History Main / InertialImpalement

* In Garry Kilworth's ''WelkinWeasels: Vampire Voles'', Montegu Sylver [[spoiler:defeats the vampiric villain Count Flistagga by leaping onto his back from a rooftop and tearing his cloak, which he used to glide rather than actually fly, so they both fall. Monty lands in the river, and Flistagga is impaled on a broken pole, killing him.]]
* ''TheSagaOfDarrenShan'' loves this one. The preferred method of executing one of their own kind, the vampires tie the victim and drop them into a pit of stakes. Sometimes, it takes more than one drop before they die. [[spoiler:It's how Kurda Smahlt died. And Crepsley. Poor Crepsley.]] [[spoiler:Steve]] likes to use these for theatrics. [[spoiler:the one Crepsley fell in was even on FIRE.]]

* This is how Brutus commits suicide at the end of Theatre/JuliusCaesar.

* Spiked enemies do this to you if you stomp or jump on them in the ''PaperMario'' games.

* In ''DeathWishII'', after Kersey's daughter has recovered from being raped into catatonia in the first ''Film/DeathWish'', she is kidnapped and raped again, and while running from one of the rapists, falls out a window to where she's impaled on a fence. Kersey's response is a second RoaringRampageOfRevenge.

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* After [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments kicking arse for the Lord]] in ''Film/{{Braindead}}'', BadassPreacher Father [=McGruder=]'s SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome is unfortunately put to an end when he goes to finish off a zombie with a flying kick. The zombie moves out of the way, and he winds up impaled on the hand of a stone [[CrossesTheLineTwice angel statue]] on a tombstone. He becomes a zombie shortly afterwards because after he punted off one's head, the head came back down and bit him in the arm.

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* ''Film/FrightNight'' (1985). A vampirized Evil Ed (in wolf form) is attacking Peter Vincent. A wooden bannister railing is broken and Peter grabs a piece of it. When Evil Ed charges he is impaled on the wooden pole, [[DyingAsYourself returns to human form and apparently dies]].

* This is how Brutus commits suicide at the end of Theater/JuliusCaesar.

* Subverted in ''[[Film/TheLordOfTheRings The Two Towers]]'': The Rohirrim cavalry charges down a steep incline where orc pikemen are massing. However, [[DawnAttack the sun rises just in time]] for them to be dazzled, and the charge completely breaks the line apart.

Sub-trope of ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice, InertiaIsACruelMistress, and when the one impaled is a villain, SelfDisposingVillain. Also a subtrope of DeadlyDodging, for when the dodging results in the enemy impaling himself on something. See also BullfightBoss.

* In the final battle of ''Film/PacificRim'', Raiju, a LightningBruiser {{Kaiju}} who has already ripped off one of Gipsy Danger's arms, charges at the crippled [[HumongousMecha Jaeger]] with incredible speed. Gipsy, however, deploys the sword in its other arm and pierces it out ''just before'' Raiju hits it. [[HalfTheManHeUsedToBe The results]] are gory... ''and glorious.''

* ''[[{{Redwall}} Mossflower]]'' features Skipper of Otters taking vengeance on Tsarmina's chief minion Cludd by setting up several javelins in soft ground and challenging Cludd to a fight to the death. When he's pinned Cludd, he wraps him up in his cloak and flings him into the air, causing him to come down directly onto the javelins. The author then points out [[FamilyUnfriendlyDeath that otters point their javelins on both ends]].

* There was a story on ''A Thousand Ways to Die'' about an overzealous gym teacher lecturing his students about throwing a javelin. This doesn't end how you think it does. After throwing the javelin, the teacher ran to get it back, but was looking over his shoulder while doing so, not looking where he was going. At the very last moment he turned around, and was stabbed through the right eye up into his brain by the end of the javelin. He was killed instantly, but was held standing upright by the javelin in his head, which was gruesome for the students to look at when they eventually came over to see why he was just standing there. This falls into EyeScream territory.

* An issue of Deadpool has him fighting The Incredible Hulk for a sample of his blood. During the fight, Hulk leaps into the air and lectures Deadpool on how much he sucks. When we cut back to Deadpool, we see that he's set up a broken sign post into a weapon during Hulk's [[TalkingIsAFreeAction mid-leap monologue]], and Hulk lands on it.

* In ''The Condemned'', when the prisoners are flown to the island and pushed/thrown out of the helicopter, one lands on a wrecked ship and is impaled. He never hits the ground.

* ''{{Punisher}}''. The 'Max' series, which is in a different continuity. Frank punches the bejeebers out of TheDragon, then throws him onto a wrought iron fence. He is impaled all down through his body. Notable, in that he shows up later, most of the fence still WITH him, and tries to get Frank. The Punisher blows his face clean off his body. TheDragon takes ''two more steps'', then dies.

* Subverted in ''[[Film/TheLordOfTheRings The Two Towers]]'': The Rohirrim cavalry charges down a steep incline where orc pikemen are massing. However, the sun rises just in time for them to be dazzled, and the charge completely breaks the line apart.

* In the film of ''Film/TheHobbit'', a Warg runs at Bilbo and he kills it by holding out his sword, Sting.

** In ''Blood Brothers of Literature/{{Gor}}'' a FantasyCounterpartCulture Plains Indians war between two tribes uses this. The "good" tribe sets up a series of battlements, each taller than the last but none of them too terribly impregnable. The "bad" tribe jumps over them on their [[CallASmeerpARabbit horses]], only to fall into a pit of sharpened sticks where they're impaled.

* Porcupines, upon being threatened, will roll up and stick up its thorns, harming anything that come to harm it. Same happens with porcupine puffer fishes.

This is the situation involving an enemy charging at you and you then defensively put a nasty, pointy surprise in front of you. Result: The enemy [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice runs onto the pointy end]], and there may be a moment where the hero and their enemy stare at each other before they [[MortalWoundReveal reveal that the foe has just killed themselves]]. By waiting until the last moment to reveal the victor of the battle - when the hero and the enemy are close enough to touch - the situation comes to an exciting and dramatic conclusion.

This trope does not apply to every impalement. It only applies if the enemy is impaled by his own momentum without the defender needing to move from their positions.

A good defense is a best offense? A good offense is a best defense? ''Why not both?''

* In the first ''{{Unico}}'' movie, the big bad falls on top of a huge spire, complete with squelching sound. Pause, and then he freaking gets up again, eyes glowing. Cue whimpering children.

* In the animation of Brian Jacques' book ''[[Literature/{{Redwall}} Martin the Warrior]]'', Martin's sword falls from Badrang's paws and into the prison pit. Martin dives for it and holds it up, and when Badrang leaps into the pit after him, he gets impaled on it.

* ''{{Literature/Gor}}'' series
** In ''Blood Brothers of {{Literature/Gor}}'' a FantasyCounterpartCulture Plains Indians war between two tribes uses this. The "good" tribe sets up a series of battlements, each taller than the last but none of them too terribly impregnable. The "bad" tribe jumps over them on their [[CallASmeerpARabbit horses]], only to fall into a pit of sharpened sticks where they're impaled.

* This is how [[BladeOnAStick boar spears]] work, as the tactic for boar hunting involves getting a [[FullBoarAction rampaging boar]] to charge in the direction of the hunter and impale itself on the spear.

* Averted in ''[[Film/TheLordOfTheRings The Two Towers]]'': The Rohirrim cavalry charges down a steep incline where orc pikemen are massing. However, the sun rises just in time for them to be dazzled, and the charge completely breaks the line apart.

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