History Main / HalfTheManHeUsedtoBe

* In the first ''Film/ResidentEvil'' movie, one of the troopers is cut in half by a [[EnergyWeapon Frickin' Laser Beam]] in the LaserHallway leading to the Red Queen's lair. He dies, but there's no gore at all. On [=YouTube=] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXgsCPFhSgc at 1:25]].

* Bishop survives it in ''Film/{{Aliens}}''. Being a robot with no vital organs kinda helped in the survival process.

* In ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverseTheMovie'', Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl are all poofed by [[BigBad Spinel]] when she bisects them with her [[SinisterScythe Gem rejuvenator]]. Steven, in turn, uses her weapon against her, bisecting her head and chest ''vertically''.

* Blackburn, the KnifeNut assassin in ''WesternAnimation/{{Boogie}}'', does this a ''lot''. His intro is a DeathMontage where he slaughters several members of a mafia gang, at least two who gets separated from the waist with plenty of animated blood.

%%** In the Magazine.MadMagazine'' send-up, Bishop wishes he was half the man [[ActionGirl Ripley]] is. "Wait a minute, I am!"

Has absolutely nothing to do with Music/TheBeatles song "Yesterday", even though the name of the trope [[ThisIndexIsNotAnExample is taken from the lyrics,]] and should not be confused with ICantFeelMyLegs, which is about losing function, not the actual parts of the body. Same holds true for the Music/StoneTemplePilots song "Creep", which has the same line in its chorus. Also has no relation to WasOnceAMan. A character who can split in half whenever they wish is using DetachmentCombat.

Has absolutely nothing to do with Music/TheBeatles song "Yesterday", even though the name of the trope [[ThisIndexIsNotAnExample is taken from the lyrics,]] and should not be confused with ICantFeelMyLegs, which is about losing function, not the actual parts of the body. Same holds true for the Music/StoneTemplePilots song "Creep", which has the same line in its chorus. Also has no relation to WasOnceAMan.

*** ''VideoGame/MegaMan8's'' Sword Man invokes this with a specialised device that he can use to [[DetachmentCombat separate his body in half at the waist]], allowing him to use his [[BFS massive sword]]. He can also [[PullingThemselvesTogether undo the split]].

** An unlucky soldier in Part II gets split in half ''vertically'' when the Pillar Man Wamuu brushes up against him and absorbs half of his body in the process.

* ''Film/TheSuicideSquad'': King Shark rips a soldier in half *vertically*.

* In the manga version of the ''VideoGame/MegaManX4'', during Zero's second and final fight against Colonel, Zero defeats and kills him by slicing him in half with his saber.

** Sword Man invokes this with a specialised device that he can use to [[DetachmentCombat separate his body in half at the waist]], allowing him to use his [[BFS massive sword]]. He can also [[PullingThemselvesTogether undo the split]].
** This is how Magic Man reacts to his weakness in the game ''[[VideoGame/MegaManAndBass Rockman and Forte]]'', though he [[PullingThemselvesTogether recovers quickly]].
** If you kill a boss with a sword weapon in ''VideoGame/MegaManZX'', this will happen to them.
** It goes back as early as ''VideoGame/MegaManZero'', or, maybe even further, ''VideoGame/MegaManX'' (most notable example: [[spoiler:''Zero'' himself in ''VideoGame/MegaManX5'']]).
** It was also used on ''VideoGame/MegaManX2's'' Wire Sponge if X used the Sonic Slicer on him.

* Happens to a ''lot'' of victims in ''Atomic Shark'', most notably to some guy on a water-jet-propelled flyboard. The initial strike removes his upper half, but the jets keeps his lower body up in the air until the shark returns for a second helping.

* [[spoiler:Skint]] in ''VideoGame/TheReconstruction''. The actual bisection happens off-screen, but we do see him after the fact -- [[{{Gorn}} heavily bleeding, with his spinal column exposed]]. Fortunately, though, he dies from a relatively painless MercyKill instead of bleeding to death.

** This is how Magic Man reacts to his weakness in the game ''[[VideoGame/MegaManAndBass Rockman and Forte]]'', though he recovers quickly.

This can be done any number of ways, from [[BloodlessCarnage bloodless family-friendly versions]] like the battle droids in the ''Franchise/StarWars'' movies, to still [[MadeOfBologna blood-free, but more]] NightmareFuel-oriented versions, to outright {{Gorn}} that spares no detail. The cutting in half itself can be done either horizontally (at the waist, usually) or vertically (from scalp to groin, or vice versa), with the latter often occurring via CleanCut. Expect it to be BloodyHilarious if it occurs in a comedic setting.

* ''Manga/RurouniKenshin'' : This is the fate of villain Uonuma Usui, torn in half at the waist by the force of Saito Hajime's point-blank Gatotsu in the manga. He was merely impaled in the anime, which is a huge step down from the manga scene, which is pretty much outright gorn. You can see Usui's intestines hanging down and everything. The Toonami version edited the scene further so that he wasn't even impaled, just sliced bloodlessly.

* ''Film/{{Immortals}}'' climaxes with a massive battle between the Gods led by Zeus, against the Titans. More than one Titan gets graphically bisected, with Zeus slicing a random Titan diagonally into two with plenty of CG-{{Gorn}}.

* ''Film/LakePlacid'' features the {{Gorn}} version.

** The real {{Gorn}} candidate, though, is the suspension trap that forcefully rips the victim in two vertically when it goes off.

* ''VideoGame/NinjaShadowOfDarkness'': Skeleton mooks, upon receiving enough hits, will break apart from the waist... only for both halves to continue attacking you as separate entities! You can defeat the upper half with a GoombaStomp while the lower half (a walking pair of skeletal legs that flails around trying to kick you, it's as hilarious as it sounds) can be defeated with some well-placed hits.

** Sergeant Gravis gets bisected through the lungs by a Hive Tyrant's bonesword. [[spoiler:He survives.]]

** The Void (possessing TheSentry), pulls this on Ares. Vertically. With his hands.

*** [[spoiler: Tatsumi does the same thing to Danger Beast Cosmina later on, when he has inherited Incursio.]]

* This is the standard demon slaying procedure in ''Manga/{{Claymore}}''.
** As well as being Dietrich's MO for dealing with Awakened Beings, it's how [[spoiler: Flora]] dies. [[spoiler: Clare]] also suffers this before [[spoiler: being absorbed into the Destroyer]]. [[spoiler: Deneve]] gets cut not quite in half.

* In ''Manga/ElfenLied'', [[spoiler: Kouta's sister Kanae is cut in half by Lucy when she knows about Lucy's powers and attempts to save her older brother, but he hits her and calls her a liar. Her death causes said brother to be traumatized for life.]] It's actually a standard way for the Diclonius to kill their victims. Lucy and Mariko are especially fond of it.

* ''Anime/FullmetalAlchemist2003'':

* Happens to [[DetachmentCombat Buggy the Clown]] a lot in ''Manga/OnePiece'', as well as most Logia users at some point, often repeatedly as these characters have no problem putting themselves together again.

* The Void (possessing ComicBook/TheSentry), pulls this on Ares. Vertically. With his hands.

* In one ''ComicStrip{{Belvedere}}'' strip Belvedere and his owner are both in karate gis, with Belvedere in an attack pose and his owner neatly cut in two at the waist.

* In the opening action sequence of ''Film/TransformersRevengeOfTheFallen'', Sideswipe does a balletic jump over the Audi R8, Sideways, lands in front of him and grounds his [[{{BFS}} built-in sword blade]] so that as the Decepticon drives forwards he cuts himself in two lengthways. He then proclaims "Damn, I'm good".
** In the climax of the first film, [[TheBerserker Megatron]] does it to {{J|iveTurkey}}azz, quipping that he doesn't want "a piece" of Jazz, he wants ''two.''

* This happens to one of the mobsters in the [[Literature/TheDrawingOfTheThree second]] ''[[Franchise/TheDarkTower Dark Tower]]'' book when he is [[UnfriendlyFire accidentally]] strafed with machine-gun fire.

** [[ActionGirl Mara]] [[FieryRedhead Jade]] does this to some wolvkils in the Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse novel ''Literature/SurvivorsQuest''.

* PlayedForLaughs in the ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot'' games: [[TheManyDeathsOfYou His lower half]] [[RuleOfFunny walks away!]]

*** It goes back as early as ''VideoGame/MegaManZero'', or, maybe even further, ''VideoGame/MegaManX'' (most notable example: [[spoiler:''Zero'' himself in ''VideoGame/MegaManX5'']]).
*** It was also used on ''VideoGame/MegaManX2's'' Wire Sponge if X used the Sonic Slicer on him.

* Can be done to enemy ninjas, with a katana, in ''VideoGame/ShadowWarrior1997''.

** Obviously happened to [[spoiler: [[FourStarBadass General Ironwood]]]] at some point since one side of his body is [[{{Cyborg}} cybernetic]]. [[WhoNeedsTheirWholeBody That he survived that long enough to become a ]] {{Cyborg}} says a lot.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry'' short "Touché, Pussy Cat" Jerry cuts Tom in half with an axe while saving Nibbles. [[UnexplainedRecovery He is fine later]].

* Aqua Shuzen in ''Manga/RosarioToVampire'' does this to [[spoiler:[[MamaBear Akasha Bloodriver]] and [[OurZombiesAreDifferent Ling-Ling Huang]].]] Less effective than most, considering they're [[spoiler:''the only two'' (sentient) ''characters in the entire series that are not affected by getting cut in half.'']]

* If you kill a boss with a sword weapon in ''VideoGame/MegaManZX'', this will happen to them.
** It goes back as early as ''VideoGame/MegaManZero'', or, maybe even further, ''VideoGame/MegaManX'' (most notable example: [[spoiler:''Zero'' himself in ''VideoGame/MegaManX5'']]).
** It was also used on ''VideoGame/MegaManX2's'' Wire Sponge if X used the Sonic Slicer on him.

* Occurs in Creator/TexAvery's WesternAnimation/{{Droopy}} short ''Daredevil Droopy''. During Droopy's audition for a circus act, he uses Spike, his competitor, for a [[SawAWomanInHalf sawing a person in half]] routine. After the act ends, the upper and lower halves of Spike's body walk in opposite directions.

* A recurring gag of ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' and Creator/TexAvery MGM cartoons, usually as a result of the SawAWomanInHalf trick, the character believes he is unharmed and his body separates as he walks away.
** In the Looney Tunes ''Show Biz Bugs'', Daffy Duck offers to be sawed in half in Bugs' trick only to try and prove it's an illusion. When Daffy comes out and jumps up and down yelling for the audience to stop applauding, he finds his body separated. Good thing he has Blue Cross.

[[caption-width-right:279:"It's me, dear friends -- alive and kicking![softreturn][[BlackComedy Well, alive, anyway.]]"]]