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{{trope}}
[[File:Ram-Man 4307.jpg|link=He-Man and the Masters of the Universe|frame|[[Pokémon|Ram-Man used Headbutt!]] [[Memetic Mutation|It's super effective!]] ]]
{{quote|''"But I don't wanna use my head!"''|'''Rex''', ''[[Toy Story (franchise)|Toy Story]] 2''}}
It has been shown time and again, in cartoons, movies, and video games, that the best way to break something is by hitting it with your head. ''Really hard.''
We're not talking ordinary, run-of-the-mill headbutts here. Heck, we're not even talking about [[Headbutt of Love|headbutts of love]]. When a character uses his head, they transform from ordinary bloke to full-on [[Battering Ram]]. The character may go into full on raging-bull mode, charging blindly ahead at whatever stands in his path. Or his companions may actually ''pick him up'', using the blunt end of his skull to smash down whatever it is that needs smashin'. This can be an effective means of attack for some. For others, it's simply the easiest road to destruction. When somebody breaks out the cranial cannonball, the walls are going to come tumblin' down.
Strangely enough, no character who ever employs this technique ever seems to [[Hard Head|get a concussion--or even a headache]]. This may be because he's a [[The Big Guy|Big Guy]] or a [[Cloudcuckoolander]]—two character subspecies known for this trope—and for having very thick skulls, or maybe he's wearing [[Weaponized Headgear]]. ([[Genius Bruiser]]s are, of course, an exception.)
Although the [[Trope Namer|Trope Naming]] phrase doesn't ''always'' precede incidences of this trope, if you utter it in the presence of the Big Guy or a Cloudcuckoolander in battle, you know [[Literal-Minded|exactly what you're likely to get]].
Also see [[Head Desk]], which is Using Your Head [[Face Palm|out of frustration.]] Compare [[Ass Kicks You]]. A signature move of the [[Violent Glaswegian]].
As [[Knowing Is Half the Battle| Ram-Man himself]] said in one cartoon, [[Don't Try This At Home]]. It could cause a concussion, fracture, or worse. Much better to use your head the way it was intended, for ''thinking''.
{{examples}}
== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==
* Hanamichi Sakuragi from ''[[Slam Dunk]]'' likes to do this a lot.
** A lot? It's practically his off-basket signature move. One of his first scenes ''ever'' in the series involved him headbutting his [[True Companions]] for teasing him, then other people for unknowingly hitting one of his [[Berserk Button|Berserk buttons]], and more than once he has dealed them to his own teammates (like Miyagi), schoolmates (like Aouta) or people from other teams (like Hikoichi) if they piss him off enough. Akagi and Rukawa are pretty much the only ones who can resist his headbutts without being knocked-out.
* ''[[
** Early on, a flying headbutt was just about Goku's primary [[Finishing Move]], being used to end his fights, for example with Staff Officer Black.
** Goku headbutts Piccolo Jr. to send him out of the ring and win. That's right. [[Crowning Moment of Funny|He saved the world with a]] [[Ring Out]]. He already tried the same strategy against Tenshinhan 3 years ago, where it would have worked if it wasn't for [[Diabolus Ex Machina|that damned truck driver on the way]].
** His Son Gohan performs a rather impressive, armour-splitting headbutt on his uncle Raditz. He also pulls one against Garlic Jr. on [[Filler]].
** The second Goku vs. Vegeta fight has on the anime a [[Narm|rather ridiculous]] scene where the two fighters keep headbutting each other. Just like goats!
* ''[[
**
** ''[[
** ''[[
** ''[[
* ''[[
** This happens during the title character's [[Crowning Moment of Awesome|fight with Gaara.]] There is some injury, causing both characters to bleed, and it also [[Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?|shatter Gaara's control over his jutsu]]. ''You'' try maintaining the form of a hundred-foot tall [[Eldritch Abomination]] through that.
** Also, the filler episode where Hinata opens a door to find Naruto standing upside-down on the ceiling so that his face is, like, three inches from hers. She, [[Shrinking Violet|of]] [[Fan of Underdog|course]], [[Luminescent Blush|blushes beet-red]] with her crush so close to her. When Naruto puts a hand to her forehead (he [[Oblivious to Love|mistakes the blush for a fever-flush]]), she screams and then impulsively headbutts him across the room, knocking both him and herself out.
** At the end of chapter 563 Naruto {{spoiler|does this to Tobi}} immediately upon finding him. That's right, his opening move against {{spoiler|the [[Big Bad]]}} was a headbutt. Naruto complained about him having too hard a head afterward.
* Veemon's main attack in ''[[
* [[Big Badass Wolf|Arf]] does a charging headbutt in wolf form [[Punched Across the Room|that sends Zafira flying]] in the second episode of ''[[Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha (
* Luffy's attack, Gum Gum Bell, from ''[[
* Sonic Boomer in ''[[
* In ''[[
* ''[[
** This is what {{spoiler|Nagi does to Arika to stop her from her [[Self
** In chapter 320, Negi invokes this to object with Fate.
* ''[[
* ''[[
** Isshin Kurosaki has used this on his son Ichigo more than once. Specifically, to break him out of [[Heroic BSOD]]'s, like the one that cam after {{spoiler|losing to Gin Ichimaru.}}
** More recently, [http://www.mangareader.net/bleach/467/18 a truly spectacular headbutt] is the key to {{spoiler|Ikkaku}} finally defeating {{spoiler|Shishigawara}} in the X-Cution arc.
* ''[[Pokémon (
** Ash's Scraggy likes to headbutt as a greeting, though this is natural for its species.
** In addition to the use of the attacks mentioned above throughout the series, a scene in ''[[Pokémon 3
* ''[[
* In ''[[
* Rin does this in ''[[
* In ''[[
* In one of ''[[Baccano
== [[Comic Books]] ==
* This is the trademark of the ''[[Spider-Man (Comic Book)|Spider-Man]]'' villain [[Meaningful Name|Hammerhead.]]
* [[The Juggernaut]] from ''[[X-Men (Comic Book)|X-Men]]'' uses this mode of attack as well. In the ''[[Capcom vs. Whatever]]'' series, it's his one and only Hyper Combo.
* ''[[Judge Dredd (
* ''[[
* ''[[Strontium Dog]]'': For Middenface McNulty, this is practically his signature move. Though, [[Violent Glaswegian|given his reputation]], he would probably like to refer to this as a [[Glasgow Kiss]].
* Once in ''[[Iznogoud]]'', when he tells this to his lackey... he didn't mean it literally, but Wa'at Alaaf did.
== [[Fan Works]] ==
* ''[[Shinji and Warhammer40K|Shinji and Warhammer 40 K]]'': It's called the Ikari. It begins with a headbutt and it ends with the opponent on the ground crying for mercy. The best part of this is it was first used in a [[Crowning Moment of Awesome]] where EVA-01 loses the function of both its arms [[When All You Have Is a Hammer|and only has its head]].
* [[Real Person Fic]], ''[[Just Taken]]'': Chapter 1, [[Spice Girls|Melanie]] headbutts one of the criminals who get into a fight with her and her friends. The move results in a black eye, which Melanie [[Major Injury Underreaction| didn't seem fazed]].
==
* Jubei, the [[Badass Normal]] hero of ''[[Ninja Scroll]]'', keeps headbutting an immortal enemy until that enemy's face is ''caved in'' towards the end of the movie.
* Played straight in ''[[Toy Story (franchise)|Toy Story]] 2''. When breaking through a vent that's been screwed shut, the fake Buzz tells everyone to "use your head". [[Gilligan Cut|Cut to a shot of them running down the hallway]] with Rex as a battering ram as he yells "But I don't wanna use my head!" Justified in that Rex is a toy and technically has no biological brain that can be damaged.
** Subverted in the "outtake" of this scene where the grate is on too tight, and all of them just bash against it. Ow indeed.
* In Disney's ''[[Hercules (
{{quote|
* Princess Fiona's mother does this to walls twice in ''[[
* Discussed by one of the Viking kids in ''[[How to Train Your Dragon (
{{quote|
'''Gobber:''' [[Deadpan Snarker|You got a headache.]]
'''Stoick:''' [[The Juggernaut|That rock split in two!]] }}
* Neo and Agent Smith both do this to each other in ''[[The Matrix]]''.
* One of the bad guys in the movie ''[[Suburban Commando]]'' had the top of his skull replaced with a metal cap for this particular reason. Not to mention he looked patently ridiculous while doing so.
* ''[[
* Flesh Gordon tries this in the famous [[Parallel Porn Titles|soft-porn]] ''[[Flash Gordon (
* Variation when the head was used to ''[[Percussive Maintenance|fix]]'' something. In ''[[Back to
* ''[[The Three Stooges]]'' occasionally had a [[Hard Head]] stooge (often Curly, but once in a while Shemp) used outright as a battering ram.
* [[Deconstruction|Deconstucted]] in ''[[Paul Blart: Mall Cop]]'', where Blart tries this on a minion, only to hurt himself.
{{quote|
** A ''properly'' done headbutt (as in using the top of the forehead and targeting vulnerable areas) is probably one of the safest ways to strike. But doing it improperly (like, say, aiming at the ''other'' guy's forehead instead of, say, face) means damaging your head and likely your brain.
* ''[[
* Felson (played by [[Ron Perlman]]) is fond of this in ''[[
* In the climax of ''Mr. Nanny'' the [[Big Bad]] uses his metal scull-plate to knock [[Hulk Hogan]]'s character around.
* ''[[Night at the Museum]]''. Larry is worried about the misunderstandings between him and his son, and thinks the Neanderthal (long story) is paying attention. He reads the Neanderthal's attempts to mime something for him as "open the door to his head," and so does not see that the Neanderthal meant "open the door with my head" until he hears the glass smash.
== [[Literature]] ==
* In ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', Gandalf (jokingly, perhaps, although he was pretty cranky by that point and might well have done it) threatens to use Pippin's head as a battering ram to try to open the gates of Moria: "But if that does not shatter them, and I am allowed a little peace from foolish questions, I will try to seek the opening words."
* Done by Ecthelion in ''[[The History of Middle Earth|The Book of Lost Tales]]'' to kill [[The Dragon|Gothmog]]. Of course, at that point in time, Ecthelion had ''[[An Arm and a Leg|lost both of his arms]]'' and had a [[Impaled with Extreme Prejudice|great big spike on his helmet]].
* ''[[Discworld]]''
** The Nac Mac Feegles. "Faceful o' heid!"
** Also Wee Mad Arthur from ''[[
** [[Altum Videtur|"Vis-ne facem capite repletam?"]]
* [
* Mace Windu does this to a guard twice his size who blocks his way in the [[Star Wars Expanded Universe]] novel ''Shatterpoint''. The guard taunts the "little Jedi" to draw his [[Laser Sword|lightsaber]]. Mace simply says that his head is all he needs and proceeds to show him exactly what he means, then steps away as the guard falls.
{{quote|
== [[Live-Action TV]] ==
* In the ''[[Red Dwarf]]'' episode "White Hole", Holly powers down to conserve her remaining runtime, thus shutting off the engines and the powered doors. Solution? Bash down the 53 doors between them and the science room using... Kryten! Of course, he's a mechanoid, so it doesn't cause him ''too'' much damage...
{{quote|'''Lister:''' You okay, man?
'''Kryten:''' [[Non Sequitur Thud|I'm fine, thank you, Susan]]... }}
* Subverted in an episode of ''[[
* Played with in ''[[
* In the ''[[
* [[Informed Ability]] of the Klingons in all ''[[Star Trek]]'' series save TOS; [[All There in the Manual|the Star Trek Fact Files]] claim that those much-mocked [[Rubber Forehead Aliens|rubber foreheads]] are actually solid bone.
** Interestingly, a Klingon tries to do this to Data after losing their version of arm-wrestling to him only for Data to point out that his skull is made of the same stuff as starship hulls.
* In ''[[Home Improvement (TV series)|Home Improvement]]'', Tim and Al had a Karate expert show how he break boards with his head. Al volunteered to try and Tim waited for him to hurt his head only to succeed. After Al, Tim decided to give it a try and ended up hurting his head. Al revealed that he had training in karate.
* In an episode of ''[[Dexter]]'', Doakes gets increasingly close to figuring out Dexter's secret. Once again, he confronts Dex in his office, at which point Dexter headbutts the cop and leaves the office into the main detective area, walking like nothing has happened. Two seconds later, Doakes flies out of the office, pissed off, and tackles Dex. The other cops assume he just snapped, as they didn't see the headbutt and he is well known to have a hatred for Dexter before he had a solid reason to. The whole thing [[Wounded Gazelle Gambit|was planned by Dexter]] to give Doakes even less credibility than usual.
* Subverted in a ''[[
{{quote|
'''Fonzie:''' Concrete. ''(passes out)'' }}
* ''[[
* ''[[
* ''[[
{{quote|
'''Justine:''' "It's kind of a trade-off, because without that much to drink (head-butts Holtz) hurts a lot more." }}
== [[Professional Wrestling]] ==
* The Battering Ram—a finishing move used by several wrestlers, most notably The Bushwhackers. Which was first used by Bobo Brazil (Houston Harris—a former baseball player), and called the Coco Butt, in 1950.
* The diving head butt is mostly used by Samoan wrestlers, but to the world a large, Bam Bam Bigelow and [[That Which Must Not Be Named|Perry Saturn]] are probably the most famous users.
* The Junkyard dog would comically get on all fours and repeatedly ram fallen opponents head first.
== [[Radio]] ==
* From the ''[[Kenny Everett|Captain Kremmen]]'' radio show: "''I shall break out of this cell using the hardest substance known to Mankind! MY HEAD!''"
== Toys ==
* From ''[[Bionicle]]'', the Bohrok, and their [[Elite Mook]] cousins, the Bohrok-Kal have a headbutt gimmick. In-story, they used their heads and other powers to demolish the entire island of Mata Nui.
== [[Video Games]] ==
* In ''[[Dragon Strike]]'', when the rogue is unable to unlock a magically sealed door, the fighter makes a crack about it. In frustration, the rogue pushes the fighter into the door, causing him to do this.
* ''[[Pokémon]]''
** The attack Skull Bash works in exactly this manner, as well as Headbutt, Head Smash, Iron Head and Zen Headbutt. However, Head Smash actually hurts the user.
** In addition to that, Cranidos and Rampardos are Pokémon based around this trope. Like many Pokémon, this was based on [
** As said before, Scraggy and its evolution Scrafty.
* The trademark attack of [[
* ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]''
** Mario and Luigi are frequently mistaken doing this to hit and break overhead blocks. However, they actually hit overhead blocks with their ''fists'' instead of their heads.
** In the ''[[Super Smash Bros
** For that matter, Luigi's side-B move, Green Missile, is basically a charge-up attack with which he launches himself head-first at an opponent. It's even possible for him to get jammed into walls this way, given enough force.
** In ''[[
* ''[[
** This is how [[Proud Warrior Race|krogans]] say "shut up" in ''[[Mass Effect
** In the third game, Shepard can end up doing this to Khalisah Al-Jilani after she dodges his/her traditional sucker punch.
** Also in the third game, but in multiplayer, this the standard melee attack for krogan characters.
* Double H from ''[[Beyond Good
* [[
* To state the obvious, so does ''[[Dynamite Headdy]]''.
* ''[[The Lost Vikings]]'': Erik the Swift's power is head-butting enemies and breakable obstacles.
* ''[[Earthworm Jim (
* In ''[[
* ''[[Street Fighter]]''
** Balrog, in all of his incarnations, always has a move that involves grabbing his opponents and headbutting them multiple times. It's even [[Lampshade Hanging|lampshaded]] in ''[[Capcom vs. Whatever|SNK vs. Capcom Chaos]]'':
{{quote|
'''Balrog:''' My headbutts are a work of art, eh? }}
** E. Honda has this, ever since his debut, as a special manoeuvre. Note that in-game graphics always show him as flying head-first like a kamikaze Superman, but one piece of art tried to pass it off as a shoulder ram. No-one's buying that, Capcom.
** Also Dhalsim, who starts with a normal headbutt attack and then takes it [[Beyond the Impossible]] by using headbutts as a drill-like Ultra move (Yoga Shangri-La).
** Alex's super Stun Gun Headbutt is an example. This chain of headbutts [[Exactly What It Says
* The minotaurs in ''[[The Elder Scrolls IV
* In ''[[
* The Headbangers from ''[[
* Keine Kamishirasawa of the ''[[Touhou Project]]'' is well known for handing these out to errant students. And woe be to you if she does this when she's in [[Horned Humanoid|Ex-Mode]]
* The ''[[Defenders of Dynatron City]]'' hero Toolbox attacks with his hammer-shaped head, but it has pitifully short range. Team leader Jet Headstrong does, too, but his is [[Rocket Punch|rocket-powered]], making him a bit more useful.
* Although not an attack, Firebrand from ''[[Demons Crest]]'' headbutts objects in the background to find money and [[Upgrade Artifact
* One of Ram's loco moves in ''[[Total Overdose]]'' allows him to live up to his name, charging like a bull at double maximum running speed with his head down and fingers pointed forward like horns. Any non-Boss enemy hit by it is thrown in the air, and dies on landing. One battle in particular encourages its use by leaving the appropriate pickups scattered around, and takes place in the middle of a bullfight arena.
* Subverted in ''[[Castlevania II:
* A favored tactic of Amaterasu in ''[[
* ''[[The Godfather (
* In ''[[
* Quite the case for a lot of characters in ''[[Tekken]]''. Every Mishima <ref>
** All the animals save for Gon have a headbutt throw.
** Heihachi takes this [[Up to Eleven]] in two ways. First, in his ''Tekken 5'' interlude in Story Mode, he headbutts the crap out of Jack-5 after defeating him. Second, since ''Tekken 3'', he can perform a "Headbutt Carnival". Instead of a regular Stonehead throw, the recipient can reverse the Stonehead and, well, Stonehead him back!
** In ''Tekken Tag Tournament 2'', if you have two Mishimas on your team you can perform a ''tag Stonehead throw.''
== [[Web Comics]] ==
* In ''[[8-Bit Theater]]'', as explained by Black Mage: "The main tactic of the Ram Form of Zodiackenshido is to break your opponent's equipment with your head before he breaks your head with his equipment." Fighter's the only human ever to succeed at this without dying in the process.
* An interesting version of this trope resides in ''[[Dominic Deegan]]'' with the character Rachel, whose favorite pastime is breaking objects (and occasionally people) with her ''face''. This, of course, leads to comedy whenever villains try to punch, or occasionally headbutt, her in the face.
== [[Web Original]] ==
* V4 of ''[[Survival of the Fittest]]'' recently has the death of {{spoiler|David Anderson}} via a well-placed headbutt to the face, breaking his nose and sending bits of bone into his brain.
* Faun from ''[[Tasakeru]]'' invented the story's equivalent of the [[Heavy Metal]] Headbutt by giving a Glasgow Kiss to a drunk bar patron. Nicely Lampshaded.
{{quote|"Do you knowhow to do the 'headache?'"}}
==
* ''[[Total Drama Action]]'':
{{quote|
:: [[Comically Missing the Point|He then headbutts]] [[Scary Black Man|Chef.]]
* In ''[[
* Ram-Man of ''[[
** In the 2002 remake he didn't have the springs, being more of a [[Mighty Glacier]] type of fighter, but still a practical living bulldozer.
* ''[[Mike Lu and Og]]'': Lu actually says "Use your head" before coming up with the idea of ramming her head into a money printing press to put her face on the island's cash.
* Toph uses this in ''[[
{{quote|
* ''[[Transformers]]''
** The Dinobot Slag of ''[[Transformers Generation 1]]'' does this on more than one occasion. One of the best instances would be when he rams Devastator in ''[[Transformers:
** Slag's ''[[
** Also, the [[Fan Nickname|Conehead]] Decepticon Seeker [[Meaningful Name|Ramjet]] has a reinforced nosecone for doing this in vehicle mode. It counts because his nosecone is indeed part of his head. Ramjet actually did fail at this
** There's [[Beast Wars
* In the ''[[Legion of Super
* On at least one [[Classic Disney Short]] (''Mickey's Fire Brigade''), Goofy has been used as a battering ram.
* [[Donald Duck]] has also tried to break through doors with his head on a number of occasions, and elicits snarky commentary from his uncle Scrooge once he does this in ''[[
{{quote|
* In one episode of ''[[Popeye (
{{quote|
* ''[[
** Goultard tells his apprentice Sadlygrove that he needs to know how to use his head in battle. Sadlygrove takes this advice literally and defeats {{spoiler|Rubilax}} by headbutting him so hard he sinks into the desert with a real risk of choking to death on sand. Goultard approves.
** Goultard himself also favors this tactic. In his special ''Goultard the Barbarian'', he headbutts Katar so hard that a ''crater'' forms underneath them. He does the same thing to {{spoiler|Rushu}} in the series proper.
* In ''[[Adventures of the Gummi Bears]]'' some of the characters are trapped in a barrel and only Tummi is around to help them. When told to use his head to find a way to free them, he of course rams head first into the barrel without any injury and creates a hole big enough for the rest to enlarge to get out.
* ''[[Looney Tunes]]'': In an old ''[[Arabian Nights]]''-themed short, [[Porky Pig]] defends a fortress from [[Punny Name| Ali Baba and the Dirty Sleeves]]; four of them tries to ram down the door using a fifth one as the ram, while a sixth throws him something from a jar of "headache pills" after each hit.
== [[Real Life]] ==
* [[The Beautiful Game|Football/soccer]] player Zinedine Zidane [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAjWi663kXc shows] that the most effective way to punish someone for [[My Sister Is Off-Limits|insulting your family]] is not a conventional kick or punch, but a headbutt square in the chest in the middle of a [[FIFA World Cup|World Cup final]]. This has also been [[Memetic Mutation|parodied rather hilariously]] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUjFRKWk6gQ to no end].
** He might be the [[Trope Codifier|most infamous]] [[Never Live It Down|example]], [[wikipedia:Headbutt#Association Football|but he definitely isn't the only one.]] In particular, Luis Figo headbutting Mark van Bommel was one of the "highlights" of the EXTREMELY dirty Netherlands vs. Portugal match in that same World Cup's semifinals. ([[Karma Houdini|He only got a yellow card for it, tho.]])
* The animal kingdom has its share of bad-ass headbashers. Check out pachycephalosaurs, ''Majungasaurus'', bighorn sheep, some chalicotheres, and giraffes. Yes, ''giraffes''. Slightly subverted with the former, as they were originally thought to have engaged on direct-headbutting action, but biomechanical studies suggest that flank-butting (like giraffes) is more likely. Giraffes are basically the living version of [[Epic Flail]]. Don't believe me? [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huxDnZs2_OQ Just look at this]. Yeah, you go and say giraffes aren't [[Badass]]. I'll be over here [[Tempting Fate|where it's safe]].
** Don't forget the triceratops (no longer with us, but still). Also rhinos.
** Heck, a plain ordinary ol' bull can headbutt your ribs into splinters, even without horns. And a full-grown male plains bison can easily do the same thing to your car's door.
=== Sports ===
* The danger of a concussion is why direct, intentional helmet-to-helmet collisions are not allowed in the NFL. Spearing, the practice of diving into another player helmet-first, is also illegal due to the risk of spinal injury. This practice gained a lot of notoriety during the 1990s, largely because safety Chuck Cecil was so fond of using it. Yes, before he was a controversial assistant coach often fined by the NFL for his actions, he was a controversial player who was often fined by the NFL for his actions.
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Improvised Index]]
[[Category:
[[Category:Just for Pun]]
[[Category:Use Your Head]]
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