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Killer Rabbit: Difference between revisions
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This trope takes its name from the "Dread Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog" in ''[[Monty Python and the Holy Grail]]'', which seems to be a completely ordinary bunny rabbit, with the notably unusual ability to leap through the air at high speed and tear out people's throats.
This creature is also known as a "[[Fan Nickname|Vorpal Bunny]]", a name which comes from the monster of that name in the original ''[[Wizardry]]'' game from 1981, possibly inspired by the [[Monty Python]] movie and is named after "The Vorpal Blade", a fictional sword used to kill the title creature in the [[Lewis Carroll]] poem "[[Jabberwocky]]". The name also spread (via ''[[Dungeons
There's [[Truth in Television|enough truth behind this]] that one of the first things many children are taught is "don't try to play with any animal until you know it's friendly." (Another lesson, learned later in life by many, sometimes ''too'' late, is: "Animals can become ''un''friendly ''pretty damn fast''.")
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* ''[[Azumanga Daioh]]'':
** Kamineko, a.k.a. the Biting Cat, deserves mention. While he hasn't ''killed'' anyone, the façade of a cute, irresistible little gray kitty that poor Sakaki can't resist petting hides unearthly speed, a rotten attitude, and [[More Teeth Than the Osmond Family|a set of teeth that resemble nothing so much as a bear trap]]. His life's mission seems to be to continually tease and beat up [[The Woobie|poor Sakaki]]. Most cats seem to attack her out of fright, but Kamineko tends to seek her out with [[Cats Are Mean|malicious intent]].
** Maya could also be seen as an example. The cutest ever kitten to come out of a species of wildcat ''that can kill wild boars''. Not only survives a trip from a western island to the mainland, [[Took a Level
* ''[[Elfen Lied]]'' could be described as a manga series about a race of [[Killer Rabbits]]. The Dicloni look like little girls/young women with pink hair and a slight skull deformation in the form of two horns. They are in fact the most dangerous creatures on Earth, with enormous telekinetic powers and the natural instinct to [[Kill All Humans]]. The series begins with one of the most powerful of their kind breaking out of a high-security research facility stark naked. Shes slaughters about 60 guards with automatic weapons and survives a round from an anti-materiel rifle to the head.
* Kirara from ''[[Inuyasha]]'' is usually a small and cute kitty, but can transform into a giant, flying, saber-toothed, ''[[Incendiary Exponent|flaming]]'' version of itself at will.
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** Before you look at Patamon, look at Tokomon FIRST.
** Guilmon is usually adorable and childish, but when in a fight he transforms into a feral beast.
* ''[[Kirby
* ''[[Pet Shop of Horrors]]'' features another literal example in its first episode "Daughter," which involves a rich couple that recently lost their daughter Alice paying a visit to Count D's eponymous shop. Count D sells them a very rare species of rabbit that [[Replacement Goldfish|looks just like Alice]]. Things go well for the couple until the mother concedes to the rabbit-Alice's request for sugar instead of the water and vegetables indicated in the rules of the contract. It goes very badly for the couple VERY quickly. {{spoiler|It turns out that feeding sweets to this rabbit will cause it to "give birth" to (read: get eaten from within by) dozens of flesh-eating killer bunnies that go forth, kill, eat, and "give birth" to more killer bunnies until the town is overrun}}.
* The Teez in ''[[D.Gray-man]]'' are golems that look like pretty purple butterflies. And then they eat you. Or {{spoiler|Tyki places them inside you so that you can act as a nursery for them to grow and breed in}} and THEN they eat you {{spoiler|from the inside out}}.
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== Films -- Animation ==
* The main villain of ''[[Toy Story (franchise)||Toy Story 3]]'' is {{spoiler|an adorable pink teddy bear ("And he smells like strawberries!").}}
* ''[[Watership Down]]''. [In]famous for its rabbit violence.
{{quote|'''Woundwort:''' I'll tear out every throat in the place!
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== Literature ==
* ''[http://www.amazon.com/Tuf-Voyaging-George-R-Martin/dp/1592220045/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-6117255-8583944?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1191036129&sr=8-1 The Plague Star]'', by George R.R. Martin (of ''[[A Song of Ice and Fire]]'' fame) featured creatures called "hellkittens." These were much like the Arduin "killkittens" (see their entry in the [[Tabletop RPG]] folder). Except rather than secreting their paralytic venom through hollow claws, they ''spat'' it in wads of powerfully acidic saliva.
* Another ''literal'' killer rabbit is the Miraj (also rendered Al-Mi'raj, or various other variations on the two) of Islamic/Arabian poetry and folklore. A yellow rabbit with a single large horn, it can kill and eat things much larger than itself. It appears in early editions of ''[[Dungeons
* Margaret Atwood's ''[[Oryx and Crake]]'' includes wolvogs, creatures that look like friendly dogs, and when they are not ruthlessly killing other creatures, they ''act'' like friendly dogs. They can go from friendly to homicidal, and back, quickly.
* ''Bunnicula'' has a vampire-like rabbit that Chester ''assumes'' is a killer rabbit, but there's no evidence that he ever actually does any harm whatsoever besides draining vegetables.
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== Tabletop Games ==
* ''[[Dungeons
** The [http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/cat.htm common housecat] in ''3.5'' is a serious threat to all 1st level characters, even those with class levels. This is because [[Scratch Damage|all successful attacks deal at least one point of damage]], and cats get up to three a round. A level-appropriate encounter of four stray cats can [[Death of a Thousand Cuts|easily wipe out a 1st level party]], ''especially'' if the cats use their racial stealth bonuses to launch a surprise attack. This is why 1st level [[NPC|Commoners]] don't walk down alleyways at night.
** The original "[http://www.arduin.com Arduin Grimoire]", a very early third-party supplement, included among its bestiary a creature called the "killkitten". Resembling normal kittens, these beasts were actually cunning pack predators whose hollow claws could inject a paralytic poison. Their normal procedure was to set one of their number as [[Schmuck Bait|bait to attract a potential victim]] by acting like an injured kitten, while the remainder of the pack lurked, hidden, nearby. When the unsuspecting schmuck picked the "kitten" up, it would paralyze him with its venom, after which the rest of the pack would swarm and eat him.
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** Quite a few fey arguably qualify—the well-known nymph, for example, has one ability you don't hear about too often: if you happen to catch a sight of the nymph naked, she can force you to make a fortitude save or die on the spot. Other kinds of fey are more "harmlessly cute" than the nymph, but tend to have a wide range of powerful magical abilities. Very few fey are harmless. In fact plenty of them will do horrible things to you given the chance.
** Then there's the wolf-in-sheep's-clothing, a rival with the skiurid for one of ''D&D'''s worst monsters. It's not the bunny you need to beware, so much as the stump it's sitting on...
** "Blink bunny", called Al-mi'raj ("experiment 72") by the [[Our Gnomes Are Weirder|gnomes]] of [[Dragonlance|Krynn]]. It's just a stupid bunny, but it can teleport around, is nearly fearless and have an unicorn-like horn which it doesn't hesitate to use if threatened. Oh, and it's a herd animal. Now the bad news: one of ten adults have [[Psychic Powers]] with ridiculously large power pool. The dreaded rust monster may decay one's sword or armor if manages to hit it with antennae, but a psionic blink bunny can blast it into cloud of shrapnel just by looking at it. It also can set stuff afire and control flames so that it or its nest isn't hurt. While flying around. It first appeared in 1st/2nd edition ''[[Dungeons
** Brain moles, which absorb energy from psions to turn them into life, and which spread a psionic disease. They're not ''hugely'' lethal, but their challenge rating is still about on par with that of a level one warrior.
* ''[[Deadlands]]: The Weird West'' features jackalopes, which are evil and carnivorous versions of the infamous "rabbits with antlers" from Wild West folklore. They kill their prey by cursing them with bad luck, then stalking them until they suffer a fatal accident.
* ''[[GURPS]] IOU'' includes lethal versions of rats and squirrels.
* ''[[Gamma World]]'' has a hilariously literal version with the Hoops, a race of bunnymen who [[A Nazi by Any Other Name|"want to be the master race"]] and who can turn metal into rubber by touching it.
* ''[[Warhammer
** The setting, known for a habit of [[Everything Trying to Kill You]] cropping up everywhere, brings us the Catachan Barking Toad: a large, sad-looking amphibian sometimes dubbed the "Ronery Toad". If attacked, hurt or even surprised, it explodes into a cloud of obscenely virulent toxins, killing absolutely everything for miles around and poisoning the earth so that nothing will ever grow there again.
** The original "Rogue Trader" book for ''Warhammer 40K'' also featured the "Catachan Face Eater" a carnivorous creature that looked quite a bit like an ordinary wash cloth.
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** The Catsabers, present in multiple [[Nippon Ichi]] games, resemble children in cat costumes, but are generally no less deadly than any of the other species of monsters you're likely to run into. They also have a more diabolical relative called the Deathsaber, with an appearance resembling a bat, rather than a cat.
** Desco from ''[[Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten]]'' Daw, isn't [[media:Desco 6996.jpg|she]] just the cutest little wannabe-[[Eldritch Abomination]] ever? You just cant help but want to give her a hug... at least until she pulls out her ultimate attack: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1G90mo8_2bs#t=2m37s the very aptly titled Yog Sothoth].
* ''[[
* The old adventure-game series, ''Legend of Kyrandia'', has the Kyrandian Killer Squirrels. In the third installment, ''Malcolm's Revenge'', there's one on the very first screen—allowing you to produce one of the fastest Game Overs in video game history, simply by teasing the squirrel twice—at which point it'll leap at your face, kill you, and drag off your corpse to feed its young.
* ''[[Final Fantasy]]''
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** In ''Skyward Sword'', we've got those little cat-raccoon-pet-things in Skyloft. During the day they meow, follow you around, and look absolutely adorable with those huge Bambi-eyes. During the night, they're actively trying to rip your guts out.
* ''[[Mortal Kombat]]''
** In ''[[Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks]]'', there is a secret, unlisted move called Unfriendly Rabbit. That thing is MURDEROUS! The enemy just sits there and pets it while you get the hell back, and then, out of nowhere, the little lagomorph suddenly tears INTO the enemy. When it says Fatality, the rabbit POPS out of the enemy's... maybe it was stomach. Then it is sitting there as if nothing happened. [[Nightmare Fuel]] if you ever saw it.
** And Kung Lao can use a bunny to beat his enemy to death. These are based on Kung Lao's Friendship where he pulls a bunny out of his hat. Only here, it's turned into a Fatality.
** In ''[[Mortal Kombat 3]]'' (and the ''Ultimate'' version), the characters have special finishing moves called "Animalities" where they turn into animals and attack their opponent. In ''Ultimate'', the character Kitana turns into a white rabbit, [[Groin Attack|before mauling the enemy's happy sacks.]]
* The creature from ''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4E0e-ZCn14 The Last Guardian]''. This adorable thing that makes you love it just from the trailer also managed to splatter an armored guard against a wall with a swing of its claw.
* The insanely difficult [[Bonus Boss]] in ''[[Neverwinter Nights 2]]: Mask of the Betrayer'' is a [http://www.badgerbadgerbadger.com/ giant badger]. Badgers are actually incredibly vicious and dangerous, a giant one even moreso.
** This may be connected to a ''[[Dungeons
* ''[[Monster Rancher]]''
** The Hares, in a very literal sense. They're [[Glass Cannon|glass cannons]] who can deal very high amounts of damage.
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{{quote|'''Orz:''' Nnnnnggggaaaahhhhh!!!!!! It is ''dancing''!!!!}}
* The Memaus in ''[[Startopia]]'' are cute little cat-like creatures that wander around the station. They eat litter, and any guests who pet one get a bonus to happiness. The problem is that, if it's been well-fed, it simultaneously infects the petter with a parasite which will transform the guest into a decidedly not cute "[[Big Creepy-Crawlies|Skrasher]]" which cuts a swathe of destruction and can absorb a terrifying amount of damage before keeling over. And if your security can't kill the Skrasher fast enough, it explodes... into ''more Memaus''.
* ''[[
* ''[[Ratchet and Clank]]''
** Ratchet. Small, fuzzy, and carries around more firepower than even the Pentagon could dream of.
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* The Pig Butoh in ''[[The World Ends With You]]''. Usually, pigs are cute, harmless [[Puzzle Boss|Puzzle Mooks]]. Then you find the second-to-last of them. Unlike his fellows, he can be simply beaten to death... but can attack. And his attack stat is [[Oh Crap|five times the final boss']].
* In ''[[Dark Cloud]] 2'', {{spoiler|Dark Emperor Griffon's true form is that of an adorably cute bunny person}}. Even the protagonists are surprised. But then the boss battle starts, his true skill as a master mage surfaces, and the infinite ''power'' of his [[Cosmic Keystone]] shines forth. Hint: [[Gadgeteer Genius|Max]] and [[Action Girl|Monica]] embody the Earth and Moon in their Atlamillia. Their foe wields the ''Sun''.
* One of ''[[Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake]]'''s most [[Guide Dang It]] obstacles is the [[Product Placement|MSX cartridge]] guarded by '{{spoiler|deadly poisonous}} Zanzibar hamsters'. At this point, Snake's life bar is as long as it can get, and he has shot down a Hind D helicopter, and Metal Gear D's guided missiles only take off about a sixth of his health bar, but ''touching one of the tiny brown rodents causes instant death''. That said, they [[Glass Cannon|die in one hit]], so once you've worked out the puzzle to lure them from their hiding place you only need to stand in front of the hole and fire.
* ''[[Cave Story]]''
** The Mimigas, friendly anthropomorphic rabbits that are your main allies throughout the game. But, give a Mimiga a red flower to eat, and... they enter a "frenzied" state, which means they mutate into horrific, bloodthirsty, mindless monsters that simply kill and kill and kill until they die. Even the weakest Mimiga becomes powerful enough to be an early-game boss in this form. The Mimigas are aware of this power, but only use it as an absolute last resort.
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* In addition to Kirby, mentioned above already, ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]'' has a few other innocent-looking death machines. [[Pokémon|Jigglypuff]] earned its place as a [[Lethal Joke Character]] for its ability to one-shot players at relatively low damage with its ''stupidly'' powerful "Rest" attack, along with an effective aerial moveset that [[Fan Nickname|players have dubbed]] the "[[Names to Run Away From Very Fast|Wall of Pain]]".
** [[The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker|Toon Link]] also could count. He's a cute-looking kid with a toy sword who can also kick your ass eight ways to Sunday with an array of weaponry (and the skill to use it) that's just as impressive as his adult self.
* Jubei from the ''[[
* ''[[Dubloon]]'' features Fire Ants. These small ants may and ''will'' [[Kill It with Fire|burn you to crisp]] if you don't act quick. There also literal killer bunnies, but they are [[Obviously Evil]].
* ''[[Ys]]: The Ark of Napishtim'' has Majunun, a cute little robot so comically tiny he's not actually visible in most screenshots of him. [[False Reassurance|It's a lie to say he's the most powerful boss in the game]] -- "most powerful enemy, period" is more accurate, as he technically only counts as a miniboss. He's capable of one-hit-killing a Level 31 Adol... and to get one useful accessory, you have to either kill him, or manage not to be killed by him long enough to grab the chest and escape.
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* Mr. Boodles, an average-looking cat from ''[[Eerie Cuties]]'', proved to be this in the November 18th update. He is also the pet of a vampire queen.
* ''[[Nature of Nature's Art]]'' is populated almost ''entirely'' by killer animals. Literally, they live to fight!
* In a filler strip for ''[[Something
* [http://Girl-on-the-Moon.deviantart.com/art/Character-Sheet-Lars-134911277 Lars], Allie's pet Dalek in ''[[Search for the Truth]]''
* ''[http://ne.tsunami-art.com/view.aspx?Rec=3 Northern Edge]'', Fred perry's web original ''[[Gold Digger]]'' tie-in prominently features Wabbits. Cute little rabits with sharp weapons on their tails and mostly nasty personalities.
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'''Confused Wizard:''' What????
'''Horrified Barbarian:''' A hamster bite is one damage point, and it bites and bites and bites! It can take hours before you die! A slow, agonizing death ... LOOK OUT, IT'S ATTACKING!!! }}
* ''[[The Order of the Stick]]'' gives us {{spoiler|Mr Scruffy}} in this [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0780.html strip], in a direct shout-out to the example noted in the ''[[Dungeons
* ''[[Homestuck]]'':
** The Trolls look awfully cute on first glance until you realize they're junior members of a [[Proud Warrior Race]]. Karkat even dubs them "Team Adorabloodthirsty".
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* One episode of ''[[Men in Black (animation)|Men in Black]]'', in an obvious jab at ''[[E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial|ET the Extraterrestrial]]'', has a cute and cuddly alien... which could transform into a hideous behemoth on a second's notice when hungry, and was preparing to devour the young boy who had "bonded" with him.
* Nibbler of ''[[Futurama]].'' It's not his fault he's an unstoppable killing machine... who can devour several hundred times his own body weight in a matter of minutes. His entire species are superintelligent warriors working to save the universe, but it's a [[Running Gag]] in any episode they appear in that they're also adorable and cuddly. His very droppings are ''dark matter'' more dense than the material in a neutron star.
* Several of Stitch's "cousins" from ''[[Lilo
{{quote|'''Jumba Jukiba:''' I tried to give you my good looks, but let's face it, something... went wrong.}}
** A ''[[Disney Adventures]]'' comic showed that this is because somehow one of the creatures he was created from was... a puppy.
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* ''[[Catscratch]]'' had an episode which had a duckling in it—and Gordon was extremely terrified of said duckling because of an incident that happened when he was a kitten (the duckling beat the snot out of him with tremendous superhuman strength and horrific fighting skills), but later on Gordon musters up the courage to finally defeat the duckling—after it's beaten the snot out of him AGAIN.
* ''[[Johnny Test]]'' has a cute kitty cat as one of its villains; said kitty cat possesses a cannon that turns people into cats.
* ''[[The Fairly
{{quote|"ISN'T THAT CUTE!?"
"No! It's horrible! And didn't rhyme!" }}
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** Also the Woodland Critters, who seem cute but are actually rapists with satanic powers.
** And the cute, little goldfish who wrote murderous messages on its bowl and then followed through with them.
* An episode of ''[[Eek!
* The Warners in ''[[Animaniacs]]'', three cute "puppy children" who are basically avatars of chaos. And you ''really'' don't want to piss off Wakko.
* ''[[Duck Dodgers]]'': In "Pet Peeved", Duck Dodger's selfish demand for a pet results in him adopting "Koo-koo", an energy mutator that happens to look like a cross between a puppy, rabbit, and kitten. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMvj81ipK4A It becomes larger, stronger, and uglier as it absorbs electrical energy].
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* The [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vB5recdpPaI clione,] nicknamed the "sea angel," sure looks pretty as it peacefully swims through the water...until it [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlc7r34Sh-c opens its many-tendriled mouth to catch its prey.]
* Poison ivy is gorgeous. It has glossy green leaves which are red when new, and a stunning purple fall color. It also has attractive white berries that birds love. It causes ferocious allergic reactions. Once it's on the skin, most efforts to alleviate the pain will only serve to spread the irritant oils. It grows quickly, and with its berries so appealing to birds, spreads rapidly. If burned, its irritants will be carried in the smoke, and will tear up the lungs of anyone who inhales that smoke. It also seems to be responding to elevating atmospheric carbon dioxide levels by increasing the potency of its irritants.
** On the other hand, half of the population likely to be exposed to it is just flat out immune. Amusingly, when the ''[[
* Skunks. They're cute, gentle, and will totally ruin your day if you even make a wrong move around them.
* A ''lot'' of plants look totally harmless but are actually quite dangerous. For instance, [[wikipedia:Nerium oleander|Oleander]] has beautiful flowers but it is ''very'' toxic.
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