History Main / AsLethalAsItNeedsToBe

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[[quoteright:350:[[VideoGame/SoulSeries https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sc4_vader.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:No [[LaserBlade blade]] is sharper than [[TheoryOfNarrativeCausality the plot]].]]

* The eponymous Sword of Seals from ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBindingBlade'' is, evidently, only as strong as the resolve of its wielder. When Hartmut, one of the generals of [[GreatOffscreenWar The Scouring]], found that the leader of the dragons was really just a frail, hybrid girl dragon being used against her will, he didn't have the heart to kill her outright, opting instead to knock her out with the sword, and sealing her away.

[[quoteright:350:[[VideoGame/SoulSeries https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/421f9958387895d165b90bd756a5a765.png]]]]

* ComicBook/{{Hawkeye}} 's arrows and his way of using them. Though traditionally Hawkeye abhors killing, in later years he has become a victim of the "darker and edgier" trend of superheroes. In his most recent appearances, however, Hawkeye tries to avoid killing people but doesn't flinch at leaving his enemies paralyzed, perhaps for life.

TheHero is doing his usual thing: battering {{mooks}} left and right with his trusty Phlebotinum Sword and leaving them out cold. Except for that one mook who he clearly just gutted. With the same sword and with the same moves. How?

* The eponymous Sword of Seals from ''VideoGame/FireEmblemElibe'' is, evidently, only as strong as the resolve of its wielder. When Hartmut, one of the generals of [[GreatOffscreenWar The Scouring]], found that the leader of the dragons was really just a frail, hybrid girl dragon being used against her will, he didn't have the heart to kill her outright, opting instead to knock her out with the sword, and sealing her away.

* Magical attacks in ''FanFic/TheNewMath'' can damage to varying degrees depending on the setting of the spells. Protective clothing known as Barrier Jackets also aid in stopping dangerous blows harming the person.
* In a [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11003041/23/Plot-Bunny-Ranch one-shot]] ''Literature/{{Worm}}''[=/=]''Franchise/StarWars'' plot bunny, the VillainAntagonist uses a lightsaber that she sets to stun rather than kill when taking down [[FlyingBrick Glory Girl]]. It is lampshaded by one of the heroes in the debriefing.

Energy attacks are great for this, because the audience has no idea of what it's like to be hit by a ki blast and as a result it can do whatever it needs to do. Additionally, energy attacks often depend on how fine the user's control of the technique is - obviously there is skill involved in swinging a sword too, but a sword is objectively sharp whereas the hero may only have gathered enough energy for a haphazard, ineffective blast that time.

* In the ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'' movies Guts's sword is sharp enough to cut falling leaves... he can also rest it on his shoulder with no problem.

* ''Manga/KamuiDen'': Many characters use a technique called "mine-uchi" (striking an oponent with the blunt side of the blade) to knock out their foes: [[spoiler:Nishiki Tanba does it to Ryunoshin; Ryunoshin in turn uses it on a whole mob of wayward samurai. Conversely, Atena's failure to perform a non-lethal mine-uchi on an unruly peasant gets her killed by an angry mob.]]

* In ''Manga/OnePiece'', it's stated that the best [[MasterSwordsman swordsmen]] can do this: strike a sheet of paper or a tree branch harmlessly, yet cut rocks or even steel the next second. Namely, when a swordsman gains the ability to "hear the breath of all things", they can use it to harm only the things that they want to harm, while leaving what they don't want to destroy untouched (Zoro's sensei managed to slice at a sheet of paper without damaging it, and Zoro himself swipes his sword through a branch full of leaves without harming a thing when he figures it out). This is important because being able to do it is necessary for being able to cut steel. Zoro reaches this level during [[spoiler:his battle against Mr 1]] in the Alabasta arc.

* Batarangs from ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' qualify, at times sharp enough to cut steel, other times they only knock you out. Occasionally they blow up in your face. A diagram in one book showed that the front "round part" is hard and blunt, perfect for knocking thugs out. The back part with all the spiky bits is razor sharp. Batman can throw it so that whichever end he wants strikes the target.
* ComicBook/CaptainAmerica's shield is like this, DependingOnTheAuthor. Sometimes the edges are portrayed as razor sharp, other times blunted.
* ComicBook/{{Hawkeye}} 's arrows and his way of using them. Though traditionally Hawkeye abhors killing, in later years he has become a victim of the "darker and edgier" trend of superheroes. In his most recent appearances, however, Hawkeye tries to avoid killing people, but doesn't flinch at leaving his enemies paralyzed, perhaps for life.

* Justified in ''Comicbook/ThePunisherPurgatory''. Punisher [[EmpoweredBadassNormal has been granted]] divine weaponry which responds to his thoughts, making him able to just point and shoot as he pleases.

* ''Film/{{Desierto}}'' is about a VigilanteMan hunting down a group of illegal immigrants with his hunting rifle. At first he is terrifyingly accurate, but as the number of survivors falls, so the number of dramatic near misses rises.

* Deconstructed in the ''Literature/NightWatchSeries''. The "White Blade" is a powerful Light Side spell, that forms a blazing sword that is supposed to only harm evil people. On practice, however, "you'd have to spend a decade meditating and aspiring for inner peace before the blade would spare you". So when the heroes are assaulted by a bunch of Mind controlled human puppets, and one of the younger mages uses the Blade, it mows down the humans, and the mage cannot bear with what he's done and dies.

** Phasers justify this with having multiple intensities, including a stun setting. Although some have noticed a tendency, regardless of other circumstances, for the lethality of phasers to be inversely proportional to the importance of the character they're being fired at. Similarly, the "kill" setting may or may not vaporize the target depending on the situation.

** The phaser problem also existed between series, and was most obvious when ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' and ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'' were both on the air. In the former being shot was almost always fatal, and even major characters lost limbs when they got hit. In the latter GunsAreUseless was so ubiquitous that the best way to kill somebody with a phaser was to beat them to death with the stock.

** Used in-universe with the "zat guns" of ''Series/StargateSG1'': one shot stuns, two shots kill, three shots disintegrate. More literally, one shot would either cause unconsciousness, or cause intense pain, as the plot demanded.

* ''Series/XenaWarriorPrincess'': Xena's chakram is the TropeCodifier. It killed enemies or knocked them out, according to RuleOfDrama... occasionally in the same episode. Occasionally in the same ''throw''. (Though it was always lethal if she used it as a melee weapon.) It's usually used as a non-lethal PrecisionGuidedBoomerang, but on occasion, we've seen it cut through rope, wood and human body parts. Callisto managed to throw it hard enough to ''go through Xena's sheathed sword and into her back.'' Many fans simply figure that there's a button, somewhere on the chakram, that turns it sharp.

* ''Roleplay/WeAreOurAvatars'': Deathless. Said [[CoolSword sword]] is made entirely out of unnatural darkness, and can be lethal or nonlethal, due to how it cuts.[[note]]If it's nonlethal, then all damage done to someone with the sword is done to the person's shadow, and making the person feel a severe cold where the cut was made. The worse the cut is, the colder it feels, making normally fatal cuts incapacitatingly cold. Making it lethal requires a trigger word, which makes all the previously nonlethal cuts happen all at once.[[/note]]

* ''VideoGame/{{Oddworld}}: Stranger's Wrath'': The difference between killing someone with Thudslugs, punches or Zappflies and knocking them out is that a KO takes less damage. Stingbees and Fuzzles are always deadly, however.

* In ''[[VideoGame/SoulSeries Soul Calibur 4]]'', several playable characters wield lightsabers. They act similarly to lightsabers in ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'', though: they are more like normal metal swords (instead of plasma weapons), and clash against the mundane swords and other weapons wielded by the rest of the fighting roster.

** All ''Star Wars'' games that give the player a light saber at any point don't portray the weapon the way the movies do, otherwise the player could literally cut through the entire environment. Never mind that it would be a one hit kill on almost all enemies.[[note]]The later VideoGame/DarkForcesSaga games had it as a multiplayer option and featured a cheat code to use it in singleplayer; while it was overpowered against most enemies, the many lightsaber wielding foes also got the benefit against ''you''.[[/note]]

* In ''VideoGame/{{Tenchu}} 2'', you get to battle some bosses early on in unwinnable fights; once the boss' health drops under a certain value, the fight will stop and a cutscene will play. It happens even if you enter a cheatcode to deal 100 damage per strike and clearly kill the boss altogether before the cutscene triggers.

** Earthbending rather infamously has this applied when Jet is injured fatally by Long Feng, because every other time somebody is hit with a rock thrown via Earthbending it doesn't do any lasting damage.

* ''[[WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfTheGalaxyRangers Galaxy Rangers]]'' did a ''nice'' dodge on this trope. Early on, [[TheCaptain Zachary]] would sometimes explicitly order his team to "set blasters for stun." Later in the series, when they were trying to score a toy deal, they had a crook say that Ranger blasters didn't have a kill setting. Now, seeing as the source of the information was a ''very'' [[UnreliableExpositor dumb crook]], the writers could both have the kid-friendly "stun only" mention on camera and a wink to the more likely prospect that there was a kill setting. Likewise, Crown blasters also had stun and kill settings, but it was justified in that the Queen wanted humans (or other compatable species) as fodder for [[FateWorseThanDeath the Psychocrypt]], and you couldn't drain LifeEnergy from dead enemies.

* ''WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime'' sometimes run into this with characters' built in guns. Typically they didn't do any significant damage, except against [[{{Mooks}} Vehicons]], but in one instance Megatron used Dreadwing's gun to [[spoiler: kill its owner with a single shot]], and it was '''NEVER''' presented as being that powerful before. Megatron's own gun has shot Bulkhead in the back and dealt no lasting damage; in the final episode, it's able to [[spoiler: kill Bumblebee]] with the first shot- the other two or three were because Megatron is a giant dick.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheTransformersTheMovie'': In some scenes Transformers die from one hit by even pistol-sized laser guns, but in other scenes they are just knocked down (like Starscream during the battle for Autobot City) or even simply shrug them off (like Optimus Prime in the same battle).
* Identity Discs in ''WesternAnimation/TronUprising''. However, it's shown that they can thrown without activating the lethal cutting edge, for non-lethal sparring.

[[caption-width-right:350:No [[LaserBlade blade]] is sharper than [[TheoryOfNarrativeCasuality the plot]].]]

[[caption-width-right:350:No [[LaserBlade blade]] is sharper than [[LawOfNarrativeCasuality the plot]].]]

[[caption-width-right:350:No [[LaserBlade blade]] is sharper than the plot.]]

* Deconstructed in ''Literature/NightWatch''. The "White Blade" is a powerful Light Side spell, that forms a blazing sword that is supposed to only harm evil people. On practice, however, "you'd have to spend a decade meditating and aspiring for inner peace before the blade would spare you". So when the heroes are assaulted by a bunch of Mind controlled human puppets, and one of the younger mages uses the Blade, it mows down the humans, and the mage cannot bear with what he's done and dies.

* In ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'', Coco Adel's [[MoreDakka gatling handbag]] shattered the hides of heavily armored Grimm like Death Stalkers (which can take high-caliber sniper rifle rounds, grenade explosions, and attacks from various bladed weapons with ease), split Giant Nevermores in half, and tore apart the surrounding infrastructure. Come the Vytal Festival, it somehow fails to destroy the trees Emerald and Mercury were using for cover and doesn't even put a scratch in the much smaller Griffons she was fighting.

* ''WesternAnimation/ThundarrTheBarbarian'''s [[LaserBlade Sun Sword]] can cut through inanimate objects and MechaMooks as if they were tissue paper. But the moment he tries to strike down a living foe, the Sun Sword inexplicably dpesn't work. (At least the writers lampshaded this by having Thundarr express surprise, dismay or both at this.)

* In ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'', characters routinely hit opponents who have ordinary human levels of durability with SuperStrength punches that can shatter rock, [[HavingABlast explosions]] that can carve trenches in reinforced concrete, or [[PlayingWithFire blasts of fire]] that burn through brick walls and don't even inflict any lasting injuries.

* In ''Anime/KirbyOfTheStars'', Kirby's Crash ability does not harm his friends, only demon beasts.

** All ''Star Wars'' games that give the player a light saber at any point don't portray the weapon the way the movies do, otherwise the player could literally cut through the entire environment. Never mind that it would be a one hit kill on almost all enemies [[note]]The later VideoGame/DarkForcesSaga games had it as a multiplayer option and featured a cheat code to use it in singleplayer; while it was overpowered against most enemies, the many lightsaber wielding foes also got the benefit against ''you''.[[/note]].

[[folder:{{Anime}} and {{Manga}}]]
* in ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' Pokemon attacks never kill humans even thou they are said to be ''[[Main/InformedAbility very powerful]]''

* ''Manga/MedakaBox'': Nienami, one of [[spoiler: Medaka's suitors]], is capable of cutting a battleship in half with her sword abilities. Yet in her fight against Zenkichi, she only succeeds in cutting him up a bit.
** Well, obviously, Zenkichi [[StrongFleshWeakSteel is tougher than a battleship.]]
** Later, this is revealed to be a result of Nienami's style, which [[spoiler: gives the least possible outcome.]] Zenkichi was considered the weakest of the student council [[spoiler: but paradoxically had the greatest chance of winning.]]

* In ''LightNovel/{{Durarara}}'', Celty can manifest a massive scythe that can cut through anything she chooses, possibly including souls. However, she's the nicest character on the show, so when she cuts people, they just fall unconscious.
* In ''Anime/KirbyOfTheStars'', Kirby's Crash ability does not harm his friends, only demon beasts.
* ''Manga/KamuiDen'': Many characters use a technique called "mine-uchi" (striking an oponent with the blunt side of the blade) to knock out their foes: [[spoiler: Nishiki Tanba does it to Ryunoshin; Ryunoshin in turn uses it on a whole mob of wayward samurai. Conversely, Atena's failure to perform a non-lethal mine-uchi on an unruly peasant gets her killed by an angry mob.]]
* In ''LightNovel/HighSchoolDXD'', Kiba's Sword Birth only seems to be effective against mooks, that is when he actually uses it.
** Then again, one could argue the fact that the reason why is because Sword Birth makes bastardized versions of actual demonic swords.
* In ''Anime/AKB0048'', the [[LaserBlade Mic Sabers]] can cut straight through armored mechs, but when they hit a living enemy they simply zap them into unconsciousness.
* In the ''{{Manga/Berserk}}'' movies Guts's sword is sharp enough to cut falling leaves... he can also rest it on his shoulder with no problem.

[[folder:ComicBooks]]

* ComicBook/{{Hawkeye}} 's arrows and his way of using them. Though traditionally Hawkeye abhors killing, in later years he has become a victim of the "darker and edgier" trend of superheroes. In his most recent appearances, however, Hawkeye tries to avoid killing people, but doesn't flinch at leaving his enemies paralyzed, perhaps for life.
* [[Franchise/{{Batman}} Batarangs]] qualify, at times sharp enough to cut steel, other times they only knock you out. Occasionally they blow up in your face.
** Batman probably does have more than one type.
*** ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamAsylum'' does give you multiple types of Batarang, one of which will short circuit the electronic collars the goons are wearing.
** A diagram in one book showed that the front "round part" is hard and blunt, perfect for knocking thugs out. The back part with all the spiky bits is razor sharp. Batman can throw it so that whichever end he wants strikes the target.
* Justified in ''Comicbook/ThePunisherPurgatory''. Punisher [[EmpoweredBadassNormal has been granted]] divine weaponry which responds to his thoughts, making him able to just point and shoot as he pleases.

[[folder:FanFics]]
* Magical attacks in the [[FanFic/TheNewMath The New Math]] fanfic can damage to varying degrees depending on the setting of the spells. Protective clothing known as Barrier Jackets also aid in stopping dangerous blows harming the person.
* In a [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11003041/23/Plot-Bunny-Ranch one-shot]] ''{{Literature/Worm}}''[=/=]''Franchise/StarWars'' plot bunny, the VillainAntagonist uses a lightsaber that she sets to stun rather than kill when taking down [[FlyingBrick Glory Girl]]. It is lampshaded by one of the heroes in the debriefing.

* ''Franchise/HarryPotter'': Expelliarmus can either neatly send someone's wand flying out of their hand with no harm done to the victim, or send them violently crashing into the nearest wall.

[[folder:{{Literature}}]]
* The titular ''Literature/TheSwordOfTruth'' works this way - the sword can only cut if the wielder believes the target is an enemy [[spoiler:except in its super-mode that he unlocks near the end of the first book]]. The [[AWizardDidIt wizard]] who gave Richard the sword stresses that the user doesn't have to be ''right'' in their beliefs, they merely have to believe. Which is why wizards agonize over who gets the title that the sword goes with.

[[folder:LiveActionTelevision]]
* ''Series/XenaWarriorPrincess'': Xena's chakram is the TropeCodifier. It killed enemies or knocked them out, according to RuleOfDrama... occasionally in the same episode. Occasionally in the same ''throw''. (Though it was always lethal if she used it as a melee weapon.) It's usually used as a non-lethal PrecisionGuidedBoomerang, but on occasion, we've seen it cut through rope, wood and human body parts. Callisto managed to throw it hard enough to ''go through Xena's sheathed sword and into her back.'' Many fans simply figure that there's a button, somewhere on the chakram, that turns it sharp.
* ''Franchise/StarTrek'' phasers justify this with having multiple intensities, including a stun setting. Although some have noticed a tendency, regardless of other circumstances, for the lethality of phasers to be inversely proportional to the importance of the character they're being fired at. Similarly, the "kill" setting may or may not vaporize the target depending on the situation.

* Used in-universe with the "zat guns" of ''Series/StargateSG1'': one shot stuns, two shots kill, [[CanonDiscontinuity three shots disintegrate]].
** More literally, one shot would either cause unconsciousness, or cause intense pain, as the plot demanded.

*** It's actually a [[SpacePeople Traveler]] weapon. He somehow got his hands on one.
* Egregious use in ''Franchise/{{Super Sentai}}/Franchise/{{Power Rangers}}'' where in one case a bunch of "monstrous" villains were killed but the few human-looking ones were turned good, by the same same attack blast.
** Going hand and hand with StrongAsTheyNeedToBe, a monster or villain making its debut will straight NoSell the hero's weapon or FinishingMove, and yet can hurt or even flat out killed by the same thing they shrugged off in later appearences.
* ''Series/LegendOfTheSeeker'': The Dakras wielded by the Sisters of the Light and of the Dark. Their lethality is directly proportional to whom they hit: If it hits a Sister of the Dark, she's dead before she hits the ground. If it hits a main character, the thrower will have to release its magic to make the kill. In the latter case, the Dakra can be removed without any ill effects, even if it was previously embedded in the character's ribs.
* ''Series/TheHeroYoshihikoAndTheDevilKingsCastle'': Yoshihiko's sword, the Sword of Beckoning, will render any humans it cuts unconscious without harming them, while still being able to actually harm and slay monsters.
* Series/{{Viper}}: Good guy makes [[http://abload.de/img/_20140914-14593270cfx46.jpg cheese out of a car]] with a machine gun but bad girl only puts a dent into a car with her [[http://abload.de/img/_20140915-00470615w1jcw.jpg lethal weapon]]: [[http://abload.de/img/_20140915-011030281vyg1.jpg]].

* ''RolePlay/WeAreOurAvatars'': Deathless. Said [[CoolSword sword]] is made entirely out of unnatural darkness, and can be lethal or nonlethal, due to how it cuts.[[note]]If it's nonlethal, then all damage done to someone with the sword is done to the person's shadow, and making the person feel a severe cold where the cut was made. The worse the cut is, the colder it feels, making normally fatal cuts incapacitatingly cold. Making it lethal requires a trigger word, which makes all the previously nonlethal cuts happen all at once.[[/note]]

[[folder:TabletopGames]]
* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' usually does this with its abstract combat system, varying the method with each edition. As one example, merciful weapons that are enchanted to deal an extra 1d6 damage, but have all the damage nonlethal. This ability can be switched on and off as a free action, and KO'd enemies can be killed at your leisure, so there's not even a drawback. Other weapons can be used to deal nonlethal damage, but at a penalty to accuracy. And just to round out the trope, normally nonlethal weapons can take this same accuracy penalty to deal lethal damage.
** In the 4th Edition, the final attack is supposed to declare whether it was meant to be lethal or nonlethal. This can be declared retroactively non-lethal, up to and including a ''disintegrate'' spell.
* In ''TabletopGame/WerewolfTheApocalypse'', the Children of Gaia, a tribe of pacifists, have a spell that somehow turns their teeth and claws into nonlethal damage, allowing them to take down enemies with full force but avoid killing them.

* All rolls in UnknownArmies are d100's. In combat, rolling a 01 means you have instantly knocked out or killed your opponent, your choice, regardless of how you were fighting. A roll of 100 on your part means your opponent makes the same decision for you.

[[folder:VideoGames]]
* The Crusader's Crossbow equippable by the Medic in ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' heals allies and damages enemies. Which makes it hilarious to fire into the melee on the 3rd point in Medieval Mode.
* The eponymous [[VideoGame/FireEmblemElibe Sword of Seals]] is, evidently, only as strong as the resolve of its wielder. When Hartmut, one of the generals of [[GreatOffscreenWar The Scouring]], found that the leader of the dragons was really just a frail, hybrid girl dragon being used against her will, he didn't have the heart to kill her outright, opting instead to knock her out with the sword, and sealing her away.

* Amaterasu's Power Slash ability in ''{{VideoGame/Okami}}'' can cleanly cut trees, boulders, diamonds, and various minor demons in half, but when performed on friendly [=NPCs=], it will simply knock them back.
* ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'': The lightsabers. Although they are [[SwordOfPlotAdvancement extremely powerful weapons]] in both games (arguably the ''only'' powerful weapons in the first one), they generally do ''not'' behave like the lightsabers of the traditional ''Franchise/StarWars'' lore. They are more like normal swords, possibly to avoid the GameBreaker status. Possibly justified through the use of "cortosis", a material which [[CripplingOverspecialization blocks lightsabers and little else]]. Presumably, the overuse of cortosis in this era rendered it rare by the time of the movies.
** It should be said that ''all'' ''Franchise/StarWars'' games that give the player a light saber at any point don't portray the weapon the way the movies do, otherwise the player could literally cut through the entire environment. Never mind that it would be a one hit kill on almost all enemies [[note]]The later VideoGame/DarkForcesSaga games had it as a multiplayer option and featured a cheat code to use it in singleplayer; while it was overpowered against most enemies, the many lightsaber wielding foes also got the benefit against ''you''.[[/note]].
* In ''[[VideoGame/SoulSeries Soul Calibur 4]]'', several playable characters wield lightsabers. They act similarly to lightsabers in ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'', though: they are more like normal metal swords (instead of plasma weapons), and clash against the mundane swords and other weapons wielded by the rest of the fighting roster.
* Before ''Soul Calibur 4'', there was ''VideoGame/StarWarsMastersOfTerasKasi'', which was basically just ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}'' but with Star Wars characters. To keep the Jedi and Sith characters from being {{Game Breaker}}s, lightsabers were essentially treated like clubs or baseball bats. That said, the Jedi and Sith characters were ''still'' {{Game Breaker}}s, largely because of the reach afforded to them by the weapons and the unblockable, undodgeable Saber Throw that some of them had.
* In the comics, Comicbook/{{Wolverine}}'s claws are lethal, and can cut through almost any material as easily as a hot knife through butter. In fighting games like the ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom'' series, ''VideoGame/MarvelNemesisRiseOfTheImperfects'' or ''VideoGame/XMenNextDimension'', his claws basically act as extensions of his fists.
* ''VideoGame/{{Oddworld}}: Stranger's Wrath'': The difference between killing someone with Thudslugs, punches or Zappflies and knocking them out is that a KO takes less damage. Stingbees and Fuzzles are always deadly, however.
* ''VideoGame/{{Xenoblade}}'': The Monado is incapable of cutting sentient beings born from the Bionis, represented in-game by only doing [[ScratchDamage 1 damage to them]]. [[spoiler: Hence why it's largely ineffective against Faced Mechons, which each have a Homs within. However, Zanza releases the Monado's power about midway through the game and makes it capable of damaging everything equally.]]

* ''VideoGame/{{Gothic}}'' integrated this quality into the gameplay. While crossbows and magic spells are lethal by default, melee weapons differentiate between targets. They kill animals and monsters outright, but only [[SetSwordsToStun knock people down]], allowing you to rob them without killing or intimidate into doing your bidding. The second game perfected the feature by further differentiating between people you might want to keep alive and those you might not, so you don't have to perform Coup de Grace on every last goddamn bandit you fight.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Tenchu}} 2'', you get to battle some bosses early on in unwinnable fights; once the boss' health drops under a certain value, the fight will stop and a cutscene will play. It happens even if you enter a cheatcode to deal 100 damage per strike and clearly kill the boss altogether before the cutscene triggers.
* ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamKnight''. Batman shoves a thug headfirst into a fusebox; Unconscious. The Arkham Knight shoves a thug headfirst into a fusebox; Death.

* ''WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime'' sometimes run into this with characters' built in guns. Typically they didn't do any significant damage, except against [[{{Mooks}} Vehicons]], but in one instance Megatron used Dreadwing's gun to [[spoiler: kill its owner with a single shot]], and it was '''NEVER''' presented as being that powerful before. Megatron's own gun has shot Bulkhead in the back and dealt no lasting damage; in the final episode, it's able to [[spoiler: kill Bumblebee]] with the first shot- the other two or three were because Megatron is a giant dick.
* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'':
** Sokka's boomerang is similar to the above Batman example. While it is used to cut and knock out, Sokka is often shown to be sharpening one edge of it while leaving the other edge dull. It can be assumed he chooses which side to throw it on.
** Earthbending rather infamously has this applied when Jet is injured fatally by Long Feng, because every other time somebody is hit with a rock thrown via Earthbending it doesn't do any lasting damage.
** In the sequel ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'', [[EldritchAbomination Vaatu]]'s laser attack is frequently seen blasting through rock, yet human beings can survive it without any significant injury.
* WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack has a magical sword which will not harm those pure of heart -- on the occasion where it was used against him, it merely bounced off, and when stolen and used against others, the best it can do is knock people away.
* ''[[WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfTheGalaxyRangers Galaxy Rangers]]'' did a ''nice'' dodge on this trope. Early on, [[TheCaptain Zachary]] would sometimes explicitly order his team to "set blasters for stun." Later in the series, when they were trying to score a toy deal, they had a crook say that Ranger blasters didn't have a kill setting. Now, seeing as the source of the information was a ''very'' [[UnreliableExpositor dumb crook]], the writers could both have the kid-friendly "stun only" mention on camera and a wink to the more likely prospect that there was a kill setting. Likewise, Crown blasters also had stun and kill settings, but it was justified in that the Queen wanted humans (or other compatable species) as fodder for [[FateWorseThanDeath the Psychocrypt]], and you couldn't drain LifeEnergy from dead enemies.
* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManTheAnimatedSeries'', Doctor Octopus crashes a public demonstration of "argon laser", gets the upper hand against Spider-Man's attempt to stop him, and turns the beam on Spidey as he pins the superhero to the wall -- only for Spider-Man to realize how the beam was [[JustifiedTrope specifically programmed]] to not harm organic matter; Spider-Man suffers only a little ClothingDamage as the beam lases across him before turning the tables and using it to slice off two of Doc Ock's four robotic arms.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSpectacularSpiderMan'': Shocker can use the airblasts to punch through steel and tunnel through rock, yet they mainly just provide knockback on living targets.

* Skeletor's Havoc Staff in the ''WesternAnimation/HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse2002'' series. He's frequently blasted through rock with it, but nobody he blasts with it ever takes any real injuries.
* Shego's HandBlast power in ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'' has been known to slice through objects like metal railings, but only knocks down living targets.

* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' has merciful weapons that are enchanted to deal an extra 1d6 damage, but have all the damage nonlethal. This ability can be switched on and off as a free action, and KO'd enemies can be killed at your leisure, so there's not even a drawback. Other weapons can be used to deal nonlethal damage, but at a penalty to accuracy. And just to round out the trope, normally nonlethal weapons can take this same accuracy penalty to deal lethal damage.
** The game usually does this with its abstract combat system, varying the method with each edition. In 4th edition, the final attack is supposed to declare whether it was meant to be lethal or nonlethal.
** In the 4th Edition you can declare any attack to be retroactively non-lethal, up to and including a ''disintegrate'' spell.

* ''[[WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfTheGalaxyRangers Galaxy Rangers]]'' did a ''nice'' [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar dodge]] on this trope. Early on, [[TheCaptain Zachary]] would sometimes explicitly order his team to "set blasters for stun." Later in the series, when they were trying to score a toy deal, they had a crook say that Ranger blasters didn't have a kill setting. Now, seeing as the source of the information was a ''very'' [[UnreliableExpositor dumb crook]], the writers could both have the kid-friendly "stun only" mention on camera and a wink to the more likely prospect that there was a kill setting. Likewise, Crown blasters also had stun and kill settings, but it was justified in that the Queen wanted humans (or other compatable species) as fodder for [[FateWorseThanDeath the Psychocrypt]], and you couldn't drain LifeEnergy from dead enemies.

* ''WesternAnimation/ThundarrTheBarbarian'''s [[LaserSword Sun Sword]] can cut through inanimate objects and MechaMooks as if they were tissue paper. But the moment he tries to strike down a living foe, the Sun Sword inexplicably dpesn't work. (At least the writers lampshaded this by having Thundarr express surprise, dismay or both at this.)

** It should be said that ''all'' ''Franchise/StarWars'' games that give the player a light saber at any point don't portray the weapon the way the movies do, otherwise the player could literally cut through the entire environment. Never mind that it would be a one hit kill on almost all enemies.