History Main / CombatBreakdown

** At the very end of the series, the fight with Kid Buu also counts, as he was an even match to the rapidly powering down Super Saiyan 3 Goku. The fight was basically punches to the midsection, bites, and blown up limbs being regenerated.

* The final battle in ''GaoGaiGar'', against the [[spoiler:Zonuda Robot]] ends up being a particularly memorable example of this. GaoGaiGar's StockFootage attacks, the Broken Phantom, Goldion Hammer, and Hell and Heaven, prove to be ineffectual against this enemy, and his [[MidseasonUpgrade Phantom Rings and Space Boosters]] are quickly destroyed. So then gets into a brutal slugfest with the enemy robot, smashing in its head with its bare hands and legs and tearing off limbs before ripping its hands through it to pull out the core.

* In ''MetalGearSolid4'', [[spoileR:the final battle between Old Snake and Ocelot starts as an over-the-top cutscene brawl before entering into a three-stage fight (each stage reminiscent of the previous three ''MetalGear Solid'' games), and degenerates into two exhausted old men slugging it out with each other.]]

* In ''MetalGearSolid4'', the final battle between Old Snake and Ocelot starts as an over-the-top cutscene brawl before entering into a three-stage fight (each stage reminiscent of the previous three ''MetalGear Solid'' games), and degenerates into two exhausted old men slugging it out with each other.

* ''Fallout3'' requires that you maintain your weapon and armor conditions so that you can equip and use them effectively. A similar effect can be inflicted on enemies, as shooting their weapon enough time will cause it to have a 0% CND rating, making it unusable to them. Interestingly enough, the weapons can still be used for repair despite the damage.

** This gets a mention in PennyArcade [[http://art.penny-arcade.com/photos/592358342_Nz7fC-L.jpg here]]

** It also happens in the first season's finale. [[spoiler: Setsuna and Lasse start off piloting the GN-Armour Type-E against Alejandro's Alvatore, then the main bodies of those two are destroyed, leaving Setsuna's Gundam Exia that was inside the GN-Armour against the Alvalon that was inside the Alvatore, which Setsuna defeats by throwing six of swords at it. Then Graham Aker comes in a custom "GN-Flag", and they fight with Exia's one last weapon - a beam saber - against Graham's beam saber. By the end of the fight, neither machine is destroyed, but both of them are essentially floating wrecks with Exia's cockpit simply torn open.]]

** That's a result of condition being more a rating of functionality rather than material cohesion. E.G. If you slice through the hose or puncture the fuel tank of a flamer you could still salvage the trigger mechanism and the nozel to fix one that's been bent in a melee. The blatant DLC New vegas allows one to repair a chinalake grenade launcher with a minigun, now that's just silly. Both Bethesda games may also lead to this trope with your computer as you try and ballance the number of mods you use to keep the games running properly, leading to a scenario in which you could have an update make a weapon adding mod crash the game, forcing you to reload without it (Particularly infamous is the script extension vision enhancements that now cause crashes based on seemingly random criteria.)

* This trope is nearly universal in TowerDefense Games, when experts aren't playing. It is a consequence of the difficultycurve and the fact they are {{EndlessGame}}s

* The final battle between ''KamenRiderKuuga'' and [[BigBad N-Daguba-Zeba]] progresses thusly: Kuuga [[SuperMode Ultimate Form]] vs. Daguba, brutally assaulting each other until they shatter each other's {{Transformation Trinket}}s and revert to their human forms, still punching each other. Partially subverted in that it starts and ends as a fistfight, albeit initially one between two super-powered beings.

A common comedy variation is for a brawl between two grown men to devolve into [[ZeroChops a childish slap fight]].

* The Roman Polanski film version of ''Macbeth'' has the final fight between Macbeth and Macduff turn into a protracted anything-goes match including punches, kicks, and Macduff swinging at Macbeth with a wooden log when he's been disarmed.

* The FinalBattle between Suzaku and Kallen in ''CodeGeass'' starts with both of their [[HumongousMecha Knightmare Frames]] flying with energy wings and armed with powerful beam weapons. In the process of the fight, they lose the wings, wear each other's weapons down one by one, and eventually end up slugging it out with punches and kicks in a sequence that many fans declared the best fight of the entire series (and certainly the best one since the LensmanArmsRace took effect early in the second season, leading to battles decided by technological prowess rather than stategy).

* The FinalBattle between Suzaku and Kallen in ''CodeGeass'' starts with both of their [[HumongousMecha Knightmare Frames]] flying with energy wings and armed with powerful beam weapons. In the process of the fight, they lose the wings, wear each other's weapons down one by one, and eventually end up slugging it out with punches and kicks in a sequence that many fans declared the best fight of the entire series (and certainly the best one since the LensmanArmsRace took effect early in the second season).

* The absurdly epic battle between Negi and Rakan in ''{{Negima}}'' eventually ends with just the two of them slugging it out... for ''fun''.

* In ''MahouSenseiNegima'', Negi and Rakan use up all their energy, and all the complex magical gambits give way to simple fist-swinging.

** But played straight later on, when the battle between Elle and The Bride ''starts out'' broken down, including wrestling, brawling, wall-bashing, and improvised weapon use. There's a spot that looks like there'll be a swordfight...but then Beatrix [[spoiler: [[CheckovsSkill just plucks Elle's eye out]].]]

** But played straight later on, when the battle between Elle and The Bride begins with swords and martial arts, followed by wrestling, followed by brawling wall-bashing, etc.