History Main / ThePenIsMightIEr

** That being said, it only really worked since it was a ''[[SilverBullet silver]]'' pen.

* An indirect example in ''Literature/TheSilenceoftheLambs'', when Hannibal Lecter uses the writing part of a ballpoint pen carelessly left in his cell to fashion an improvised handcuff key.

* ''Film/TheSilenceoftheLambs'': Hannibal Lecter palms Dr. Chilton's ballpoint pen and fashions it into a handcuff key that allows him to escape.

* ''VideoGame/{{Splatoon}}'', with its love of {{Art Attacker}}s and {{Improbable Weapon|User}}s, takes this to its logical conclusion: the Ballpoint Splatling, first introduced in ''VideoGame/Splatoon2'', turns the pen into a ''gun''. More specifically, a gun of the GatlingGood variety, with the unique ability to switch between close- and long- range fire while shooting. Presumably, someone wanted to see what happens when you combine this trope with the ''[[NeverBringAKnifeToAGunFight other]]'' weapon that's mightier than the sword.

* Aluded to in ''VideoGame/SongOfHorror''. If you play as police officer René in chapter 3, when examining a mechanical pencil he will mention that in the past he was almost stabbed by a perp wielding one.

* Averting this trope is why patients in mental asylums are given chalk or crayons for writing and drawing, not pens or pencils, though many teachers and students know how a thrown chalk can hurt.
* Tactical pens sold by many self-defense websites are designed to be much more durable than a garden-variety ballpoint pen so they can be used more effectively as a stabbing weapon. [[MundaneUtility They still write, though.]]
* In Hull Univeristy, UK, a jealous student stabbed his female friend in the head, mouth and throat about 90 times, killing her.

* Pretty much any solid object within two meters of Lucy in ''Manga/ElfenLied'' becomes a deadly implement because of her telekinetic vector abilities. This is first demonstrated with pens during the [[FullFrontalAssault infamous]] [[{{Gorn}} escape]] [[EstablishingCharacterMoment scene]].

* In reference to the John Wick example above, ''VideoGame/Payday2'' has a pencil (though called The Pen) available as of the Search for Kento event via a code. Incredibly, and especially in a game renowned for awful melee weapons, The Pen is actually somewhat usable; while its power and range is obviously pitiful, it can attack incredibly quickly, enough to activate the Overdog skill for setups which have it and boost its damage on successive strikes to an impressive degree.
* ''VideoGame/ProjectZomboid'' is that rare game that allows the player to wield a normal, everyday pen (or pencil) as a weapon, and does it with a completely straight face. This works about as well as you would expect against a pack of zombies: It only connects at grappling range, and it's pretty much guaranteed to break on the first stab. Fortunately, the choice of {{Improvised Weapon}}s only gets better from there.
* Nogiku from ''VideoGame/SengokuRance'' uses a pen in battle. Granted, that pen is about the same size of a spear...
* ''VideoGame/{{Splatoon}}'', with its love of {{Art Attacker}}s and {{Improbable Weapon|User}}s, takes this to its logical conclusion: The Ballpoint Splatling, first introduced in ''VideoGame/Splatoon2'', turns the pen into a ''gun''. More specifically, a gun of the GatlingGood variety, with the unique ability to switch between close- and long- range fire while shooting. Presumably, someone wanted to see what happens when you combine this trope with the ''[[NeverBringAKnifeToAGunFight other]]'' weapon that's mightier than the sword.

* ''VideoGame/ProjectZomboid'' is that rare game that allows the player to wield a normal, everyday pen (or pencil) as a weapon, and does it with a completely straight face. This works about as well as you would expect against a pack of zombies: It only connects at grappling range, and it's pretty much guaranteed to break on the first stab. Fortunately, the choice of {Improvised Weapon}}s only gets better from there.

* After ''TabletopGame/{{Deadlands}}: [[AfterTheEnd Hell on Earth]]'' was released, there was a push to make the Librarians from [[TheSmartGuy Smart Guys]] with no real role in combat into {{badass bookworm}}s, including the development of entirely new [[MagicAIsMagicA arcana]]. One such supernatural ability, aptly named ''the Pen is Mightier than the Sword'', turns writing implements into deadly weapons. At its [[UpToEleven highest level]], a magical pen does almost as much damage as a LaserBlade, and is better at defense!

->''"How about a magic trick? (Places a pencil standing upright on a table) I'm going to make this pencil disappear (slams a thug's head onto the table so that the pencil goes into his eye socket)...TA-DA! It's... Ah, it's '''gone'''..."''

Paint brushes being used to write spells and {{curse}}s on opponents are common in eastern works; most popular depictions of this are derived from [[http://traditions.cultural-china.com/en/211Traditions9846.html a Chinese folktale]] about a boy who could bring paintings to life when he signed them. An evil emperor would force the boy to draw him vast riches and he would instead conjure a dragon or tsunami to kill the emperor, depending on the telling.

* ''Film/NakedKiller'' have Kitty fighting a triad boss in his office. As the boss beats her down and orders a mook to restrain her, Kitty managed to snatch a pen fr a nearby desk, kill the mook with a stab in the throat, and shove the pen repeatedly into the boss' [[GroinAttack dick]].

->''"How about a magic trick? I'm going to make this pencil disappear...TA-DA! It's... Ah, it's '''gone'''..."''

* ''Manga/ShonanJunaiGumi'':
** Saejima painfully [[NoseShove shoves pencils up Maruyama's nose]]. Later, Maruyama returns the favor, and Fumiya slams Saejima's head into the floor. He hates the nickname "pencil sharpener" he gets afterwards.
** Yagyo Atsuki's first appearance has him carve the word "{{oni}}" into the back of people's hands with a pencil. Later we see it carved into their cheeks too.

* Bullseye in ''Comicbook/{{Daredevil}}'' used pencils, among [[ImprovisedWeapon many other things]], as darts to kill people.

* "Ink", a henchman in the Creator/GarthEnnis ''[[Comicbook/ThePunisherMAX Punisher MAX]]'' series got his nickname because he killed a man with a pen.

* One of the possible player Stands in VideoGame/JoJosBizarreAdventureThe7thStandUser is Napalm Death, a fancy calligraphy pen that creates explosions from writing. Badass.

* [[BlindWeaponmaster Hangan]] in ''[[VideoGame/{{Onmyoji}} Onmyōji]]'', who fights with a giant calligraphy brush.

* ''VideoGame/ProjectZomboid'' is that rare game that allows the player to wield a normal, everyday pen (or pencil) as a weapon, and does it with a completely straight face. This works about as well as you would expect against a pack of zombies: It only connects at grappling range, and it's pretty much guaranteed to break on the first stab. Fortunately, the choice of [[ImprovisedWeapon Improvised Weapons]] only gets better from there.

* ''VideoGame/{{Splatoon}}'', with its love of {{Art Attacker}}s and [[ImprobableWeaponUser Improbable Weapons]], takes this to its logical conclusion: The Ballpoint Splatling, first introduced in ''VideoGame/Splatoon2'', turns the pen into a ''gun''. More specifically, a gun of the GatlingGood variety, with the unique ability to switch between close- and long- range fire while shooting. Presumably, someone wanted to see what happens when you combine this trope with the ''[[NeverBringAKnifeToAGunFight other]]'' weapon that's mightier than the sword.

* In refernece to the John Wick example above, ''VideoGame/Payday2'' has a pencil (though called The Pen) available as of the Search for Kento event via a code. Incredibly, and especially in a game renowned for awful melee weapons, The Pen is actually somewhat usable; while its power and range is obviously pitiful, it can attack incredibly quickly, enough to activate the Overdog skill for setups which have it and boost its damage on successive strikes to an impressive degree.

->"''How about a magic trick? I'm going to make this pencil disappear...TA-DA! It's... Ah, it's '''gone'''...''"

* In ''TabletopGame/WarhammerAgeOfSigmar'' and ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'', the Blue Scribe P’tarix is unable to use the magic that he catalogues so in battle he stabs his enemies with sharpened quills made from the feathers of a [[FeatheredFiend Lord of Change]].

** Notably, the pencil killing is one of the most gruesome ones shown on-screen, with John pinning one assassin's head against a bartop and then driving the pencil through his ear canal like a railway spike. With the second one, he plats and holds the pencil against a wall and slams the back of the assassin's head against it.

* Matt from ''Webcomic/TheDementiaOfMagic'' simply [[http://dementiaofmagic.net/d/20050302.html uses]] [[http://dementiaofmagic.net/d/20050304.html both]].

* ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10238893/1/Losing-Even-That Losing Even That]]'' has a scene where Miranda and Thane discuss the number of ways they know how to kill someone with a pen, she knows sixteen he knows eighteen. The incident that started this conversation? The crew is out of [[MustHaveCaffeine regular coffee]], and think the person [[FelonyMisdemeanor responsible should be killed with a pen]].