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{{trope}}
{{quote|'''Kreely Slaver:''' I'll DIE before I'll--
'''''[[Wave Motion Gun|THOOOM!]]'''''
'''[[Ridiculously Human Robot|Ennesby]]:''' [[Bond One
|''[[Schlock Mercenary]]'', [http://www.schlockmercenary.com/2004-07-19 2004-07-19]}}
No matter what the medium or genre of a work of fiction is in, there are a few general rules that are usually in place. One of them is that if a character isn't a [[Red Shirt]], it doesn't matter if they're in a situation of dire peril as long as they're speaking. Because [[Talking Is a Free Action|as long as they're talking]], nothing bad is going to happen to them. Oh sure, they can die after saying some [[Famous Last Words]] or important [[Final Speech]], but dying in the middle of a sentence, especially if it's an ordinary, unimportant one? That's not going to happen, ri--[[Self
...Let me step in for him.
There are any number of reasons to kill a character, whether major, minor, or [[
One thing is for sure: when this trope happens, you know that this is for real. If the story was a light, not too serious sort before, it's just gotten a whole lot [[Darker and Edgier|darker and more serious]] after this.
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See also [[Dead Line News]] when this happens on the other side of a TV screen (though not necessarily in the middle of a sentence).
If a character is killed mid-''word'', there's a good chance of it being a [[Curse Cut Short]]. The [[Almost
If this is a sci-fi story and the scientist figures out how to destroy the alien monster, expect him to die halfway through his explanation, just as he's about to say that it can only be destroyed
Contrast [[Talking Is a Free Action]]-- '''''BLAM!'''''
{{deathtrope}}
{{examples|Examp--}}
== [[Advertising]] ==
* Several [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwCyVku1HvI safety ads] use this trope.
== [[Anime]]
* In ''[[
* ''[[
** Not really so much killed mid-sentence, but L does interrupt Soichiro Yagami by going 'Bang'.
* Revy from ''[[Black Lagoon]]'', [[Tranquil Fury|having a bad day]] and faced with a [[Those Wacky Nazis|huge Nazi general]] wielding a [[Bling Bling Bang|huge golden pistol]], calmly reloads and shoots him in the chest before he can finish [[To the Pain|bragging about his gun]], then [[Lampshade Hanging|ridicules him]] and sends him off with a final lesson: [[Pre
** She also shot Rotton The Wizard mid-introduction, but he [[Subverted Trope|had a kevlar vest on]] and is still hanging around.
* {{spoiler|Keiichi Maebara}} in ''[[Higurashi no Naku Koro
** In ''[[Umineko no Naku Koro
* ''[[Fullmetal Alchemist]]'': In the manga, {{spoiler|commander of the Drachman army after the annihilation of his forces. Kimbley even lampshades it in a disturbing way.}} Also the soldier Sloth kills and one of Greed's men.
* Pretty much every Druggie (Clotho, Orga, Auel, Sting, etc) death in ''[[Gundam Seed]]'' happens mid-sentence/mid-psychotic laugh.
* {{spoiler|Monica}} from ''[[Code Geass]]'': {{spoiler|"It's Suzaku Kururu-!"}}
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* ''[[Elfen Lied]]'': Kouta's sister Kanae is split in half by Lucy as she tearfully begs Kouta not to hate her. {{spoiler|Shirakawa}} suffers the same fate when she is about to warn Kouta about Lucy, and {{spoiler|Kakusawa}} [[Your Head Asplode|loses his head]] bargaining with Lucy.
* In ''[[Soul Eater]]'', Mosquito is killed mid-sentence by Noah.
* Subverted repeatedly by ''[[Bleach]]''. There are many occasions when you'd think this has just
** Finally happens with {{spoiler|Giriko.}} He boasts so much about his power that {{spoiler|Kenpachi got fed up, and just bisected him.}}
* {{spoiler|Kaji}} of ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion]]''. Sounding cheerful to see the killer.
* In the 9th OVA for ''[[One Piece]]'', a retelling of the Drum Kingdom Saga that adds Robin and Franky, they do this to Dr. Hiriluk.
* {{spoiler|Kagero}} in ''[[Ninja Scroll]]'', although that may count as Dying Mid Sentence.
* Not actually '''killed''', but in ''[[Girls und Panzer]]'' one character gloated about how the tank '''behind which''' hers was weaving back and forth had armor the opposing team couldn't possibly "penetrate." But then her much-less-armored vehicle swung too far to one side just as someone '''missed''' the bigger one. Her laughter cut short the instant that shot hit and disabled her tank. In the anime, she doesn't even get a [[Big No]] or a gasp, just immediate silence.
== [[Comic Books]] ==
* Being both [[Combat Pragmatist]] and having a [[Genre Savvy]] [[Medium Awareness]], [[Deadpool]] has pulled this more than once on his enemies and targets.
** And had it pulled on him in turn; the difference comes in whether the attacker unknowingly intends to actually kill him, or they are aware of Deadpool's [[Healing Factor]] and simply want to shut him up while he regenerates.
* Jaime Madrox aka "Multiple Man" from ''[[X-Factor (
* In ''[[Swamp Thing]]'' #53, Alec manages to croak out most of "I love..." to Abby before his apparent death.
* In What If? ''[[Dark Reign (
* In ''[[Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers]],'' {{spoiler|Snare}} dies in mid-sentence ''while asking for a [[Mercy Kill]].''
* The illustrated novel ''Zombies: A Record of the Year of Infection'' is presented as being the recovered journal of a survivor dealing with the initial stages of the [[Zombie Apocalypse]]. It ends {{spoiler|with the journal suddenly trailing off mid-sentence, and slight spatters of blood on the side of the page.}}
* In the first chapter of ''[[V for Vendetta]]'', a Fingerman grabs what he thinks is V's hand, only for him to be left holding a prosthetic hand as V fights the other secret policemen and escapes with Evey. The Fingerman then says, "I've got his hand. What should I do with his" and explodes in the same panel.
* Makes a [[Tear Jerker]] in ''[[
* In ''[[Superman Earth One]]'', Tyrell's ship blows up while he is mocking Superman.
* Miss America in ''[[The Golden Age]]'' is killed by Robotman in her attempt to expose {{spoiler|Dynaman as being Adolf Hitler in Daniel Dunbar's body}}.
== [[Fan Works]] ==
* [[Deadpool]] did this to [[Watchmen (comics)|The Comedian]] in one ''[[I'm a Marvel... and I'm a DC]]'' skit after The Comedian made the mistake of only describing how the skit worked as "We basically just fight over our movies".
* ''[[The Joker Blogs]]'': The priest officiating at Harleen Quinzel's wedding, who the Joker shoots before he can finish the "[[Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace]]" bit.
* The ''[[Portal 2]]'' fanfiction ''[[Test of Humanity]]'' has {{spoiler|1=GLaDOS}} doing this. She tries to call {{spoiler|Wheatley a "stupid moron" for getting stuck in an exhaust pipe and causing too much pressure to build up}} but the lab explodes before she can.
{{quote|{{spoiler|"You stupid mor-"}}}}
* The ''[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic]]''/''[[Doctor Who]]'' crossover ''[[Time Lords and Terror]]'' has this done to {{spoiler|'''the Doctor''' of all people}}.
{{quote|"Oh, that's not fair."}}
* In the ''[[Lucky Star]]/[[Puella Magi Madoka Magica]]'' crossover ''[[Stars Above]]'', {{spoiler|this happens to Tsukasa in the 2013 timeline, setting up Kagami's [[Start of Darkness]], and then to [[Puella Magi Kazumi Magica|Kazumi]], to reinforce the fact that [[Anyone Can Die]]... [[Everybody's Dead, Dave|and most eventually do.]]}}
* In ''[[Dragon Ball Abridged]]'', Gohan gets his neck snapped by a kick from Recoome before he can complete his sentence about how Goku will kick Recoome's ass despite Gohan losing the fight."
==
* Lord Farquad in ''[[Shrek]]'' gets eaten in mid-sentence:
{{quote|
* [[The Joker]] when he dies in ''[[Batman Beyond
{{quote|
* This is how {{spoiler|Rachel Dawes}} died in ''[[The Dark Knight]]'', making what was said from the [[Final Speech]] that got cut off a slight [[Tear Jerker]].
* [[James Bond (
{{quote|
[[Bond One
** An [[MI 6]] agent in ''[[
* {{spoiler|Wash}} in ''[[
{{quote|
** Also, {{spoiler|Mr. Universe}}. Okay, technically he didn't die right away, but he gets his speech cut off by a sword to the guts, and he is dead the next time we see him. {{spoiler|Fortunately for Mal and crew, Mr. Universe had just enough life left to make a helpful recording}}.
* {{spoiler|[[The Woobie|Selma]]}} from ''[[Dancer in
* In an awesome subversion of {{spoiler|[[Never Give Up Speech|a monologue]]}}, this is how {{spoiler|[[Samuel L. Jackson]]}}'s character died in ''[[Deep Blue Sea]]''. The [[Sedgwick Speech]] variant of this trope.
* R.K. Maroon in ''[[Who Framed Roger Rabbit?]]''.
* Swan is killed mid-sentence, ''in the middle of a musical number'' no less, in Trey Parker and Matt Stone's ''[[Cannibal!
* In ''[[
* ''[[Taken (
* George Kirk in the latest ''[[Star Trek (
** More likely he was just repeating "I Love You" over and over so that it would be the last thing his family hears him say.
* Happens to the pro-gun control politician in ''[[Shoot
* In a funny subversion, in ''[[Monty Python and
{{quote|
* In one scene from ''[[
* ''[[Star Wars]]'':
** In ''[[Attack of the Clones]]'', Shmi Skywalker's last words to Anakin are "I love--"
** ''[[The Empire Strikes Back]]'' has an audio-only version: "Imperial troops have entered the base! Imperial troops have--" *ABRUPT BLAST OF STATIC*
** Quite a few pilots have their fighters explode as they're talking, though only about half can be heard by the audience.
* ''[[Clue (
* Billy in ''[[Final Destination]]'' is cut off mid-rant by a large shard of metal kicked up by the train that just took out Carter's car, which whistles up apparently out of nowhere and beheads him. He stays on his feet for a few startled seconds before his legs realize he's dead, whereupon he topples over.
* Inverted in ''[[Pulp Fiction]]''. Vincent Vega turns around to explain something to Marvin while being driven by Jules, and [[Accidental Murder|accidentally]] [[I Just Shot Marvin in
* Not a textbook example, as it takes him a few more minutes to die, enough time for him to scream out his brother's as HE gets killed, but worth a mention as the effect is the same, and for the sheer audacity of it: Nicky from ''[[Casino]]'' is struck with a cricket bat while midway through his own narration, cutting it off with a scream.
* ''[[Pirates of the Caribbean]]: On Stranger Tides'' played this for [[Black Comedy]]:
{{quote|
{{spoiler|'''Spaniard:''' Someone make a note of that man's bravery.}} }}
* From ''[[Transformers (
** Also from the same film... {{spoiler|Starscream's [[Famous Last Words]]}}
{{quote|
* What happens to Steve in [[Casual Danger Dialogue|his final conversation with Peggy]] over the radio in ''[[Captain America:
{{quote|
** Also this scene:
{{quote|
'''Colonel Phillips''': ''(shoots him)'' Let's find two more. }}
* ''[[The Wild Geese]]'': Faulkner's final confrontation with Sir Edward Matheson. Sir Edward is so inflated with hauteur that he cannot conceive of there being any threat to himself - the discovery that the murderous mercenary with a gun and grudge is, yes, ''there to kill him'' completely baffles Matheson, and he's left stammering "now wait just a minute--!" before Faulkner fires.
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* {{spoiler|Audrey II}}'s death in ''[[Little Shop of Horrors]]'' combines this with [[Curse Cut Short]]. "[[Oh Crap|OH SHI--]]"
* Subtle example in [[I Miss You I Miss You|I Miss You]]. Cilla begins to say something and gets hit by a car and dies.
* In ''[[Muppet Treasure Island]]'', more like "Died of a Heart Attack Mid Sentence," the dying Billy Bones warns Jim, Gonzo and Rizzo to beware the one-legged man, but also "Beware running with scissors or any other pointy objects! It's all good fun, 'till somebody loses a-" and he screams "Aaaahh" and dies before possibly saying "
== [[Literature]] ==
* In the original version of ''[[Podkayne of Mars]]'' by [[Robert Heinlein]], teenage heroine Podkayne says "Do listen please, because this is important. I love--" before she is killed by a bomb blast. However, Heinlein's publisher hated such a downbeat ending to a novel aimed at teens and insisted Heinlein revise the ending to allow Podkayne to live. The most recent editions have included both endings.
* This is how {{spoiler|Fred Weasley}} dies in ''[[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (novel)|Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows]]'':
{{quote|"You're joking, {{spoiler|Perce}}! You actually are joking... I don't think I've heard you joke since you were--"}}
** Could be a mild case of [[His Name Is--]] as well, as some readers would have really liked to have heard the rest of that sentence.
* In ''Confessor'', the last book of the ''[[Sword of Truth]]'' series, Richard, freshly freed from his imprisonment by the Imperial Order, approaches the officer who'd captured him. Said officer gets four words into his "I've been waiting for this" speech before Richard cuts him down without breaking his stride.
** Furthermore, he later {{spoiler|does the exact same thing to the series' resident Big Bad, and to top it all off, he orders him to be thrown in the mass grave with all his dead Mooks.}}
* In ''[[
* In the [[Stephen King]] novella ''[[The Langoliers]]'', Craig Toomy is facing down against the eponymous beasties, mistaking them for hobgoblins his father told him about as a caution against laziness. His last thought:
{{quote|
** {{spoiler|Eddie Kaspbrak}} in ''[[IT]]''.
** {{spoiler|Carrie}} dies mid-thought in ''[[Carrie]]''
* One of the characters in Arthur Hailey's ''Airport'' is an air traffic controller who's haunted by memories of a mid-air collision that took place on his watch (and for which he holds himself responsible). A flashback scene has him and his colleagues listening to a radio transmission from one of the planes as it plummets to earth after the collision, and the final words of a little girl aboard said plane:
{{quote|
* In the [[Star Wars Expanded Universe]] [[X Wing Series]] novel ''Wraith Squadron'', Admiral Trigit flees in a starfighter after his forces surrendered. General Crespin and Lieutenant Donos are in pursuit... Crispin offers Trigit to surrender. Trigit refuses, and instead orders his bodyguards to shoot down his pursuers. Crespin skillfully takes care of them though. Trigit, realizing he's in trouble, tells Crispin he's reconsidered and wants to surrender. He doesn't even get to mid-sentence when a torpedo launched by Donos hits his starfighter.
* ''[[Vorkosigan Saga]]'': ''Barrayar'' has the would-be Imperial usurper Vordarian's last words cut off when [[Mama Bear|Cordelia]] orders him decapitated: "You're a Betan! You can't do--" [[Knife Nut|BOTHARI]] [[Axe Crazy|CHOP!]] Later, she references Vordarian's words, and assumes he was going to finish with "that."
** {{spoiler|Miles}} is thinking "Wait, I haven't-" when he is blown nearly in half by a sniper. {{spoiler|As this is ''Miles'' we're talking about, he gets better.}}
* In Ian Fleming's ''[[From Russia
* Gavroche dies mid-''song'' in both [[Les Misérables|the book]] and [[Les Misérables (
* In Pat Frank's ''[[Alas, Babylon]]'', a teletype message from Jacksonville stops mid-sentence when the city is annihilated.
* In ''The Split Second,'' the second book in the Seems series written by John Hulme and Michael Wexler, this happens to Tom Jackal. His body is rapidly aging and he is talking to Becker about his family, whom he left behind to come help save The World (and The Seems): "Don't feel bad for us, son. Because our love will survive anything. And I know I'll see them in A Better ..." He would have said "Place," if he'd had the time... He just didn't quite make it.
* Pharaun Mizzrym from ''[[Forgotten Realms|War of the Spider Queen]]'' series once was held at wand-point by a fellow drow wizard. This guy would be more of a trouble if he could shut up on his own, though.
{{quote|
* ''[[Discworld]]'':
** {{spoiler|Salzella}} in ''[[Maskerade]]''... [[Final Speech|eventually.]]
** A minor thief in ''[[Guards! Guards!]]'' turns around the corner and accidentally finds himself mugging a dragon, and dies with "Oh sh--" And then his ghost finishes "--it."
** Many an ancient lord's final words were, "You can't kill me, I'm wearing magic ar''rrgh''!" ("Armour" being the interrupted word)
* Lewis Carroll's ''[[The Hunting of the Snark]]''. The luckless person to find it {{spoiler| (the Baker)}} calls out "It's a Boo--!" and then {{spoiler|softly and suddenly vanished away, for the Snark ''was'' a Boojum, you see.}}
* ''[[Wheel of Time]]'' "You? No!" The word still hung in the air when death took him.” And that's the end of Asmodean. That's also all we hear about it for 8 books. It's slightly frustrating.
* Jake Featherston, the CSA's [[Adolf Hitler|Hitler]] [[Expy]] in [[Harry Turtledove]]'s ''[[Timeline-191]]'' series, does ''not'' commit suicide; he's still pushing his underlings to regroup when a group of black guerrillas spots them. "Get us some motorcars and--"
* {{spoiler|Javier Giscard}} in ''[[Honor Harrington
* Apparently happens to
* ''The Slithergadee'', by [[Shel Silverstein]]:
{{quote|''The Slithergadee has crawled out of the sea.
He may catch all the others but he won't catch me.
No you won't catch me, old Slithergadee,
You may catch all the others, but you wo--'' }}
** ''I'm Being Eaten by a Boa Constrictor'', also by Shel Silverstein, ends with the lines:
{{quote|"Oh, heck, it's up to my neck.
Oh, dread, it's upmmmmmmmmmmffffffffff..." }}
== [[Live
* Malcolm Reynolds from ''[[Firefly]]'' wasted no time in shooting Dobson while the latter was in the middle of a [[Put Down Your Gun and Step Away]] moment. [[Crowning Moment of Awesome|Without even breaking stride.]]
{{quote|
* A wounded Damar tried to say some last words, but died after only saying "Keep..." in ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]''. Even that much was [[Throw It In|improvised]] and Casey Biggs admitted that he actually had no idea how he would have finished the line.
* ''[[
** In the fifth season, {{spoiler|Wesley shot his father the moment dad began threatening Fred}}. Fortunately, {{spoiler|it was just a cyborg with an illusion to make it look like dear old dad}}.
** In the same season,
{{quote|
* {{spoiler|Paul Ballard}} dies this way on ''[[Dollhouse]]''.
* In ''[[
** Jack's [[What the Hell, Hero?|failed kill]] of {{spoiler|Locke}} would have happened this way, if the gun had been loaded.
** The last words of Juliet: "I have to tell you something, it's really really important..." Luckily, [[I See Dead People|Miles]] is there to relay what she intended to say. It doesn't make sense until the finale, when it's revealed that {{spoiler|it was something she was saying to Sawyer in the flash-sideways universe/afterlife}}.
** {{spoiler|Ilana's}} Arzt moment in the final season. Killed while saying something seemingly very important in relation to The Big Bad, no less.
* ''[[Criminal Minds]]'' episode {{spoiler|"Mosley Lane"}}: The female unsub is held at gunpoint by one of her hostages and has the bad idea of mocking him.
{{quote|
* {{spoiler|Kryten}} is killed mid-sentence in the last episode of ''[[
** Parodied in ''Inquisitor'':
{{quote|
"Enig?"
"Yes, Enig!" ''(Inquisitor crushes Kryten's head against the wall with one hand)'' }}
* ''[[
** "She's not even half the girl she... OW..." Best [[Musical Episode]] ever.
** "Your shirt", {{spoiler|said by Tara after Warren shot her.}}
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* Hearing this happen over the phone to two people in Atlanta is how residents of ''[[Jericho]]'' first learn it's not just Denver that got nuked.
* Happens to {{spoiler|Kate}} in ''[[NCIS]]''.
{{quote|
** And, a couple of episodes later, to the killer, {{spoiler|Ari Haswari}}:
{{quote|
* This happens to the Borg at the start of the ''[[Star Trek
{{quote|
* Emmett on ''[[Chuck]]'' is killed in the middle of [[Mugging the Monster|calling someone a pussy.]]
** In another episode, John Casey kills off a bad guy right in the middle of said baddie giving off [[Evil Gloating|a gloating speech]].
* This appears several times on ''[[
* {{spoiler|Stringer Bell}} from ''[[The Wire]]''.
{{quote|
** Also
* On ''[[The West Wing]]'', in an almost painful [[Tempting Fate]], a secret service agent happens to walk in to a convenience store in the midst of a robbery. Only seeing one of two robbers, he gets him to drop his weapon, gets him on the floor, and then says the kid was smart, because he's secret serv--
** Actually, it didn't quite happen that way. They first screwed the audience into thinking he might actually, improbably get away with it because he ''does'' survive the tempting fate line about being secret service. Afterwards, when he's safe, he jokes to the clerk that he hates to be a problem customer, but if he doesn't get a Milky Way bar pretty soo--
* The Ice Truck Killer in Season 1 of ''[[Dexter]]''.
* A running joke in the ''[[Wayne and Shuster]]'' sketch "Rinse the Blood Off My Toga" involves people being killed mid-sentence as they try to tell the investigators [[His Name Is--|the name of Caesar's killer]].
* Happens in the ''[[Breakout Kings]]'' episode "There Are Rules", when the white-collar criminal who masterminded the [[Once an Episode|prison break of the week]] pulls a gun on his relatively violence-oriented accomplice, and the latter tries to [[Hannibal Lecture]] him:
{{quote|
* In the ''[[
* In the Season 3 opener of ''[[Chicago Fire]]'', in the flashback, Paramedics Gabriela Dawson and Leslie Shay are treating an injured person in a building, during what was originally intended to be Dawson's last call before she transfers to another firehouse. They're discussing this as they treat the injured person, and then this happens:
{{quote|'''Shay''': "You know, I'll never get used to--" ''sudden explosion, Shay is hit on the head by debris and killed''}}
== [[Music]] ==
* "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" by the Beatles. "But as the words are leaving his lips/A noise comes from behind"
* Vaughn Monroe's '50s novelty hit "In the Middle of the House" ends this way, with the singer run over by a locomotive.*
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* Pink Floyd's "The Final Cut": The line that goes "And if I'm in I'll tell you what's behind the wall" has a gunshot going off after "I'll tell you", suggesting that whoever was trying to say this line was shot. {{spoiler|Possibly done to obscure its reference to the main character in ''[[Pink Floyd the Wall|The Wall]]''.}}
* Assemblage 23's "30kft" ends with the singer's phone call cutting out.
==
* Done quite humorously in the ''[[Dungeons and Dragons]]'' 3.5 supplemental ''Complete Mage'', in a line relating to a prestige class.
{{quote|''"Bah! Face one 'holier than thou' spellcaster, you've faced them all! This so-called scourge doesn't worry me at--"''|'''Count Lucius Darvold''', vampire lord, twice deceased.}}
== [[Theatre]] ==
* [[The Zeroth Law of Trope Examples]] strikes again, since this is how Hotspur dies in [[William Shakespeare]]'s ''[[Henry IV]], Part I'':
{{quote|
''But that the earth, and the cold hand of death,''
''Lies on my tongue. No, Percy, thou art dust''
''And food for--'' }}
** Prince Hal finishes his sentence:
{{quote|
* In the musical ''[[Les Misérables (
{{quote|
** Gavroche, too.
** Fantine's voice trails off on her final words "And tell Cosette I love her and I'll see her when I wake. . ."
* In ''[[Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (
* Sometimes during the final scene of [[Miss Saigon]], Kim dies in Chris' arms before she can finish the line, "How in one night have we come so far. . .?"
* Orin in ''[[Little Shop of Horrors]]''.
{{quote|
'''Seymour:''' Death? ''(Orin dies)'' }}
* Cited in the song "I Love a Film Cliche" from ''[[A Day in Hollywood, A Night in the Ukraine]]'':
{{quote|''The killer's name, Inspector, is aaaaagh''}}
== [[Toys]] ==
* Several examples in ''[[Bionicle]]'':
{{quote|
'''{{spoiler|Bitil}}:''' What do I gain by saving them? When I make it out of here, Teridax will see that I am his most trusted lieutenant! He'll see--
'''Narrator:''' [[Deadpan Snarker|No he won't.]] }}
== [[Video Games]] ==
* As if interrupting him mid-speech wasn't rude enough (with a flaming chakram to the face, no less), Axel also cuts Vexen's last words short in ''[[Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories]]''.
{{quote|"No! Please don't! I don't want to-!"
"[[Pre-Mortem One-Liner|Goodbye. *snap*]]"
[[Kill It with Fire|*FWOOSH*]] }}
* The player character in ''[[Alpha Protocol]]'' can do this to a ''lot'' of people during the game, depending on dialogue choices. They vary between extremely awesome, or incredibly chilling depending on your relationship with the person in question.
* In one of the later missions of ''[[
* In the ''[[Call of Duty
** Again, in ''[[Call of Duty
{{quote|
* This happens to {{spoiler|Cole}} near the end of ''[[Clive
{{quote|
* Even in the original ''[[Call of Duty]]'', we get this memorable line
{{quote|
* ''[[
{{quote|
** CUE NECK AND FACE SKIN EXPLODING... on Issac's face.
* In ''[[The Elder Scrolls IV
* In ''[[Fable]] 2'', {{spoiler|end boss Lucien rambles on and on for some time after you interrupt his ascension to godhood. The player can kill him mid-sentence, with Reaver thanking them. Alternately, if left to ramble long enough, Reaver will shoot Lucien himself.}}
* This happens to Ultimecia in ''[[Final Fantasy VIII]]'', and again in ''[[Dissidia Final Fantasy]]''.
{{quote|
* A terrified sailor in ''[[God of War (
{{quote|
* ''[[Grand Theft Auto]] III’s'' {{spoiler|Maria Latore}} apparently dies like this off screen.
* ''[[Half Life]]'' "Freeman! I was told to give you a message! Make sure you don-- ''thwip'' urgh-arrrgh". Couldn't have asked for a more punctual introduction for the assassin characters in the original game.
* {{spoiler|Kat}} in ''[[Halo: Reach]]'', courtesy of a sniper: "Where does he get off calling a demolition op Priority O-"
* In ''[[
** Well, he wasn't actually in the middle of a sentence. He just said "Guess it's time to close the curtains." before he died, so I assume that counts as finishing a sentence.
** An actual example exists in this game, though. {{spoiler|Christopher Mills said to Garcian, "30 years ago, you and Harman..." and then somebody shoots him, forcing Garcian to flee the scene, as he thought he was in danger.}}
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* ''[[Legend of Dragoon]]'': {{spoiler|Lavitz Slambert}}, as he is fatally wounded: "Dart, survive... and..." [[Died in Your Arms Tonight|He dies in Dart's arms before he can finish.]]
* ''[[Mass Effect]]'': "You talk too much." ''[[Stuff Blowing Up|BANG]]''
** Many, many of the Renegade interrupts in ''[[Mass Effect
{{quote|
** It's not always Shepard, either:
{{quote|
'''Miranda''': ...dead? }}
** Depending on your choices, you can have a spectacular one in ''[[Mass Effect]] 3'' on Tuchanka. And in this case, it's for a major character.
{{quote|
My xenoscience studies range from urban to agrarian
[[Major-General Song|I am the very model of]]-''(BOOM)'' }}
* Robert Barnes, a captured contact in the [[Nintendo 64]] version of [[Mission: Impossible (
{{quote|
* More of a "killed mid-thought", but during one conversation in ''[[Neverwinter Nights]] I'' an option for every response is "snap her neck", which interrupts the speaking character rather effectively.
* Towards the beginning of ''Penumbra: Black Plague'', the player can listen to a cassette tape made by a research member on the main weakness of the Infected. You can hear them growling and approaching as he speaks, and they attack and rip him to shreds right before he says the weakness.
* ''[[Saints Row]] 2'' ends with {{spoiler|Dane Vogel}} getting his slimy-ass shot just as he's trying to spin things to his favor.
{{quote|
* Nobunaga does this to Hideyoshi in the end of his campaign in ''[[Sengoku Basara]] II''.
** Magoichi Saika does this to to Nobunaga himself in one of Magoichi's endings in Samurai Warriors.
* {{spoiler|Kung Lao's}} death in ''[[Mortal Kombat]] 9''.
* Partially subverted in ''[[Star Wars]]: [[Dark Forces Saga|Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast]]''. While the [[Mad Scientist]] is giving an insane speech about how the galaxy will tremble before him, [[Badass|Katarn]] casually throws his lightsaber into the ship's shield generator, leaving it wide open to attack. Followed by a cheesy [[Pre
* In ''[[Tales of the Abyss]]'', during the Oracle Knight's attack on the Dreadnought the captain of the ship calling for assistance [[Never Say "Die"|wasn't exactly able to finish...]]
* ''[[
** "What? [[Wrong Genre Savvy|It was obvious!]] He's the RED Spy!"
* The intro cutscene of ''[[Jeff
* Happens quite regularly in games in the ''[[Wing Commander (
* In ''[[World of Warcraft]]'', this is how the leader of the freed slaves in the Pit of Saron bites it. After you've killed the final boss he gives a very flowery speech of gratitude to the players. Right behind him is Sindragosa, Arthas' pet dragon, [[Surprisingly
* ''[[The Legend of Zelda:
* ''[[Mechwarrior]]'' 2: "It's got a lock on me! It's got a lock on..."
** [[Expansion Pack|Ghost Bear's Legacy]]: "Neg base, I need units ''now''! [[Curse Cut Short|Freebirth...!"]]
* [[Brothers in Arms|Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway]]'' "'''{{spoiler|Garnett}}:''' Guys, get the fu-"
* A genuinely funny moment from the [[Sega CD]] adaptation of ''[[Space Adventure Cobra]]'' occurs when Cobra discovers that {{spoiler|the Parrot Grass on his vessel is actually a spy impersonating the plant}}. When confronted, [[One
== [[Web Animation]] ==
* In ''[[Homestar Runner]]'', Strong Bad receives an email from someone named Trevor, who says "I am a vampire and"—and his message ends right there. After mocking him for leaving his sentence unfinished, Strong Bad suddenly comes to the conclusion that Trevor couldn't because someone put a stake through his heart while he was writing.
* In ''[[The Demented Cartoon Movie]]'', at least one scene ends with a character being blown up in mid-sentence.
== [[Web Comics]] ==
* ''[[
** When Belkar kills the Chimaera at the very beginning.
{{quote|
** Xykon does this to a group of [[Hired Guns|mercenary ogres]] who are complaining about not being paid ''very'' early in the comic's run, (and then he zombifies their corpses so he can still get some use out of them), perhaps giving the first hint that he's not a [[Harmless Villain|harmless]] [[Contractual Genre Blindness|cliché storm]] of a villain, despite appearances.
** This is also how {{spoiler|Roy Greenhilt}} dies, mid-pondering in freefall.
** And in Cliffport, "[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0360.html I'm getting too old for]--"
** Haley {{spoiler|gets [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0789.html petrified mid-sentence] by Zz'dtri}}.
* ''[[Dan and
* {{spoiler|Mike}} from ''[[Its Walky]]'', in the middle of a [[Facing the Bullets One
* ''[[Sluggy Freelance]]'' had [
* Not killed, but Charles in ''[[
* There are several ones in ''[[Goblins]]''. For example, the deaths of {{spoiler|Seth Brainwrath, Young And Beautiful (the fortune teller) and Saral Caine}}.
* [http://darthsanddroids.net/episodes/0455.html Count Dooku] in ''[[Darths and Droids]]'': "Non! Wait! [[Luke, I Am Your Father|Anakin, Ah am your f]]--"
* ''[[Schlock Mercenary]]''
** [https://www.schlockmercenary.com/2004-07-19 A single Kreelie guard on foot] hailed by an armed troop transport
{{quote|'''Ennesby''': You there on the ground. Drop your weapon or be ''fired upon''!
'''Guard''': I'll ''die'' before I [THOOOM]
'''Ennesby''': "...finish my sentence", I think he was saying.}}
** [https://www.schlockmercenary.com/2018-01-07 An Unioc investigator] who "discovered" the hard way what happened to a destroyed vessel.
== [[Web Original]] ==
* ''[[Red vs. Blue]]'':
** This happens to [[Chronic Backstabbing Disorder|South Dakota]] after being caught and held at gunpoint by Washington.
{{quote|
'''Wash:''' Yes.
** Also, every time someone gets shot, it seems their last words are inevitably [[Curse Cut Short|"SON OF A--"]]
** This trope was also played with in the last episode of the ''Blood Gulch Chronicles'', when Captain Flowers deliberately delayed revealing an (apparently) important piece of information about the Reds to Tucker. When asked why he was doing this, he remarked that he [[Lampshade Hanging|seemed to be dramatically pausing]] for some- '''*BLAM* ''' Hrrrk... Blaaah...
* Has happened a few times in ''[[Survival of the Fittest]]'', most notably to Josh Goodman and Katleen Martin.
* {{spoiler|Zombie Boy/Bonz}} gets shot in the head by Yami Bakura with an [[Family
* In ''[[Awesome Series|Awesome Gaiden]]'' the [[Guide Dang It|Strategy Guide]] bursts into the room to aid the player against the [[Nintendo Hard|insane challenge]] of '''the tutorial level''' of ''[[Ninja Gaiden]]'':
{{quote|
'''Player:''' Thank God you're here!
'''Strategy Guide:''' Don't worry, pal. I'll sa-- ''(stabbed)''
''(Ryu [[Death Glare|glares at player]])''
'''Player:''' [[Oh Crap|Oh God...]] }}
* Presenting a list of
* In ''[[The Gamers]]'', Newmoon tries to do this to the bandit king repeatedly, but is thwarted by the DM.
* From ''[[The Adventures of
{{quote|
Mega Man (Duane): DEAD. I'm not fuckin' with you. }}
* ''[[Death Battle]]'': [[Transformers|Starscream]]. "You haven't won. I'm invincible! My Spark lives. You can never defeat Star--" '''GULP''' {{spoiler|Spark eaten by [[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic|Rainbow Dash]]. Yes, a ''[[My Little Pony]]'' character just defeated a giant robot.}}
** {{spoiler|He survived, though}}
* {{spoiler|Roman Torchwick}}, just barely, in V3E11 of ''[[RWBY]]'' -- he's killed as he utters the last syllable of the last word in his last line.
== [[Western Animation]] ==
* ''[[Korgoth of Barbaria]]'' does an hilarious [[There Is No Kill Like Overkill|overkill]] version of this to a [[Giant Mook]].
* ''[[
* Parodied ''[[Family Guy]]''. In "The Fat Guy Strangler", Patrick tries to strangle Peter as he is saying "Nothing left to do but finish this sen-"
* ''[[The Simpsons (
** Arnie Pie says "Tell my wife I love..." before his helicopter crashes.
** Also, in the episode "Homer's Enemy", Frank Grimes has finally gone nuts over no-one else calling Homer on his reckless behavior, He approaches electric wires and says, "I don't even need safety gloves, BECAUSE I'M HOMER SIMP--" Then he touches the wires and guess what happens.
* A [[Disney Death]] example from ''[[Phineas and Ferb]]'':
{{quote|
== [[Real Life|Real Li...]] ==
* Did ''not'' happen to [[Sedgwick Speech|General John Sedgwick]], but everyone likes to quote it that way because it would be funnier and/or more ironic. (Mind you, those ''were'' almost his [[Famous Last Words]]
* The last words heard from the Space Shuttle ''Columbia'': "Roger, uh, bu--"
** Comparatively, the last transmission from ''Challenger'' was, apparently, "[[Oh Crap|Uh-oh.]]"
* Peter the Great of Russia had decided in advance to name his heir on his deathbed. Unfortunately, his last words were "I leave everything to..."
* [
* According to [https://web.archive.org/web/20120626135017/http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/notorious/bernardo/36.html Karla Homolka's] testimony, Paul Bernardo began strangling Kristen French while she was in the middle of a sentence.
* Kevin Cosgrove, while on the phone with 911 dispatchers, is cut off when the North Tower collapses, along with a scream.
* The last words from the American submarine USS Thresher, in communication with a surface ship just before sinking, were "...exceeding test depth...".
* Frederick III of Germany was dying of throat cancer and could not speak in his last days. He started writing, "Victoria, me, the children..." before lapsing into unconsciousness and dying.
* [
* [
{{reflist}}
[[Category:
[[Category:Death Tropes]]
[[Category:Index of Exact Trope Titles]]
[[Category:Last Words]]
[[Category:Badass]]
[[Category:
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