History Main / FisticuffProvokingComment

* ''Series/{{Firefly}}'': In "[[Recap/FireflyE04Shindig Shindig]]", Inara's current client all but refers to her as his property to Mal's face. Mal responds predictably.
-->'''Mal:''' Turns out this is my kind of party after all.

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

* ''ComicBook/{{Asterix}}'': The page image comes from "Recap/AsterixAndTheActress"; Roman actress Latraviata, while posing as Panacea, causes a heated argument between Asterix and Obelix. When Asterix, in the heat of the moment, pushes Obelix's BerserkButton by calling him fat, Obelix punches him. [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone He immediately regrets it though]], since, while they had their arguments before, this is the first time ever he punched Asterix.

* ''Film/StarTrek2009'': Kirk tries to prove that Spock doesn't have his emotions in check, and succeeds when he cracks about his mother, who had just perished in the destruction of Vulcan. Even then, he still probably didn't expect [[ThrownOutTheAirlock what would happen when he did]].

** In the "This Side of Paradise" episode, Kirk intentionally delivers a series of vicious insults to Spock in order to anger him enough to fight off the influence of pacifying plant spores. Spock manages to hold out until Kirk says he belongs in a freak show with "the dog-faced boy." CurbStompBattle ensues.

---> '''Scotty:''' ''(DeathGlare)'' Laddie...don't you think you should...''rephrase'' that?\\
'''Klingon:''' ''([[BriefAccentImitation imitating Scotty's brogue]])'' Yerr right. I should. ''(normal voice)'' I didn't mean to say that the ''Enterprise'' should be ''hauling'' garbage. I meant to say that it should be hauled away ''as'' garbage. ''(laughs)''\\
''(Scotty slowly stands up and [[TalkToTheFist punches the Klingon]]. BarBrawl ensues.)''
* In ''Series/WhoseLineIsItAnyway'', during a "Scenes From a Hat" segment, we get this:
--->'''Drew:''' Things to say that will always start a fight.\\

* ''Series/{{Firefly}}'': In [[Recap/FireflyE04Shindig "Shindig"]], Inara's current client all but refers to her as his property to Mal's face. Mal responds predictably.

* ''Series/{{Firefly}}'': In "Schindig", Inara's current client all but refers to her as his property to Mal's face. Mal responds predictably, which makes for a bit of HypocriticalHeartwarming since he has no problems calling her a whore.
-->'''Inara:''' You have a strange sense of nobility, Captain. You'll lay a man out for implying I'm a whore, but you keep calling me one to my face.

''[cab dispatcher punches him in the face]''

** In the "This Side of Paradise" episode, Kirk intentionally delivers a series of vicious insults to Spock in order to anger him enough to fight off the influence of pacifying plant spores. Spock manages to hold out until Kirk says he belongs in a freak show with "the dog-faced boy". CurbStompBattle ensues.
** Played hilariously in "The Trouble with Tribbles", with a Klingon who's trying to provoke ''Enterprise'' crewmembers into fighting him. Chekov in particular is on the verge of attacking him every time he insults Captain Kirk, but Scotty keeps holding him back, saying "We're big enough to take a few insults." This prompts the Klingon to change tactics and aim for Scotty's BerserkButton by calling the ''Enterprise'' a "garbage scow". ''This'' gets a reaction.

* Among TheMafiya, calling someone "cock/rooster" ("petukh" in Russian) is the gravest insult, because that terms denotes the lowest of the Russian criminal prison castes. As a result, the only appropriate response to this insult is to immediately physically assault the one using it, lest you be ''actually'' considered a ''petukh'' for the rest of your life. This holds even [[HonorBeforeReason when you are outmatched and outgunned]].
** It is also not a good idea to call someone a "bitch" ("suka" or "ssuchenniy" in Russian) - among Russian mob types, that word is used to refer to former members of the Mafiya who try to reform and aid the law, and has much the same connotations as the word "rat" in Western mob circles.
* Averted with the legal excuse of provocation, which doesn't allows mere words to be considered.

* In ''Disney/BambiII'', Ronno confronts Bambi during the start of the climax, the latter already at an emotional low due to his father handing him over to a doe. Ronno, who has gotten competitive towards Bambi throughout the film, starts heckling Bambi, though the latter, while clearly ticked, walks away. Then Ronno mocks the fact his father was supposedly ashamed enough of him to give him away. Bambi turns around and angrily bucks Ronno onto the floor. Cue the deer fight.
* ''Disney/LiloAndStitch2StitchHasAGlitch'': Stitch is forced to [[LetMeAtHim restrain Lilo]] when Mertle gloats that she'll beat her at the hula-dancing contest. But when she says that she'll never be as good as her late mother was, Stitch lets a furious Lilo go and proceeds to photograph the ensuing catfight.

* ''Disney/LiloAndStitch2StitchHasAGlitch'': Stitch is forced to [[LetMeAtHim restrain Lilo]] when Myrtle gloats that she'll beat her at the hula-dancing contest. But when she says that she'll never be as good as her late mother was, a furious Stitch lets go and proceeds to photograph the ensuing catfight.

ArgumentOfContradictions, CavemenVersusAstronautsDebate, PassiveAggressiveKombat, VolleyingInsults, IShallTauntYou, TrashTalk, UnsportsmanlikeGloating, and TheReasonYouSuckSpeech can lead up to the Fisticuff-Provoking Comment. A BarBrawl, DinerBrawl, EscalatingBrawl, BigBallOfViolence, CatFight, GloveSlap, ThrowingDownTheGauntlet, DuelToTheDeath, BloodOnTheDebateFloor, and ArmorPiercingSlap can result afterward. Someone pulling a WoundedGazelleGambit may purposely say something to trigger violence.

* ''Film/StarTrek'': Kirk tries to prove that Spock doesn't have his emotions in check, and succeeds when he cracks about his mother, who had just perished in the destruction of Vulcan. Even then, he still probably didn't expect [[ThrownOutTheAirlock what would happen when he did]].

*** The second time occurs after Grampa's aphrodisiac results in Springfield's adults spending all their time in their bedrooms and abandoning the city to the children. Bart attributes the absence of grown-ups to an invasion plan by "the saucer people" but Milhouse sharply disagrees stating it's the result of "a massive government conspiracy" and accuses Bart of being part of it. Bart reacts by attacking Milhouse and the two briefly scuffle on the floor before Lisa breaks up the fight.

'''Scotty:''' ''(slowly stands up and [[TalkToTheFist punches the Klingon]]. BarBrawl ensues.)''

** In "The Trouble with Tribbles", Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott loves his ship, the U.S.S. Enterprise, to such a degree that when a Klingon says it should be hauled away as garbage, he punches him across a table.

[[folder:Caricature]]

[[folder:Comics]]
* ''ComicBook/{{Asterix}}'': The page image comes from "Recap/AsterixAndTheActress"; Roman actress Latraviata, while posing as Panacea, causes a heated argument between Asterix and Obelix. When Asterix, in the heat of the moment, pushes Obelix' BerserkButton by calling him fat, Obelix punches him. [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone He immediately regrets it though]], since, while they had their arguments before, this is the first time ever he punched Asterix.

[[folder:Film - Animated]]
* In ''Disney/{{Bambi II}}'', Ronno confronts Bambi during the start of the climax, the latter already at an emotional low due to his father handing him over to a doe. Ronno, who has gotten competitive towards Bambi throughout the film, starts heckling Bambi, though the latter, while clearly ticked, walks away. Then Ronno mocks the fact his father was supposedly ashamed enough of him to give him away. Bambi turns around and angrily bucks Ronno onto the floor. Cue the deer fight.

[[folder:Film - Live-Action]]

-->'''Cab Dispatcher:''' Where are you going?
-->'''Neal:''' Chicago.
-->'''Cab Dispatcher:''' Chicago?
-->'''Neal:''' Yeah, Chicago.
-->'''Cab Dispatcher:''' You know you're in St. Louis?
-->'''Neal:''' Yes I do.
-->'''Cab Dispatcher:''' Why don't you try the airlines? It's faster and you get a free meal.
-->'''Neal:''' If I wanted a joke, I'd follow you into the john and watch you take a leak. Now are you gonna help me or are you gonna stand there like a slab of meat with mittens?
-->[Cab dispatcher punches him in the face]

* ''Film/StarTrek'': Kirk tries to prove that Spock doesn't have his emotion in check, and succeeds when he cracks about his mother, who had just perished in the destruction of Vulcan. Even then, he still probably didn't expect [[ThrownOutTheAirlock what would happen when he did]].

** In "The Trouble With Tribbles", Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott loves his ship, the U.S.S. Enterprise, to such a degree that when a Klingon says it should be hauled away as garbage, he punches him across a table.

[[folder:Professional Wrestling]]

-->'''Yosemite Sam:''' Now, you dog-blasted, ornery, no-account, long-eared varmint!
-->'''Bugs:''' Hey, just a minute, you! Dem's fightin' woids!
-->'''Yosemite Sam:''' Yeah, dem's fightin' words!
-->'''Bugs:''' I dash ya to step across dis line. [traces line along edge of diving board]
-->'''Yosemite Sam:''' I'm a-stepping. [steps over line and off board]

-->'''Redneck 1:''' Let's fight.
-->'''Redneck 2:''' Them's fightin' words!
** Happens twice in the [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS6E10GrampaVsSexualInadequacy "Grampa vs Sexual Inadequacy"]] episode.

* What provoked Zinedine Zidane's headbutting of Marco Materazzi in the 2006 UsefulNotes/FIFAWorldCup Final that earned him a red card was Materazzi calling Zidane's sister a whore.

The Fisticuff-Provoking Comment marks the point in a dispute when verbal violence escalates to [[FightScene physical violence]]. Typically, it occurs during a heated argument when one character goes too far and says [[UsefulNotes/{{Trigger}} something insulting and/or offensive]] to another character who, in turn, responds [[GoodOldFisticuffs using forceful means.]]

Sometimes immediately after the Fisticuff-Provoking Comment and before the violence begins, the character-who-is-about-to-physically-attack-the-other will say something like "Them's fightin' words!", [[VerbThis "[Verb] This!"]], or some variation on [[ShutUpHannibal "Shut Up, Hannibal!"]] Other times, it will be a [[PreAssKickingOneLiner Pre-Ass-Kicking One-Liner]] or [[PreMortemOneLiner Pre-Mortem One-Liner]] in more extreme cases. A TurnTheOtherFist fake-out can also occur.

[[ArgumentOfContradictions Argument of Contradictions]], CavemenVersusAstronautsDebate, PassiveAggressiveKombat, VolleyingInsults, IShallTauntYou, TrashTalk, UnsportsmanlikeGloating, and [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech The "Reason You Suck" Speech]] can lead up to the Fisticuff-Provoking Comment. A BarBrawl, DinerBrawl, EscalatingBrawl, BigBallOfViolence, CatFight, GloveSlap, ThrowingDownTheGauntlet, DuelToTheDeath, [[BloodOnTheDebateFloor Blood on the Debate Floor]], and ArmorPiercingSlap can result afterward.

Contrast with [[HitMeDammit Hit Me, Dammit!]] if the punchee ''explicitly wants'' to be punched.

* ''ComicBook/{{Asterix}}'': In "Recap/AsterixAndTheActress", Roman actress Latraviata, while posing as Panacea, causes a heated argument between Asterix and Obelix. When Asterix, in the heat of the moment, pushes Obelix' BerserkButton by calling him fat, Obelix punches him. [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone He immediately regrets it though]], since, while they had their arguments before, this is the first time ever he punched Asterix.

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