History Main / LudicrousMeleeAccuracy

Ludicrous melee accuracy is when someone makes an impossibly precise melee attack. Given the InverseLawOfSharpnessAndAccuracy, this often means a highly skilled MasterSwordsman with a high-quality blade will demonstrate their skill by ''not'' hurting an opponent -- but making it clear that they could have if they wanted to. Causing ClothingDamage is popular for this purpose (which may result in DefeatByModesty all by itself), as is slicing [[CloseCallHaircut hair]], while grittier works will opt for a [[PaperCutting single, shallow cut to the face]], which will bleed prettily without actually causing any real harm. The end result is the same either way: it demonstrates that the attack CouldHaveBeenMessy... and the only reason it wasn't is the peerless skill of attacker.

* In ''Film/{Hero}}'', the nameless protagonist demonstrates his skill with a sword by throwing a bundle of reeds into the air, then holding his sword so that only a single reed is cut perfectly in two as it falls. He also boasts that he can stab someone in such a way that the sword can pass clean through their body without damaging any of their organs, [[spoiler:a trick which he uses to fake the death of a wanted assassin]].

For the ranged counterpart, see ImprobableAimingSkills.

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* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'': The Eldar's Shining Spears (jetbikers with lances) are said to be able to target individual blood vessels when they attack.

* ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEED''[='=]s Kira Yamato is able to cleanly slice off mobile suit heads or limbs while leaving the chest area where the pilot is intact, typically in only the fraction of a second he's flying by them. He does the same thing in the sequel, ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamSeedDestiny''. It sometimes verges on BladeSpam territory, as we'll see something like one (visible) downward slash, and the target mecha will have all four limbs, its head, and its backpack cut off -- while leaving the torso intact.

* ''VideoGame/SoulCalibur'''s Siegfried (the BFS wielder) sometimes says "I've missed your vitals. You'll be fine." In general, intentionally missing vitals is an impossible thing to do, but it's to demonstrate his incredible skill that his opponent won't die from their wounds.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Fallout4}}'', you can achieve this by landing melee attacks via V.A.T.S., bonus point for unloading Critial Attack, which is guaranteed to hit regardless the distance. There is even a perk for increasing V.A.T.S. melee distance.

* The Scarlet Pimpernel's eponymous character cuts the clothing off his nemesis when he finally gets the chance
* Benedict does this to a shadow ghost of one of the premier fencers of the Courts of Chaos when Merlin needs to have him kept occupied.

Of course, there are more pragmatic uses for ludicrously precise strikes. You can use one [[PinnedToTheWall pin them in place]] with your blade. If the target has a specific vulnerability, then you may need a ludicrously precise strike to AttackItsWeakPoint even as it dodges at high speed.

* Goemon from ''Manga/LupinIII''. DefeatByModesty is a frequent cause of victory for him, and he can cut ropes and handcuffs away from trapped allies with single swipe and no sign of blood. In one episode of ''[[WesternAnimation/LupinIIITheItalianAdventure The Italian Adventure]]'', he stabs someone ''through the chest'' with his katana, in order to [[spioler:remove a bomb planted in her heart]], without killing her.

* Goemon from ''Manga/LupinIII''. DefeatByModesty is a frequent cause of victory for him, and he can cut ropes and handcuffs away from trapped allies with single swipe and no sign of blood. In one episode of ''[[WesternAnimation/LupinIIITheItalianAdventure The Italian Adventure]]'', he stabs someone ''through the chest'' with his katana, to remove a bomb planted in her heart, without killing her.

* Goemon from ''Manga/LupinIII''. DefeatByModesty is a frequent cause of victory for him, and he can cut ropes and handcuffs away from trapped allies with single swipe and no sign of blood.

* In the works of Creator/KenAkamatsu the [[SupernaturalMartialArts Shinmeiryu school of swordfighting]] has a line of advanced techniques subtitled ''Nii no Tachi'' ("Second Blade"), all of which can pass through an obstacle in their path to strike something behind them. The most famous example, ''Zanmaken: Nii no Tachi'', applies this variant to an AntiMagic attack - originally designed to kill [[DemonicPossession possessing demons]] without harming their hosts, it has also been used to DispelMagic, as an UnblockableAttack version of the regular ''Zanmaken'', and to [[DefeatByModesty destroy an opponent's clothes without hurting them]].

* In WebComic/HomeStuck, Bro Strider is so great with a katana that as he beats down on Dave (the background music being called Beatdown assisting in how much of a CurbStompBattle it truly is, he scratches the disk on Dave's shirt [[spoiler: in the same way that John would scratch the Beat Mesa to Scratch their session after it proves to be a doomed one]].

* In ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing'', Heero spends some time posing as a student in Relena's school. He gets into a fencing match with a classmate of Relena's who obviously didn't like him[[note]]and is apparently an {{Expy}} of ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam''[='s=] LovableCoward Kai Shiden[[/note]]. The match ends with Heero breaking his foil against Dorothy's with a ''tip to tip clash'' and then buries it in his facemask, the broken blade stopping roughly an inch from his nose. He understandably freaks out. He does the exact same thing much later in the series, to [[TheMole Dorothy Catalonia]]. To Dorothy's credit, she doesn't even flinch.

* ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEED''[='=]s Kira Yamato is able to cleanly slice off mobile suit heads or limbs while leaving the chest area where the pilot is intact, typically in only the fraction of a second he's flying by them. Get's to almost absurd degrees in the sequel, where in the course of one episode he cuts off the Chaos Gundam's arms, legs and backpack boosters in one single downward slash without cutting the body of it (which at that angle should be impossible as the sword would have had to have gone through the body to hit both the arms and backpack.) and later with what looks like only two diagonal slashes shreds the Savior Gundam's limbs and head into what looks like at least 20 pieces.

* The ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars'' series has the skill "Sword Cut", which allows a mecha equipped with a melee weapon to cut missiles, grenades, and {{Attack Drone}}s out of the air (it also lets you deflect enemy melee attacks). Making it even more implausible, some mecha like {{Anime/Daimos}} and members of the ''Anime/MobileFighterGGundam'' cast don't use swords but [[BareFistedMonk their bare hands]].

Ludicrous Melee Accuracy, though not limited to swords and other bladed weapons (and indeed, may even be done [[BareFistedMonk completely]] [[RazorSharpHand unarmed]]), is one of the common ways that ImplausibleFencingPowers may take, and as such is usually used by a MasterSwordsman. See also PressurePoint, which may need ludicrous accuracy to exploit successfully.

Ludicrous Melee Accuracy, though not limited to swords and other bladed weapons (and indeed, may even be done [[RazorSharpHand completely unarmed]]), is one of the common ways that ImplausibleFencingPowers may take, and as such is usually used by a MasterSwordsman. See also PressurePoint, which may need ludicrous accuracy to exploit successfully.

Ludicrous melee accuracy is a type of ImplausibleFencingPowers, and as such is usually used by a MasterSwordsman. See also PressurePoint, which may need ludicrous accuracy to exploit successfully.

* King Bradley from ''Manga/{{Fullmetal Alchemist}}'' cuts through Fu's headband and later [[spoiler:[[CutTheFuse cuts the wicks]] on the [[ActionBomb dynamite]] sticks [[TakingYouWithMe strapped to Fu's chest.]] He does cut skin in both instance, but it still shows ridiculous precision.