Knife Fight: Difference between revisions

[[File:Leon_VS_Krauser_7076Leon VS Krauser 7076.jpg|link=Resident Evil 4|rightframe|Stabby Time!]]

{{quote|''"Knife fight! You're gonna [[Department of Redundancy Department|fight forwith]] your[[Exactly life!<brWhat />It Says on the Tin|a knife!]]

Problem is, not all stories take place in locales where a sword would be considered an appropriate weapon to have along, regardless of what the hero might [[Heroes Prefer Swords|prefer.]] This might be simply because the story takes place in [[The Future]], where no one uses swords anymore (even [[Laser Blade|Laser Blades]]s). It might also be because the protagonist is some manner of soldier, mercenary, scruffy rogue, or other manner of [[Anti -Hero]] who is [[Weapon of Choice|thematically forbidden]] from using such extravagant weapons. Enter the knife--simpleknife—simple and useful enough that humans will almost certainly be carrying it around no matter where or when they are, yet dangerous and shiny and sharp enough that they can serve as a substitute for the [[Sword Fight]] in a pinch. Knives also have the advantage that you don't have to necessarily be a knife fighter to carry one around, meaning that any character is a candidate for pulling one out. All the drama with none of the camp!

{{examples|Examples}}

* In ''[[Baccano (Light Novel)|Baccano!]]!'', Firo has to duel Maiza before he can be accepted into the Martillo family (technically a duel, with a martial on hand who states if either of them go for the neck or torso he'll shoot them). Firon wins by slashing Maiza's arm, but of course {{spoiler|it heals}}.

* [[Ghost in Thethe Shell: Stand Alone Complex|GitS:SAC]] features an unusual one--betweenone—between {{spoiler|Pazu and someone with a body identical to his own, complete with mannerisms.}}

* ''[[Umineko no Naku Koro Ni (Visual Novel)|Umineko no Naku Koro Nini]]'' has a ''magical'' knife fight.

* There was also a knife fight... [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pj7UKXKwd4k sort of]... during ''[[Macross]]'''s low-budget days.

* [[Kara no Kyoukai:]] had a quite awesome one in the seventh movie between Ryougi and {{spoiler|Shirazumi Lio}}. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VPDTQViU3c Take a look.]

* [[Riddick]] gets into these a lot.

* {{spoiler|Avoided}} in ''[[Butch Cassidy and Thethe Sundance Kid]]''. "I don't wanna shoot with ya, Harvey!"

* Say what you will about ''[[Avatar (Filmfilm)|Avatar]]'', it ''did'' manage to have the only {{spoiler|giant mech vs. blue alien}} knife fight in recorded history. Also notable for one character being ''much'' larger than the other, subverting the idea of a knife fight being all about the two characters being evenly matched.

* In ''[[Murders in The Rue Morgue (Film)|Murders in Thethe Rue Morgue]]'', Dr. Mirakle's carriage runs into two men knife fighting over a prostitue.

* [[Cormac McCarthy]] features several in his [[Historical Fiction]] novels. Especially ''The Border Trilogy'' and ''[[Blood Meridian]]'', ranging from quick attacks to possibly the most epic [[Duel to Thethe Death]] ever captured on the page.

* Technically its a "sword vs knife" fight, but given the relative sizes of the two combatants and the close quarters involved, the duel between [[The Woobie|Ahren Elessedil]] and his [[Kick the Dog|tormentor]], [[Reptiles Are Abhorrent|Cree]] [[Complete Monster|Bega]] in ''[[The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara]]'' is thematically closer to this. Oddly, given the number of [[Knife Nut|Knife Nuts]]s in [[Terry Brooks]]' writing this is the only one that really stands out, possibly due to its being between a [[Break the Cutie]] Woobie, and [[The Dragon]].

* In ''Ghost Story'' from ''[[The Dresden Files]]'' Daniel Carpenter gets into a knife fight with a [[The Fagin|street sorcerer]] named Aristedes, whose magic gives him [[Super Speed]]. He loses, but manages to cut him {{spoiler|and then Butters beats him with a lead pipe before he can kill Daniel, hospitalizing him and ending his control over the others.}}

* The Fishhawk chooses knives as the weapons for a duel against [[Solomon Kane]], figuring that he can better use his trickery and strength than if they fought with swords or pistols.

* ''[[Ship Breaker]]'' concludes with a [[Knife Fight]] between Nailer and his [[Archnemesis Dad]], Richard. It ends when Nailer traps his dad between the gears in the ship's engine and kills him.

* One episode of [[Magnum, PIP.I.]] in which Magnum helps reunite a couple that had been separated for decades. He was a [[World War II]] flier and she was a prostitute and they met on a beach and fell in love and planned to elope but were interrupted by the attack on Pearl Harbor (I know, I know). In any case, it shows one [[Flash Back]] seen in which the flier comes to the Place of Employment to pick up his girlfriend. The local muscleman draws a knife on him where upon a sympathetic customer throws a knife to the flier and the two of them have a [[Duel to Thethe Death]].

* In one of the episodes of the new [[Hawaii Five -O]]. The fight involves one of the main characters and his [[Broken Pedestal]] partner on the beach at night. Could count as a [[Crowning Moment of Awesome]] because it still has the Hollywood style flashiness but both participants were Ex-Spec Ops members and it showed off a lot of the technical aspects of a fight.

* In the third episode of ''[[Stargate SG -1]]'', [[Hot Scientist|Carter]] got in a fight with the [[Fantasy Counterpart Culture|Mongoloid leader]]. He had a larger curved sword and was trained to fight people his own size. Carter had a combat knife and was trained to fight people bigger than she was. Carter won.

* In ''[[World of Warcraft]]'', Martek the Exiled challenged [[Big Bad|Deathwing]] to a [[Knife Fight]], or at least that's his story in "The Day Deathwing Came".

* In ''[[Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots]]'', Raiden engages Vamp in a one-on-one knife fight {{spoiler|atop Metal Gear Rex on Shadow Moses Island.}} Too bad [[Offscreen Moment of Awesome|the player doesn't get to see any of it]] because they're trying to kill an oncoming rush of Gekkos at the same time in split-screen.

* ''[[The Simpsons (Animationanimation)|The Simpsons]]'' showed us the simple joys of a monkey knife fight.

{{quote| Mr. Burns: "OH BEAUTIFUL JOE! What have they done to you?! Smithers, this monkey is going to need most of your skin…"}}

* Parodied on the [[Dilbert (Animationanimation)|Dilbert animated series]], with the office equivalent: tied at the wrist with a necktie, and fighting with marker pens.

{{quote| '''Asok:''' I'm gonna [[Stealth Pun|mark]] you so bad!}}

* The reason Dizzy Gillespie left [[Cab Calloway]]'s band involved the two of them getting into a knife-fight.