History Main / WreckedWeapon

** In the final issue Franchise/WonderWoman broke ComicBook/{{Ares|DC}}' war axe and defeated him, driving him away from Paradise Island.

* From the 13th century ''Literature/VolsungaSaga'': In battle with King Lyngvi, the old hero Sigmund's sword breaks on Odin's spear, causing his death.

Compare BreakableWeapons, where this is a gameplay mechanic instead of a plot event. Contrast LikeCannotCutLike. A weapon with DetachableBlades can simply replace the blade and it becomes usable again. See ScarredEquipment (for weapons that are worn out) and WeaponsBreakingWeapons (for when, well, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin weapons break weapons]]).

* ''Fanfic/ADiplomaticVisit'': [[spoiler:In chapter 7 of the sequel ''Diplomat at Large'', Pharynx breaks a lightning-projecting horn off the Storm King's helmet.]]

In some cases, the breaking of a character's weapon can be a foreshadowing of that character's death (if it occurs shortly before), or symbolic of it (if it occurs during or shortly after). In this case, there may be some overlap with TragicKeepsake if one of the character's friends keeps the weapon or a piece of it as a memento. If the weapon also has an association with a nation (for example the royal sword of the king) then it can even signify the fall of the nation in question. [[DestroyTheVillainsWeapon If a villain's weapon breaks]], it usually signifies that their reign has come to an end as a villain's weapon is usually a symbol of their power. Alternately, the breaking of a soldier's sword is normally a major part of an InsigniaRipOffRitual.

Although sometimes on rare occasions and if at all possible, the victim of this trope will continue to use the broken weapon or at least, pieces of it to fight[[note]]Like say, a blade of a sword being shattered yet there's still enough metal left for it to be used as a knife, even a type of polearm (like say a spear) or even staff, being bisected in half. Forcing the user to either [[DualWielding dual-wield]] or use the blade part of the stick as a dagger, and that's barely scratching the surface[[/note]].

The reasoning for the character still using this weapon can have a few symbolic meanings[[labelnote:*]]Like their weapons may be broken yet their spirits aren't as an example[[/labelnote]] or they just simply have no other options. As it broke in the middle of the fight and they just have to work with what they have, it really depends on the context and situation. This also essentially makes them into an ImprobableWeaponUser depending on what pieces of the broken weapon they choose to use or just how broken their weapon is.

** Used again much later when [[spoiler: Haschwalth snaps Tensa Zangetsu. Then it's revealed that ReforgedBlade is ''not'' an option for Zanpakuto in Bankai state. Ichigo has to work ''really'' hard to get a new Bankai.]]

** Later on, through a series of events, Sesshomaru's [[HealingShiv Tenseiga]] ends up getting shattered and discarded within a void leading to the underworld. [[spoiler: It returns to him mere moments later completely restored, cementing it's status as a ClingyMacGuffin supreme.]]
** Bankotsu's halberd Banryu ends up getting blasted to pieces along with Bankotsu himself thanks to Inuyasha's [[CounterAttack Backlash Wave.]] Interestingly, Bankotsu had been such trouble up to that point because as a human using a man-made weapon, he had no demonic aura to speak of. [[NiceJobFixingItVillain Then he made the mistake of upgrading the Banryu into a demon sword, thereby giving it an aura to reflect...]]

** Kikyou and Kagome have both gone through several sacred bows over time, with [[ShockingMoments one instance of Kikyou's bow being snapped]] being used to reveal [[spoiler: that Naraku has removed his human heart, allowing him to bypass Kikyou's spiritual barriers and make an attempt on her life.]]
* In ''Anime/KillLaKill'', Satsuki's Bakuzan gets snapped in half [[spoiler: during her rebellion against Ragyo]]. The Elite Four turn the shards into a separate sword and dagger, and eventually return them to Satsuki (only for them to be finally shattered in the last episode).

** Fate had a version symbolic of her mental state near the end of the first season when she dropped her weapon in shock of [[spoiler: [[TomatoInTheMirror finding out her true nature]]]] and, combined with the damage it had received from her battle against Nanoha, it shattered upon hitting the ground. It remained that way until she recovered from her HeroicBSOD and jump-started its self-repair function.

*** Taken to a new level when Subaru does this to herself right after her [[spoiler: RoboticReveal]] by pushing her device past the breaking point after her BerserkButton is pressed.

** In the ''[[Manga/MagicalRecordLyricalNanohaFORCE FORCE]]'' manga [[spoiler: Signum does this to Laevatein by trying to fight a new villain with heavy AntiMagic powers and a body tough enough to provoke the mighty Belkan sword to crack like a cookie; obviously, things do not end well for our beloved LadyOfWar]].

* In ''Manga/{{Toriko}}'', Komatsu's beloved knife is broken when he accidentally tries to cut through a Don Acorn. But by the end of the next arc, he has a new one [[spoiler: that can create gashes in mountains from ''swinging it''.]]

* A new enemy damaging Comicbook/CaptainAmerica's [[LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe shield]] is generally a sign that this foe is to be taken very seriously indeed. For instance, [[spoiler: Odin's brother]] the Serpent in ''Comicbook/FearItself'' breaks the shield into pieces as an indicator that he is ludicrously dangerous and powerful. Also, the pieces of the shield are seen lying around Cap during his HeroicBSOD in the BadFuture of ''ComicBook/AgeOfUltron'', which indicates that [[CrapsackWorld the world]] really has gone to hell in a handbasket.

* This happens a lot in ''Fanfic/TheButcherBird'', often to [[NamedWeapons Graded Swords]]. [[spoiler: Tashigi]] loses [[spoiler: Shigure at the end of her fight with Herman via the latter's Shatter technique.]]

** [[spoiler: Once Wind Breaker gets the Manechurian Dragon - a gun - away from its owner, Rex breaks it in half. Later during the same fight, when facing Sharp Point, Night Blade's sword ''Determined Point'' breaks as well.]]
** [[spoiler: Both of Vix-Lei's hammers are destroyed in the battle with the Nightmare. Unlike the former examples, they're later restored by the Rainbow of Harmony.]]

** In ''Film/WonderWoman2017'', [[spoiler: Ares blocks Diana's Godkiller sword with his hand and the blade crumbles to dust. He explains it is not the actual Godkiller, Diana herself is, as only a god can kill a god.]]
** In ''Film/JusticeLeague2017'', Steppenwolf's axe [[spoiler: gets frozen by Superman, setting up Wonder Woman to shatter it.]]

*** Early in the final battle, Thanos takes several chunks out of Steve's shield, hacking away at it with his sword until there's basically half of it left. Steve gets it repaired or replaced later, [[spoiler: before handing it over to Sam.]]

* In C.S. Goto's ''Literature/DawnOfWar'' trilogy, Rhamah's [[NamedWeapons Vairocanum]]. Made from part of a WreckedWeapon that had been ForgedByTheGods, and then broken again in the course of the trilogy. Blood Ravens perform funeral rites with the part that was all they had left of him. [[spoiler: Later reformed.]]

* In ''[[Literature/InheritanceCycle Brisingr]]'', the falchion that Eragon uses after [[spoiler: Murtagh]] takes Zar'roc, and before he [[spoiler: forges Brisingr]] breaks after he accidentally swings it into a rock wall in the middle of a fight.

** The vehicular variation comes up in the Literature/XWingSeries book ''Starfighters of Adumar''. Much is made in the initial portion of the book about how superior the [[CoolStarship X-wing]] is compared to their local counterparts, the Blade-class fighter. When the BigBad [[spoiler: convinces the ''perator'']] to turn on Wedge's pilots and exile them, their X-wings are impounded, and they are forced to fight several pitched battles using [[GiveMeASword borrowed Blades]] instead -- including a four-on-four combat against Imperial TIE Interceptors, which are on par with the X-wing and therefore have a huge advantage over their Blades. Once they [[HesBack manage to seize the hanger where the X-wings are stored]], though, they return and lay a CurbStompBattle on the enemy forces.

** ''Series/PowerRangersWildForce'': Partway through the series, Cole has his CoolBike ruined protecting a child [[spoiler: who turns out to be the human form of Animus, Lord of the Wild Zords]]. After the heroes learn that and pass a SecretTestOfCharacter, Cole is rewarded with a new bike based on a different Wild Zord. It flies. [[MerchandiseDriven It is definitely merchandising-based]], but [[RuleOfCool nobody much cares.]]

** ''Series/SamuraiSentaiShinkenger'': the sword that is actually [[spoiler: made from the souls of his family]] gets damaged, so Juzo has to make do with one of the swords used by the {{Mooks}} for several episodes.

* ''Podcast/TheAdventureZoneBalance'': [[spoiler: Taako]] voluntary breaks [[spoiler: his iconic umbrella, snapping it over his knee to free Lup.]]

** Invoked in ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamKnight'', as the titular knight destroys [[spoiler: the Batmobile]], which had been a critical and constant part of the game. Subverted only a few scenes later, as it is revealed [[spoiler: Alfred had a spare]].

* In ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'', you start with Broken Straight Sword Handle, and Hollow Warriors drop Broken Straight Sword as well, while they are weak compared to standard weapons, [[spoiler: these are the essential materials for crafting the [[InfinityMinusOneSword Blessed Artorias Greatsword]]]].

* ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsIII'''s final DLC brings [[spoiler: Slave Knight Gael's greatsword]], which can be obtained via soul transposition of the DLC's final boss' soul. Unlike its full form, the Executioner's Greatsword, it has a pointed, jagged tip.

** Kratos' Blades Of Athena are eroded by the River Styx, so he replaces them with the Blades Of Exile. In the final battle, [[spoiler: Zeus destroys ''all'' of Kratos' weapons.]]
** [[spoiler: And after he's done kicking Zeus's ass, the chains that were seared to his arms - bonding his various chain blades to his body and making ''him'' a weapon -- simply drop off his arms, symbolizing the end of his violent ways.]]

* This happens to Riku's Way to the Dawn Keyblade in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII'' following a fight with a Demon Tower, [[spoiler: and while it's later repaired by the Riku Replica, at that point Riku's swapped it with a different weapon]].

* When the Boss in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater'' doesn't want to kill someone, she just beats the crap out of them. But first she simply takes away her opponent's gun and neatly breaks it up into its parts with her bare hands, and then hands back the pieces. [[spoiler: If you try to shoot her in the final battle and she's close enough to you, she'll pull apart your gun and throw it aside, though you can pick up the individual pieces and get your gun back.]]

* In ''VideoGame/NeverwinterNights2'' much of the plot revolves around recovering shards of a silver sword used to fight the King of Shadows. Said sword exploded and [[spoiler: embedded a silver shard in the player character. The fragments must be reformed to fight the second coming of the King of Shadows.]]

* ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'' thoroughly subverts KatanasAreJustBetter when Dave Strider [[spoiler: gets [[CurbstompBattle curbstomped]] by Bro]], wrecking his [[BoldInflation CHEAP PIECE OF SHIT]] sword in the process. Interestingly, due to the in-universe mechanics of weapon-wielding, this changes his STRIFE SPECIBUS to One-Half Bladekind, which [[WeaponSpecialization only allows Dave to use ''broken'' swords]] to fight now.

** When [[TimeTravel Alpha Timeline Dave]] makes it to the point of retrieving the original Caledfwlch (i.e., Excalibur) from the stone, he [[spoiler: ''deliberately'' breaks it in the process instead of pulling it out "like a hero"]].

* Subverted in ''Webcomic/{{Juathuur}}'', in which Rowasu's sword breaks [[spoiler: ''after'' he kills his opponent.]]

* In ''Webcomic/YokokasQuest'', Mao's ribbon weapon [[MorphWeapon in the form of a dagger]] is [[PoisonIsCorrosive dissolved by a snake-centipede's poison]], and [[spoiler: Yokoka's ribbon weapon in the form of a sword gets slashed to pieces by Hurricane]].

** In Session 12, when Luna [[spoiler: severed off one of Alter's hands]], the sword [[spoiler: (along with the arm)]] that the latter was carrying [[spoiler: ended up disintegrating into a pile of molten goo]].
** In the GrandFinale, [[spoiler: Luna ends up breaking Absolution as she deals the killing blow to Chandrelle, keeping the hilt to later use as the symbol of a guild she founds.]]

** In [[Recap/StarWarsRebelsS2E19TwilightOfTheApprentice "Twilight of]] [[Recap/StarWarsRebelsS2E20TwilightOfTheApprenticePartII the Apprentice"]], besides [[spoiler:the Fifth and Eighth Brothers above,]] Ezra ends up facing [[spoiler: Darth Vader, who easily destroys his gunsaber when they briefly cross blades. Ezra builds a new lightsaber using the kyber crystal and some of the parts from his old lightsaber during the TimeSkip before Season 3.]]

** Optimus gets one of his blades broken again, also by Megatron, in the lead-up to the first season finale. This time, it ''stays'' broken for the following ''six episodes'', as he's too busy dealing with crises or [[spoiler: having amnesia]] to get it fixed.

** When Vera – injured and [[RevengeBeforeReason consumed by vengeance]] to the point of [[spoiler: having given up on her friends]] – finally reaches the Mogriffs' nest, her new bow is charred from the explosion she caused while fighting off Jade, and all she has left is one dagger. All she can do anymore is to hold Bladebeak hostage when she's surrounded by the Mogriffs and Phobos' soldiers before Jade arrives to restrain her.

** The fate of the [[DropTheHammer Forge of Solus Prime]], courtesy of Predaking. Unlike the other examples, it stays that way.

** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTearsOfTheKingdom'': Ganondorf immediately shows how powerful he is by almost killing Link with one blast of his dark magic and completely shattering the Master Sword's blade. Not only that, but he also breaks nearly every weapon across Hyrule, thereby giving an explanation why Link can't just reuse all the weapons from the last game, and making his Fuse ability vital for fighting enemies.

Although this is sometimes a [[MerchandiseDriven cheap and inexplicable device]] to show off a [[SoLastSeason new transformation]], more often the hero is figuratively neutered, and has to deal with the emotional aftermath. Even if he has a buddy who can fix it up, that won't be as important as him coming to grips with either his reasons for fighting or just learning not to be such a clod about it. If this is a videogame, it's by far the easiest way to REALLY [[PlayerPunch piss off the player]] along with their virtual avatar.

Naturally, this is much more emotional for the character if they also have a EmpathicWeapon and even worse if it's a EquippableAlly or other LivingWeapon. If the weapon is an actual [[ArtificialLimbs part of the character's body]], it's a FakeArmDisarm, which makes the crippling somewhat more literal.

For antagonists, such a moment can function similarly to a HeroKiller moment but without having to kill anyone important. A way to show that a villain is not the usual fare and will require something new to confront, the destruction of the hero's weapon signifying that the old ways are out. An OutsideContextProblem can often manifest like this when they first make their presence known, the hero trying to use their typical response but only to discover that they are ineffective, destroying their treasured weapon in the process. The answer to this is often a NextTierPowerUp, either by the hero forcing themselves to learn that they were more than their weapon (and thus finding new strength/resolve from within) or simply finding the SwordOfPlotAdvancement and/or InfinityPlusOneSword to make another stab at the villain.

In some cases the breaking of a character's weapon can be foreshadowing of that character's death (if it occurs shortly before), or symbolic of it (if it occurs during or shortly after). In this case there may be some overlap with TragicKeepsake if one of the character's friends keeps the weapon or a piece of it as a memento. If the weapon also has an association with a nation (for example the royal sword of the king) then it can even signify the fall of the nation in question. [[DestroyTheVillainsWeapon If a villain's weapon breaks]], it usually signifies that their reign has come to an end as a villain's weapon is usually a symbol of their power. Alternately, the breaking of a soldier's sword is normally a major part of an InsigniaRipOffRitual.

Although sometimes on rare occassions and if at all possible, the victim of this trope will continue to use the broken weapon or at least, pieces of it to fight[[note]]Like say, a blade of a sword being shattered yet there's still enough metal left for it to be used as a knife, even a type of polearm (like say a spear) or even staff, being bisected in half. Forcing the user to either [[DualWielding dual-wield]] or use the blade part of the stick as a dagger, and that's barely scratching the surface[[/note]].

May lead to ReforgedBlade, GiveMeASword or even ItWasAGift. Can be used for an IntimidationDemonstration.

Compare BreakableWeapons, where this is a gameplay mechanic instead of a plot event. Contrast LikeCannotCutLike. A weapon with DetachableBlades can simply replace the blade and it becomes usable again. See ScarredEquipment for weapons that are worn out.

* In ''Manga/ArmedGirlsMachiavellism'' this happens repeatedly, especially in the Hokkai arc. While there's no long term effect, as the characters are able to quickly replace their weapons, the moment one is broken leaves the user helpless in the ''current'' fight.

* ''Anime/BattleBDaman'' used it to the point of frustration to replace heroes' old marble shooting chibi robots with new ones built around a new system.

** Played straight at the beginning of the first major arc, when Rukia's brother and best friend turn up to take her back. The former ends up snapping Ichigo's unreleased Zanpakuto like a twig and piercing him in his "spiritual organs" (organs that produce spiritual energy), making him unable to create [[KiManipulation Reishi]] anymore. He has to undergo TrainingFromHell to get his powers back, and unlocks his sword's [[NextTierPowerUp Shikai state]] upon doing so.

* In ''Anime/BubblegumCrisis'', Priss' motoslave armor is destroyed by Largo's Hyperboomers, one of them crushing its head underfoot, and her hardsuit absolutely trashed to the point that it falls apart around her. Under the original script, this would have been followed by Priss being killed due to the voice actor's contractual complications. However, Priss was [[SavedByTheFans saved by an 11th hour fan-led campaign to save the character]]. In an ironic turnabout, when her new armor and motoslave conveniently show up in time to save her, the first thing the new motoslave does is crush the head of the Hyperboomer that destroyed its predecessor.

* Happens twice in ''Manga/{{Claymore}}'' during Clare's mission in Rabona. The Yoma Clare was ordered to hunt down first destroys the sword of a Human soldier, Galk, and then also smashes Clare's own knives. This to show how Human weapons are ineffective against Yoma and only the [[{{BFS}} Claymore swords]] that give the warriors like Clare their name are up to the task, especially because they're made of ThunderboltIron.

*** Earlier that same episode she does it to the BloodKnight Luciano, breaking each of his weapons one-by-one before delivering the FacepalmOfDoom as part of her LookWhatICanDoNow with the final version of the Guren.
** Bismarck has this happen to him during his mech rematch with Suzaku. He's strongest Knight in the world wielding a {{BFS}} larger than the mech he's riding on. The {{BFS}} is even named ''Excalibur''. Cue Suzaku delivering a very clean cut of the sword from the tip to the hilt with an equally clean DiagonalCut of the mech.

* Tyki Mikk of ''Manga/DGrayMan'' demonstrates how powerful he is by destroying protagonist Allen Walker's [[AppliedPhlebotinum Innocence]] single-handedly, after we've seen that barely anything can even scratch it. This is particularly nasty because Allen's Innocence happens to be his left arm, and it's also been made very clear that (1) Allen can't be an Exorcist without an Innocence, and (2) forcing anyone to synchronize with Innocence that's not destined to be theirs is at best fatal. [[spoiler:He gets better, and his Innocence is stronger for it.]]

** Trunks' sword chipped on contact with Android 18's arm. After this he decides not to use it in combat anymore because it clearly won't do the job, and he stops carrying it with him.

* Weapons get destroyed all the time in ''Anime/GundamBuildFighters'', since the show is about model kits rather than actual HumongousMecha. However, a character's Gunpla being wrecked usually serves the same purpose as this trope; for example, [[spoiler:Fellini's Wing Gundam Fenice gets mauled by the Qubeley Papillon just before Sei and Reiji's match against Aila to demonstrate how fearsome the Embody System is, and in the next episode Maoh's Gundam X Maoh is irreparably destroyed in a free battle against Julian [=McKenzie=]'s F91 Imagine to show that he's on the same level as the current Meijin, Tatsuya Yuuki.]]

** Bankotsu's halberd Banryu ends up getting blasted to pieces along with Bankotsu himself thanks to Inuyasha's [[CounterAttack Backlash Wave.]] Interestingly, Bankotsu had been such trouble up to that point because as a human using a man made weapon, he had no demonic aura to speak of. [[NiceJobFixingItVillain Then he made the mistake of upgrading the Banryu into a demon sword, thereby giving it an aura to reflect...]]
** Several times in the course of the series, Sango's [[BattleBoomerang Hiraikotsu]] will get cut in half, chewed up or otherwise rendered unfit for battle, forcing her to return to her demon slaying village to repair it. While it's usually more of a downplayed example due to her being able to fix it herself without much fuss, the final time it happens in the series requires her to go on a spirit journey of sorts to quell [[EmpathicWeapon the demon souls that reside within the Hiraikotsu]] due to them feeling betrayed by how the weapon got destroyed (Sango slathering it in corrosive poison slave and then feeding it to a bone eating demon who had already taken several bites out of it.) After she and the demons come to an agreement, the Hiraikotsu is reforged for a final time and granted brand new powers that put it back on par with everyone else's weapons right when the Hiraikotsu was beginning to wane in effectiveness.

** Similarly, Sword Knight and Blade Knight's swords get broken upon contact with Masher 2.0's nearly-impenetrable exterior.

** Nanoha's and Fate's wands cracking each other in ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha''. In the second season (''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaAs''), both Nanoha and Fate have their weapons heavily damaged in separate duels against the new antagonists.
** Fate had a version symbolic of her mental state near the end of the first season when she dropped her weapon in shock of [[spoiler: [[TomatoInTheMirror finding out her true nature]]]] and, combined with the damage it had received from her battle against Nanoha, it shattered upon hitting the ground. It remained that way until she recovered from her HeroicBSOD and jump-started it's self-repair function.

** Zoro has broken multiple swords on different occasions, three in the manga, at least four in the anime. In the manga the two unnamed swords he had when he met Luffy are destroyed in his duel against Mihawk. Later Yubashiri, one of the swords which replaced those blades, would be destroyed in a big fight against the Marines at Enies Lobby.

* In the early chapters of ''Manga/RaveMaster'', a member of Demon Card hunting Shiba and the Rave stones fights against Haru and snaps his sword, [[{{BFS}} "Ten Powers"]] (in some translations, "Ten Commandments"), the sword with ten forms, clean off at the hilt, prompting Haru to seek out a master blacksmith to reforge it better than ever. Later in the story, Haru fights Let of the Palace Guardians, and Let breaks the sword in half with a punch. Rather than be distraught over this development, Haru grabs one part in each hand and unveils the weapon's fifth form, "Blue Crimson", which actually is ''two'' swords. When he shifts the sword back to its default form, it is undamaged. The sword is destroyed for good near the end after Musica forges an even better one for Haru, since the sword's creator believes it is no longer needed in the world.

*** It had been attempted a number of times with the Fujiyama Tiger Breaker, but any attempt before Miracle 3 had failed or backfired horribly on the opponent due Tiger Mask seeing it coming and coming up with variations to neutralize any counter. Also, this move was used again, because, as said above, only Miracle 3 could counter it.
** {{Subverted}} when the Tiger V is countered during the Heel World Championship, as El Sicodelico succeeds only because Tiger Mask was injured and couldn't perform it properly. Then DoubleSubverted when Tiger Mask finds himself unable to fight back against his opponent's superior skill until [[BullyingTheDragon Sicodelico purposefully uses an illegal move to provoke him into using fouls he wanted to study, at which point Sicodelico is quickly annihilated due Tiger Mask's experience in fouls]]. The reforged part comes when [[TheCape El Sicodelico]] explains why he was even there: using fouls is actually legal in wrestling as long as it's stopped before three seconds, and he, unable to use them properly, wanted to study and learn them facing the foulest wrestlers in the world, inspiring Tiger Mask in doing just that and finally leave behind the nightmare of his past as a Tiger's Cave pupil.
* In ''Manga/{{Toriko}}'', Komatsu's beloved knife is broken when he accidentally tries to cut through a Don Acorn. But by the end of the next arc he has a new one [[spoiler: that can create gashes in mountains from ''swinging it''.]]

* It's not uncommon for Franchise/{{Batman}}'s poor Batmobile to get wrecked in some manner. Two notable moments were in ''ComicBook/{{Knightfall}}'', when Bats ends up setting off the SelfDestructMechanism that Jean-Paul Valley set up and ''[[ComicBook/BatmanNoMansLand Cataclysm]]'', where the earthquake that ravages Gotham causes the Batmobile of the time to get crushed.
* A new enemy damaging Comicbook/CaptainAmerica's [[LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe shield]] is generally a sign that this foe is to be taken very seriously indeed. For instance, [[spoiler: Odin's brother]] the Serpent in ''Comicbook/FearItself'' breaks the shield into pieces as an indicator that he is ludicrously dangerous and powerful. Also, the pieces of the shield are seen lying around Cap during his HeroicBSOD in the BadFuture of ''ComicBook/AgeOfUltron'', which indicates that [[CrapsackWorld the world]] really has gone to hell in a hand-basket.

** The "figuratively neutered" part of the trope comes in from a different angle, when she clobbers him in response to his ham-handed attempt to talk her into another sort of "consolation".

* In issue 10 of ''ComicBook/LokiAgentOfAsgard'' Thor breaks Gram the Sword of Truth, because he thinks Loki is not worthy to wield a hero's blade.

** Happens to Thor's hammer many times. What's interesting, mostly Mjölnir is broken because of magic, but last time it happens it is because Thor punches something too hard and powerful even for this weapon -- [[spoiler:his grandfather.]]

** In the final issue Franchise/WonderWoman broke ComicBook/{{Ares|DC}}' was axe and defeated him, driving him away from Paradise Island.

* ''Fanfic/BoldoresandBoomsticks'': During his his last battle with Yang, Tapu Koko detonates all the ammunition in one half of Ember Celica, rendering it inoperable.

* In ''Fanfic/MyHuntsmanAcademia'', Izuku wrecks the right gauntlet of his weapon, Emerald Gust, with his first use of One For All, warping the sturdy material so thoroughly that the only reason why he was able to get his hand out was because his fingers were thoroughly broken as well. He later gets them repaired and modified to have retractable finger guards to avoid a repeat incident.

** After Jade's army turns the tide of the battle at Snowpoint and she brings an avalanche down on to the Sky Hunters, Vera finds her bow trashed, symbolizing the truth Albel [[KnowWhenToFoldEm forces her to face; they've lost the battle that was supposed to end the siege of Snowpoint and must regroup]].

* ''Fanfic/VowOfNudity'': Haara's wooden spear is often destroyed or lost at some point in each story. Often she doesn't have time to craft another, and is forced to [[KleptomaniacHero steal a dropped weapon]] or [[BareFistedMonk fight bare-handed]] for the rest of the current adventure.

** After Duncan in ''Film/HighlanderTheSource'' [[ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks hurls his katana ]] through The Guardian's neck, he snaps it in two, and even impales [[spoiler:Joe Dawson]] through the chest with what's left of it. Duncan then picks up a pair of butterfly swords for the rest of the film.

* In ''Film/ThePunisher2004'', the bad guys send a Russian mercenary to beat up and kill Frank Castle. After taken quite a beating, Frank tries to grab his trusty revolver, only for the Russian to slam a 40 pound dumbell on the nozzel. The look on Frank's face when he sees the bent barrel is priceless.

** ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'': Luke loses his father's lightsaber ([[AnArmAndALeg as well as his hand]]) while fighting Darth Vader. Luckily, by ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'' he's built another one, and has gotten an artificial hand to match. This isn't a completely straight example, as the lightsaber simply falls down a chasm rather than being destroyed [[spoiler:(indeed, ''Film/TheForceAwakens'' has the weapon resurface after a matter of decades)]], but the symbolism is still intact because Luke lost his father's lightsaber for good [[spoiler:at first]].

** Tauriel attempts to stop Thranduril (her own king) from withdrawing from the battle, and even draws her bow. He instantly slices it in half with his sword.

** There are many ways to break ordinary weapons in the series. In general it's a really bad idea to attack powerful supernatural entities, like the Darklords or Demonlord Tagazin, with a non-magical weapon.

* ''Literature/FightingFantasy'': Happens plenty of times. If you broke your sword, you'll likely suffer a SKILL penalty. Sometimes this can happen in the middle of a battle against enemies (see ''Literature/KnightsOfDoom'', ''Literature/NightDragon'', ''Literature/CavernsOfTheSnowWitch'') whose powerful exterior armor / shielding spells proves too much for your weapon to handle, and that would be quite annoying.

* In some versions of Myth/ArthurianLegend, the SwordInTheStone gets broken when King Arthur is defeated in a duel with an enemy king. Myth/{{Merlin}} saves Arthur's life by magically knocking his opponent out cold, and takes him to the Lady of the Lake who gives him {{Excalibur}} as a replacement. When they meet the other king again, he becomes Arthur's friend, making this a double case of DefeatEqualsFriendship.

* At the end of ''Franchise/TheDarkTower'', Susannah, having crossed over into another dimesion to live out a normal life, discovers that one of Roland's revolvers has become completely unusable as a result. Roland abandons the other pistol in order to gain entry to the titular tower.

** A bit more straight playing is when Gandalf meets Saruman after Orthanc is ruined. "Saruman, your staff is broken." Boom. In the movie version this foreshadows Saruman's death.

** During Boromir's last stand, his sword is broken near the hilt and his horn is cleft in two. Unlike most other examples, this happened "offpage", and is mostly used to indicte how fierce the fighting was.

** The Tenth Doctor's sonic screwdriver is destroyed in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS29E1SmithAndJones "Smith and Jones"]] when he uses it on an X-Ray machine which fries it. The Doctor is distraught... for a few seconds, he then tosses it aside and by the end of the episode he's built himself a new (identical, so not a merchandising move) one.

* At the end of Episode 5 of ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'', [[spoiler:John Walker builds a new Captain America-style shield after losing the real one in his fight with Sam and Bucky.]] The thing barely lasts half the final episode before it ends up a dented and beat up mess.

** The titular Mandalorian's CoolStarship, the Razor Crest, is destroyed in the second season. In personal weapon matters his signature disrupter rifle is destroyed with it. This forces him to rely much more on the help of his tenuous allies and the mandalorian spear that survived the wreckage.

** [[Administrivia/PeopleSitOnChairs Extremely common]] in Megazord battles with monsters. Usually it's the monster's weapon that breaks and the monster just shrugs it off and switches to a Plan B attack (that may or may not do more damage than their initial weapon). On rare occasion, such as in Series/PowerRangersZeo, the monster Main Drain breaks the Zeo Megazord's power sword and then drains all of its energy. Luckily, Billy designed a new zord that managed to beat the monster and be the hot new toy kids wanted.

** And how Kang met his ending fighting The Albino by swinging away and driving his bat'leth right into a wall shattering it leaving him defenseless.

** The Sunder feat tree in 3/3.5 Edition lets any GM pull this against the players. There's a certain {{Jerkass}}-ish aspect to using it, though, as combat encounters are scaled to assume a minimum value of gear -- in other words, a fight appropriate for a 10th-level party is appropriate for that party with full gear worth at least 49,000 gold pieces ''each''. And given the costs of a good magic weapon, having that villain break yours means you may have just seen a massive set-back in your effectiveness.

* Starting in ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamCity'' one of the advanced combo moves is "Disarm and Destroy", in which you rip an enemy's weapon (be it shield, knife, gun, bat, or stun baton) out of their hand and [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin destroy it]]. Its one of the more useful moves, as using "Instant Takedown" on (for example) a shield mook knocks the mook out, but leaves the shield for someone else to pick up complicating the fight.
** Invoked in ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamKnight'', as the titutlar knight destroys [[spoiler: the Batmobile]], which had been a critical and constant part of the game. Subverted only a few scenes later, as it is revealed [[spoiler: Alfred had a spare]].
* ''VisualNovel/Case03TrueCannibalBoy'': The nazar Marty received from Brucie is damaged in the fight with the Cannibal Boy of Mt. Candyhouse. Brucie admits the nazar was a cheap product that he bought off a street vendor from Turkey. While it was useful against Gla'aki's minions, it's not strong enough to defend against the Cannibal Boy.

** The start of the original Relic questline has you trying to hunt down a legendary blade, which has been taken. Once you retrieve it, the blacksmith notes how terrible of shape its in from its disuse and wrongful possession, forcing you into a quest to reforge it.

* In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemGenealogyOfTheHolyWar'', all weapons break after fifty uses, and then need to be repaired. In a case more relevant to the trope, the holy sword Tyrfing ends up broken (presumed to be due to Lord Byron having charged across a desert, while being persued by an army) and Sigurd's father has to crawl across the battlefield to give it to him. And Sigurd then gets it... and it costs 50000G (aka the [[{{Cap}} maximum amount of gold you can carry]]) to repair it. But it's the InfinityPlusOneSword, so it's worth it.

** As ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'' is the first game in the series to make BreakableWeapons a core mechanic, it shouldn't be a surprise that a Wrecked Weapon shows up. [[spoiler:That weapon is the '''Master Sword'''; before the Great Calamity, Link was faced with unending hordes of Guardians, and the Blade of Evil's Bane took enough damage to the point where parts of it rusted and chipped from all the nonstop combat. While the blade looks good as new in the present day, its adherence to ''Breath of the Wild''[='=]s Breakable Weapons system[[labelnote:*]]it can only be used for about fourty swings, eighty around manifestations of Malice, before it runs out of energy with a ten-minute recharge period[[/labelnote]] indicates that it still hadn't repaired itself completely.]]

* This can be a recurring event in ''VideoGame/MiddleEarthShadowOfWar''. When Talion loses to an Olog-Hai, said Olog can decide to break Talion's sword to further humiliate him, removing it from the player's inventory. Should Talion succesfully take revenge on the Olog, his broken sword is automatically repaired and even upgraded.
* A meta example in ''VideoGame/MuramasaTheDemonBlade''; it becomes annoying whenever an enemy wears out your sword, and it also forces you to switch weapons, which generally results in a screen filling slash which could be construed as the characters really pissed off about losing their sword... until it heals.
* In ''VideoGame/NeverwinterNights2'' much of the plot revolves around recovering shards of a silver sword used to fight the King of Shadows. Said sword exploded and [[spoiler: embedded a silver shard in the player character.The fragments must by reformed to fight the second coming of the King of Shadows.]]

* Your first weapon in ''VideoGame/{{Perish}}'' is a snapped sword consisting of a few inches of steel (it's hilt is longer than the "blade", for reference). You gain better weapons as the game progresses.
* In ''VideoGame/SamuraiShodown II'', every character had both a weapon, and a manoeuvre to break the opponent's weapon. This typically left them without some, most, or all of their special moves (Cham Cham would obviously not be able to throw her boomerang, but still had her other moves; Wan-Fu's specials all involved his weapon swinging somehow).

** In ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsOriginalGeneration Gaiden'', Sanger Zonvolt's trusty [[{{BFS}} Zankantou]] is shattered on the [[HumongousMecha mech]] of [[TheBigGuy Shura Magnus]]. Magnus expected this to win the fight for him, until Sanger revealed that the [=DyGenGuar's=] original weapons (which were non functional when it was first activated, hence the Zankantou), had been repaired. Magnus promptly eats a [[WaveMotionGun General Blaster]] to the face.

** In the Volume 8 finale, Jaune and Cinder fight over the fate of the Winter Maiden, leading to Jaune's sword being destroyed as a symbol for how he's been forced to break his ideals and his heart in the process. It remains broken throughout Volume 9, and [[SanitySlippage so does Jaune]]. [[spoiler:Cinder fatally wounding the Winter Maiden causes her to ask Jaune to finish the deed so that she can choose a successor for the power and prevent it from going by default to Cinder. The sword breaks at the point where it is stained with the Maiden's blood.]]

* ''Webcomic/AngelMoxie'': Parodied. When Riley try to figure out how the wand work [[http://www.venisproductions.com/angelmoxie/archives/0/0/006.html she accidentally breaks it]], but it instantly [[http://www.venisproductions.com/angelmoxie/archives/0/0/007.html rebuilds itself]]. Also the EvilMinions have the bad habit of destroying Riley's [[EnergyWeapon laser guns]], but [[MadScientist she's good at building new ones]]. [[spoiler:The trope is also used dead serious near the end of the comic, when Yzin damages the wand beyond repair]].

* [[Webcomic/DeadWinter Lizzie Cooper]] [[http://www.deadwinter.cc/page/102 loses her first mop]] when her former boss Frank delivers a kick that breaks it (and her ribs). Later on Lizzie breaks the scope of the deceased [=OmniMart=] Wayne [=McMasters=] when trying to drop it for Monday.

** Although Future Dave seems to have got around this by combining a broken sword with his time turntables to create CALEDSCRATCH, a broken sword that can be rewound back to when it was whole.

** The trope is subverted earlier in [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0017.html strip #17]]: after failing a spot check and becoming surrounded, Belkar accidentally breaks Elan's Rapier with a well-placed "Damnit!" (mentioned earlier: "I could sunder that thing by speaking too loudly!"). A broken sword has much less effect on Elan than it does on for Roy for several reasons: 1) Roy specializes in the use of his weapon, and Elan's is mostly for looking cool; 2) Elan wasn't very effective to begin with.

* In ''WesternAnimation/CodeLyoko'', this happens a few times to Ulrich's katana, but being a virtual weapon it is intact on his next virtualization. Most notable is in "The Pretender", where Frelions blast the sword with their lasers, higher and higher, until it disintegrates. Ulrich still manages to destroy them barehanded or [[ImprovisedWeapon with a shard of stone]]. This also happened once to [[CombatHandFan Yumi's fans]] in "Lab Rats", when she threw them to [[TheDragon XANA]]-[[BrainwashedAndCrazy William]]... Who catches them and destroy them with his SuperSmoke. This leaves her defenseless against him, and by the time Jérémie manages to reprogram the fans, XANA-William devirtualizes Yumi.
* The poor [[CoolCar Ecto-1]] gets wrecked by a weather controlling ghost in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/ExtremeGhostbusters'', prompting MrFixit Roland to declare ItsPersonal, since he had spent all day cleaning and maintaining the thing.
* ''WesternAnimation/GerryAndersonsNewCaptainScarlet'': Spectrum write off a ''lot'' of [[AwesomePersonnelCarrier Rhinos]] and White Falcon interceptors, but on one occasion this trope kicks off the whole plot of an episode; Captain Blue accidentally trashed some guy's Harley while pursuing a Mysteron agent, and the guy retaliated by stealing the [[CoolBike Spectrum Raid Bike]] that Captain Ochre had ridden to the scene. Colonel White was ''not'' pleased when he found out she'd forgotten to set the immobiliser.
* In the MerchandiseDriven '80s cartoon ''WesternAnimation/{{MASK}}'', the heroes' transforming vehicles were occasionally damaged or shot up, but never really destroyed. But in one memorable episode the BigBad gets his hands on an experimental melting-ray and dissolves Hondo's truck, Firecracker, into a puddle of goo. He's naturally dejected at the loss, but at the [[ResetButton end of the episode]], he gets a brand new transforming '57 Chevy to replace it. By contrast, later seasons simply gave the characters a second vehicle with no real fanfare.
* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': In the second aprt of the season 9 premiere, King Sombra destroys one of Equestria's powerful objects, the Elements of Harmony in order to get one over on the good guys.

** The Star Saber was destroyed by Megatron the episode after it was introduced. Given that in its introduction it [[StoryBreakerPower sliced a mountain in half]], this outcome was not especially surprising. It's reforged later, but spends most of the following season out of the heroes' hands.

* Even into the modern era, many militaries issue officers with ceremonial swords as a symbol of their office and authority. Should they be put through an InsigniaRipOffRitual, this often includes snapping the sword (often with the blade scored or filed to make it easier).[[/folder]]

* ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry5'': [[BigBad Urizen]] shatters Dante's sword Rebellion with a punch. [[spoiler:Dante keeps the hilt, and eventually is inspired to stab himself with the bit of blade left. This causes him to absorb the Sword of Sparda and the remains of Rebellion to form a new sword, the Devil Sword Dante - as well as unleash his [[SuperMode Sin Devil Trigger]].]]

** In the final battle, [[spoiler:Yhwach uses his powers to alter the future into one where Ichigo's Bankai breaks instantly. However, Shukuro Tsukishima uses his powers to alter the past and repair it. Yhwach breaks Ichigo's Bankai again, but this time, it transforms into his original Bankai from before it was reforged and he kills Yhwach.]]

** ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'': Luke loses his father's lightsaber ([[AnArmAndALeg as well as his hand]]) while fighting Darth Vader. Luckily, by ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'' he's built another one, and has gotten an artificial hand to match. This isn't a completely straight example, as the lightsaber simply falls down a chasm rather than being destroyed [[spoiler:(indeed, ''Film/TheForceAwakens'' has the weapon resurface after a matter of decades)]], but the symbolism is still intact due to the fact that Luke had pretty much lost his father's lightsaber for good [[spoiler:at first]].

* The end of the fight between [[Manga/{{Berserk}} Guts]] and [[VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses Dimitri]] sees [[spoiler:the heavily-injured Guts using the [[SuperpoweredEvilSide Berserker Armor]] to survive Dimitri's attempted finishing blow and strike with [[{{BFS}} Dragonslayer]] hard enough to slice through the shaft of the spear Areadhbar, sending Dimitri to the ground. Dimitri grabs the glaive's head and [[DefiantToTheEnd brings it up in a final effort to defend himself]], but Guts [[DiedStandingUp expires in mid-swing]] from bleed-out before he can strike the final blow, giving Dimitri the win.]]

** In ''Film/Aquaman2018'', Orm shatters Arthur's trident during their CombatByChampion in the Ring of Fire. [[spoiler: Arthur returns the favor during their rematch in the FinalBattle.]]

** Fate had a version symbolic of her mental state near the end of the first season when she dropped her weapon in shock of [[spoiler: [[TomatoInTheMirror finding out her]] [[CloningBlues true nature]]]] and, combined with the damage it had received from her battle against Nanoha, it shattered upon hitting the ground. It remained that way until she recovered from her HeroicBSOD and jump-started it's self-repair function.

* A Chevalier showed off just how powerful he was by destroying Saya's signature sword in ''Anime/BloodPlus'', just by [[MakeMeWannaShout yelling]].

* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'', assassin-for-hire Bane makes his presence in Gotham known by smashing the [[CoolCar Batmobile]] with his bare hands. Another villain, Lockup, puts a boot (wheel clamp) on it.