History Main / TheDayTheMusicLied

* In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'', the same thing happens with Armagohma. Link destroys it, the epic victory music plays, Link does that badass sword sheathe and...Armagohma's not dead. The music promptly dies, though what's left of the monster is laughably easy to defeat.

* ''BlazBlue''. The {{butt monkey}} ninja has an awesome over the top theme that activates when you use Furinkazan which basically makes you super fast and near impossible to hit. Cue [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U158VC5u6kk epic facepalm]].

* A gag used in ''TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'', when Arthur and Ford are trapped in the Vogon airlock, about to be blown into space. Ford says "No, wait! What's this switch!" accompanied by a hopeful swell of music... only he's just being a jerk. There's no switch, and they do get blown out of the airlock.

** In a more comic example, in the uncensored version of [[HotSpringsEpisode Episode 6]], when Simon and Kamina are trying to peak at the girls Simon is launched up far enough to see over the wall. This starts up a piece of triumphant music used several times throughout the early part of the series... [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=X07sxgRwFuc#t=29s for about three second]], then he falls.

* Team Four Star's ''WebVideo/DragonBallZAbridged'', when Yamcha arrives to fight the Saiyans. He gives his fellow warriors a roguish grin, heroic music begins to swell in the background, he starts his {{rousing speech}}, and "[[ActionBomb SKREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!]]" ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ui0mRLYZwYc&feature=related#t=6m10s BOOM]]''.

* ''{{Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann}}'':

* ''HajimeNoIppo'' does it in Ippo's Title fight against Date.
* ''OnePiece'' does this a few times, particularly with Usopp.
* Team Four Star's ''DragonBallZAbridged'', when Yamcha arrives to fight the Saiyans. He gives his fellow warriors a roguish grin, heroic music begins to swell in the background, he starts his {{rousing speech}}, and "[[ActionBomb SKREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!]]" ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ui0mRLYZwYc&feature=related#t=6m10s BOOM]]''.

* ''SailorMoon'', [[spoiler: Galaxia orders mind controlled Uranus and Neptune to kill Usagi and the Sailor Starlights, and as they prepare to do just that an ominous music is playing. Which suddenly cuts out and gets replaced by their theme music when they throw their [[MindControlEyes disguise]] and blast Galaxia. And then *that* music cuts out too when the attack proves to be utterly ineffective.]]

* In ''CromartieHighSchool'', "[[NoNameGiven Fred]][[{{Queen}} die]]"'s leitmotif is [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_skhTIY_Ik this song]], usually played up to the 3rd or 4th drum roll whenever he suddenly appears. Once, he startled someone, who shut the door on him, cutting off the music before the second bar was finished.

* Episode 55 of ''FullmetalAlchemist'' Brotherhood: [[spoiler:Fuhrer Bradley is MIA after his train blew up, the good guys have taken over the enemy stronghold, and everyone congratulates each other over their victory as uplifting music plays in the background. Then Bradley calls, announcing his return. Cue music cut and collective OhCrap from ''everyone''.]]

* ''ShamanKing'' has a notable example in the japanese version of the anime. All the main characters(bar one) have gathered together to defeat Hao, and we are treated to an almost full rendition of one of the ThemeMusicPowerUp songs as the characters bind him in place and recalls their friend. Then they finally fire their supposed finishing blow, complete with Hao's only real friend shouting out his name in alarm... Then the theme song abruptly stops as Hao breaks the bind with ease and send the supposed finishing blows off target without trying.

* ''ScottPilgrimVsTheWorld'': During Scott Pilgrim's first encounter with Gideon Graves, he dispatches Gideon's mooks accompanied by an up-tempo version of [[ThemeMusicPowerUp Sex Bob-omb's signature song]], then leaps in for the kill ... only to be soundly smashed down by Gideon. Appropriately, the music segues straight into a video-game "you lose"-style 8-bit riff.
* In ''{{Seabiscuit}}'', during the historic match race against War Admiral, Seabiscuit jumps out to an early lead. After a while, though, he begins to slow, accompanied by mournful music, allowing War Admiral to catch up. But Seabiscuit slowing was a BatmanGambit on the part of his jockey, George Woolf, and (injured) regular jockey, Red Pollard, who knew that the horse would push himself harder if the other horse was matching his speed. It worked, and Seabiscuit won. This was, as Laura Hillenbrand's book described, TruthInTelevision (well, except for the music).

* ''TheBoondocks'': Stinkmeaner possesses Tom and tries to get his revenge on Robert...but then Huey and Riley jump in and Huey tosses Robert his [[WeaponOfChoice belt]] as the [[ThemeMusicPowerUp show's theme starts.]] The three of them proceed to [[CurbStompBattle get their asses kicked]] while the music is playing.

* Happens all the time in ''TheAmazingRace'', most often playing the "elimination" music right before a team is told that it's a non-elimination leg.

* ''AvatarTheLastAirbender'' pulls it off in the Season two Finale. Aang is rising into the air in all his Avatar State glory, glowing with holy light, and BAM. Sizzle. Azula shoots him in the back with lightning, and he sort of twitches. Then he falls over.

* ''JusticeLeague: [[{{OVA}} The New Frontier]]''. {{Superman}}, being Superman, rouses and unites a divided group of superheroes, then, with heroic music playing in the background, charges off to scout and engage the enemy...only to be hit with an energy beam so powerful it knocks him several miles back and into the sea, pretty much removing him from the movie (Supes doesn't save the day in this one).
* In ''TransformersTheMovie'', "The Touch" initially plays when Optimus arrives on Earth to kick Decepticon butt, but at the end of the song, he is mortally wounded in a fight with Megatron.

* ''{{Bleach}}'' uses it a few times:

* In the ''SouthPark'' episode "Stanley's Cup," the kids' team is slaughtered by the professional team, only for "We Are the Champion" to start playing. PlayedWith by the implication that the other team might have been the HeroOfAnotherStory, congratulating themselves in the same way you would expect at the end of any sport movie.

* Team Four Star's ''DragonBallZAbridged'', when Yamcha arrives to fight the Saiyans. He gives his fellow warriors a roguish grin, heroic music begins to swell in the background, he starts his {{rousing speech}}, and [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ui0mRLYZwYc&feature=related#t=6m10s BOOM]].
** "SKREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!"

** The second Digimon movie, ''Our War Game'', has another serious example. "Brave Heart" starts playing as Agumon and Gabumon Warp Evolve into War Greymon and Metal Garurumon. When Infermon evolves into Diablomon and attacks Patamon and Tentomon as it's evolving, the music cuts out. When the two Ultimates/Megas go on a RoaringRampageofRevenge, the music picks back up, only to start skipping on "show me your brave heart", signaling the connection's lag and War Greymon's weakening before it completely cuts out when Taichi crashes the computer.

* In the Manga/{{Bakuman}} anime, after Mashiro makes Azuki cry by asking her if they have to wait until their dreams come true to see each other, he tells Takagi he wants to submit something to the Tezuka Awards, and dramatic music plays, as it does when the characters get an idea or renewed determination. After Takagi suggests that he be more patient and make a good submission, the music fades as Mashiro apologizes. Then again, after Takagi learns that their first submission, The Two Earths, was not even chosen as a finalist, he decides to go with Mashiro's plan.

* ShamanKing has a notable example in the japanese version of the anime. All the main characters(bar one) have gathered together to defeat Hao, and we are treated to an almost full rendition of one of the ThemeMusicPowerUp songs as the characters bind him in place and recalls their friend. Then they finally fire their supposed finishing blow, complete with Hao's only real friend shouting out his name in alarm... Then the theme song abruptly stops as Hao breaks the bind with ease and send the supposed finishing blows off target without trying.

* In ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'' the theme charge of the [[TheCalvalry Rohirrim]] cut short the moment the line met the [[WarElephants mûmakil]]. Not pretty.

* Is sometimes [[InvokedTrope invoked]] when a heel is in the ring either mocking an absent babyface or ranting about [[NothingCanStopUsNow his/her supposed invincibility]]. In the middle of the segment, the face's distinctive music will hit and the heel will affect an OhCrap expression...only to start laughing when the supposed entrance of the face is merely 1) a fake-out orchestrated by the heel or 2) one of the heel's minions dressing up as the face for mockery. (See {{Edge}} and {{Lita}}'s wedding for an example of the former and Michelle [=McCool=] calling MickieJames a fat "piggie" for the latter.)

** The game uses a variation earlier: enemies pop out, characters take their positions, the box doesn't pop up, the box doesn't pop up, [[RuleOfThree the box doesn't pop up]], then the music changes, their leader shows up and you have to race him.

* 'BlazBlue'. The butt monkey ninja has an awesome over the top theme that activates when you use Furinkazan which basically makes you super fast and near impossible to hit. Cue epic facepalm http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U158VC5u6kk

* OlderThanTelevision: In pretty much every ''{{Popeye}}'' cartoon, Popeye will [[PowerUpFood eat spinach for some instant muscle power]], with an [[ThemeMusicPowerUp accompanying Theme Song]]. However, the ThemeTune is abruptly interrupted when the can of spinach is taken away somehow (such as by an explosion, or some moving machinery). In one cartoon (''How Green Is My Spinach''), Popeye ate some other assorted vegetables but failed to get the desired effect (since DangerouslyGenreSavvy Bluto invented a formula the wiped out the world's spinach), and in another (''A Date To Skate''), Popeye ''just plain forgot it.''

[[AC:{{Anime}} and {{Manga}}]]
* ''{{Bleach}}'' uses it a few times, most notably when Aizen stops and nearly bisects Ichigo with a single finger in the middle of his theme song, and again when the exact opposite happens much later: When Ichigo barehandedly stops Aizen's sword in the middle of the "Snakes of Despair" song.

* ''{{Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann}}'' features this in episode 25.
** Episode 3 as well, to some extent: Viral launches a volley of missiles at the Gurren Lagann and the battle music immediately goes silent even though the GL is barely damaged ([[spoiler:it was a distraction for Viral to get lost]]).

* ''{{Hajime No Ippo}}'' does it in Ippo's Title fight against Date.
* ''{{One Piece}}'' does this a few times, particularly with Usopp.
* Team Four Star's ''{{Dragon Ball Z Abridged}}'', when Yamcha arrives to fight the Saiyans. He gives his fellow warriors a roguish grin, heroic music begins to swell in the background, he starts his {{rousing speech}}, and [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ui0mRLYZwYc&feature=related#t=6m10s BOOM]].

* ''{{Anime/Pokemon}}'' does this occasionally, for example during Ash's final battle against Brandon when Charizard loses against Dusclops.

* ''{{Sailor Moon}}'', [[spoiler: Galaxia orders mind controlled Uranus and Neptune to kill Usagi and the Sailor Starlights, and as they prepare to do just that an ominous music is playing. Which suddenly cuts out and gets replaced by their theme music when they throw their [[MindControlEyes disguise]] and blast Galaxia. And then *that* music cuts out too when the attack proves to be utterly ineffective.]]

[[AC:{{Film}}]]

* The theme charge of the [[TheCalvalry Rohirrim]] cut short the moment the line met the Mumakil. Not pretty.
* During [[ScottPilgrimVsTheWorld Scott Pilgrim's]] first encounter with Gideon Graves, he dispatches Gideon's mooks accompanied by an up-tempo version of [[ThemeMusicPowerUp Sex Bob-omb's signature song]], then leaps in for the kill ... only to be soundly smashed down by Gideon. Appropriately, the music segues straight into a video-game "you lose"-style 8-bit riff.
* In {{Seabiscuit}}, during the historic match race against War Admiral, Seabiscuit jumps out to an early lead. After a while, though, he begins to slow, accompanied by mournful music, allowing War Admiral to catch up. But Seabiscuit slowing was a BatmanGambit on the part of his jockey, George Woolf, and (injured) regular jockey, Red Pollard, who knew that the horse would push himself harder if the other horse was matching his speed. It worked, and Seabiscuit won. This was, as Laura Hillenbrand's book described, TruthInTelevision (well, except for the music).

[[AC:LiveActionTV]]
* KamenRiderAgito pulls something like this. Sometimes, in the middle of a ThemeMusicPowerUp, an enemy will counter Agito's finisher. When that happens, the music stops mid-song.

* A gag used in ''TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'', when Arthur and Ford are trapped in the Vogon airlock, about to be blown into space. Ford says "No, wait! What's this switch!" accompanied by a hopeful swell of music.. only he's just being a jerk. There's no switch, and they do get blown out of the airlock.

[[AC: ProfessionalWrestling]]

[[AC:VideoGames]]

* ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger''. A lowly villain brings forth a couple of monsters, the characters pull out their weapons, and battle music starts... then the monsters fall into a pit. Cue the music [[LettingTheAirOutOfTheBand faltering out]].

* In the first VideoGame/MarioParty, one board has Bowser giving players black stars. At first it might seem that they count because of the fanfare... Then they [[LettingTheAirOutOfTheBand Let The Air Out Of The Band]] to let you know you were forced to pay for nothing.

* ''VisualNovel/{{Clannad}}'' often starts playing emotional music during scenes that are set up to be misleading either to the audience or characters. Such as Tomoya starting to tell Tomoyo that Sunohara loves her, or when Kyou pulls Tomoya aside to show him a love letter, the assumption being that it's from her to him. The music starts in both cases only to get cut short by Sunohara butting in to say he wants to fight Tomoyo or an irritated Kyou explaining it was from some boy to Ryou.
* In the {{Uninvited}} game, when you meet the Scarlet O'Hara lookalike, the music sounds VERY upbeat. As if you're going to have a pleasant time. Doing anything aside of a select few will cause her to reveal her face as she rips you apart while said music turns into utter horror. This is noteworthy because usually dangers in the game were accompanied with an eerie music, rather than such upbeat music.

[[AC:{{Webcomics}}]]
* In ''{{Homestuck}}'', after the protagonist John discovers that Fruit Gushers are a Betty Crocker product, he begins to have a [[HeroicBSOD mental breakdown]] - until the music [[RecordNeedleScratch squeals to a halt]] with the flashing words [[http://www.mspaintadventures.com/?s=6&p=002879 THIS IS STUPID]].
** Also happens in [[http://www.mspaintadventures.com/?s=6&p=002655 the flash animation]] where the Wayward Vagabond has a RaceAgainstTheClock, where he has to escape [[ExactTimeToFailure with only seconds to spare]]. He almost makes it out in time, but slips on a ladder, while the music in the background slows to a halt.
*** However, this one's subverted (and promptly [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]], of course), as the very appropriately epic song [[CrowningMusicOfAwesome "Explore"]] accompanies the End of Act 2 immediately after.
--->''You attempt the rare and highly dangerous 5X CLIFFHANGER COMBO, and fail.''
--->''We are doing it, man.''
--->''We are making this happen.''
** Once again in [[http://www.mspaintadventures.com/?s=6&p=005596 the 4/2/11 update]], where [[spoiler: John and Rose square off against their parents' killer, a suitably epic remix of Chorale starts up, a big Round 1 appears at the top of the screen - and then John is stabbed through the chest, at which point the music '''stops'''.]]
*** Of course, this example could also count as a MusicalSpoiler. Chorale is one of the songs related to Rose (although it was originally Jaspersprite's {{Leitmotif}}), [[spoiler: and she continues the battle after John falls.]]

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]
* In pretty much every ''{{Popeye}}'' cartoon, Popeye will [[PowerUpFood eat spinach for some instant muscle power]], with an [[ThemeMusicPowerUp accompanying Theme Song]]. However, the ThemeTune is abruptly interrupted when the can of spinach is taken away somehow (such as by an explosion, or some moving machinery). In one cartoon (''How Green Is My Spinach''), Popeye ate some other assorted vegetables but failed to get the desired effect (since DangerouslyGenreSavvy Bluto invented a formula the wiped out the world's spinach), and in another (''A Date To Skate''), Popeye '''just plain forgot it.''' This makes this Trope OlderThanTelevision.

* ''{{Justice League}}: [[{{OVA}} The New Frontier]]''. {{Superman}}, being Superman, rouses and unites a divided group of superheroes, then, with heroic music playing in the background, charges off to scout and engage the enemy...only to be hit with an energy beam so powerful it knocks him several miles back and into the sea, pretty much removing him from the movie (Supes doesn't save the day in this one).

* ''{{The Boondocks}}'': Stinkmeaner possesses Tom and tries to get his revenge on Robert...but then Huey and Riley jump in and Huey tosses Robert his [[WeaponOfChoice belt]] as the [[ThemeMusicPowerUp show's theme starts.]] The three of them proceed to [[CurbStompBattle get their asses kicked]] while the music is playing.
* A nonviolent version on ''TheSimpsons'': Abe Simpson is about to perform an act called the "Funky Grampa" - and just as he starts up the singing and dancing, he promptly falls asleep.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'': when Korra starts trying to meditate, music starts to play for a second or two before being abruptly cut-off when she gives up on it.

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* The [[WhamEpisode very well known third episode of]] ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'': [[spoiler:Mami was fighting quite joyously, all in the tune of her {{Leitmotif}} Credens Justitiam. She unleashed her Tiro Finale to the witch... Cue the witch revealing her OneWingedAngel form and proceeds to chomp on Mami's head and killed her off. The music stops by the way.]]

* ''{Okami}'' has what seems to be a CrowningMomentOfAwesome after the final boss's first four forms, complete with victory music playing and you starting to do your victory howl, when suddenly the music stops as the boss comes up from behind and proceeds to strip you of your Brush Techniques again!

* "Okami" has what seems to be a CrowningMomentOfAwesome after the final boss's first four forms, complete with victory music playing and you starting to do your victory howl, when suddenly the music stops as the boss comes up from behind and proceeds to strip you of your Brush Techniques again!

* ''{{Digimon}}'' plays this trope for laughs whenever the titular characters try to digivolve while hungry.

* ''KirbysEpicYarn'' has a moment like this at the end; Kirby and Prince Fluff have defeated Yin-Yarn, and Magic Yarn appears afterwards and they start dancing to cheerful victory dance music. Then, just before they finish their dance, the music stops as his knitting needles come alive, enlarge themselves, and use the Magic Yarn to bring him BackFromTheDead, and that's where we cue some OhCrap faces from the two. Talk about your VictoryFakeout...

* ''AvatarTheLastAirbender'' pulls it off in the Season two Finale. Aang is rising into the air in all his Avatar State glory, glowing with holy light, and BAM. Sizzle. Azula shoots him it the back, and he sort of twitches. Then he falls over.

* In ''TransformerTheMovie'', "The Touch" initially plays when Optimus arrives on Earth to kick Decepticon butt, but at the end of the song, he is mortally wounded in a fight with Megatron.

* In ''TheLegendOfZelda: Wind Waker'', Puppet Ganon has one of these. Upon the defeat of the giant puppet, the standard victory fanfare begins and the puppet rises towards the ceiling. Then, the music changes tune slightly, and Puppet Ganon morphs into a giant spider.
* In ''TheLegendOfZelda: SpiritTracks'', Link and Zelda celebrate the PowerOfFriendship after defeating a boss. The camera slowly pans around them, the background fades to white, happy music flares up...then the band stalls when the background returns to normal and you see the NotQuiteDead boss simply limp out of the room back to his master.
* In ''TheLegendOfZelda: TwilightPrincess'', the same thing happens with Armagohma. Link destroys it, the epic victory music plays, Link does that badass sword sheathe and...Armagohma's not dead. The music promptly dies, though what's left of the monster is laughably easy to defeat.

* The [[WhamEpisode very well known third episode of]] ''PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'': [[spoiler:Mami was fighting quite joyously, all in the tune of her {{Leitmotif}} Credens Justitiam. She unleashed her Tiro Finale to the witch... Cue the witch revealing her OneWingedAngel form and proceeds to chomp on Mami's head and killed her off. The music stops by the way.]]