History Main / KnifeFight

* In ''Literature/DragonridersOfPern'', F'lar and [[spoiler:Lord Fax]] engage in a duel using short knives. Although F'lar has a lot of practice dueling experience, he does not have nearly as much practical killing experience as his opponent. In fact, F'lar gets into a knife fight in each of the original three novels. He wins all three, killing his opponent in two of them.

* The primary weapons in ''Film/{{Dune|2021}}'' and ''Film/DunePartTwo'' are half-way between knife and machete (the ban on firearms from the novel isn't spelled out but seemingly in effect), and those trained in the ways of the Bene Gesserit (such as Lady Jessica and her son Paul Atreides) have a clear edge in duels. It's also TruerToTheText compared to the [[Film/Dune1984 1984 film]], which replaces blades with sonic weaponry.
-->'''Paul Atreides:''' May thy knife chip and shatter.

* Leon and Krauser have one in a harrowing PressXToNotDie sequence in ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4''. It even has a bit of ThatOneBoss to it.

* The primary weapons in ''Film/{{Dune|2021}}'' and ''Film/DunePartTwo'' are half-way between knife and machete (the ban on firearms from the novel isn't spelled out but seemingly in effect), and those trained in the ways of the Bene Gesserit (such as Lady Jessica and her son Paul Atreides) have a visible edge in duels. It's also TruerToTheText compared to the [[Film/Dune1984 1984 film]], which replaces blades with sonic weaponry.

* ''Anime/PsychoPass'' has [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDQBDdEyufs a short but intense one]] in its final episode, between a [[http://www.knife-depot.com/knife-information-104.html clip-point folding knife]] and a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straight_razor straight razor.]]

* Practically every culture in human history has used knives not just as tools, but as weapons too. Therefore, most combat oriented martial arts from various cultures teach how to fight with knives or defend against someone attacking you with a knife when you're unarmed.

* Filippino, Indonesian, and other Southeast Asian schools of martial arts focus quite a lot on using the traditional knives of their respective cultures and produce many masters of knife fighting technique.

* Music/WeirdAlYankovic's parody "Eat It" recreated the above scene with a ''spoon fight''.

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* In ''LightNovel/{{Baccano}}!'', Firo has to duel Maiza before he can be accepted into the Martillo family (technically a duel, with a martial on hand who states if either of them go for the neck or torso he'll shoot them). Firo wins by slashing Maiza's arm,[[spoiler: but of course, it heals]].

* ''LightNovel/TheGardenOfSinners'' had a quite awesome one in the seventh movie between Ryougi and [[spoiler: Shirazumi Lio]]. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VPDTQViU3c Take a look.]]

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* ComicBook/{{Storm}}'s battle with Callisto for leadership of the Morlocks in ''ComicBook/XMen'' comics.

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* Occurs several times in ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' thanks to the Klingon tradition of carrying bladed weapons, specifically "Sins of the Father" when assassins attack Worf and later Picard, and "Redemption" when one of Gowron's officers [[KlingonPromotion challenges him for leadership]].
* ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries''. "The Omega Glory" has a variation; a single knife is placed between the two combatants who have to fight each other to reach it.
* ''Series/StarTrekDiscovery'' episode "Despite Yourself" (also a MirrorUniverse episode) gives us a knife fight between Prime!Burnham and Mirror!Conner. In a ''turbolift!''

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* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfTianding'' have your titulat character wielding his trusty knife as a default weapon, and the third boss, Kaguya, fights with a ''tanto'' at close range (alternating between her blade and ParasolOfPain). The battle's difficulty depends on the amount of upgrades you obtained for your blade by this point.

* In the third episode of ''Series/StargateSG1'', [[HotScientist Carter]] got in a fight with the [[FantasyCounterpartCulture Mongoloid leader]]. He had a larger curved sword and was trained to fight people his own size. Carter had a combat knife and was trained to fight people bigger than she was. Carter won.

Problem is, not all stories take place in locales where a sword would be considered an appropriate weapon to have along, regardless of what the hero might [[HeroesPreferSwords prefer.]] This might be simply because the story takes place in TheFuture, where no one uses swords anymore (even {{Laser Blade}}s). It might also be because the character is some manner of soldier, mercenary, scruffy rogue, or other manner of archetype who is [[WeaponOfChoice thematically forbidden]] from using such extravagant weapons. Enter the knife--simple and useful enough that humans will certainly be carrying it around no matter where or when they are, yet dangerous and shiny and sharp enough that they can serve as a substitute for the SwordFight in a pinch. Knives also have the advantage that you don't have to necessarily be a knife fighter to carry one around, meaning that any character is a candidate for pulling one out. All the drama with none of the camp!

* Technically it's a "sword vs knife" fight, but given the relative sizes of the two combatants and the close quarters involved, the duel between [[TheWoobie Ahren Elessedil]] and his [[KickTheDog tormentor]], Cree Bega in ''Literature/TheVoyageOfTheJerleShannara'' is thematically closer to this. Oddly, given the number of {{Knife Nut}}s in Creator/TerryBrooks' writing this is the only one that really stands out, possibly due to it being between a BreakTheCutie Woobie, and TheDragon.

* Jim Bowie got into a few knife fights with his signature blade, resulting in his reputation as a KnifeNut and the knife's popular nickname.

* ''Film/WestSideStory'' features a very dancy knife fight between champions in the Sharks and the Jets. There's a lot of emphasis on light glinting on the knife blades.

* The Fishhawk chooses knives as the weapons for a duel against SolomonKane, figuring that he can better use his trickery and strength than if they fought with swords or pistols.

* ''[[Anime/GhostInTheShellStandAloneComplex GitS:SAC]]'' features an unusual one--between [[spoiler:Pazu and someone with a body identical to his own, complete with mannerisms.]]

* One episode of ''WesternAnimation/DrawnTogether'' briefly featured a knife fight between [[CaptainErsatz look-a-likes]] of Franchise/TheSmurfs.
* Parodied on the ''WesternAnimation/{{Dilbert}}'' animated series, with the office equivalent: tied at the wrist with a necktie, and fighting with marker pens.
-->'''Asok:''' I'm gonna [[StealthPun mark]] you so bad!

* The 2011 adaptation of ''Theatre/{{Coriolanus}}'' has a SettingUpdate, so instead of going at each other with swords, Coriolanus and Aufidius [[LetsFightLikeGentlemen put down their rifles to duel each other with knives]]. Things are less gentlemanly in the final scene, when a group of Aufidius’s men attack and kill Coriolanus en masse.

* Veronica and tribesman characters get into these a lot in ''Series/SirArthurConanDoylesTheLostWorld''. In "The Knife", Veronica gets into one with Sir William Gull and Robert Anderson, but RealityEnsues and she kicks their asses because they are mere killers of the helpless and not trained fighters.

* ''LightNovel/KaraNoKyoukai'' had a quite awesome one in the seventh movie between Ryougi and [[spoiler: Shirazumi Lio]]. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VPDTQViU3c Take a look.]]

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* These tend to be the result when Nav encounters assassins in ''FanFic/DiariesOfAMadman''.

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