Pre-Ass-Kicking One-Liner: Difference between revisions
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[[Chew Bubblegum]] is a particularly popular example. See also [[Badass Boast]], [[Badass Creed]], [[In the Name of the Moon]], [[My Name Is Inigo Montoya]] and [[Pre-Mortem One-Liner]]. |
[[Chew Bubblegum]] is a particularly popular example. See also [[Badass Boast]], [[Badass Creed]], [[In the Name of the Moon]], [[My Name Is Inigo Montoya]] and [[Pre-Mortem One-Liner]]. |
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== Anime & Manga == |
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* Done by Luciano Bradley in ''[[Code Geass]]''. "Question! What is it that you value the most?" (cuts to a look of absolute fear from the victim) "That's right. YOUR LIFE!" |
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** [[Ironic Echo|Tossed right back at him]] by Kallen Stadtfeld, before she gives him [[Karmic Death|the payback he so richly deserves]]. |
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** "Tag. You're dead." |
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* Vegeta from ''[[Dragon Ball]] Z'' has a ridiculous amount of these. "Does a machine such as yourself experience fear?!" |
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** "Maybe if this were five-hundred times Earth's gravity, you would have the advantage. But ten? I don't even ''feel it.''" |
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** Additionally, [[Alternate Reality DBZ|does it experience nocturnal emission?]] |
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** Gohan also delivers an immensely badass one to Super Buu when he arrives on the battlefield after {{spoiler|Old Kai unlocks his potential}}. Buu says to him "So hotshot, you want to fight Majin Buu?" and Gohan responds with "Fight you? No, I want to kill you," and then lays the biggest beating on Buu that he had probably ever experienced. |
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* ''[[The Prince of Tennis]]'': Ryoma's "Mada mada dane" ("You still have lots more to work on") before turning around and wiping the court with an opponent he was losing against up until that moment. |
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* Another Ryoma, though from ''[[Getter Robo]]''. He purposefully grabs hold of a yakuza boss' knife blade and tells him "What's the matter? Come on, either push or pull. You'll save face if you at least chop off one finger" before kicking his terrified ass and scaring off the rest of his thugs. |
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* You really don't want to be around when Sesshoumaru of ''[[Inuyasha]]'' fame says, "It seems I've been underestimated". |
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* "I... am [[Samurai Gun]]." |
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* [[Big Bad|Hao]] [[Dissonant Serenity|Asakura]] of ''[[Shaman King]]'' has a minor example with his, "So tiny/small" line. Not sure if this counts since it's not restricted to being said pre-battle; indeed, it's been said as a ''response'' to an attack mid-battle, or as a ''post-battle'' [[One-Liner]]. But it seemed appropriate. |
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* Touma From ''[[A Certain Magical Index]]'' does this always before finishing the current arcs ''[[Big Bad]]'' |
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{{quote|'''Touma:''' I will break it... That illusion of yours!}} |
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** Accelerator has two while [[Curb Stomp Battle|curb stomping]] {{spoiler|Awaki}} {{spoiler|"just because i've gotten weaker doesn't mean you're stronger now does it?"}} and "Sorry, but this is a one-way-road!" (NOTE: the other reading for the Kanji to Accelerators name reads "ippotsuko" or "one-way-road") |
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* ''[[Fushigi Yuugi]]'': "WHAT--DID YOU DO--TO--MIAKA? I asked you a question, DAMN IT!" |
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* Several in ''[[Bleach]]''. For example, Aizen before rendering Hitsugaya a bloody mess. "Don't use such strong words. They make you look weak." |
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** Ichigo after Orihime cries out for him not to die. He [[Barehanded Blade Block|grabs the blade]] and... "Sorry, Grimmjow. Looks like I can't let you hurt me anymore." *SLASH* |
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** Rangiku after Izuru has rendered her sword unusable. "So what if I can't hold my weapon to use it? I just won't hold it. She then proceeds to unleash her shikai and own Izuru with it. |
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** Yumichika in Chapter 321. "Thank you". And that was just the ''start'' of his [[Crowning Moment of Awesome]]. |
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** "That was a practice swing." |
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* In ''[[Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann]]'', every hero in the show, at one point or another, gets to yell some variation of "WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK I AM!!" |
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* ''[[Mobile Fighter G Gundam]]'' '''"[[Invocation|THIS HAND OF MINE GLOWS WITH AN AWESOME POWER.]] [[Battle Cry|ITS BURNING GRIP TELLS ME TO DEFEAT YOU.]] [[Screaming Warrior|TAKE THIS! MY LOVE. MY ANGER. AND ALLLL MY SORROW!]] [[Calling Your Attacks|SHINING FINGAAAAAAAAH SWOOOOOOOORD!"]]''' |
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* [[Tsukihime|"Life and death may be back to back, but they will never face each other. ...I'll show you. This is what it means to kill something."]] |
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** [[Kara no Kyoukai:|"Those... really were... dreamlike days. Thank you. But, I'm sorry. I know I'll lose everything. But still. But still...]] ''[[Kara no Kyoukai:|I can't forgive him.]]'' |
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* The scene in ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh! (manga)|Yu-Gi-Oh]]'' where a villain is talking about how he can use his powers to seduce any woman in the world -- after knocking out and ''planning to rape'' Tea/Anzu. Yami is waiting by the door, listening to the whole thing: "You think so?" Asskicking ensues. |
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** The Toei anime gave Yami Yugi the catchphrase "''Saa, GAME no jikan da''" (So, it's game time) which usually meant the dice were fixed, the cards were palmed, and you were probably going to wish you could die. The manga translates this to 'Let's play a game' instead. The Manga also has a pair of one liners for him, bookends style. He would open with 'Game Start' and end it with his [[Pre Asskicking Pose]] and the Pre-Mortem -I Mean, ''insanity'' one liner, ''Penalty Game''. |
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* "The first thing I'm going to burn is your tongue." In ''[[Fullmetal Alchemist (manga)|Fullmetal Alchemist]]'', [[Colonel Badass|Mustang]] says this to Envy {{spoiler|when he finds out that the latter killed Hughes.}} |
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** Mustang takes this to a higher plane. He pulls one off with the simple words "Too slow," before proceeding to nuke Ed, the stadium, and a whole lot of spectators in a barrage of fiery explosions. |
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** Also: |
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{{quote|'''Greed:''' I'm sorry, who the hell are you? |
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'''Izumi:''' PISSED OFF! }} |
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** And the end of the manga with the fight against Father. {{spoiler|All of the alchemists are pounding on Father like there's no tomorrow, Ed's automail arm is completely destroyed, Al sacrifices his soul to bring Ed's real arm back, and at this point, Edward is majorly [[No-Holds-Barred Beatdown|pissed,]] and brings back a line from the ''very first chapter'':}} |
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{{quote|{{spoiler|'''Edward:''' [[Precision F-Strike|Get up, you worthless fuck.]] [[Crowning Moment of Awesome|It's time you learned why you're not in our league!]]}}}} |
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** Since nobody actually got hit, it might not count, but one good line was from Episode 2's penultimate scene, when Ed responds to Father Cornello's underestimation of his alchemic powers by '' {{spoiler|[[Bolt of Divine Retribution|animating a statue of god the size of a church to deliver a warning shot]] [[Power Fist|in the form of a punch.]] }}'' Cornello only survived this because Ed is the most pacifistic of all main characters, aside from Al. Considering Ed spends about 97% of his time kicking ass, this is saying something. |
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{{quote|'''Cornello:''' You didn't fool me with that little display down there. Without this, the only alchemy you can perform is to your own metal arm. |
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'''Edward:''' You know what? You're not the only one who can't stand doubters, Preach'. [[Badass Boast|Here's the REAL hammer of God!]] }} |
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** This scene was, unfortunately, subjected to a lot of narm in ''Brotherhood,'' primarily in terms of animation. Worst of all, though, is that Ed's [[Badass Boast]] was changed to a simple, "You want it? You got it!" Combine this with it being changed from the big dethroning moment where Cornello's power is outdone in front of his followers to an ordinary fight scene, and this is pretty big disappointment. |
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* The one time {{spoiler|Claire Stanfield}} of ''[[Baccano!]]!'' breaks out a Pre-Ass-Kicking One-Liner (in the fourth novel, ''Drugs & the Dominoes'') he makes it count, quoting the [[Shout-Out|first spoken lines of dialog]] in the ''history of film'': "[[wikipedia:The Jazz Singer (1927 film)|You ain't heard nothing yet!]]" |
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** Jacuzzi in the anime, right before his [[Traintop Battle|traintop]] beatdown of Goose: "I have a gun...''in my heart!''" |
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* The hot-headed Kirie "Jump-to-conclusions" Kojima of ''[[Girls Bravo]]'' also does this often anytime she sees the protagonist Yukinari in a hard-to-explain situation. |
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{{quote|'''Miharu:''' Yes, we were in the bath together. |
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'''Kirie:''' Take a bath... IN! HELL!! ''(clobbers Yukinari)'' }} |
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* "[[The Big O|BIG O!]] SHOOWTIIMEE!" |
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* [[Rebuild of Evangelion]] |
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** I. Want. Rei. Give her BACK! |
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** Especially astonishing if you remember all of Shinji's frantic "Move you stinking mecha, or everyone will blame me for the [[Apocalypse Day Planner|Apocalypse of the Week]]" - whining in the original Series. |
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** ''''ZE BEASTO!'''' |
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* "Don't you talk about Sasuke like you own him, especially in front of me, you rotten bastard!!!" -[[Naruto]] to Orochimaru, as the [[Berserk Button|second and third tail]] ''[[Super-Powered Evil Side|simultaneously]]'' appears... |
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** "Didn't I tell you... '''[[Shut UP, Hannibal|TO SHUT THE HELL UP?!]]'''" -Naruto, angered at Pain's hypocrisy, [[Crowning Moment of Awesome|and then throwing a Rasen-Shuriken at him and the others]] |
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** Naruto {{spoiler|quoting Jiraiya's book by}} saying "You can give up on... [[Crowning Moment of Awesome|ME GIVING UP!!]] |
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* In ''[[Hellsing]]'' TV's last episode: '''"I'll send you to the DEEPEST PITS OF HELL!! While you're there you can LICK THE DEVIL'S ASS!!!!"''' A ''very'' [[Badass]] thing to say. |
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* '''[[Lyrical Nanoha|ZENRYOKU ZENKAI!!!]]''' |
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** '''GET SET.''' "I'm sorry, and thank you, Erio, Caro. There's nothing to doubt, right?" '''RIOT ZANBER.'''*[[Dramatic Gun Cock|Cha-CHACK.]]* "Because I was weak, I was hesitating and worrying. I will probably always repeat this. But. That's fine... Because all of that is me." |
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** [[Wave Motion Gun|"I]] [[Dungeon Bypass|found]] [[Oh Crap|you..."]] |
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* Done by Ange in ''[[Umineko no Naku Koro ni]]'' {{spoiler|before she kills Kasumi with the help of the Stakes}}: |
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{{quote|'''Ange''': [[Gratuitous English|Have a nice dream. See you in hell.]]}} |
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** Also done by Beatrice just before {{spoiler|killing George and Shannon}} during the second game in the anime: |
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{{quote|'''Beatrice''': You think I'd let him say it!?! [[Baka|Duuumbaaaaass]]!!!}} |
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* [[Durarara!!|"Don't screw with the traffic police!"]] |
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** [[Memetic Badass|"You just went for my head, didn't you.]] [[Berserk Button|You know, you could've killed me, right?]] [[Crazy Awesome|And you knew that, which means you were]] ''[[Crazy Awesome|trying]]'' [[Crazy Awesome|to kill me, right?]] [[Unstoppable Rage|So no matter what happens to you now,]] ''[[The Berserker|you can't complain, right?]]''" |
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* Yusuke from ''[[Yu Yu Hakusho]]''. Anyone remember in the beginning when he was fighting Suzaku? |
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{{quote|'''Yusuke''': For all your careful planning, you made one mistake. You went and pissed me off!}} |
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** I seem to recall a really good one from that fight from the English dub that went something like this: |
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{{quote|'''Yusuke''': Alright, if you call off your goons now, I'll only rip out one of your lungs. |
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'''Suzaku''': And if I refuse? |
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'''Yusuke''': ''Then hold your stinkin' breath!'' }} |
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** That fight Yusuke had with Jin during the Dark Tournament Saga: |
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{{quote|'''Yusuke''': (''about to fire an attack into Jin's that will surely kill them both'') Let's see which one of us can take a bigger asskicking!|What's amusing is Yusuke's follow-up reaction: "Damn! At least one of us should have died!"}} |
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* ''[[Sengoku Basara]]'': "Put Ya Guns On!" |
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** Every single character has one or two trademark one liners for use in the event of asskicking. Masamune who says the above also uses "Are You Ready?" and "Let's Party!". |
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* Done by Teresa in ''[[Claymore]]''. "Say your prayer you wretches. Filth like you is even lower than [[Exclusively Evil|Youma]]. I am going to kill every last one of you". Do not touch her [[Morality Pet]], for you are [[Curb Stomp Battle|weak]] [[Single-Stroke Battle|against her]] and [[Made of Plasticine]]. |
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* [[Slayers|Lina Inverse]] does this quite often. |
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* ''[[Trinity Blood]]'' "Crusnik 02. Nanomachine output 40%. Activate." |
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* ''[[Cowboy Bebop]]'': LET'S PARTY! |
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* ''[[Mai-Otome]]'': Rena Sayers from the prequel series. "I'm sorry everyone, but please hang in there. If you look away, you'll die." And boy does she deliver. |
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* ''[[One Piece]]'' has a good one. |
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{{quote|'''[[Spell My Name with an "S"|Chu/Chew]]''': What did you say was over? |
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'''[[Improbable Weapon User|Usopp]]''': ''This fight!'' Did you know that grog burns? (''[[Crowning Moment of Awesome|Usopp lights Chu up like a Christmas Tree]]'') }} |
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** The perhaps most epic one: In Enies Lobby, Luffy is informed that its garrison numbers in the tens of thousands. |
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{{quote|'''Luffy''': And I'm alone. '''Get out of my way!'''}} |
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** There's also {{spoiler|post-timeskip}} Luffy who gives us one with only one word. He's fighting the same exact pacifista that {{spoiler|defeated and scattered all nine straw-hats two years before.}} It shoots a laser ''made of light'' at Luffy who remarks; "slow." [[Single-Stroke Battle|Then lays it down for good with one jet pistol.]] |
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** Luffy stands atop a building calling out for Bellami who asks Luffy if he "even knows how to throw a punch" causing the observing crowd to burst in laugh, Luffy simply says "you want to know if I know how to throw a punch?" and proceeds to one-hit Bellami, the crowd instantly goes silent. |
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** Zoro also has many of these. For example this golden line in the Fishman Island battles, when he fights an eight-sword-wielding fishman. Zoro slices the fishman's swords ''[[Up to Eleven|horizontally]]'' and stares very scarily at the merman. |
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{{quote|'''Zoro''': You want to kill me?! [[Blood Knight|You couldn't even kill my boredom!!!]]}} |
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* ''[[Gintama]]'' has a lot, whether they are hilarious lines - |
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{{quote|'''Matsudaira''': Wash your own shitty underwear!}} |
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** Or serious lines - |
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{{quote|'''Gintoki''': Don't ever show your face around her again, you sick son of a bitch!}} |
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* ''[[Rosario + Vampire]]'': Moka's ever famous "KNOW YOUR PLACE!" Followed by a kick to the face. |
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** "I hope you didn't see a [[Irony|doppelganger]]... because, you know, that means you're going to die." Cue the [[Evil Laugh]] and a roundhouse kick administered to the bad guy. |
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* ''[[Hayate Cross Blade]]'': |
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{{quote|'''Hitsugi''': Now then... Hoshikawa-san... Let us dance!}} |
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* [[Pokémon (anime)|Meowth]] gets a [[Crowning Moment of Funny|hilarious one]] when he confronts the Dream Thief in ''Best Wishes!'' |
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{{quote|'''Dream Thief:''' A Meowth that can talk? We'll be rolling in dough! Now just sign this contract...|'''Meowth:''' '''AFTER ALL YOU PUT ME THROUGH, I WOULDN'T SIGN YOUR ''REPORT CARD!!!''''' ([[Clothing Damage|slashes Dream Thief's clothes off]] [[Crowning Moment of Awesome|with one attack]]).}} |
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* In the first ''[[Tenchi Muyo!|Tenchi Muyo]]'' movie, ''Tenchi Muyo in Love'', [[Big Bad]] KAIN makes the mistake of injuring young Noboyuki in front of Achika. This ends up [[Nice Job Fixing It, Villain|unlocking Achika's power]]. |
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{{quote|'''Achika:''' I have had enough! I will not allow this! I will pay you back! [[This Is Unforgivable!|Because forgiveness... for one like you... could ''never'' be an option.]]}} |
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== Comics == |
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* In the indie comic ''Cool Jerk and HomoGal'', Cool Jerk tries taglines with mixed results. For example, during a bank robbery: "Who are ''you''?" "The substantial penalty for early withdrawal." |
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* Although the fight between [[Wolverine]] and [[Deadpool]] in ''Wolverine Origins'' has quite a few, there's also a notable aversion when Deadpool notes that the fight is on "for real" and is dead serious when Wolverine starts ditching the one liners and is kicking ass without them. |
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* Tacitly part of [[Robin]]'s job, to the point that when a recently returned from the dead Jason Todd (ex-Robin II) and the [[Fallen Hero|Batman]] of an [[Utopia Justifies the Means|alternate universe]] team up in a fight, the following happens: |
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{{quote|'''Batman:''' You used to crack jokes at times like these. |
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'''Jason:''' Sorry, Batman... Now I just crack heads! |
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'''Batman:''' Now ''that'' is funny! }} |
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* [[The Authority|Midnighter]] does this a lot. Usually combined with a [[To the Pain|long-winded]] [[Badass Boast]]. |
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* ''[[Fantastic Four (Comic Book)|Fantastic Four]]'': "It's clobberin' time!" |
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* ''[[Incredible Hulk]]'': "You're making me angry. You won't like me when I'm angry." |
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** [[Hulk Speak]] [[Unstoppable Rage|SMASH]]! |
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* [[Discussed Trope]] in ''[[Empowered]]''. Thugboy thinks it's overrated, and Ninjette can't help—as she points out, this trope doesn't fit with [[Ninja]] stealthiness. |
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* Jesse from ''[[Preacher (Comic Book)]]'' gets a good one before [[Roaring Rampage of Revenge|going nuclear]] [[Curb Stomp Battle|on a group of murderous fanatics]]: |
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{{quote|I owe you pissant white trash cocksucking sons of bitches all the hurt in the fuckin' world. So who wants to get his ass kicked first?}} |
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* [[The Transformers IDW|Megatron]] delivers a fantastic one to Sentinel Prime in Megatron: Origins. |
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{{quote|"I've heard it said that we only gain wisdom through suffering... and tonight, I intend to make you ''very wise.''" }} |
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* In ''[[All Fall Down]]'', the Ghoul delivers these, in the form of announcing the sin you're committing before he takes you out. |
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* ''[[Buck Godot: Zap Gun for Hire]]'' had a few. |
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{{quote|'''Hyraxx''': Human! You belong to me. |
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'''Buck''': Thanks, but actually, I belong to ''me''. And I don't share. }} |
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** Subverted because the alien in question returns a little later and proceeds to thoroughly kick Buck's ass. |
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== Fan Fiction == |
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* Subverted at one point in ''[[Kyon: Big Damn Hero]]'': just after Kyon delivers the line to three yakuza thugs, he gets teleported away by Kuyou. |
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* Used by the [[The Captain|Alpha Houndoom]] in ''[[Poke Wars|Poké Wars: The Exigence]]'': "'''THIS IS THE STRENGTH OF MY PACK!'''". Cue beat down. |
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* "[[My Name Is Inigo Montoya]] ''[[Streets of Rage Saga|Blaze]]'', [[Streets of Rage Saga/Awesome|and I remember everything]]." She says this seconds after {{spoiler|her memories of the past two decades come crashing back to her mind, subverting an attempted [[Laser-Guided Amnesia|mind-wipe]] by the Syndicate}}. Cue [[Oh Crap]] from the bad guy in charge, followed by an epic beatdown. |
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* "[[Ace Combat: The Equestrian War|We bring the fires of liberation."]] |
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== Films -- Animation == |
== Films -- Animation == |
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* In the opening of ''[[Kung Fu Panda]]'' we have: "The warrior said nothing, for his mouth was full. Then he swallowed. And then he spoke." |
* In the opening of ''[[Kung Fu Panda]]'' we have: "The warrior said nothing, for his mouth was full. Then he swallowed. And then he spoke." |
Revision as of 19:32, 30 April 2020
"This is the '90s. You don't just go around punching people. You have to say something cool first."
—Joe Hallenbeck, The Last Boy Scout
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It is almost an official duty of an Action Hero to deliver sardonic one-liners. And what better time to produce one than just before the execution of the other official duty - kicking ass?
Common variations on this trope include:
- A form of comic subversion in which the one-liner is stupid or silly. This has the potential to stall or confuse the opponent.
- A form of comic subversion in which the outcome of the intended ass-kicking fizzles, negating the one-liner or at least failing to justify it.
- A Catch Phrase or Battle Cry that may have started as a one-liner, or may work as one to some degree.
Chew Bubblegum is a particularly popular example. See also Badass Boast, Badass Creed, In the Name of the Moon, My Name Is Inigo Montoya and Pre-Mortem One-Liner.
- Anime and Manga
- Comic Books
- Fan Works
- Film
- Literature
- Live-Action TV
- Music
- Oral Tradition
- Professional Wrestling
- Theatre
- Toys
- Video Games
- Web Animation
- Web Comics
- Web Original
- Western Animation
Films -- Animation
- In the opening of Kung Fu Panda we have: "The warrior said nothing, for his mouth was full. Then he swallowed. And then he spoke."
- "Enough talk! Let's fight!"
- In Superman/Batman: Apocalypse...
Superman: This ends now. |
- He then proceeds to incinerate a whole army of Doomsday clones with a massive, sweeping blast of his heat vision.
- Team America: World Police: "Hey terrorist... Terrorize THIS!" The whole film is a parody of every cliché in action movies.
- Not an Action Hero example, but it does come before ass-kicking . . . . "Hello, Oogie."
- The Lion King: "They call me MISTER Pig!"
Films -- Live Action
- "I have come here to Chew Bubblegum and kick ass, and I'm all out of bubblegum!" This famous example was used in They Live!, but parodying the line has itself become a trope.
- Shoot Em Up, whenever Smith's Berserk Button gets pressed: "You know what I hate?"
- In King Arthur, right before the Battle of Badon Hill, Arthur speaks to the Saxon leader Cedric, telling him to "Know this face, Saxon, as it will be the last thing you see before you leave this earth." With a somewhat grudging respect, Cedric mutters as he walks off, "Finally, a man worth killing."
- The first Blade, when Whistler blows into the room where Blade is being held captive, "Catch you fuckers at a bad time?!"
- And later on, before Blade finishes off Frost, "Some muthafuckas always trying to ice skate uphill."
- True Grit, just before Rooster guns down Ned Pepper and his cohorts in a four-on-one horseback gunfight. "Fill your hand, you son of a bitch!"
- Star Trek: First Contact: Worf - "Assimilate this"
- Alternatively, Data's "Resistance. Is. Futile."
- Frequently subverted in Big Trouble in Little China. Most of Jack Burton's attempts to offer a Pre-Ass-Kicking One-Liner seem to precede him either getting his own ass whipped, or putting himself out of action by doing something stupid. Ironically, his successes tend to be preceded by not-very-clever lines, such as saying, "What the hell!" right before he finally nails Lo-Pan (though even that attack initially misfires).
- Last Action Hero (Before kicking a police officer in the groin):
Jack Slater: You want to be a farmer? Here's a couple of achers! |
- Mystery Men
- The Blue Raja (a second-string superhero with a cutlery-based gimmick) is frequently shown practicing these sorts of thing. ("But I'll forkgive you if you forkgot.")
- His teammate, Mr. Furious, has a plethora of really bad one-liners... Also, the first fight starts with one from each hero present.
- The Santa Clause: "We're your worst nightmare -- elves with an attitude."
- The Princess Bride: Hello. My Name Is Inigo Montoya. You Killed My Father. Prepare to Die."
- From Beowulf:
"I am ripper! Tearer! Slasher! Gouger! I am the teeth in the darkness! The talons in the night! Mine is strength! And lust! And power! I! AM! BEOWULF!" |
- "I'm 'ere to kill your monstah."
- 300
- THIS! IS! SPARTA!
- And some other pretty awesome quotes: "Give them nothing! But take from them, everything!", "This is where we hold them! This is where we fight! This is where they die! Remember this day, men, for it will be yours for all time.", "Spartans! Ready your breakfast and eat hearty, FOR TONIGHT, WE DINE IN HELL!!!", "No retreat, no surrender. That is Spartan law. And by Spartan law, we will stand and fight...and die. A new age has begun: an age of freedom! And all will know that 300 Spartans gave their last breath to defend it!", "Spartans! Prepare for glory! ", "Persians! Come and get them!" (in response to an appeal to lay down their weapons),"We're in for one wild night.", "Spartans! Push!" Needless to say, Three Hundred was full of ridiculously awesome lines. If you saw only Ho Yay on the last two, my work here is done.
- Truth in Television, some of those—although English doesn't really have an exact analog to how "Molon labe" should be translated. Roughly speaking, what is being rendered as "Come and get them!" is more of a "You can have them if you can get to them." The modern English equivalent would be something along the lines of "You can have my weapon when you pry it from my cold, dead fingers." The line isn't really a Pre-Ass-Kicking One-Liner, it's a Pre Getting My Ass Kicked One Liner, as was the other famous line from Plutarch: "Their" (meaning the Persians) "arrows will darken the sun!" "Then we shall fight in the shade."
- The Spartans didn't get their asses kicked at Thermopylae. True they lost, but they did NOT get their asses kicked.
- Truth in Television, some of those—although English doesn't really have an exact analog to how "Molon labe" should be translated. Roughly speaking, what is being rendered as "Come and get them!" is more of a "You can have them if you can get to them." The modern English equivalent would be something along the lines of "You can have my weapon when you pry it from my cold, dead fingers." The line isn't really a Pre-Ass-Kicking One-Liner, it's a Pre Getting My Ass Kicked One Liner, as was the other famous line from Plutarch: "Their" (meaning the Persians) "arrows will darken the sun!" "Then we shall fight in the shade."
- Straw Dogs. "OKAY! You've had your fun! And if you don't clear out now... there'll be real trouble. I mean it." Another example is "This is where I live. This is me. I will not allow violence against this house."
- Evil Dead 2. "Groovy."
Deadite: I'll swallow your soul! |
Ash: Ma'am, I'm afraid I'm gonna have to ask you to leave the store. |
- Grindhouse. "They just fucked with the wrong Mexican!"
Mooks: Have mercy, father. |
- Casey Jones in the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie: "Now that, was a crime, you purse-grabbing pukes. And this is the penalty." and "The class is Pain 101. Your instructor is Casey Jones."
- Highlander: "There can be only one!"
- Hellboy in the first film: "You Killed My Father. Your ass is mine!"
- Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: "I like Ike."
- An explanation for those who don't remember the 1950s: Indy's line was one of President Eisenhower's campaign slogans.
- The Last Boy Scout: Bruce Willis tells Damon Wayans, "This is the 90s, you can't just smack a guy in the face. You have to say something clever first. Like if you hit him with a surfboard, you say, 'Surf's up, pal!'"
- "Touch me again, and I'll kill you."
- Dirty Harry: " 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya, punk?"
- And Clint Eastwood again, Sudden Impact (the fourth in the series) this time: "Go ahead, make my day."
- And then there's this gem:
Harry Callahan: We're not gonna let you walk outta here. |
- Also in The Dead Pool:
Harry Callahan: Hey! You forgot your fortune cookie! (crumbles cookie, takes slip of paper) It says, "You're shit outta luck, punk'". (commence ass-kicking, .44 Magnum-style) |
- Terry Pratchett parodies that first one in Night Watch. After going back in time, Vimes attempts to pull a "Me, Mr. Burleigh and Mr. Stronginthearm," version with a crossbow, only to discover, to his great disappointment, that he's still got decades to wait before the first Burleigh & Stronginthearm crossbows will be invented. And it was SUCH a good line, too.
- The Lord of the Rings: "Do you not know death when you see it, old man? This is my hour!"
- "There's plenty for the both of us! May the best dwarf win!
- "Let them come! There is one dwarf in Moria who still draws breath!"
- The rooster crow would've been great, if they'd left it in the movie. Ah well.
- Not quite a one-liner, but "You Shall Not Pass!" and the little pile of taunts that preceeded it.
'Gandalf: You cannot pass! I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the Flame of Anor! The Dark Fire will NOT avail you, Flame of Udun! Go back to the shadow! |
- "I am no man." (face stab)
- "If you want him, come and claim him!" by Arwen. Incidentally, it could be another translation of the Spartan "Molon Labe"
- Dead Alive: "I kick ass for the LORD!"
- Bad Taste: "Suck my spinning steel, shithead!"
- Silent Night Deadly Night 2: "Garbage Day!"
- Batman (1989 version). Batman to Joker: "Ever dance with the devil in the pale moon light"? He stole it from Joker, who used it when he killed Bruce Wayne's parents.
- The Joker says it earlier to Bruce Wayne who is puzzled by the line. Only quite some time later does he make the connection with his memory of the murder of his parents.
- Horribly disfigured Jack Napier before shooting Boss Grissom: "Just call me... Joker!" (Bonus funny: We suddenly realize that Jack is the name of a playing-card too).
- A Nightmare on Elm Street: "Freddy's gonna get you."
- Also, as delivered by the Final Girl: Welcome to my world, bitch!
- A Clockwork Orange: "Ho ho ho! Well if it isn't fat, stinking, billygoat Billyboy in poison! How art thou, thou globby bottle of cheap, stinking chip oil? Come and get one in the yarbles -- if ya have any yarbles, ya eunuch jelly, thou!"
- Guile—played memorably by Jean-Claude Van Damme—attempts several of these in Street Fighter. Attempts.
Guile: I'm the Repo Man... and you're out of business. |
- and:
Matrix: Remember when I said I would kill you last? ... I lied. |
- The Matrix: "Dodge This."
- Also in Revolutions, where the Merovingian is attempting to get the main characters to give him something he wants in order for him to get Neo out of the Matrix. Trinity, with at least two dozen mooks pointing guns at the heads of her, Morpheus, and Seraph, simply says "I don't have time for this shit." and then begins beating the crap out of several of the bodyguards, catching a pistol and holding it against the Merovingian's head.
- Ripley's "Get away from her, you bitch!" in Aliens.
- As well as "Let's rock!", followed by a long burst of Smart Gun fire.
- The Dark Knight Saga:
Joker: (to Rachel) A little fight in you, I like that. |
- And from the previous movie:
Gigantic Con: You are in hell, little man. And I am the devil. |
Riddick: Remember that favorite game of yours? |
Riddick: I can kill you with my teacup. |
Nicholas Angel: (riding into town carrying an obscene amount of weaponry) Morning. |
- There's also this conversation:
Danny: How's Lurch? |
- One of the protagonists in Race for the Yankee Zephyr (1981) has a habit of describing the eating habits of the crocodile in disgusting detail to everyone he meets. When he and his friend are stopped at a roadblock of armed mooks, they begin to recite this description in unison—then as the mooks are looking at each other in bemusement launch a Groin Attack.
- Gran Torino: Clint Eastwood's character has a ton of amazing one liners, but some of the best Pre-Asskicking One-Liners are, "Ever notice how you come across somebody once in a while you shouldn't have fucked with? That's me." and "Yea? I blow a hole in your face and then I go in the house... and I sleep like a baby. You can count on that. We used to stack fucks like you five feet high in Korea... use you for sandbags."
- "Get off my lawn".
- Air Force One: "Get off my plane!"
- Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen gives us this exchange as a prelude to (one of) Optimus' CMoA:
Megatron: Is the future of our race not worth a single human life? |
- Also:
Optimus: GIVE ME YOUR FACE! |
- And then, he actually took his face.
- Another from the very beginning, when Optimus single-handedly takes down a decepticon around four times his size that's rampaging through a highway:
Optimus: Pull over! |
- From the first movie, we have 3 from Megatron.
Megatron: No, it's just me Prime! |
- Optimus in Dark of the Moon:
Megatron: ...Besides, who would be without me, Prime? |
- Die Hard: "Yippie-kai-yay, motherfucker."
- "My turn."
- Mad Max: "Two men enter! One man leaves!"
- "Here's my motherfuckin' farm"
- Followed up by, "I'm a lead farmer motherfucker!"
- Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy has the great quote by Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate): "Because I am good at three things: Fighting, screwing, and reading the news. I've already done one of those today, so what's the other one gonna be? Huh?"
- Screwing?
- Public news really deserves some credit for their sheer bad-assness.
"Public news is taking time off for its pledge drive to kick some ass. No commercials! NO MERCY!" |
Rorshach: Men get arrested. Dogs get put down. |
Sirius: Get away from my godson. (SMACK) |
Dumbledore: It was foolish of you to come here tonight, Tom. The Aurors are on their way.
|
Harry: "Sorry Professor, I must not tell lies." Cue Umbridge's ass kicking. |
- Star Wars - Revenge of the Sith: Obi-Wan drops from the rafters into General Grievous' midst. Grievous and his guards turn to look at him.
Obi-Wan Kenobi: Hello there. |
- Shortly afterwards in that same scene, Grievous boasts about how he was trained by Count Dooku in the Jedi Arts.
Obi-Wan: Good, because I trained the Jedi who killed Count Dooku. |
- Samuel L. Jackson had one, too. It didn't work, but you can't deny it was badass:
Mace Windu: In the name of the Galactic Senate of the Republic... (fires up lightsaber) you are under arrest, Chancellor Palpatine. |
- Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End: "Then what shall we die for?"
- Equilibrium: "Not without incident."
- Subverted in United 93 as the passengers psych up for the rush on the cockpit. Todd Beamer's famous, "Let's roll!" is treated as a barely noticeable throw-away.
- New Jack City: "Idolater! Your soul is required in Hell!"
- "Let's show this prehistoric bitch how we do things downtown!"
- "You and I have unfinished business."
- "Bitch, you don't have a future."
- RoboCop
"Dead or alive, you're coming with me." |
- Kick-Ass: It should be no surprise this has many, but probably the most famous is Hit-Girl's. Wherein she starts by inverting the normal order of things by killing the boss first, then addresses the mooks: "Okay you cunts...let's see what you can do now." *counts foes and watches to see which one makes a move first* "Eenie...meenie...minie..." *a mook goes for a weapon* "MOE!"
- Jaws
"Smile, you son of a -" *BOOM* |
- Played and lampshaded in Pulp Fiction, by Jules Winfield who recited Ezekiel 25:17 (although an extended version) and admits he liked to do it before killing someone.
- In Soldier, one super soldier is getting ready to battle a squad of improved versions.
"There are seventeen of them. What do you plan to do?" |
- Who dies first?
- HULK SMASH!
- "Fuck you and your gun, ya prick!"
- From the final fight with Wesker in Resident Evil: Afterlife:
Alice: I told you I'd be bringing a few friends. |
- In Sahara, Al Giordino says "Hi, how ya doin'?" several times right before knocking a Mook senseless.
- Scott Pilgrim vs. the World gives us this beauty:
Scott: I dislike you. |
- Judge Dredd. During Dredd and Rico's Final Battle. Slightly subverted in that Rico ends up doing most of the ass kicking at first.
Rico: I'm the only one who never lied to you. |
- Threatened in Juice: "Sit yo' five-dollar ass down before I make change!"
- Fuck you, Lucky Charms.
- Star Trek VI the Undiscovered Country: "Target that explosion and fire."
- |"This is the end friend."
Literature
- Harry Potter:
- "NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!"
- Also: "You shouldn't have done that."[1]
- In Summer Knight, Harry Dresden rushes into a battle against a faction of The Fair Folk, belting out, "I don't believe in fairies!"
- In Welcome To The Jungle, when asked what his profession is, Harry replies he works in "accounts payable" because he "makes sure everyone gets what's coming to them." Later, when he's going off to confront the Big Bad we get this exchange:
Will: But what if you need help? Where will you be?? |
- In Small Favor, Harry comes up with this after Michael is shot.
- Later, in Changes, when vampires are attacking his building and the people inside it, Harry comments internally on wizards being subtle and quick to anger.
Harry: Fuck Subtle. *steps around the corner and starts roasting some vampires* |
- In Turn Coat we have Listens-To-Wind versus Shagnasty the Skinwalker.
Shagnasty: You are not a holy man. You do not follow the Blessing Way. You have no power over me. |
- In Ghost Story, we get this line from Mortimer right before he obliterates the Corpsetaker's ghost:
"But it seems to me, you half-wit, that you probably shouldn’t have left a freaking ectomancer a pit full of wraiths to play with." |
- "Men of Tanith! Do you want to live forever?"
- Based off an actual quote from the Battle of Belleau Wood during World War One by USMC Gunnery Sergeant Dan Daly.
"Come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?" |
- An even earlier version attributes it to Frederick the Great, King of Prussia at the battle of Kolin.
"Ihr Racker, wollt ihr ewig leben?" |
- This quote is echoed once again in Starship Troopers.
- Also, in Necropolis, Kowle's "Where is your courage? Where is your strength? Where is your conviction?" with the questions punctuated by the execution of his own men.
- Discworld: "Where's... my... cow? Is that my cow? It goes hruuugh IT! IS A HIPPOPOTAMUS! THAT! IS! NOT! MY! COW!"
- AND NOW THERE REMAINS ONLY ONE FINAL QUESTION -- HAVE YOU BEEN NAUGHTY... OR NICE?
- WHILE IT IS TRUE WE HAVE TO RIDE OUT, IT DOESN'T SAY ANYWHERE AGAINST WHOM
- Subverted, but at the same time a Crowning Moment of Awesome: "C'mon if you think you're hard enough!!!"
- Some old man told me you live and learn. Well, I have lived, and now I've learned that the edge of a sword is infinitely long. I've also learned how to make damn good yoghurt, although this is not a skill I intend to employ today. Shall we go get' em, boys?
- In response to a thug saying, "There ain't no law here," one Watch officer said, "Guess again." Dirty Harry would be proud to give an ass-kicking like the one that copper then handed out.
- The Last Battle: "This is my password. The light is dawning, the lie broken. Now guard thee, miscreant, for I am Tirian of Narnia."
- Watership Down. Bigwig's Determinator speech, "My Chief Rabbit has told me to defend this run, and until he says otherwise I shall stay here," scares the hraka out of the Efrafans, who mainly respect brute strength and have assumed up to this point that Bigwig was the Chief Rabbit of his warren. If he's not, there must be an even bigger Badass Bunny around somewhere. Has emotional meaning as well, since Bigwig swore never to call Hazel the Chief Rabbit until the day he stops fighting.
- Éowyn's speech to the Witch-king in The Lord of the Rings. This is the second half.
"But no living man am I! You look upon a woman. Éowyn I am, Éomund's daughter, and you stand between me and my lord and kin. Begone, if you be not deathless! For living or dark undead, I will smite you if you touch him." |
- From a scene in David Weber's Safehold book, Off Armageddon Reef, right before protagonist Merlin Athrawes attacks a Smug Snake's Mooks:
Smug Snake: After all, what do you think the odds are of you managing to defeat fifteen of my best? |
- In Illium, Zeus and the Greek pantheon stand ready to destroy the combined Greek and Trojan armies (long, spoilery story), and then all of humanity. He delivers the classic "Any last words" line in a godly fashion... to which Achilles responds "Surrender now, and we'll spare your goddess's lives so they can be our slaves and courtesans." Despite being a fairly stupid (but awesome) asshole in this story, that may be the best response to such a line, ever.
- Rastignac's "It's between you and me now, Paris!" in Le Père Goriot.
- The Wheel of Time has :
Mat Cauthon: Carai an Caldazar! Carai an Ellisande! Al Ellisande! (For the honor of the Red Eagle! For the Honor of the Rose of the Sun! The Rose of the Sun!) |
- The Elenium's confrontation between King Wargun and Sparkhawk, when the King is pulling rank and Sparhawk doesn't feel like cooperating.
King Wargun: I have a thousand picked men at my back! |
- The Sten series book Fleet of the Damned provides this: "We are now attacking a Tahn battlefleet. There are at least two battleships with the fleet. We are going to kill them." Ironically, Sten didn't consider this an example, and in fact felt it would be a waste of time to give an "England Expects." He was commanding an obsolete heavy cruiser, and they did destroy one state-of-the-art battleship, and cripple the other beyond repair.
- Steven Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen - Memories of Ice
After Quick Ben unleashes half of his warrens (sources of magical power) to blast Korbal Broach through a wall, Bauchelain, partner of the aforementioned Korbal Broach, notes that Quick Ben's power is most impressive, but that, in retrospect, he ought to have saved at least half his warrens. |
- In the Codex Alera series by Jim Butcher, Aldrick ex Gladius, one of the recurring antagonists, is widely renowned as the second best swordsman in the known lands, only being passed up by one other. He often uses this fact to unnerve his opponents, and his skill ensures that it's hammered in quickly enough.
Aldrick: The only man to best me with a blade was Araris Valerian....and you aren't Araris. |
- Subverted, however, in the first book. The person he's attacking isn't Araris...but he's very close by. Aldrick's brief Villainous Breakdown when Araris intervenes is a sight to behold.
- From True Grit by Charles Portis (and both film versions), we have this exchange before the final showdown:
Rooster: I mean to kill you in one minute, Ned, or see you hanged at Fort Smith at Judge Parker's convenience. Which'll it be? |
- Solomon Kane, before his Knife Fight with the Fishhawk:
"There be many fires, scum, some hotter than others - but save the fires of Hell - all fires - may be - quenched - by - blood!" |
- In Bryan Young's Lost At The Con, the alcoholic gonzo journalist protagonist is trying to defend a young female cosplayer from handsy frat boys, and getting his ass kicked, when suddenly...
Cybernetic!Abraham Lincoln: A house divided against itself cannot stand. [starts punching frat boys in the face] |
- Jason Grace in The Lost Hero has one badass and laconic enough to be worthy of a Roman Praetor; "My turn."
Live Action TV
- Subversion: the Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode "Helpless" had Buffy Brought Down to Normal for the duration, which also neutered her ability to deliver a suitable line when she finally managed to defeat the bad guy:
Buffy: If I was at full Slayer power, I'd be punning right about now. |
- In the episode "Anne", Buffy has run away from home and changed her name to Anne (her middle name). In the course of the episode, she finds herself trapped in a demonic dimension where humans are made into slave labor. One of the demons is trying to break the humans' spirit by asking them "Who are you" and hitting them if they answer anything but "No one". What does Buffy answers, just before kicking everyone's ass?
Buffy: I'm Buffy, the Vampire Slayer. And you are?. |
- When Buffy is gone, Willow tries to replicate her punning—doing it herself between Seasons 2 and 3 (when Buffy was in L.A.), and programming it into the Buffybot between Seasons 5 and 6 (when Buffy was dead). With minimal success: "That'll put marzipan on your pie plate, bingo!"
- Dark/Royally Pissed Off Willow is actually quite adept at badass one-liners. Standouts include I. OWE. YOU. PAIN. and "Bag of tricks?" "Bag of knives ".
- Which brings us to the most cold-blooded pre-killing line of all time: "Bored now." Which was made more poignant by the fact that it was Vampire Willow's catchphrase, last heard 3 years before.
- Angel attempted a ton of these. One of the few that stuck was in the series finale. Angel is being tossed around humiliatingly by one of the chief mooks, who takes time to gloat over this, explaining that Angel cannot defeat him, that the power of The Big Bad flows in his blood. Cut to Angel switching to vamp face.
Angel (in vamp face): Can you pick out the one word there you probably shouldn't have said? |
- Dark Angel: When Max catches a Peeping Tom.
Max: What did I say would happen if I caught you peeping again? |
- Doctor Who: "EXTERMINATE!"
- "Who are you calling small?"
- "This is a FIGHTING hand!"
- "I'm quite spry for my age..."
- "You're a bad dog." "Affirmative."
- "I'm River Song. Check your records again."
- "I'VE GOT A SAYING, FEEL THIS!"
- "Would you like me to repeat the question?" (more post-asskicking, but still awesome.) Before that moment, there was this. " Where. Is. My. Wife. " By the same guy: "Heil!"
- Gene Hunt of Life On Mars 2006 and Ashes to Ashes is especially fond of these—among the most memorable being his first line in the latter series:
Gene: Today, my friend, your diary entry will read "Took a prozzie hostage and was shot by three armed bastards." |
- Which was based on his original, fondly remembered "You are surrounded by armed BASTARDS!" Gene get's a ton of these.
- Alex also gets a pre/post one-liner in the first series;
Gene: *Generic prostitution insult* |
- On Community, during the second paintball game, a third City College stormtrooper runs up to the two celebrating that they've won. It's actually Pierce in disguise, and when asked who he is, his only reply is "Your mother's lover!" before opening fire and winning the game.
- In the first Paintball game they take down the chess club with "Checkmate, bitches!"
- Possibly the most emphatic of all. In the finale of the second series of Primeval, after Cutter is being played with by a Future Predator:
Cutter: Enough. *proceeds to shoot Future Predator* |
- Cutter gets a lot of these.
Cutter: *when faced with giant mer creature* Time to go home. |
- At the end of the first series of Merlin, this gem.
Merlin: *Gets up from normally deadly injury* You should not have killed my friend. *And then proceeds to harness lightning by merely lifting his hand (in the Merlinverse, powerful magic requires incantation)* |
- An episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation had Whoopi Goldberg's bartender character breaking up a bar fight with a big gun:
Guinan: (fires a blast into the air) This is a little souvenir I picked up from Magus III. That was setting number one. Anyone wanna see setting number two? |
- Meanwhile, on Star Trek: Voyager, Janeway has a couple, such as "Time's up!" and "Time to take out the garbage." (It makes sense in context.)
Janeway: (to a blustering Kazon captain) You know, I'm an easy person to get along with most of the time. But I don't like threats, and I don't like bullies, and I don't like YOU. |
- "Hello. I'm Captain Kathryn Janeway. Welcome to the bridge." immediately before the self-destruct detonated and blew up a parallel universe duplicate of Voyager
- Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Both used and spoofed in the episode "To the Death", where the crew of the Defiant team up with the Jem'Hadar to track down some renegades.
Jem'Hadar First: (to his Mooks) I am First Omet'iklan, and I am dead. As of this moment, we are all dead. We go into battle to reclaim our lives. This we do gladly, for we are Jem'Hadar. Remember: Victory is Life! |
- Eliot from Leverage gets one in:
Eliot: What smells like crank and cries like a little girl? (breaks his legs) Right answer! |
- "Ore... SANJOU! From start to finish, I'm always at a climax! Let's go, let's go, LET'S GO!!"
- Mal from Firefly gets an awesome one of these against Niska in "War Stories":
Mal: Looks like business ain't running so much as crawling away. You wanna meet the real me now? |
- Simon Tam: Yes, she always did love to dance.
- River Tam: You've always taken care of me... My turn.
- FlashForward's Simon had a good one, after confronting the good that chopped off his finger.
Simon: Word of advice? Next time, take the trigger finger. |
- The Psycho Rangers from Power Rangers in Space have a pretty epic group one.
Psycho Red: We're the Psycho Rangers. |
- Parodied, then discussed in Power Rangers RPM at the start of the "Ranger Red" episode, where Scott and Ziggy comes across a group of Grinders terrorizing a mother and her baby.
Scott: Shh... You'll wake the baby. |
- Boardwalk Empire: more of a Pre-Fingorn One Liner—Chalky sits down with a Klansman and tells him a story about how his carpenter father was asked to build a bookcase by a white man, and after he worked long and hard on it, the man and his friends rewarded him for his troubles by lynching him. Chalky then unrolls a set of his father's tools, and the Klansman nervously asks what he intends to do with them. Chalky just replies "Well...I ain't buildin' no bookcase."
- SG1's Jack O'Neill and Atlantis's John Sheppard, both of whom are masters of this trope, with too many examples to mention. And the rest of their teams are no slouches either.
- From Enos: A cop pops out of hiding and pulls a gun on two thugs, saying, "Your tax dollars at work."
- From Sanctuary
Vampire Queen Afina: You're out of your depth, mongrel. |
Music
- The Protomen's song Vengeance might as well be made up of Megaman one-liners, since the track is about Megaman slaughtering Robot Masters. An actual quote from the song is: "Send me the best you've got! Send me your strongest machines. The fight my brother fought here, now, will end with me" Also, after he actually trashes the first wave of robots he's not nearly satisfied so he says: "All you wounded, those of you who can, pick yourself off the ground, hurry back, tell your leader you'll need more men." as he prepares for the second wave.
- Limp Bizkit gets one in their song 'Break Stuff', that leaves the ass-kicking to your imagination:
"I pack a chainsaw. I'll skin your ass raw. And if my day keeps going this way, I just might BREAK YOUR FUCKING FACE TONIGHT!" |
- An exaple that is both this and a Post Ass-Kicking One Liner (after one ass-kicking, but before the next) from Tenacious D's Tribute
Needless to say, the beast was stunned. |
Professional Wrestling
- CM Punk, a true comic fan, has been using the Thing's catchphrase "It's clobberin' time!" throughout his career. Right as he comes through the curtain, he stops on the stage and delivers the line right before his match. [1]
Religion
Theater
- Shakespeare's action scenes often use Pre-Asskicking One-Liners—like Macbeth and Henry IV Part 1.
- Macbeth: "Lay on, Macduff, and damn'd be him who first cries, 'Hold! Enough!'"
- Henry V, "God for Harry! England and Saint George!"
- Several from Romeo and Juliet:
Tybalt: What, drawn and talk of peace?! I hate the word. As I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee. Have at thee, coward! |
- Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street: BENJAMIN BARKER!
Toys
- Bionicle has Nidhiki's line to Tuyet:
Nidhiki: Hi, dear. I'm home. |
Video Games
- "I got a present for ya!"
- Baldurs Gate has quite a few used by both villain and hero, even if we discount the fact that every character has his own Battle Cries.
CHARNAME: Is it true that dragon meat tastes like chicken? Never mind; I'll find out for myself. |
- Minsc has the best battle cries. "Go for the eyes, Boo! Go for the eyes! Raaagghhhhhhh!!"
- Even better: "Jump on my sword while you can, evil! I won't be as gentle!"
- My personal favorite is if he's in your party during the final confrontation with Jon Irenicus. "Evil, meet my sword! Sword, meet Evilllllllllllllllll!"
- Mass Effect, made by the same company as Baldur's Gate, includes a whole lot of team chatter that qualifies, including a shout-out to Minsc's famous line:
- Tali: "Go for the Optics, Chikkita! Go for the Optics!"
- Jack: "Hello, Dead People!"
- Mordin: "Flammable! Inflammable! Forget which! Doesn't matter!"
- Grunt: "I! AM! KROGANNNNNN!"
- Kasumi: "Going silent!" *cue Stealth Hi Bye and Back Stab*
- Commander Shepard is full of these. If we were to list all the one-liners s/he says we would probably have to give Mass Effect its own section. AGAIN!
- Emily Wong got one in a Twitter feed. She was in an aircar, unarmed, bleeding, with a Reaper right in front of her. She had only one choice. Her last message: "You want to see how a human dies? At ramming speed." A shame she almost certainly accomplished nothing with it.
- Every Fighting Game you can find these days.
- Most phrases said by video game bosses before the Boss Battle, especially in RPGs. Most well-known example: "I, Garland, will knock you all down!".
- "Your hope ends here! And your miserable existence with it!"
- Final Fantasy X in general has the characters say one-liners before casting spells and using skills. Lulu is particularly known for that.
- Final Fantasy VI
- "My name is Ultima... I am power both ancient and unrivaled... I do not bleed, for I am but strength given form... Feeble creatures of flesh... Your time is nigh!"
- "Life... Dreams... Hope... Where do they come from? And where do they go? Such meaningless things... I'll destroy them all!"
- The Big Bad of VII gets several on separate occasions (and games):
- From Crisis Core: "Traitor...you will pay!" (Cue Octaslash)
- From Kingdom Hearts II:
Sephiroth: Well, that's an interesting sword you're carrying. (indicating Sora's weapon) |
- From Advent Children after impaling Cloud on the Masamune: "Is this the pain you felt before, Cloud? Let me remind you... this time, you won't forget."
- Zack Fair, a non-villain example: "...and above all...protect your honor...AS SOLDIER!! COME AND GET IT!!!" To a whole army.
- Dissidia Final Fantasy has all characters say something when the battle starts, and a good part of the time it'll be this trope, or some sort of mocking comment about the opponent. The prequel Dissidia 012 went further with custom introductory quotes for storyline battles where both character speaks. For example, this gem from the Final Boss:
Garland: "I will grant you true and utter annihilation!" |
- From Chrono Cross: "Now, let love bleed! Darker and deeper than the seas of hell!"
- Gene from God Hand has a few of these, even more irrelevant than usual because he doesn't give a damn about his opponent. "You can wax on wax off all you like, I'm still kicking your ass" is probably the most well-known. Probably the most amusing is the one word he spouts in response to the Mad Midget Five's Team Shot:
"Douchebags!" |
- Elvis' "I'm gettin' hungry, hombre!"
- Team Fortress 2 has those whenever an ubercharge is used on a Heavy. "Is good time to run cowards!"
- NOW IS COWARD KILLING TIME!
- I AM BULLET-PROOOOOOOF!! *Commence ass-kicking*
- The Soldier's Buff Banner when used also makes him utter one of his battle cries.
- Also, every character on both teams at the very start of a round. They can also be used at any time through the "Battle cry" voice command.
- The "Meet the Medic" short gives us this:
Medic: Now? (creepy chuckle) Let's go practice medicine. |
- "Can't let you do that, Star FOX!"
- "Andross has ordered us to take you down."
- "Peppy! Long time, no see!"
- "Andross' enemy is my enemy!"
- "Your daddy screamed REEEEEALL good before he DIED"
- "Think you're tough eh? In that case, IT'S SECRET WEAPONS TIME!"
- "Let's rock, baby!"
- And Nero's "Let's roll."
- Nero's got more, from "Hell yeah!" accompanying cutting downward in the air, "You're going down," for one of his longer but more powerful attacks, and "Sweet!" when Devil Trigger is activated.
- When using Buster on Sanctus, one of his lines is "You are the demon. NOT ME!"
- "Foolishness, Dante, foolishness. Might controls everything, and without strength you cannot protect anything. Let alone yourself."
- And Nero's "Let's roll."
- Bayonetta has several, including Dante's "Let's rock, baby!"
- This is part of the reason why Duke Nukem is such a Badass, even though he lifts a few lines from other sources. Example: "Come on out, Morphix. There's only two ways this can end, and in both of 'em, you die!"
- From Vampire: The Masquerade -- Redemption, said by a crusader who has survived to the modern nights.
Christof Romuald: Stand, sir, or wouldst thou arrive in hell squatting upon thy arse? |
- AREEEEEEEEEEEEEES!!!
- Ares, destroy my enemies, and my life is yours!!
- I am not the same man you found that day. The monster you created has returned... to kill you!
- ZEUS! YOUR SON HAS RETURNED! I BRING THE DESTRUCTION! OF OLYMPUS!
- Knights of the Old Republic II actually has one for, of all people, Bao-Dur.
Bao-Dur: "I think he wanted us to give the General to his poorly trained collection of bounty hunters." |
- More than a few of these in Kingdom Hearts, especially from the Organization XIII baddies.
- Axel, Demyx (below), Larxene, and Xemnas:
Axel: "Oh? So you really do remember me this time. I'm sooooo FLATTERED. But you're toooo LATE!" |
- Cloud's memorable and extremely clever comeback to Sephiroth's taunts (several times): Shut up!
- Gems from Auron: "I foresee no difficulty," "You don't want to move," and "Pray. Now."
- "They'll pay for this." Cue Flung Clothing and Roaring Rampage of Revenge.
- And what about some of Those Few Bosses' lines, such as "Different name, same fate," the Lingering Sentiment's ever so simple "Xehanort!" or Demyx's Let's Get Dangerous line, "Silence, traitor."
- Zexion, his attempted Mind Rape of Riku thwarted and on the verge of a Villainous Breakdown, gets one during his (actual) boss fight in re:CoM (he was The Unfought in the original). Had Axel not started a chain of events leading to Naminé playing Spanner in the Works, he might have very well succeeded in carrying out his threat.
Zexion: "Then I shall make you see... That your hopes are nothing--nothing but a mere illusion!" |
- Many Time Crisis bosses:
- Sherudo Garo (Time Crisis Stage 2 boss): "Since you have traveled so very far, be my guest and let me ENTERTAIN YOU!"
- Wild Fang (Time Crisis 3 Stage 3-1): "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Wild Fang, and it's a pleasure to meet YOU!"
- Marcus Black (Time Crisis 4 Stage 1-3): "You want it? Then come over here and TAKE IT!"
- Jack Mathers (Time Crisis 4 Stage 2-3): (in response to Captain Rush asking "Where's your patriotism?") "What good is patriotism?"
- Wild Dog (Time Crisis 4 Stage 3-2): "A bunch of annoying little flies..."
- Altered Beast: "WELCOME TO YOUR DOOM!"
- The beginning of a Gears of War multiplayer match normally has someone saying something.
- In Fire Emblem 7 before taking down the Big Bad, all characters that are taking part in the battle get to deliver one, or at the very least the group they're fighting for. The best is Canas' "Let this battle be forgotten by history, that is all I ask."
- "It's time for revenge." "Let's attack aggressively."
- And the lesser known "What is this place?" "Keep your eyes peeled!" *gun cocking sounds*
- In Blood Omen 2, before the first boss, the boss in question says that Kain will die if he fights the Sarafan Lord, Kain says that may be true, and then adds, "But you will never know how it ends, Faustus, for I will bury you first of all."
- One female voiceset in Neverwinter Nights says "I hope you like pain!" when you attack an enemy
- Super Smash Bros..:
Lucario: Watch the power of aura! (Kamehame Hadoken) |
- BlazBlue has some characters with truly justifiable one liners.
- "I am matter... I am antimatter... I can see your past... I can see your future... I consume time... And I will consume you!"
- In Fate Stay Night "Unlimited Blade Works", when Shirou uses the titular ability for the first time, against Gilgamesh: "Here I come, King of Heroes. Do you have enough weapons in stock?"
- Which on the internet is often paraphrased as "KING OF HEROES, DO YOU HAVE ENOUGH SWORDS?"
- Killer7 has Harman's first lines in the game "Good night child, it's past your bed time."
- And Dan's classic, "I went to see the Devil, now it's your turn."
- World of Warcraft: Each of the Alliance & Horde faction leaders will deliver one of these if you attack them.
- One attack on the Horde capital city of Orgrimmar featured this especially well. The raid organisers were targetting Thrall, warchief of the orcs, and forgot (as many do on both factions) that the leader of the trolls also spends most of his time in Thrall's keep. They charged Thrall at full speed, only to hear from behind, "Dis gonna be de last mistake you make, mon" seconds before Vol'jin the Shadowhunter tore their formation apart, starting with the healers at the back.
- "Leeroy Jenkins!"
- "Arcanite Reaper, HOOO!"
- During the Gunship Battle we have "You DARE board my ship? Your death will come swiftly." if you're on Horde and "What's this then?! Ye won't be takin' this son o' Ironforge's vessel without a fight!." if you're on Alliance.
- During the Wrathgate cinematic, Saurfang the Younger delivers this gem:
Rise up, sons of the Horde! Blood and glory await us! |
- The standard Battle Cry of "FOR THE HORDE!" or "FOR THE ALLIANCE!" can work as one of these.
- In Metal Gear Solid, Snake and Otacon are trapped inside a building while the Big Bad circles it in an armed helicopter. Snake tells Otacon to go fix the elevator so they can move on, and Otacon asks Snake what he intends to do. Snake's response? "I've got to go and swat a noisy fly."
- Metal Gear Solid also had Gray Fox's: "A cornered fox is more dangerous than a jackal!" though YMMV on that, since he died shortly after saying it.
- Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty: "You want eternal rest? I've got it right here."
- Also, a couple from Solidus in the same game: "I applaud your attitude. Well, if you have a death wish, I'll be happy to accommodate you; see you in hell!" "Stupid Machines!"
- The video game adaption of The Warriors had each warrior give one of these when entering rage mode. Here is an example from each warrior:
- Cleon: Here comes the motherfucking warchief, asshole!
- Swan: I'm gonna march right through you!
- Ajax: You stupid fucks!
- Snow: Enough of this bullshit! You're fucking finished!
- Rembrandt: Let me show you how the Warriors bump!
- Vermin: All right, all right, that's fucking it!
- Cowboy: I'm gonna go wild on you asshole!
- Fox: I'll show you how to flex!
- Cochise: Bring it on sucka!
- Bayonetta: "Don't fuck with a witch!"
- S.W.I.N.E. has units that always drop a taunt whenever they spot an enemy or score a kill. The combatants are rabbits (French accent) and pigs (German accent). The best are the rabbit artillery units.
I'm going to open a can of whoopass on these pigs! |
Lucia: Dragons of Althena, come forth! |
- In Yggdra Union Gulcasa give the anti heroic version of this trope during his first confrontation with Milanor.
Milanor: So you're the big man around here, huh? Get ready! |
- "You talk too much".
- Persona 3 has a lot of great lines after you knock down an enemy and get a chance to have all four characters gang up on it, such as Akihiko's "Oh, I've been waiting for this!" and Junpei's "Come back here, you son of a-!"
- "I make my living as an elevator attendant but... I know several effective ways of inflicting pain. Don't worry, I'm not as fragile as I look. Try to kill me... if you can."
- And its Spear Counterpart: I am he who governs power. I should pose a challenge, even for you. I advice that you do not hold back. Fight as though you intend to kill.
- Every Shadow boss in Persona 4 starts with "I am a Shadow, the true self..."
- Kanji: "I LIVE FOR THIS PART!
- "I make my living as an elevator attendant but... I know several effective ways of inflicting pain. Don't worry, I'm not as fragile as I look. Try to kill me... if you can."
- "Target verified. Commencing hostilities." The last words you will hear.
- Do not...toy with me
- also: "Haven't I killed ALL of you yet?!"
- "It's game time."
- "Hasta luego."
- In Tales of Symphonia, Corrine dies to protect Sheena from Volt. After Lloyd motions her into action Sheena yells "For the sake of everyone that risked their lives to protect me, Volt...I DEMAND YOUR POWER!! The party then kills the God of Thunder and Lightning.
- Lloyd and Kratos team up to do this at the Iselia Ranch. As Forcystus emerges from the front doorway after shooting Lloyd, Kratos says very calmly that he is disappointed that this is how the great Desian hero Forcystus meets his end. He doesn't need to do anything though, as Lloyd does the asskicking part for him WHEN HE SHANKS HIM. Kratos has some choice lines when he finishes off Kvar ("Feel the pain" *slash* "Of those inferior beings" *slash* *sheathes sword* "as you burn in hell") and before right after you kill Remiel in the first time in the tower of salvation and Kratos show up and as the fight starts he say "Do you earnestly think you can defeat ME?"
- Darksiders: "You can look at me in the eye when I kill you."
- Red Faction: Guerrilla: Alec Mason cracks quite a few of these during the game, but the most epic one happens in the end, when the Red Faction is about to shoot down the Hydra, the largest warship ever known to man.
Kobel: This is Admiral Kobel of the EDF Hydra. What is your status? |
- Dragon Age: Origins Alastair gives us this gem.
Alright, who ordered death? |
Bob Page: "Soon, I will become pure energy. I will burn like the brightest star." |
- From No More Heroes, Travis will deliver quite a lot of these (In addition to Pre- and Postmortem One Liners.)
- v.s. Skelter Helter: "And when you see your brother in hell, tell him, that he's still a DOUCHE!"
- v.s. Nathan Copeland: "Hale-fucking-lujah!"
- v.s. Matt Helms: "Time for some pro-bono ghost-busting!"
- v.s. Jasper Batt Jr. (last form): "Come on, Prez! Unleash your hate! Your anger! Everything! I'll take it all and FUCKING kill you with it!"
- Travis gives a good number of these in the first one too.
To Dr.Peace: "This is what I LIVE FOR. Fighting your own kind, nothing's more gratifying!" |
- Asura's Wrath: Come on! (To a fucking planet-sized god, and he wins.)
- Neverwinter Nights' NPCs and PCs have voice that sets will occasionally have them say one of these once they attack an enemy.
- Dark Hero: "NO QUARTER!"
- Reserved Guardian: "Let the earth take you!"
- Confident: "I'll handle this one!"
- Dramatic: "Your death has been too long delayed."
- In Neverwinter Nights 2, this ultimately fails with Kaelyn the Dove, for which she can explain why. And this is one of her One Liners.
Kaelyn: "Oh...you...oh, I don't know any profanities! How embarrassing..." |
- EVE Online gives us this from the trailer for the latest expansion, called Incursion. This particular one-liner precedes the collective ass-kicking of a galactic cluster, 4 established empires and their respective naval forces, and the player-base.
Sansha Kuvakei: "I will vanquish your fear, and commute your flesh...to dust." |
- Wing Commander Prophecy has Maestro's: "I think we haven't been properly introduced yet, I'm Maestro, you're dead,"
- Mechwarrior's BattleMechs themselves almost seem to coincidentally have one every mission you start off already in the middle of a fight. Given that your 'Mech is an armored behemoth bristling with more than enough firepower to level a city block in a single instant the third part of the line rather... telling.
Mech Power Up Voice Over: "Reactor online, sensors online, weapons online. All systems nominal." |
Arcanus: How many times must I prove that you little insects can't hurt me? |
- Subverted, Arcanus teleports away.
- Played quite nicely in Portal 2, although the person the one-liner was directed at never actually got their ass-kicked;
GLaDOS: I hope you brought something stronger than a portal gun this time, otherwise I'm afraid you're about to become the immediate past president of the Being Alive Club. Ha Ha. |
- Dungeon Siege 3 has one especially memorable one.
- The World Ends With You has some memorable ones; one of the best is from Neku and Joshua's Level 3 Fusion Attack:
Neku: "Another world awaits!" |
- Also, Neku and Beat's max fusion level 3:
Beat: "Let's start it up!" |
- In Eternal Sonata, if you build up enough echoes before unleashing a special attack, the character will say something awesome.
Falsetto: "By thunder and lightning will you be thrown. By wind will you be scattered. Heaven and Earth! Howling Thunder!" |
Bill: "Goddamn Smoker! You're going to have to use that tongue of yours to pull my foot out of your ass!" |
Coach Oleander: Kochamara does not speak giant monster boy language. |
- In Wario World, Wario frequently utters the line "I'm-a number one!" before boss battles.
Web Animation
- Just before fighting O'Malley in Red vs. Blue, Church rattles off a number of these lines such as: "You're just one big headache, and I've got a whole pistol full of aspirin!" and: "I've got half a mind to kill you! And the other half agrees!"
- With Tex snarking in the background. Even though those are clever, they're very corny.
- "My name is Michael J. Caboose. And I. HATE. BABIES!!!"—Just before massacring an army single-handed.
- At the end of season 1, Donut, before killing Tex at super-long-range with a plasma grenade: "HEY, BITCH! REMEMBER ME? I SAVED SOMETHING FOR YA!"
- "Okay, so who's first?" The next episode is a 7-minute episode of her absolutely demolishing Sarge, Grif, Simmons, and Tucker at the same time, without even breaking a sweat. Also they're all armed and she's not. It doesn't matter.
- Still the best one goes to Washington "Peace talks have broken down, now we do it OUR way"
- How has anyone forgotten "You just got Sarged!" Hilariously subverted when he doesn't get to finish it once.
- This video is just Sarge spouting a whole bunch of these, with a couple of Bond One Liners for good measure.
- "I have to kill fast, and bullets too slow!"
Web Comics
- The Tally Ho features a pretty good Pre-Asskicking One-Liner... "I got the tools, I got the team, I got the motivation, and baby, I just ate me a whole ROLL of 'Mentos'."
- The Adventures of Dr. McNinja: "We are on Eastern Pain Time, and it is Dan o'clock!"
- Parodied in "D.A.R.E. to Resist Ninja Drugs and Violence" where the Doctor directs a pretty awesome speech at Frans Rayner...
Doc: Rayner, you killed my mentor, and you kidnapped my sidekick. I met Death himself last night, and he's going to follow me all the way to your house. You made it personal. |
- ... But then it takes him the whole chapter before he actually fights Rayner. When the Doctor and Rayner finally do fight, the best Doc can come up with is:
Doc: I'm trying to think of that thing I said earlier today, when I was riding that raptor there, and how Death was mad at me... and somehow I applied it to you? I forget it now. It would have been good. But, uh, whatever. You're like, the lamest Great Dane since Marmaduke, and I'm gonna kill you. Whatever, who cares. Let's go. |
- Mitzi McNinja gets one of her own during the "Punch Dracula" Story Arc: "And the dead can't hear their own eulogies. So let's wrap this up.!"
- Looking for Group: "Rejoice, for very bad things are about to happen."
- In The Order of the Stick, Elan actually needs to use these for an attack bonus on his "Dashing Swordsman" prestige class.
- And then there's Bozzok's "Yeah, and I'm bringing the onions - to make you cry!"
- Belkar: "Back me up and I'll cut a path through these guys." Then he decides to go into more detail.
- Haley: "Oh yeah? How are they at keeping you from becoming a shish kabob??" in this strip.
- Also Haley: "SNEAK ATTACK - BITCH!"
- Oasis tries to use some of these in Sluggy Freelance, but she doesn't quite have the hang of it.
- Bun-Bun gets a more straight example when he has his big showdown with Santa Claus: "Have a holly jolly funeral!"
- In Girl Genius Gilgamesh Wulfenbach does pretty well here (starting with the last panel, and continuing for the next few pages). Later attempts one here and fails.
- In Everyday Heroes, Summer lampshades the above quote from Scarface.
- Gordon Frohman of Concerned fails to assassinate Gordon Freeman before the explosion of the combine portal, because he's too busy coming up with a line.
- In this Sam and Fuzzy strip, Nicole delivers a good one just before decapitating Sin with a circular saw-looking thing.
Nicole: Oh, come on Sin... everyone loves a surprise hit. |
- Digger by Ursula Vernon. "Remember Tunnel Seventeeeeen!!!"
- Brianna from Servants of the Imperium tells Twink "May the Emperor have mercy on your soul... because I will not."
- Subverted in Sinfest in a Ninjapiece Theatre strip when Slick, the Pimp Ninja threatens Yellowtail (the Geisha Slut) with "I kill you so hard your ancestors will die!"
- Mandatory before every fight in What the Fu.
- In No Need for Bushido, Brother Wu delivers a rather appropriate one to the trash-talking Ken.
Brother Wu: It seems we are not the ones in a position to have our asses kicked. (kicks Ken's ass into a wall) |
- Caw caw, motherfuckers.
- In Brawl in the Family, during the Phillips CD-I arc, Waluigi returns from vacation to find a Phillips CD-I making everyone become characters from that game... except Dedede, who's trying not to go insane. He views the situation, and then says "Weh. You call this madness? Step aside. Waluigi time.
- In Schlock Mercenary, a mafia soldier expressed the intention to "unleash some hell" against some of the good guys, which is when an elephant with fists the size of him replies with a better line from behind.
- xkcd on this page (see Alt Text) got a cool one, in case someone gets a target lock on Mount Olympus. "I'm here to return what Prometheus stole."
Web Original
- The art collection website "Hey Oscar Wilde! It's Clobberin' Time!" has a name and banner that's all over this trope. It supplied the page image above (a contribution by one DocShaner).
- From Yu-Gi-Oh the Abridged Series (Actually a 3 liner, but still...): "Time for a trip to the Recycle Bin, Phantom. And then, once you're in the Recycle Bin, I'm to to right-click on it and select "Empty recycle bin", because otherwise you'd just be taking up space. In other words, I'm going to kill you."
- From Naruto The Comedy Spoof Series Show: "DATTE-FUCKING-BAYO, BITCH!!"
- "It's curtains for you, Dr. Horrible. Lacy, gently wafting curtains."
- The That Guy With The Glasses Brawl has a few of these.
- The Nostalgia Chick has "Let's kick ass and get cynical."
- Linkara has "I'm not an idiot! I AM A MAN!" (though the ass-kicking is cut short by Benzaie).
- In Suburban Knights, if Malachite asks you, "What do you think of the 21st century?", run. You'll probably still die, but at least you know what's coming.
- "This will be over before you find that flaw"
Western Animation
- Avatar: The Last Airbender's Pakku gets a pretty excellent one before fighting Katara: "If you want to learn waterbending so badly, STUDY CLOSELY!!"
- "I'm sorry it has to end this way, brother." "No you're not."
- "Did I ever tell you how I got the nickname Dragon of the West?"
- "They're mine!"
- "Trust me, Zuko, it's not gonna be much of a match."
- The Legend of Korra has Korra, in the first episode confront a gang of three thugs. Surprised by the fact that anyone has the nerves or stupidity to challenge them, the confrontation leads to this exchange:
Thugs: Who do you think you are? |
- In Total Drama Island, by the end of the fight between Izzy and Chef in "Hide and Be Sneaky":
Izzy: Bye bye! (kicks Chef) |
- Ben from Ben 10 loves to spout these before turning alien and leaping into action. They tend to be incredibly cheesy, but give him a break, he's a Kid Hero.
- Played with in the The Simpsons several times. In the episode "Simple Simpson" when Homer becomes Pie Man. After a series of heroic exploits and delivering multiple pastry-based one-liners just before subduing his various victims, he eventually just uses, "I have run out of pie-related puns!"
- In the episode "Itchy & Scratchy Land", while fighting out-of-control animatronic Itchy and Scratchy robots with cameras, Bart says in Schwarzenegger-esque voice "Hey mouse... say cheese." followed quickly by "With a dry, cool wit like that, I could be an action hero." It's played with even further when moments later, Homer emerges from a pile of defeated robots, saying "Die, bad robots, die!... With a dry, cool wit like that, I could be an action hero."
- In a Halloween episode, Homer has to think of a witty remark to say before he assassinates Kent Brockman... but when he thinks of it, he realizes that there's nobody around and so he doesn't have to say it.
- Clone High: "More tea, Wesley?"
- "Bah! Chamomile!"
- My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic:[2]
- Rainbow Dash, when she's about to start rounding out the parasprites in "Swarm of the Century":
"Time to take out the adorable trash." |
- "A Dog and Pony Show":
- When one of the Diamond Dogs tries to put a bridle on Applejack, she quips "If you can take this bull by the horns, you better be ready for a ride!" before starting to buck him off.
- "A Dog and Pony Show" also gives us the precursor to a verbal ass-kicking:
- "A Dog and Pony Show":
Rarity: "I am not whining. I am complaining. Do you want to hear whining?" |
- In "The Return of Harmony", Twilight Sparkle gives one just before she and the mane cast defeat Discord with the Elements Of Harmony. Probably one of the most Badass ways of invoking The Power of Friendship ever.
Twilight Sparkle: "All right, ladies. Let's show him what friendship can really do!" |
- In "It's about Time," when Twilight prepares to kick the ass of Cerberus. Yes, that Cerberus. The moment is ruined by Fluttershy, but it's still pretty awesome.
Twilight Sparkle: "Hey, Cerberus! You look like you could use some obedience training. Magic obedience training." |
- Transformers: "One Shall Stand, One Shall Fall." So nice, they used it twice. Also, and more to the point, "Megatron must be stopped."
- Surely the true one-liner is in this exchange:
Megatron: Why throw away your life so recklessly? |
- At the end of The Movie, Rodimus Prime gets two in the same scene.
Rodimus Prime: (after wrestling the MacGuffin from The Dragon) This is the end of the road, Galvatron. (throws him through a wall) |
- Almost everybody gets one of these.
Devastator: PREPARE FOR EXTERMINATION. |
- Bulkhead is the current reigning king of one-liners. He spouts one in every episode so far.
- Kim Possible
- Both heroes and villains often break them out, with Shego especially fond of them. With everyone recovering from a cold, Shego declares, "Looks like someone's been drinking a lot of fluids -- and retaining every ounce..."
- This, from The Movie.
- Teen Titans
- This is Robin's job. It gets a bit ridiculous at times.
- Starfire gets one in one of the first episodes.
Starfire: I am sorry to disappoint you, but I am stronger than I look. (WHAM) |
- Raven and Beast Boy have them during their Berserk Button moments,
Raven: Don't come any closer. |
- Earthworm Jim: "Eat dirt, everything in the vicinity!" (and about a billion variations thereof...). Brilliant when you think of it. He's an earthworm and his kind generally tends to eat... well..
- Stripperella. "Look out crime. I'm gonna to take a bite out of you. But... not in a way you're gonna find... pleasurable."
- Darkwing Duck:
- "Let's get dangerous!"
- Darkwing Duck's shift from comic relief to serious threat post-"Dangerous" constitutes its own trope.
- "Suck gas, evil doer!"
- Danny Phantom has the title character spout a few of these. Unfortunately it doesn't run in the family: Jazz's one-liners are terrible. Except for when she's saving Danny for once, and it's combined with a Don't Say Such Stupid Things and a Shut UP, Hannibal:
Jazz: Excuse me. I don't know this kid, but I hope it's okay if he gets a second opinion. |
- Metalocalypse: "That's my bread and butter you're fucking with." If anyone utters that, you know, RUN!
- Robot Chicken: "GO F#%* YOURSELF!"
- King of the Hill: "That's my purse!! I don't know you!" (kicks person in the balls). Seriously, you can't tell me you wouldn't get caught off guard by some fat kid yelling "That's my purse!" then yelling "I don't know you!" before kicking your nuts into your throat is a great way to finish it.
- Also, from the episode where Bobby and Joseph become professional panhandlers.
Bum: What're you gonna do, tell my mommy? |
- Dexters Laboratory: A mix-up involving cereal-prize decoder rings leaves Deedee being threatened by the Pony Puffs, and Dexter having to team up with Action Hank to save her. As Hank bursts through the wall with his team to save Dee-Dee from being dunked in scalding-hot oatmeal, he delivers that classic line:
Hank: Breakfast is no longer being served! Prepare to get brunched -- in the face! [3] |
- Popeye, spoken before using spinach: "That's all I can standz, cause I can't standz no more!"
- From Stunt Dawgs:
Needham: It's T. T. Kaaaaaaaay B.! |
- The only thing villains hate to hear more than that one is the one that means you're well and truly screwed:
Needham: It's P.B.T.! |
- Scooby Doo Mystery Incorporated
- Scooby says the Text-Book defenition of a Pre-Ass-Kicking One-Liner in episode 10.
Scooby Doo: Bad Dog. Time to heel. |
- He followed it up with something even more bad ass, especially given his utterly cold delivery.
Scooby Doo: Play Dead. |
- Codename: Kids Next Door: Next stop: way down the lane!
- Justice League Unlimited: "What we have here is a rare opportunity for me to cut loose and show you just how powerful I really am.
- Whenever Bugs Bunny utters the phrase "Of course you realize this means war!" is essentially this. What comes may not be an asskicking by normal standards...but he makes sure you feel for what you've done.
- All it takes is the right magic words...
- ↑ Obviously not to be confused with Ben Drowned.
- ↑ What, you didn't think a My Little Pony show would have examples of this?
- ↑ heh, heh