History OneHitKill / VideoGames

*** Ahriman enemy in Lunar Subterrane inflicts Doom on single target, which kills target after 10 turns. The Plague Horror does this at the beginning of fight tot he whole party, essentially turning the fight into a TimedMission.

** In addition to the standard Death spell, ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'' has Warp, which kills all enemies in a range -- but you won't get any loot, EXP, or LP from them, unlike Death. The Technicks Sight Unseeing and Bonecrusher can potentially one-hit kill enemies, but the former is usable only when you're Blinded, the latter can one-hit kill ''you'' if it misses, and [[UselessUsefulSpell both are rather unreliable]]. The [[SummonMagic Esper]] Zalera is called the "Death Seraph", and appropriately, his repertoire consists of Death, Warp, Kill (a one-target version of Warp), and Condemnation (a LimitBreak that kills enemies with less than 9999 health and deals {{Cap}}-breaking damage to anything with more). As a boss, he has a special attack called Prime Level Death, which [=KOs=] all party members whose levels are prime numbers. There's also Dimensional Rift, a attack exclusive to a few Reaper-type enemies that allows them to instantly kill a character [[TakingYouWithMe and themselves]]. Zodiark's Darkja has a chance of inflicting you with either Blind, instant Death, or both; while Blind can be negated by a Goggle Mask, Argyle Armlet, or Ribbon, there is nothing in the game that can protect you from instant Death, meaning if you're stupid enough to enter the battle with your best characters, Zodiark can eliminate them right off the bat. Finally, the superboss Yiazmat not only has a special OHKO Technick called Death Strike, but his regular attacks also have a 5% chance of killing you outright.

** In most ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' games, the [[SummonMagic summoned monster]] Odin has a one-hit kill attack with his ''[[DiagonalCut Zantetsuken]]''. Naturally, [[UselessUsefulSpell it doesn't work on bosses.]] [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII Odin learns that the hard way.]] In some games, like ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyV'', he gets a second attack to make up for it, Gungnir Lance.
** The Tonberries creep slowly towards you and then stab you to death. In some cases, it's not an ''instant'' death attack, but just does obscene amounts of damage. Later versions added the [[http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Karma "Karma"]] ability, which deals damage equal to the number of enemies a character has landed the killing blow on, sometimes with a positive modifier (i.e. the number of killing blows x10, x20, etc). This can lead to odd circumstances where your main character is [=OHKOed=], but your White Mage or a party member you haven't been using much takes very little damage if any at all.
** Light Pillar in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'', used by both weapons. Like Globe/Object 199 from ''IV'' it is not instant death effect ''per se'', but it always does 9,999 HP damage so it kills anything it hits.

** The "Roulette" Blue Magic, which chooses one victim among all the current combatants. Unblockable, but doesn't kill the undead (they regenerate, as it's an "instant death" effect).
** There's also the Jumbo Cactuar's "[[DeathOfAThousandCuts 10,000 Needles]], which hits for 1 damage 10,000 times in a series where the HP {{Cap}} is 9,999. One game has an ability that allows you to exceed this cap, but the same game has a super boss called the Cactuar King with a 99,999 Needles attack. Guess what the boosted HP cap is.
** And (in)famously, ReviveKillsZombie. A single Phoenix Down is enough to destroy the [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI Phantom Train]], [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII the "Fake President" Gerogero]], and most undead {{Mooks}}. Inverted in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'', where the [[GameBreaker Clan-exclusive accessory, Nihopalaoa]], reverses the effects of consumable items -- by equipping it, any character can toss a Phoenix Down at any living foe (that isn't immune against Death) and kill it instantly with 100% success rate. By that same logic, that same character can toss a Soft at an enemy and cause instant Stone status (Soft heals petrification and stone.)

*** Dark Yojimbo and Dark Magus Sisters' overdrive causes 99,999 HP damage (''times six'' in the case of the latter) and also dispel any buffs including Auto-Life your party has, so in this case it is truly one hit kill unless you have an Aeon out.

*** Dark Yojimbo and Dark Magus Sisters' overdrive cause 99,999 HP damage (''times six'' in the case of latter) and also dispel any buff including Auto-Life your party has, so in this case it is truly one hit kill unless you have an Aeon out.

*** [[DemonicSpiders Trap Doors]] in Sealed Cave have skill Ninth Dimension that kills target instantly. They indicate who they are going to target beforehand, but usually there is little you can do, though in DS version this can be neutered by giving Cecil Draw Attacks augments and Aegis Shield (if you visited Feymarch) that protects against Instant Death effects.

*** Globe 199/Object 199 used by CPU among other things always does 9,999 damage, thusly killing anyone it hits.

** Aside from Death spells and Zantetsuken, ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV'' has Globe/Object 199, which usually does profane amounts of damage instead of inflicting instant death. It's just the damage tends to be in excess of however much HP the target is expected to have, so it achieves the same effect. This is the reason you keep the Attack Node (Defense Node in the DS version instead) alive and blast away at the CPU once its counterpart is slagged. Likewise, once the Demon Wall [[AdvancingWallOfDoom gets close enough]], it starts using the attack Crush, which is an unstoppable instant kill.

** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV'' has an AdvancingBossOfDoom, the Demon Wall, that possesses one of these. Once it gets far enough to the right, it starts using "Crush", a completely unavoidable and unblockable instant kill. The idea is that it's literally crushing your party against the opposite wall. You can avoid this by killing it before it gets far enough, but that's the ''only'' way to keep it from one-shotting your party members.

* ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' as pletinful things that can be considered one hit kills
** The water in ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto2'' can instantly kill as soon as the progatonist touches the water compared to 3D era games like ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIII'', ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoViceCity'' and ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoLibertyCityStories'' as those protagonists will slowly [[SuperDrowningSkills drown to death]].
** Explosions in the classic GTA games and HD rendintions can one hit kill for the player.
** In ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoSanAndreas'', impacting the ground while freefalling in parachute can instantly kill CJ even with full max health.
** The Rhino tanks from Liberty City and Vice City rendintions can destroy any vehicle (except another Rhino thank) with the slightiest contact while being operated by the player or the military soldiers.
** In ''V'' a high speed car crash can easily kill the protagonist.
** Also, in ''V'' there are animals that can be one hit kill for the player such as the [[CatsAreMean cougars]] and [[ThreateningShark sharks]].
** In ''V'' stalking to another protagonist, he will lose his patience and punch you (Michael and Franklin) or headbutt you (Trevor) killing you instantly.
** in ''San Andreas'' there are NonStandardGameOver triggerings such as shooting inside in the plane and causing it to explode in Stowaway, falling off of the plane without a parachute in the aforementioned mission and being trapped in the freezer in "The Meat Bussiness".

** In addition to the standard Death spell, ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'' has Warp, which kills all enemies in a range -- but you won't get any loot, EXP, or LP from them, unlike Death. The Technicks Sight Unseeing and Bonecrusher can potentially one-hit kill enemies, but the former is usable only when you're Blinded, the latter can one-hit kill ''you'' if it misses, and [[UselessUsefulSpell both are rather unreliable]]. The [[SummonMagic Esper]] Zalera is called the "Death Seraph", and appropriately, his repertoire consists of Death, Warp, Kill (a one-target version of Warp), and Condemnation (a LimitBreak that kills enemies with less than 9999 health and deals {{Cap}}-breaking damage to anything with more). As a boss, he has a special attack called Prime Level Death, which [=KOs=] all party members whose levels are prime numbers. There's also Dimensional Rift, a attack exclusive to a few Deathscythe-type enemies that allows them to instantly kill a character [[TakingYouWithMe and themselves]]. Zodiark's Darkja has a chance of inflicting you with either Blind, instant Death, or both; while Blind can be negated by a Goggle Mask, Argyle Armlet, or Ribbon, there is nothing in the game that can protect you from instant Death, meaning if you're stupid enough to enter the battle with your best characters, Zodiark can eliminate them right off the bat. Finally, the superboss Yiazmat not only has a special OHKO Technick called Death Strike, but his regular attacks also have a 5% chance of killing you outright.

* ''VideoGame/Psychonauts'':

* ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'':

* ''VideoGame/DigimonStoryCyberSleuth'' and ''VideoGame/DigimonStoryCyberSleuthHackersMemory'' have instant death as one of the games' eight status ailments. Several Digimon can learn Destruction, a weak [[CastingAShadow dark-elemental]] attack with a decent chance of inflicting it. Some Digimon also have unique attacks that have a chance of inflicting instant death after damage, such as Gallantmon Crimson Mode's Quo Vadis. There are also support abilities like the Keramon line's Destroyer or Belphemon Rage Mode's Furious Howl that add it to existing attacks. The most unique take on the one-hit kill in either game is Knightmon's Berserk sword, a 30% accuracy NonDamamgingStatusInflictionAttack, whose status is Instant Death.

* ''VideoGame/DigimonStoryCyberSleuth'' and ''VideoGame/DigimonStoryCyberSleuthHackersMemory'' have instant death as one of the games' eight status ailments. Several Digimon can learn Destruction, a weak [[CastingAShadow dark-elemental]] attack with a decent chance of inflicting it. Some Digimon also have unique attacks that have a chance of inflicting instant death after damage, such as Gallantmon Crimson Mode's Quo Vadis. There are also support abilities like the Keramon line's Destroyer or Belphemon Rage Mode's Furious Howl that add it to existing attacks. The most unique take on the one-hit kill in either game is Knightmon's Berserk sword, a FixedDamageAttack that deals zero damage at 30% accuracy, with a guaranteed insta-kill as a secondary effect should it hit.

* [[LimitBreak Super Attacks]] in ''VideoGame/PlaystationAllStarsBattleRoyale''. The game's battle system is based around finding ways to land these to score points, up to three levels of strength/ease-of-use. Some examples mentioned elsewhere in the page include [[VideoGame/HeavenlySword Kai's arrows]] (combined with StuffBlowingUp) and [[VideoGame/{{Tekken}} Kuma's]] [[{{Fartillery}} Fatal Wind]].

* ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}'':

* In ''VideoGame/DoomEternal'', the [[LaserBlade Crucible]] is capable of killing almost any demon in a single slash (save for Doom Hunters, who require two hits -- one to destroy the sled and another to actually kill it, as well as [[ContractualBossImmunity bosses]]).

* ''{{Franchise/Pokemon}}'':

** In the eighth level of the first game, the propellers in the lower end of the ship's stern can kill the characters instantly upon contact. They can only be disabled for a limited time, and it's the reason why getting the Jiggy behind them is called ThatOneSidequest.
** Also in the first game, but in the last level, the eponymous characters play a quiz game. Failing to answer a question on the green-eyed skull tiles will send them to the lava automatically, and they will die.
** In ''Banjo-Tooie'', the sequel, the characters are crushed by a ton of iron if they lose during any of the three rounds of the Tower of Tragedy minigame.

* In ''VideoGame/ConkersBadFurDay'', some hazards and boss attacks are deadly if the eponymous character isn't equipped with something (i.e. being inside a tank or having a space suit). The propellers in the passage leading to the Uga Buga level, the rotating chainsaw from the Experiment, and the [[spoiler: tail slash from the Alien]] are signature examples. The Magnum's shots, any BoomHeadshot hit, the chainsaw, and the katana blade all have this effect in multiplayer as well. The bazooka is this in both multi and story modes.

** ''VideoGame/JakIIRenegade'''s Peacemaker kills any enemy save bosses in one shot, and BorderPatrol sentry bot will also kill Jak in one hit independently of his remaining health. In the [[Videogame/Jak3Wastelander sequel]], Peacemaker's upgrade, Supernova, will also kill everything but the boss in large radius.
** Fully upgraded Armageddon missile ''VideoGame/JakAndDaxterTheLostFrontier''. While lower-level Armageddon missile is a weapon that "just" deals an obscene damage, the fully upgraded version shoots a missile that splits into about 9 others that each oneshots any non-boss enemy in the game (and deals a ton of damage to bosses). To drive the point home, it is the only weapon that has its power shown as infinite. That being said, it's incredibly tedious to buy the final upgrade before finishing the game.

** Series-wide: In most 2D games, the Screw Attack is lethal for non-boss creatures. It's a reason why it's often obtained late. In the case of ''VideoGame/Metroid1'', this also happens with the Missile.

** The Nova Beam. By itself, the Nova Beam is just a high-frequency weapon that can damage enemies regardless of the special Phazite armor they may be wearing. Use it in conjunction with the previously gained X-Ray Visor, however, and you can start targeting some enemies' internal organs for instant kills (one of the bosses, Metroid Hatcher, can be killed this way as well).
** The Mining Cannon in Pirate Homeworld, which is powered by the Nova Beam, will use a traction attack to suck you and the incoming Space Pirates towards the middle of the room. The objective is to lure the Pirates into the Cannon once the sucking process starts, but you must also avoid getting sucked by it yourself. Failure to resist will result in one of the entire series' few instant deaths.

* ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroesIII'' has an early cutscene that shows the squid-like Ohma firing its gastro cannon at the city of Santa Destroy and killing everyone in the firing range. [[spoiler:Travis has to eventually go up against Velvet Chair Girl and Ohma for the No. 6 fight. If you brush off the Musical Chairs game in the first half or let Ohma get a shot on you in the second? [[GameOver YOU DEAD.]]]]

** In most 2D games, the Screw Attack is lethal for non-boss creatures. It's a reason why it's often obtained late. In the case of ''VideoGame/Metroid1'', this also happens with the Missile.

** ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime3Corruption'' has an example in the Nova Beam. By itself, the Nova Beam is just a high-frequency weapon that can damage enemies regardless of the special Phazite armor they may be wearing. Use it in conjunction with the previously gained X-Ray Visor though, and you can start targeting some enemies' internal organs for instant kills (one of the bosses, Metroid Hatcher, can be killed this way as well).

** ''VideoGame/MetroidSamusReturns''

*** The Instant Kill attacks in ''VideoGame/BlazBlue'' have been un-nerfed even further, as all it takes is for your character to have a full SP meter in a deciding round, and it will take out any opponent, regardless of how much life they have left.

* ''VideoGame/BlazBlue'':

** In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'', scimitar-wielding Gerudo Guards can pull this on you during a duel, if they land a spin attack on you. It instantly knocks Link out, regardless of his health, and he wakes up in their prison, which is [[CardboardPrison easily escapable by Hookshoting onto the wooden awning and jumping right out]], and from there, you have to fight that same guard all over again to free the imprisoned carpenter.

* Helicopter and plane bullets are always one-hit kills in ''VideoGame/{{Wolf}}''. Bullets fired by ground-based hunters may sometimes be one-hit kills, but are just as often two-hit kills.