Touch of Death: Difference between revisions
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A particularly subtle type of [[Dangerous Forbidden Technique]], the
The victim often survives for a few moments, allowing for the drama quotient to be raised either by quiet resignation or desperate denial, sometimes while the killer [[To the Pain|describes in exacting detail]] what the technique is doing to the victim.
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* In the ''[[Lonelygirl15]]'' episode "Shadow of Death", Emma kills the seeker by running at him. In "Help Us!", LaRezisto explains that trait positives have the power to kill Order members with a touch. {{spoiler|This was later revealed to be utter bull}}.
* ''[[Star Trek]]''
** Subverted in "The Enterprise Incident". Spock supposedly uses the famed Vulcan Death Grip to kill Kirk. Later on, we learn that no such thing exists, and Spock actually hit the captain with a Vulcan Nerve Pinch (which in itself is a milder version of this, capable of dropping almost anyone into unconsciousness in a matter of seconds).
** Played straight in the episode with the holographic assassin-babe that imploded people's cellular structure with a touch. If she says "I am for you", ''run!''
* ''[[The Middleman]]'''s not so [[Old Master]] Sensei Ping has the Wu-Han Thumb of Death.
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* ''[[Dungeons and Dragons]]''
** Earlier versions have a few spells that do this (such as Slay Living, the evil reverse of the 5th-level Raise Dead for clerics), as well as the Quivering Palm ability of the Monk, which allowed the monk to simply will the death of the target for some time afterward. The downside is you can only use it once per week. Thanks a lot, Wizards!
** Although Monks in 4th edition have no instant
** A demilich, which is basically a [[The Undead|lich]] [[The Same but More|only more so]], can ''trap a living creature's soul'' if they fail a saving throw. What's more, unless it's defeated less than twenty-four hours afterward, the demilich will ''devour'' it, rendering the unfortunate victim [[Deader Than Dead]]. And it can trap up to eight souls per day. [[Total Party Kill|Have fun.]]
** There is an Epic Level spell in 3rd edition called Memento Mori. You think that you want someone dead. They die. Nothing else to it. They call it Epic Level magic for a reason.
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** There's also a magic card called [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=3883 Touch of Death]. Unfortunately it's a waste of a good name, as the card isn't any good, and is incredibly unlikely to actually kill anything.
** Let's not forget the [[Awesome but Impractical]] [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=106427 Phage the Untouchable].
* ''[[Exalted]]'', being the game it is, has a myriad of ways to do this. One of the more painful is the sorcery spell Blood of Boiling Oil; Essence swirls around your hands and coats them red, and the first person you touch has their blood turn to... well, you know
You can also punch off souls, hurl opponents into a temporary orbit, summon a demon to hurl them into a permanent orbit, dismember them, and even kick people's heads off with a sufficiently impressive stunt.
== Video Games ==
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== Webcomics ==
* ''[[Kid Radd]]'': This is how [[Collision Damage]] is portrayed (and what it's called!). Those with it cannot control it, and must avoid touching normal people. (It seems that those with it can touch each other without
* In ''[[How I Killed Your Master]]'', Master Fei tells young Liu Wong that his father's style, aptly named "The Divine Fist of the Unconquerable Sky," used what we can presume are
{{quote|'''Master Fei''': "All he would say of his style was, 'I don't know what it's like to hit a man twice."}}
* [[Twilight Lady]] has this as her signature killing technique. It took years to master, but if the target has committed murder of any kind, she can just use her martial arts to poke them to death - or stand still and watch them grope her. Which is why it's surprising when a female muscle demon slaver IS COMPLETELY IMMUNE.
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* ''[[The Simpsons (animation)|The Simpsons]]'':
** Bart claimed to learn the Touch of Death in a karate class he had actually skipped out on. Which he then repeatedly threatened Lisa with to force her to do minor chores. (And was really just the "rock on" sign that he copied from a video game. \m/)
** Played straight in a Halloween Special when Homer accidentally killed Death to save Bart. Homer tried on Death's cloak for fun and was conscripted by [[God]] to take Death's place. At one point Homer abused his
* ''[[Kung Fu Panda]]'':
** Tai Lung is able to paralyze anyone with his nerve strikes, but his method was crude and amateurish compared to Master Oogway who is fast and skilled enough to strike with a complex ''pattern of nerve strikes'' and do it in [[Bullet Time]]! Also subverted in that one of Po's advantages is that his body fat protects his nerves so well that nerve striking is useless on him.
** There's also the Wuxi Finger Grip, which (apparently; neither the scene in question nor [[Word of God]] is entirely clear) causes the victim to explode with city-shaking force merely by flexing the pinky finger. <!-- The editor who wrote this has not seen the movie, and is merely condensing a couple of paragraphs of natter into one bullet. If you have, and it is more clear than the natter suggests, please just edit this line; do not add another. Thank you :) -->
* Death from ''[[Family Guy]]'' can kill with a touch; excused by his being, well, ''[[The Grim Reaper|Death]]''. When [[Death Takes a Holiday]] and Peter needs to fill in for him, simply wearing Death's shroud causes anything Peter touches to instantly die, even without intending it. He learns this the hard way.
* In ''[[Aqua Teen Hunger Force]]'', there's one-shot character Dan from Grim Reaper Gutters, who won't leave until he makes a sale! He kills Carl [[Butt Monkey|(of course)]] with a
* Timmy Turner's Mom in [[The Fairly Odd Parents]] can never grow anything in her garden, because she believes she is cursed and most forms of produce tend to shrivel up when she touches it.
{{quote|*bawling* "EVERYTHING I TOUCH '''DIEEEEES!'''}}
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* While not as easy as it is in fiction, a strike to the front or back of the neck can kill a person with much less force than anywhere else on the body.
* Halfway between the above and below examples, a precise strike to the carotid artery can stimulate the vagus nerve, drop the heart rate and blood pressure of the victim and cause immediate unconsciousness. The touch of death part comes from the very real chance of dislodging a cholesterol plaque and causing a stroke.
* It's also theoretically possible to kill someone with a ''very'' precisely timed blow to the heart during the T-wave (the refractory period), initiating ventricular fibrillation, and effectively stopping the heart in what is known as ''commotio cordis''. The level of precision this would require (not to mention the knowledge of the human body) makes it extremely difficult to do deliberately
There have, however, been documented freak cases of children dropping dead from cardiac arrest after being struck in the chest, particularly with a baseball or other sports instrument. Children are particularly susceptible to commotio cordis due to the lack of development in the rib cage. This can also be triggered by lightning strikes.
* While not so much "minimal force", it's possible to kill in one strike via striking the throat as mentioned above, collapsing it, or by driving the nose into someone's brain with an upward strike.
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