Combat Pragmatist: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

{{quote|'''Will Turner:''' You ignored the rules of engagement. In a fair fight, I'd kill you.

They won't hesitate to use a [[Dangerous Forbidden Technique]]. They have [[Wouldn't Hit a Girl|no]] [[Wouldn't Hurt a Child|compunctions]] to [[Would Hit a Girl|striking a woman]] or [[Would Hurt a Child|a child]]. Or [[Groin Attack|hitting a guy in the crotch]] (they also know that [[Artistic License: Biology|women are really just as vulnerable]] to groin attacks as men are). Or about attacking someone [[In the Back|from behind]]. Or [[A Handful for An Eye|throwing sand in their eyes]]. Or [[Defeat by Modesty|pulling down their pants]] (or flipping up their skirts if dealing with women). Or the [["Hey You!" Haymaker]]. Or [[Man Bites Man|biting them]]. Or [[I Surrender, Suckers|pretending to surrender]]. Or... [[Overly Long Gag|well, you get the idea.]] However, there ''can'' be different levels of this. Even those who don't believe in fighting fair may still have lines they won't cross, such as [[Thou Shall Not Kill|refusing to kill]].

 

 

This can be a [[Establishing Character Moment]]. It can also be a [[Base Breaker]], both among the audience and [[In-Universe]], due to [[Moral Myopia]] - the hero is a resourceful [[Badass]], while the villain is just a dirty cheater. This can lead to instances of [[Black and Grey Morality]], showing that the hero and the villain are [[Not So Different]], and the difference between someone being [[Your Terrorists Are Our Freedom Fighters|a terrorist or a freedom fighter]]. For heroes, it's possible for these tactics, if extreme enough, to lead to [[What the Hell, Hero?]] moments or claims of [[If You Kill Him You Will Be Just Like Him]], sometimes resulting in responses of [[I Did What I Had to Do]], and in extreme cases, can represent the start or conclusion of a [[Face Heel Turn]].

[[Category:Trying to Catch Me Fighting Dirty]]

[[Category:Combat Tropes]]

[[Category:Combat Pragmatist]]