while his back is turned.

* Used all the time by the [[Quirky Miniboss Squad|Numbers]] [[Hollywood Cyborg|Cyborg]] [[Dual Wielding|Dido]] in ''[[Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha]]''. {{spoiler|This led to her downfall in the end, as Teana predicted her doing this [[Badass Back|and countered accordingly]]}}.

* Used all the time by the [[Quirky Miniboss Squad|Numbers]] [[Hollywood Cyborg|Cyborg]] [[Dual-Wielding|Dido]] in ''[[Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha]]''. {{spoiler|This led to her downfall in the end, as Teana predicted her doing this [[Badass Back|and countered accordingly]]}}.

** Done by Deville of Huckebein as his [[Dynamic Entry]] against {{spoiler|Isis and Nanoha. The first succeeded, the second would have if not for Fate.}}

** Later done by Curren of Huckebein to {{spoiler|Hayate}}.

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** Soifon, Hitsugaya, and Shunshui team up on Aizen, and Hitsugaya successfully stabs in the back. Sadly, {{spoiler|that wasn't really Aizen, but Hinamori, his best friend, placed under an illusion. [[No One Should Survive That|Luckily, she lives long enough to receive medical treatment.]]}}

** A slightly earlier and weird example is what happens with Starrk and Wonderweiss. Turning up behind the man, Wonderweiss puts his ''hand'' through Ukitake's chest, causing Kyoraku to go for ''him'' by flash-stepping behind the 'kid'. But before Wonderweiss gets hit, Starrk takes the opportunity of the distraction to shoot Kyoraku in the back. Kyoraku, being a fine [[Combat Pragmatist]] himself, later returns the favour.

** When the sixth squad come to arrest Rukia in season one, Ichigo tried to interven and fights the sixth squad lieutenant Renji Abarai. Just as Ichigo is winning, captain Kuchiki Byakuya [[Flash Step|Flash Steps]] in from behind and breaks Ichigo's sword. As Ichigo turns to face him, Byakuya [[Flash Step|flashsteps]] again, now behind Ichigo and stabbing him in the back right through his heart, ending the fight and leaving Ichigo to die! On a show where most fights last several episodes, [[Curb Stomp Battle|this one]] is [[One Hit Kill|over in seconds]].

** When the sixth squad come to arrest Rukia in season one, Ichigo tried to interven and fights the sixth squad lieutenant Renji Abarai. Just as Ichigo is winning, captain Kuchiki Byakuya [[Flash Step|Flash Steps]] in from behind and breaks Ichigo's sword. As Ichigo turns to face him, Byakuya [[Flash Step|flashsteps]] again, now behind Ichigo and stabbing him in the back right through his heart, ending the fight and leaving Ichigo to die! On a show where most fights last several episodes, [[Curb Stomp Battle|this one]] is [[One-Hit Kill|over in seconds]].

* From [[Dragonball Z]]:

** Krillin has attempted to do this with his Destructo Disk against Vegeta in his Oozaru form (it failed) and Frieza (after his first transformation), where he only managed to lob off some of the latter's tail. Though if the villains hadn't reacted RIGHT when they did, Krillin could've easily killed them both.

** Frieza himself tries this. Goku beats him and now he's not [[Incredibly Lame Pun|not half the despot he used to be]]. So he tries to blast the Super Saiyan from behind. Not smart, Frieza. Just not smart at all.

* In ''[[Gundam Seed]]'' [[Nice Guy]] [[Anti Villain|Nicol Amalfi]] dies while trying to stab [[The Hero|Kira Yamato]] [[In the Back]]; Kira turns around and proceeds to cut Nicol (not [[Humongous Mecha|The Blitz]] but Nicol himself) nearly in half. Nicol's action is never portrayed as anything other than sympathetic, given that a) it's a war, b) The Blitz was too damaged to confront Kira and The Strike head on, and c) he was trying to save his best friend, Athrun, from Kira.

* In ''[[Gundam Seed]]'' [[Nice Guy]] [[Anti-Villain|Nicol Amalfi]] dies while trying to stab [[The Hero|Kira Yamato]] [[In the Back]]; Kira turns around and proceeds to cut Nicol (not [[Humongous Mecha|The Blitz]] but Nicol himself) nearly in half. Nicol's action is never portrayed as anything other than sympathetic, given that a) it's a war, b) The Blitz was too damaged to confront Kira and The Strike head on, and c) he was trying to save his best friend, Athrun, from Kira.

* in ''[[To Aru Majutsu no Index]]'', one teleport esper, Kill-Point, can only teleport directly behind people. as such, this is his preferred attack style.

* Gino Weinberg of ''[[Code Geass]]'' certainly isn't above this: this is how he {{spoiler|kills Senba of the Four Holy Swords, and how he destroys the otherwise [[Beehive Barrier|highly guarded]] Shinkirou much later}}.

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{{quote| ''Do turn around, please. I want to look at you, for I never like shooting anyone in the back.''}}

* Lampshaded in ''The Golden Gate'' by Alistair MacLean, when the reporter is not happy to find out that the secret agent is armed with poison dart weapons: "to be shot into the back, I suppose." The hero calmly points out that a dead man doesn't care from what direction he gets shot.

* In [[Graham McNeill]]'s ''[[Warhammer 40000]] [[Ultramarines (Literature)|Ultramarines]]'' novel ''Dead Sky Black Sun'', during the final attack on [[Evil Tower of Ominousness|the Chaos stronghold]], Leonid sees a foe sneaking up behind the Lord of the Unfleshed and takes him out. The Lord hails him, [[Fire Forged Friends|"Now you Tribe!"]]

* In [[Graham McNeill]]'s ''[[Warhammer 40000]] [[Ultramarines (Literature)|Ultramarines]]'' novel ''Dead Sky Black Sun'', during the final attack on [[Evil Tower of Ominousness|the Chaos stronghold]], Leonid sees a foe sneaking up behind the Lord of the Unfleshed and takes him out. The Lord hails him, [[Fire-Forged Friends|"Now you Tribe!"]]

* In [[Sandy Mitchell]]'s ''[[Ciaphas Cain]]'' novel ''The Traitor's Hand'', Cain's final [[Kill Me Now or Forever Stay Your Hand]] was to tell Beije and the soldiers with him

{{quote| ''If you're going to shoot us, you'll have to do it in the back.''}}

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** In "The Variable," {{spoiler|Eloise shoots Daniel, her own son, in the back.}}

* ''[[SCTV]]'' - an ad for the tv Western "Yellowbelly" shows just what a yellowbelly the title character (John Candy) is as he shoots a ''child'' in the back, and then does the same to the child's ''mother''.

* In an episode of ''[[~~Blakes~~ Seven (TV)|Blakes Seven]]'' Tarrant refuses to shoot his duel opponent in the back (despite {{spoiler|his being an android}}), prompting cries of "[[Kill Him Already]]". He calls out his name, [[Values Dissonance|then shoots him]].

* In an episode of ''[[Blake's Seven (TV)|Blakes Seven]]'' Tarrant refuses to shoot his duel opponent in the back (despite {{spoiler|his being an android}}), prompting cries of "[[Kill Him Already]]". He calls out his name, [[Values Dissonance|then shoots him]].

* Whild Bill Hickock's ultimate fate in ''[[Deadwood]]''.

* [[Horatio Hornblower]] is nearly stabbed in the back in the mini-series, by a furious and humiliated {{spoiler|[[Complete Monster|Simpson]]}}, but is saved by {{spoiler|a truly excellent shot by [[A Father to His Men|Captain Pellew]]}}.

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* The first mission in ''[[Mass Effect 1 (Video Game)|Mass Effect 1]]'' starts with Nihlus, a turian Spectre, getting shot in the back by his old colleague [[Face Heel Turn|Saren]].

** [[Blood Knight|Grunt]] in ''[[Mass Effect 2 (Video Game)|Mass Effect 2]]'' feels the need to let you know that he won't stab you in the back.

{{quote| '''Grunt''': Warriors like you and me? [[Boom Headshot|Right in the face.]] *[[Beat]]* [[Just Joking Justification|Kidding, kidding.]]}}

{{quote| '''Grunt''': Warriors like you and me? [[Boom Headshot|Right in the face.]] *[[Beat]]* [["Just Joking" Justification|Kidding, kidding.]]}}

** In ''[[Mass Effect 3 (Video Game)|Mass Effect 3]]'', after being soundly beaten by Shepard, [[The Dragon|Kai Leng]] limps up to him/her as s/he's perusing through the Illusive Man's files and attempts to stab him/her in the back. {{spoiler|[[Impaled With Extreme Prejudice|It doesn't work.]]}}

* ''[[Call of Duty]]: World at War''

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* In ''~Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors~'': {{spoiler|The "Knife" and "Submarine" endings turn themselves into a [[Shoot the Shaggy Dog]] ending.}}

* ''[[Tales of Monkey Island]]'': {{spoiler|1=Inverted near the end of Chapter 4: Not only does LeChuck (figuratively) stab Guybrush in the back in a clever ambush attack, but he (''literally'') stabs Guybrush ''in the chest... with the Cursed Cutlass of Kaflu that is powerful enough to kill him,'' if not instantly!}}

* In ''[[Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep]]'', on Terra's route, after {{spoiler|the boss fight with Master Eraqus, both have a [[My God What Have I Done]] moment, until Master Xenanort stabs Eraqus in the back (while Terra watches), killing him (although in Blank Points, it's shown that Eraqus' heart went into Terra's)}}.

* In ''[[Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep]]'', on Terra's route, after {{spoiler|the boss fight with Master Eraqus, both have a [[My God, What Have I Done?]] moment, until Master Xenanort stabs Eraqus in the back (while Terra watches), killing him (although in Blank Points, it's shown that Eraqus' heart went into Terra's)}}.

* All the [[Thief]] games encourage attacking from behind. With your blackjack or sword (first two games) or dagger (third game) against an unwary foe, it's a KO or kill. This is important, since Garret kind of sucks at direct combat. He's a THIEF after all, not a knight errant, or an errant fool.

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[[Category:Betrayal Tropes]]

[[Category:In The Back]]

[[Category:Trope]]

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