History Main / GoForTheEye

* In a particularly badass moment from the Eclipse from ''{{Manga/Berserk}}'', [[spoiler:Guts uses the broken-off horn of a demon this way to devastating effect on several of the horde of monsters trying to eat him alive]]. In the ''Advent'' movie, [[spoiler:after freeing himself from the jaws of a demon by chiseling off his own arm, Guts is ''[[HopeSpot this close]]'' to doing the same thing to Femto as he's having his way with Casca before the bastard hurls him away telekinetically and lets his minions dogpile him and [[ForcedToWatch make him watch]]]].

* ''{{Manga/Bleach}}'': Kenpachi Zaraki {{lampshade|Hanging}}s this trope during his fight with Nnoitra Gilga. [[spoiler:The trope itself, however, ends up being {{subverted|Trope}}. Kenpachi fails to cut Nnoitra's eye (his blade passes harmlessly through Nnoitra's [[TorsoWithAView hollow hole]] which is hidden behind his EyepatchOfPower). Also, in the end, Kenpachi manages to get through Nnoitra's [[MadeOfIron Hierro]] by other means.]]

* ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'':

* Borderline case with Aizawa from ''Franchise/MyHeroAcademia''. He had already had to amputate his own leg to stop a quirk erasing bullet from destroying his quirk and was unable to do his FightsLikeANormal stuff but he was still nullifying Shigaraki's Decay with Erasure. Shigaraki knew he could take Aizawa out of the fight entirely by going for his eyes. He gouges Aizawa's eyes and face with his bare hands. Aizawa only loses one eye, but it leaves Erasure shaky and almost useless, so Shigaraki did achieve his goal. Aizawa later found a work around with Monoma though.

* ''Comicbook/GhostRider'': The All-New Orb (whose entire head is a giant eyeball) is taken out by a trap that flung a board with a nail in it into his eye. He survived, but was temporarily blinded and gravely hurt.

* In one crossover, ComicBook/SilverSable stopped ComicBook/LukeCage by knocking him to the ground and aiming a gun at his eye, saying that she was willing to bet that his eye wasn't as bulletproof as the rest of him.

* In ''ComicBook/ElfQuest'', this was the way they killed Madcoil.
* ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'': This is pretty much the only way to hurt the Thing.
* Inverted in ''ComicBook/{{Fray}}''. After being [[EatMe swallowed whole]] by a giant demon creature, Fray hacks her way ''out'' of its eye.
* In ''Comicbook/GhostRider'', the All-New Orb (whose entire head is a giant eyeball) is taken out by a trap that flung a board with a nail in it into his eye. He survived, but was temporarily blinded and gravely hurt.
* This is Spike's tactic against the construction company in issue #28 of ''ComicBook/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicIDW'':
-->'''Spike:''' Go for the eyes, Tina.

* ''ComicBook/UltimateMarvel'': Ultimate Falcon does the same to Colossus in ''Ultimate Nightmare''.

* In ''Fanfic/TiberiumWars'', the PoweredArmor-wearing Black Hand soldiers are ImmuneToBullets, except for their optics. The [[HumongousMecha Avatars]] have a similar weakness.

* Zira yells this to one of her followers in the climactic battle of ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKingIISimbasPride''

* ''{{Literature/Animorphs}}'': While everyone on the team gets a large angry Earth animal with which to fight (or in Ax's case, have a naturally weaponized body), Tobias is stuck in hawk morph and can't do as much damage. Instead, he gouges out their eyes with his talons.
* The only exposed point on the monster Wyrm in ''Literature/TheBookOfTheDunCow'' is his enormous eye. [[spoiler:Mundo Cani]] manages to defeat him by jumping onto this eye and slashing at it with a cow's horn until Wyrm is blinded.
* Unable to fight off of a crocodile on his own, Fearless from ''Literature/{{Bravelands}}'' clawed its eyes in order to get it off of his friend Mud.
* Lampshaded and averted in ''Literature/CodexAlera'', where it's noted that if the Vord hulks ''had'' eyes, attacking them would be a good way to take them down.

* In ''Literature/DragonQueen'', dragons can only be killed by shooting out their eyes.
* ''[[Literature/EndersGame Ender's Game]]'': [[spoiler:How Ender finally gets past the Giant's Drink in the fantasy game]]. This is homaged in ''VideoGame/KingdomOfLoathing''. [[spoiler:The Giant now wears a steel-reinforced eyepatch.]]
* In the ''Literature/HarryPotter'' series:

* In ''Literature/TheHorseAndHisBoy'', the Hermit (remotely watching a battle) observes that one of the Narnian Giants is down, "shot through the eye, I suppose."
* The only way to reliably take down a Mûmak in ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' was to aim for its eyes. The skin of the great elephant ancestor was thick and extremely tough, deflecting arrows and blunting swords.
* Similar to the Real Life spitting cobra example below, Pip of Creator/AlanDeanFoster's ''[[Literature/HumanxCommonwealth Pip and Flinx]]'' novels prefers to aim at the eyes for her one-hit kill venom.
* Brought up by a Klingon hunter in one ''Franchise/StarTrek'' novel: while hunting a particularly large and aggressive beast as part of a contest with a just-discovered warrior race, he muses on how it's good sense to aim for the eye. Best-case scenario, your shot goes straight into its brain. If you hit, then you've at least partially blinded it, giving yourself an advantage.
* This is how [[spoiler:Kaladin managed to kill a Shardbearer]] in ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive'', he rammed a spearpoint through the visor slit in his armour.
* In ''Literature/TheWarOfTheFlowers'' the preferred goblin method of killing dragons is to shoot them in the eyes with poisoned arrows.
* In ''Literature/WarriorCats'', cats who train in the Dark Forest learn this technique, which is considered dishonorable to use against other cats. In ''Spottedleaf's Heart'', Spottedleaf sees Thistleclaw encouraging his apprentice to use the move on his own ''son''. In ''A Forest Divided'', Slate's brother attacks a fox by clawing it in the eye.

* Zira yells this to one of her followers in the climactic battle of ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKing2SimbasPride''

* ''VideoGame/{{Shantae}}'': The Dribble Fountain boss is a giant, floating, horned, tentacled... thingie with a prominently large eye at the center of its huge head. Make three guesses where its weak spot is.

* Many of the bosses in ''VideoGame/Stinkoman20X6''.

* ''Franchise/{{Fallout}}'':
** In ''VideoGame/Fallout1'' and ''VideoGame/Fallout2'', it's possible to aim specifically for the eyes of your opponent (or appropriate sensory organ). It's usually the most difficult shot to connect with, but landing a critical hit to the eyes will almost always kill or blind a creature, making it mostly harmless or dead.
** ''VideoGame/Fallout1'': Harold mentions that a Deathclaw's eyes might be its weakness. It's true. Using this knowledge you can actually go kill one at a low level. However, since it's still so tough you need to hit it dozens of times even so, this leads to perhaps the most ridiculous DeathOfAThousandCuts ever. Deathclaws have incredibly sharp senses of smell and hearing, but rather weak eyesight. So blinding them is only a minor annoyance, but it's still the softest part of their surface and has a possibility of piercing to the brain. Damaging them anywhere else generally requires anti-tank weaponry.
** ''VideoGame/Fallout2'': The Chosen One can do this to Rose's domesticated Mother Deathclaw in Modoc, ending the B&B's serving of Deathclaw Omelettes. [[ContinuityNod This is canon according to Jas Wilkins(Rose's grand-niece)]] in ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas''
** ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'': One character claims to have [[BeyondTheImpossible done the impossible]] and shot a Brotherhood of Steel Paladin through the eye hole of their PoweredArmor. If you've met the Brotherhood and gotten in their good books you can challenge these BlatantLies by pointing out that their eye protection is bullet proof. He also claims to have killed a Deathclaw (misidentified as "Deathjaw") this way, earning him the nickname "Dead Eye". As with ''3'', however, it's not actually possible to target the eyes.
* ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4'': The final boss is an extremely odd creature with eyes on its articulated limbs. While you do have to shoot it to keep the fight moving, you kill it with the staple ''Resident Evil'' anti-boss weapon: a rocket launcher. And if you do shoot the eyes on the limbs, it gives you the opportunity to shove your ubiquitous knife into its main eye. ''Repeatedly.''
%%* ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil2'' and ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvilTheDarksideChronicles Darkside Chronicles]]'': The G-Mutant gets ''even more eyes every time it mutates''.%%And?
* The miniboss Eyeclops in ''VideoGame/CarnEvil'' has seven eyes which must be shot out before you can get past him.
* ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'':
** Final Dracula in ''[[VideoGame/CastlevaniaCircleOfTheMoon Castlevania: Circle of the Moon]]''.
** Eligor from ''[[VideoGame/CastlevaniaOrderOfEcclesia Order of Ecclesia]]''. Easier said than done as Eligor is a gargantuan stone centaur armed with a massive sword, mounted crossbows, harpoon tail and powerful kicks and his eyeball is located on the back of his head.
** ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaDawnOfSorrow'' has the demon boss Balore, who protects his eye with his right hand while trying to punch/squash Soma with his left. The only vulnerable spot is the eye, which also occasionally fires a laser.
* ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'':
** In ''VideoGame/SonicAndTheSecretRings'', one of the bosses is an enormous, purple scorpion with four eyes (two on its tails, one on its back, and another [[{{Squick}} in its mouth]]). Of course, Sonic must use the Homing Attack on the scorpion's eyes to defeat it.
** Previously, there were the Black Bull and Devil Doom in ''VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog'', with the unskippable obvious hint "The eye is its weak spot" in both fights. Thanks, Einstein.
** Finally, [[spoiler:Dark Gaia]] in ''VideoGame/SonicUnleashed''. In this case it's because there's [[GiantEqualsInvincible no other place]] on the {{Kaiju}}'s body he can hope to hurt it. His SuperMode has better luck doing damage elsewhere, but again the eyes are the most sensitive areas. [[spoiler:Sonic's partner Chip is only able to do damage anywhere else because he's piloting a giant stone colossus almost the same size as Dark Gaia]].
* ''VideoGame/LegacyOfKain'': The final boss in ''Legacy of Kain: Defiance''. [[spoiler: Not surprising as he seems to be composed entirely of eyes and tentacles -- you attack both, but only the eye counts for the Life Bar.]]
* ''VideoGame/SummonNight Swordcraft Story'': The [[GiantEnemyCrab King Crabber]] boss, whose only weak points are its eye stalks.
* ''VideoGame/ShadowOfTheColossus'': Notably subverted. While the entire game is made up of boss battles against giant creatures, most of whom have glowing eyes, they are almost never a weak point. Even when facing the one where you actually are supposed to aim for the eye, it's only a preliminary attack and not what actually kills him.
* ''VideoGame/{{Gradius}} Galaxies/Generation'': The stage 6 boss is simply a giant eyeball. Naturally, the off-screen announcer that usually tells you to "Destroy the core!" when a boss shows up will instead tell you to "Shoot it in the eye!"
* ''VideoGame/LightCrusader'': The first boss consists of a meteor with a ton of craters and an eye that pops up in random craters. Aiming for the eye is the tactic to defeat him.
* ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry3DantesAwakening'' has the boss Beowulf. While it's not compulsory to hit him in the eye to damage him, and he does have a [[LightIsNotGood light-blast]] to try and deter your doing so, striking him in the eye does more damage and causes him to flail about for a bit, allowing one to get a bit more distance from him. More importantly however, striking him in the eye for the hit that causes his TurnsRed response will cause him to fall to the ground briefly, allowing for some more hits to be delivered against him. You will need those hits.
* ''VideoGame/CaveStory'' has the Core [[spoiler:and the Undead Core]] who is only vulnerable at the little opening in its shell where the eyes peek out. [[spoiler:The BonusLevelOfHell (literally) also has Ballos, who in his [[OneWingedAngel second and third forms]] can only be harmed by shooting his eyes.]]
* ''VideoGame/{{Crysis}} Warhead'': "This fucker has to have eyes...or something!", although the boss in question doesn't actually have eyes as a weak spot.
* ''Franchise/MassEffect'':
** ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'':
*** The final boss in has to be shot in one of three misshapen eyes. Or in the mouth. The stomach weak point isn't as easy, as it only rarely appears and is really hard to hit.
*** The Oculus at the beginning of the final mission is essentially a giant floating eyeball that shoots laser beams.
*** One of Tali's lines to her combat drone is "[[ShoutOut Go for the optics, Chiktikka! Go for the optics!]]"
** ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'':
*** Completed Reapers are mostly impervious to weapons under dreadnought-grade, ''except'' for the firing chamber of their [[EnergyWeapon Frickin' Laser Beams]], which sits in the center of each Reaper's "face" and happens to resemble a [[CyberCyclops single giant, baleful red HAL eye]]. Of course, the Reapers aren't totally stupid, so they cover this weak point with thick armor plates when not firing, meaning anyone hoping to get a lucky shot off will generally have to do it while dodging laser beams that can cut through warships with ease.
*** The Cerberus Guardian enemy carries a large riot shield to protect itself from attacks from the front. To kill them, you need to either neutralize the shield somehow (use a forceful attack to stagger the Guardian, use Biotic Pull to rip the shield out of their hands, attack them from the flank where the shield doesn't protect them, or bring a weapon with enough cover penetration to bypass it) or carefully aim a shot through the narrow slit that they look through. You even get an achievement for killing 10 Guardians by shooting them through the shield's view-slit.
* ''VideoGame/PacManWorld'': King Galaxian has four eyes. You defeat it by destroying its eyes, but it becomes faster, uses more shots, and summons more difficult enemies after each eye is destroyed.
* ''VideoGame/XenaWarriorPrincess'' has a {{cyclops}} boss which is invulnerable to all attacks - save for the eye, which Xena targets with her chakram from a distance away. Hitting the eye wouldn't cause any damage to the cyclops' health, but as the cyclops is grabbing at Xena with his right hand while holding a cliff with his left, Xena can attack the cyclops' left hand while he rubs his eye in agony with his right, causing the cyclops to fall to his death.

* ''VideoGame/{{Gauntlet}}: Dark Legacy'': If you found the Javelin of Blinding, your character would throw it into the Plague Fiend's eye, temporarily reducing his near-perfect accuracy.
%%* ''VideoGame/HarryPotterAndTheChamberOfSecrets'': The Whomping Willow.
* ''Franchise/{{Kirby}}''
** ''VideoGame/KirbyAndTheAmazingMirror'': This is the most obvious weak spot on the final form of Dark Mind. However, you can actually cause more damage by attacking the mirrors it periodically summons for attacks, as they lack MercyInvincibility.
** ''VideoGame/Kirby64TheCrystalShards'': The eye is the first part of O2 that you need to aim for, in order to stun it. Afterward, its halo needs be destroyed, which then exposes a spiky growth that can be attacked to cause lasting damage.
** ''VideoGame/KirbyStarAllies'': The FinalBoss has five eyes on various parts of his body which act as his only weak points. Interestingly, only one eye is present at the time, one appearing only when the previous one is destroyed, except for [[spoiler:the Soul Melter EX rematch]], in which four of the eyes are always open and the fifth opens after the other four are destroyed.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Kingdom Hearts|I}}'', the [[WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}} Cave of Wonders]] gets possessed, and the only spot you can hit and do actual damage is its eyes.
* ''VideoGame/{{Purple}}'' : The second form of the final boss can only be hurt by throwing a frisbee on his pair of enormous eyes.
* ''VideoGame/GhostbustersTheVideoGame'' does this at least twice. The first time is with the Collector (and it's a VERY SMALL eye), and the second is the Juvenile Slor. The JS is a ''double'' example, as you must slime the single eyeball on its head ''and'' contend with the four orbiting "eyes" which threaten you and the others. Naturally there are about a hundred eye-puns throughout. The Sega Genesis game does this a few times, too. There's a One-Hundred-Eye Centipede, which is nothing but eyes, and a floating egg with an eye/mouth that can shoot lasers.
* ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands}}'':
** Headshots result in large amounts of critical damage. For enemies that have armored heads you need to aim for the eyes.
** ''VideoGame/Borderlands2'': Critical hit locations can be anywhere depending on the monster -- headshots for most humans, joint shots for Gun Loaders, abdomen shots for bug monsters -- but threshers and the nastiest Loader variants, such as SGT and ION Loaders, are mostly vulnerable to eye shots.
* ''VideoGame/HeavyWeapon'': You have to defeat the [[GiantEyeOfDoom Eyebot]] by attacking the eye when it is open.
* ''VideoGame/HeroOfSparta'' has a ''kaiju''-sized Cyclops as a boss, which you can only damage by performing some {{Quick Time Event}}s. Your killing blow on the monster, unsurprisingly, is through it's sole eye.
* ''VideoGame/LaMulana'': Viy is only vulnerable when the lid of his eye opens, which is also when he can unleash his most powerful attack.
* ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'': Overlapping with EyeScream, one of the finishing moves against dragons is for the Dovahkiin to jump onto the dragon's head and stab or slash it in the eye.
* ''VideoGame/MechWarrior4'':
** The [[http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs41/f/2009/026/f/b/World_holding_up_the_Atlas_by_simplejay.jpg Atlas]] Assault [[HumongousMecha Battlemech]] has the cockpit occupying only one eye (with a [[EyeBeams laser cannon in the other]]. Trying to [[SnipingTheCockpit kill the pilot]] requires you to try and core through the eye armor with your weapons. In several games, the [[GlowingEyesOfDoom eyes also glow]] a [[RedEyesTakeWarning bright red color]].
** Ironically averted by the game's version of the [[http://members.shaw.ca/Wandering_samurai/pics/MW4/MP2_stuff/cyclops02.jpg Cyclops]], which boasts an incredibly obvious red eye on its head. Unlike its mythological namesake, however, shooting out the eye isn't going to do more than inconvenience the 'Mech somewhat, as the 'eye' is actually an isolated and ultimately expendable weapon pod. The actual cockpit and sensors are hidden deep in the chest.
* ''VideoGame/Metro2033'': The best way to kill a human opponent is to shatter his gas mask, encouraging yout to aim the eyes. [[EyeScream Or melee him]].
* ''VideoGame/{{Shantae}}'': The Dribble Fountain boss is a giant, floating, horned, tentacled... thingie with a prominently large eye at the center of its huge head. Make three guesses where its weak spot is.
* ''VideoGame/ChimeraBeast'': This is the weak spot of the second boss (a GiantSquid) and the FinalBoss (a bigger, meaner version of the VillainProtagonist [[HordeOfAlienLocusts Eater]]). Of course, like other Eaters, the final boss has ''multiple'', and you must destroy all four of them to defeat it.
* ''VideoGame/EpicBossFighter'': The final boss can only be hurt in it's eye.
* ''VideoGame/StarTrekBridgeCommander'': An atypical example. While it's not necessary, any enemy ship can be rendered harmless by disabling or destroying its sensors, making it incapable of firing back.
* ''VideoGame/{{Terraria}}'': The Wall of Flesh can be attacked in the eyes or the mouth, but the eyes have no DamageReduction and hence take much more damage from attacks.

* ''VideoGame/JazzJackrabbit'': Bolly is a hovering machine that is MadeOfIron. The boss can't take any damage unless you shoot its only weak spot, the eye (and even that needs a lot of shoots to take damage, especially if your blaster isn't powered up).
* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV''L Ishgardians are trained to target the eyes of their mortal enemies [[OurDragonsAreDifferent the Dravanians]]. A dragon's MagicEye's are the source of their power and longevity, so it is one of the sure-fire ways of killing a dragon.
* ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}'':
** In the first game, you fight [[spoiler:[=GLaDOS=]]] by shooting missiles to knock off and incinerate the cores attached to her, all of which look like eyeballs.
** ''VideoGame/Portal2'': Inverted when you have to ''add'' cores to [[spoiler:Wheatley]] in order to defeat him.
** It should also be noted that even though both [[spoiler:Wheatley and [=GLaDOS=] both have cores that look like eyeballs]], they can be hit anywhere to knock cores off/add new ones.
* ''Videogame/FromTheDepths'': Ships and aircraft need sensors such as cameras, radar domes, and infrared viewers to detect targets and get ''accurate'' firing solutions. Typically, as on real ships, they are mounted on a single big fragile antenna as high as possible for maximum field-of-view. Knock out that antenna, and even the most heavily armored battleship is left blindly firing its guns in every direction. However, more advanced and damage-resistant designs also have supplemental sensors, such as narrow field-of-view cameras on gun turrets.
* ''VideoGame/MegaManZX Advent'': [[WarmUpBoss Dogu the Giant's]] weakpoints are its two huge eyes, from which it also shoots EyeBeams. Shoot an eye enough and it will [[EyeScream shatter]], rendering it unable to use the laser from that eye, and destroying both eyes makes it explode.
* ''VideoGame/DensetsuNoStafy3'': Muga has an eye that's its weak point; to defeat it, you have to make it dizzy first by swimming in circles.

* {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d in ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'', when a human sniper hits the massively exposed eyeball of Ebbirnoth, member of a cyclopean species called Unioc. BizarreAlienBiology proves him wrong, as the Unioc eyeball is ''just'' an eye, and although the attack blinds Ebbirnoth (and probably hurts ''a lot''), it has less effect on him than an attack in a similar location would have done to a human (Unioc brains are located in their pelvis). Later played straight when the sniper tries to shoot Schlock, whose eyes really ''are'' his only vulnerable point.
* [[http://faultylogic.comicgenesis.com/d/20070409.html Referenced]] in ''WebComic/FaultyLogic''. When asked for advice on a ''Zelda'' boss, Jalyss recommends shooting it in the eye without bothering to look. She then provides a surprisingly reasonable-sounding explanation of why (apart from [[EyeScream the obvious]]) Zelda bosses work that way.
* ''Webcomic/AwfulHospital'': Fern defeats the Kidney Stone Mother, a gigantic living [[SpikeBallsOfDoom Spike Ball of Doom]], by tossing a can of spray-cheese into its single massive eye and then stabbing the eye with a poisoned stick while it's blinded.
-->'''Kidney Stone Mother:''' MY EYE! [[LampshadeHanging MY UNPROTECTED EYE]]!!! HOW DID YOU ''KNOW?!''

%% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1315548818048227200
%% Please do not change or remove without starting a new thread.

* Near the beginning of ''Anime/NinjaScroll'', Jubei confronts Tessai, a bad guy with the ability to harden his body like stone. Jubei casually mentions that he can't be invulnerable ''everywhere'', right before throwing a needle into his eye.

* In a particularly badass moment from the Eclipse from ''{{Manga/Berserk}}'', [[spoiler:Guts uses the broken-off horn of a demon this way to devastating effect on several of the horde of monsters trying to eat him alive]]. In the ''Advent'' movie, [[spoiler:after freeing himself from the jaws of a demon by chiseling off his own arm, Guts is ''[[HopeSpot this close]]'' to doing the same thing to Femto as he's having his way with Casca before the bastard hurls him away telekinetically and lets his minions dogpile him and [[ForcedToWatch make him watch]]]].
** This trope also sets up [[spoiler:Casca's only Apostle kill during the Eclipse before she's overtaken, when Judeau puts out one of its eyes with his last throwing knife, just before Casca slices the demon in half]].
* This is one of the only ways that the title cyborg girls from ''Manga/GunslingerGirl'' can be killed due to their extensive cybernetic enhancement. [[spoiler: And they ''know'' it too. One committed suicide this way, another used it in her [[MercyKill mercy death]].]]
* In one episode of ''Manga/InuYasha'', while [[ShapeshifterModeLock trapped in]] [[BroughtDownToNormal human form]] and fighting ([[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown losing horribly]]) against a plant demon, Inuyasha snaps off one of the demon's thorns and [[EyeScream stabs him in the eye]] with it. [[spoiler: Subverted as it doesn't actually kill him.]]

* In the second episode of ''Manga/FutureDiary'', Yukiteru uses one of his signature darts to stab and completely ruin Minene's eye. Fortunately she gets a badass eyepatch from this event and all is well. (She almost blocked the dart with her phone, but seeing as if the phone is damaged she ''will'' be killed, it was a smart move to drop her guard.)
* Early in ''Literature/HalfPrince,'' the main character's party runs into a giant high-level monster with very tough skin. They eventually realize that the eyes aren't protected, just very difficult to hit with melee weapons.
* ''{{Manga/Bleach}}'': Kenpachi Zaraki {{lampshade|Hanging}}s this trope during his fight with Nnoitra Gilga. [[spoiler:The trope itself, however, ends up being {{subverted|Trope}}. Kenpachi fails to cut Nnoitra's eye (his blade passes harmlessly through Nnoitra's [[TorsoWithAView hollow hole]] which is hidden behind his EyepatchOfPower). Also, in the end, Kenpachi manages to get through Nnoitra's [[MadeOfIron Hierro]] by other means.]]
-->"I've had several encounters with guys who wouldn't shut up about how my sword couldn't cut them. But... I have yet to meet someone whose throat or eye I couldn't cut!!!"
* This is how Toboe kills the giant walrus in ''Anime/WolfsRain'', the other factor being his [[{{Determinator}} utter refusal to let go]].
* Clementine, in true psycho fashion, tries this in her attempt to finish off Ainz in their duel in ''Literature/Overlord2012''. Unfortunately for her, Ainz is a lich disguised as a warrior, and there are no eyes there to stab out.
* In ''Manga/TokyoGhoul'', Kaneki is told that even [[OurGhoulsAreDifferent ghouls]] are vulnerable to eye injuries... which Yamori promptly demonstrates by stabbing a needle into his eye. He keeps this lesson in mind, and later jabs for [[LightningBruiser Shachi]]'s eyes when normal attacks don't seem to work. Shachi [[SubvertedTrope anticipates this]] and counters by smashing his forehead into Kaneki's fingers, breaking them in the process. In the sequel, [[LadyOfWar Matsumae]] is defeated when a clever opponent shoves his fingers into her eyes, blinding her.

* [[ColonelBadass Mustang]] employs this tactic against [[spoiler: Envy]] in ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist''. It's not that his opponent's eyes are especially vulnerable ([[spoiler: they're subject to the same HealingFactor as the rest of Envy's body]]); rather, he targets them [[EyeScream because having the fluids in your eyes boiled]] by [[PlayingWithFire flame alchemy]] is [[PayEvilUntoEvil excruciatingly painful]]. Which is exactly what Mustang's is going for, since he just learned that [[spoiler: [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge Envy was the one who killed Hughes]]]].
* Borderline case with Aizawa from ''Franchise/MyHeroAcademia''. He had already had to amputate his own leg to stop a quirk erasing bullet from destroying his quirk and was unable to do his FightsLikeANormal stuff but he was still nullifying Shigaraki’s Decay with Erasure. Shigaraki knew he could take Aizawa out of the fight entirely by going for his eyes. He gouges Aizawa’s eyes and face with his bare hands. Aizawa only loses one eye, but it leaves Erasure shaky and almost useless, so Shigaraki did achieve his goal. Aizawa later found a work around with Monoma though.

* In ''ComicBook/ElfQuest'', this was the way they killed Madcoil.
* In one crossover, ComicBook/SilverSable stopped ComicBook/LukeCage by knocking him to the ground and aiming a gun at his eye, saying that she was willing to bet that his eye wasn't as bulletproof as the rest of him.
* ''ComicBook/UltimateMarvel'': Ultimate Falcon does the same to Colossus in ''Ultimate Nightmare''.

* Inverted in ''ComicBook/{{Fray}}''. After being [[EatMe swallowed whole]] by a giant demon creature, Fray hacks her way ''out'' of its eye.

[[folder:Films -- Animation]]

[[folder:Films — Live-Action]]

* Subverted in ''Film/SupermanReturns'': as always, ShootingSuperman fails. He shrugs off not only a full burst from a Gatling gun, but the operator then fires a point-blank shot into his eye with a .45 pistol that just flattens against his cornea. The scene is parodied in ''Film/EpicMovie2007'' when Superman reacts like anyone else would if someone poked them in the eye... and then falls off the building while stumbling about in agony.

* ''Franchise/StarWars'': In ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'', R2-D2 spars against a buzz droid with his electric prod. A few zaps don't kill it, but Obi-Wan recommends R2 aim for the droid's "eye" and thus it's instantly fried.
* ''Film/TheSpecials'': "Tell your brother the next time he wife-beats her, hit her in the eye. Her eyes are normal."
* Parodied in ''Film/GalaxyQuest'' when Jason Nesmith is being chased by the RockMonster. "Go for the eyes!" "It doesn't have any eyes!" "Then the nose, the throat, its vulnerable spots!" "It's ''rock'', it doesn't have any vulnerable spots!"

* In ''Film/DemonKnight'' this is one of the only ways to kill a demon, the other being to use the blood in the Key. This only works on weaker demons though -- the Collector is only mildly annoyed after Jeryline ''stabs him in the eye''. [[spoiler:Splashing the special blood into his eyes does the trick.]]
* What the human snipers do exactly against several Decepticons in ''Film/TransformersDarkOfTheMoon'' during the climatic battle in Chicago, allowing [[BadassArmy NEST]] to take down a couple of them without Autobot aid. It's not just the Decepticon mooks that fall victim to this. [[TheStarscream Starscream]] is killed by having his eyes taken out and a grenade dropped inside his head through one of his now-empty eyesockets.

* ''Film/{{Gunhed}}'' instructs Brooklyn to "go for the eyes" to defeat the enemy Aerobot, which has three red eyes in a triangular array. Once Brooklyn has shot out all three eyes, Aerobot explodes.
* Deliberately averted in the ''Franchise/{{Alien}}'' series of films. Making the Xenomorphs eyeless not only heightened their highly bizarre appearance, but it also removed what could seem to be a ''massive'' weaker point that could be targeted when fighting them. You can't go for the eyes if the threat you're facing ''doesn't have any.''
* ''Film/{{Hulk}}''. Glenn Talbot wants a sample of the Hulk's DNA, but the drills won't penetrate his skin. So Talbot gets his mooks to trap the Hulk in sticky foam and prepares to jab a nasty-looking drill-syringe in the Hulk's eye.
-->'''Talbot:''' [[YouWontFeelAThing This might give you a bit of a sting here, Bruce.]]
* ''Film/TheMeg''. Suyin has herself lowered in a shark cage where she plans to fire a poison-tipped harpoon into the megalodon's eye. Unfortunately, she's using a LaserSight which causes the light-sensitive predator to suddenly turn away, then attack the cage from below. [[spoiler:The second megalodon is killed by Jonas with a harpoon in the eye--not through choice, but because he's used up all his other options.]]
* In ''Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail'', the Black Knight defeats his enemy by driving his sword through the poor bastard's eyeslit. (See below under "Real Life".)
* ''Film/JurassicWorldDominion'': During the ''Giganotosaurus'' rampage, its massive head destroying the tower the protagonists are hiding in, Claire is only armed with an anti-dino taser that seems pretty pointless against its tough hide. Until she manages to get close enough and targets the eye, sending a shock through it. That does the trick and the ''Giganotosaurus'' briefly retreats.

* ''[[Literature/EndersGame Ender's Game]]'': [[spoiler:How Ender finally gets past the Giant's Drink in the fantasy game]]. This is homaged in ''VideoGame/KingdomOfLoathing''. [[spoiler:The Giant now wears a steel-reinforced eyepatch.]]

* ''Literature/TheColourOfMagic'': Did this to [[spoiler: Bel-Shamharoth]] just before it could devour Rincewind, the camera that Rincewind was holding flashed into its giant eye causing enough pain for it to retreat to the chthonic planes.

* Similar to the Real Life spitting cobra example below, Pip of Creator/AlanDeanFoster's [[Literature/HumanxCommonwealth Pip and Flinx]] novels prefers to aim at the eyes for her one-hit kill venom.
* In ''Literature/DragonQueen'', dragons can only be killed by shooting out their eyes.
* Lampshaded and averted in ''Literature/CodexAlera'', where it's noted that if the Vord hulks ''had'' eyes, attacking them would be a good way to take them down.

* The only way to reliably take down a Mûmak in ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' was to aim for its eyes. The skin of the great elephant ancestor was thick and extremely tough, deflecting arrows and blunting swords.
* This is how [[spoiler:Kaladin managed to kill a Shardbearer]] in ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive'', he rammed a spearpoint through the visor slit in his armour.
* The only exposed point on the monster Wyrm in ''Literature/TheBookOfTheDunCow'' is his enormous eye. [[spoiler:Mundo Cani]] manages to defeat him by jumping onto this eye and slashing at it with a cow's horn until Wyrm is blinded.
* Unable to fight off of a crocodile on his own, Fearless from ''Literature/{{Bravelands}}'' clawed its eyes in order to get it off of his friend Mud.
* ''{{Literature/Animorphs}}'': While everyone on the team gets a large angry Earth animal with which to fight (or in Ax's case, have a naturally weaponized body), Tobias is stuck in hawk morph and can't do as much damage. Instead, he gouges out their eyes with his talons.

* ''Literature/TheDayOfTheTriffids''. It's noted that triffids always strike at the eyes, because a blind man is vulnerable regardless of their intelligence or adaptability. This sets up the plot where the majority of the world's population is struck blind overnight, instantly turning the triffids into the dominant predator on Earth.

* In ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'', the Tyrant Guard species of Tyranid lack eyes completely, in order to avoid this trope.

* ''VideoGame/FireEmblemEchoesShadowsOfValentia'': The Lord character finishes off the BigBad with a stab on his giant eye.

* The Cyclops in ''VideoGame/GodOfWarII'', although rather than being shot, the eye is ripped out as a FinishingMove.
* The first boss in ''VideoGame/GoldenForce'' is a massive, one-eyed Krakken, whose weak point is - you guessed it - it's eye.
* ''VideoGame/HalfLife1'' expansion ''[[VideoGame/HalfLifeOpposingForce Opposing Force]]'' :
** The end boss Gene Worm. The boss itself is invulnerable but hitting the eyes makes the boss' belly open and briefly reveal the only vulnerable area, accompanied by the boss teleporting in a {{Mook|s}} to keep the attacker occupied while regenerating its eyes. While blind, the boss is unable to attack but blindly thrashes around.
** The earlier Pit Worm PuzzleBoss had this trope as well; while not actually inflicting any damage, shooting it in the eye causes the worm to shriek in pain and protectively cover the eye for a moment, making it unable to use its {{Eye Beam|s}} for a short while.

* The Brain boss in the first stage of ''[[VideoGame/{{Gradius}} Life Force]]''.
* ''VideoGame/BanjoKazooie'':
** In the original game, a miniboss, Nipper, is a GiantEnemyCrab, and you defeat it by attacking its most sensitive point, for massive damage.
** Lord Woo Fak Fak in ''VideoGame/BanjoTooie'', once he's opened his eyes (apparently his eyelids are grenade-proof).

* Many of the bosses in ''VideoGame/{{Stinkoman 20X6}}''.
* In both ''VideoGame/StarFox'' and ''64'', you must shoot Andross's eyes in order to reveal his brain [[spoiler:or the robot duplicate on ''VideoGame/StarFox64'''s Easy route]]. In ''64'' you first had to destroy Andross's hands, but shooting the eyes would stun him momentarily, making that far easier. Additionally, the Bacoon from ''Star Fox 64'' is a giant one-eyed clam, prompting Peppy to call out this trope verbatim.

** One of the mini games in ''VideoGame/MarioParty'' does this exactly the same as well.

* Subverted in ''Film/SupermanReturns'': as always, ShootingSuperman fails. He shrugs off not only a full burst from a Gatling gun, but the operator then fires a point-blank shot into his eye with a .45 pistol that just flattens against his cornea. The scene is parodied in ''[[Creator/SeltzerAndFriedberg Epic Movie]]'' when Superman reacts like anyone else would if someone poked them in the eye. And then falls off the building while stumbling about in agony.

* borderline case with Aizawa from ''Franchise/MyHeroAcademia''. He had already had to amputate his own leg to stop a quirk erasing bullet from destroying his quirk and was unable to do his FightsLikeANormal but he was still nullifying Shigaraki’s Decay with Erasure. Shigaraki knew he could take Aizawa out of the fight entirely by going for his eyes. He gouges Aizawa’s eyes and face with his bare hands. Aizawa only loses one eye, but it leaves Erasure shaky and almost useless, so Shigaraki did achieve his goal. Aizawa later found a work around with Monoma though.

* borderline case with Aizawa from ''Franchise/MyHeroAcademia''. He had already had to amputate his own leg to stop a quirk erasing bullet from destroying his quirk and was unable to do his FightsLikeANormal but he was still nullifying Shigaraki’s Decay with Erasure. Shigaraki knew he could take Aizawa out of the fight entirely by going for his eyes. Aizawa only loses one eye, but it leaves Erasure shaky and almost useless, so Shigaraki did achieve his goal. Aizawa later found a work around with Monoma though.

** In ''[[VideoGame/SonicStorybookSeries Sonic and the Secret Rings]]'', one of the bosses is an enormous, purple scorpion with four eyes (two on its tails, one on its back, and another [[{{Squick}} in its mouth]]). Of course, Sonic must use the Homing Attack on the scorpion's eyes to defeat it.

--> '''Kidney Stone Mother:''' MY EYE! [[LampshadeHanging MY UNPROTECTED EYE]]!!! HOW DID YOU ''KNOW?!''

*** Most of Bellum's monsters have the same eye as Bellum. For the big blue cyclops monster, you can't go near them at all unless you fire an arrow in its eye first, thus stunning it.

** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTearsOfTheKingdom'': Marbled Ghoma's rocky body is invulnerable except for its single eye. As this is normally too high for Link to reach, the player needs to get Yunobo to smash its legs and send the beast toppling to the ground, allowing Link to attack its eyeball until the beast can reform its limbs and stand back up.

* [[ColonelBadass Mustang]] employs this tactic against [[spoiler: Envy]] in ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist''. It's not that his opponent's eyes are especially vulnerable ([[spoiler: they're subject to the same HealingFactor as the rest of Envy's body]]); rather, he targets them [[EyeScream because having the fluids in your eyes boiled]] by [[PlayingWithFire flame alchemy]] is [[KickTheSonOfABitch excruciatingly painful]]. Which is exactly what Mustang's is going for, since he just learned that [[spoiler: [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge Envy was the one who killed Hughes]]]].

** ''VideoGame/ZeldaIITheAdventureOfLink'': Arurodas can only be harmed in their giant eyes, which they usually keep closed.