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11[[quoteright:278:[[ComicBook/GIJoeARealAmericanHeroMarvel https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/in_the_back_9.png]]]]
12
13->''"A true friend stabs you in the front."''
14-->-- '''Folklore'''
15
16Only a DirtyCoward would shoot someone in the back. Or knife them.
17
18BackToBackBadasses is to prevent this — provided the other character is [[PowerOfTrust trustworthy]].
19
20On the other hand, if they can't let you escape, and you are the DirtyCoward fleeing a fight, it may happen anyway, particularly up against a CombatPragmatist. It also doesn't apply to TapOnTheHead, which is non-lethal and not seriously dangerous — fictionally. If the blow can seriously injure or kill, however, it is a different story.
21
22When TheDogBitesBack, this often comes into play.
23
24It does not necessarily apply to executions, or when the BigBad decides to turn his back on TheHero in order to stab a hostage. If a HeroicBystander shoots a villain in the back, it will most likely be considered, well, heroic, which may or may not be just justified by the [[ConvenientlyTimedAttackFromBehind villain threatening someone else's life]].
25
26Sometimes employed as [[DroppedABridgeOnHim an unceremonious end]] to what is otherwise a badass famous character — a staple of westerns.
27
28May go hand-in-hand with ISurrenderSuckers.
29
30Compare BackStab for a video game special move based on this trope. '''This trope is for narrative uses. If a gameplay mechanic is involved, please move to that trope.''' Can be used as DynamicEntry, in which case a SurprisinglySuddenDeath usually ensues. Beware BackstabBackfire.
31
32----
33!!Examples:
34[[foldercontrol]]
35[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
36* ''Manga/{{Beastars}}'': At the climax of the Meteor Festival Arc, the boss of the Shishigumi is defeated by Legoshi, who chooses to spare his life. The boss then "repays" him by pulling out a gun and trying to shoot Legoshi as he walks away. Thankfully, he is stopped by Louis, who kills him before he gets the chance to actually pull the trigger.
37* In ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'', it's actually recommended procedure for Shinigami to attack Hollows from behind. This is a mixture of [[CombatPragmatist pragmatism]] and a desire to avoid feeling guilt upon seeing the Hollow's human face.
38** When Squad 6 come to arrest Rukia in the Agent of the Shinigami arc, Ichigo tries to intervene and fights the Squad 6 lieutenant Renji Abarai. Just as Ichigo is winning, captain Kuchiki Byakuya {{Flash Step}}s in from behind and breaks Ichigo's sword. As Ichigo turns to face him, Byakuya {{Flash Step}}s again behind Ichigo, stabbing him in the back right through his heart, ending the fight and leaving Ichigo to die. In a show where most fights last several episodes, [[CurbStompBattle this one]] is [[OneHitKill over in seconds]]. In fact, it all happenes so fast that Ichigo is on the ground before he even knows that he's been attacked. (Renji reveals that this is Byakuya's favorite attack for minor opponents. In their HeroicRematch it doesn't work so well.)
39** A weird example happens with Starrk and Wonderweiss. Turning up behind the man, Wonderweiss puts his ''hand'' through Ukitake's chest, causing Kyoraku to go for ''him'' by flash-stepping behind the "kid". However, before Wonderweiss gets hit, Starrk takes advantage of the distraction to shoot Kyoraku in the back. Kyoraku, being a fine CombatPragmatist himself, later returns the favour.
40** Soifon, Shunsui Kyoraku, Toshiro Hitsugaya, and Shinji Hirako team up on Aizen, whom Hitsugaya successfully stabs in the back. Sadly, [[spoiler:that wasn't really Aizen, but Hinamori, his best friend, placed under an illusion. [[NoOneShouldSurviveThat Luckily, she lives long enough to receive medical treatment.]]]]
41** After [[spoiler:[[ArcVillain Ginjo]] reveals his true colors and [[PowerParasite steals his Fullbring]]]], Ichigo is stabbed in the back, seemingly by Isshin and Urahara. [[spoiler:It's actually [[TheBusCameBack Rukia]] who's stabbing him, in order to [[BaitAndSwitch restore Ichigo's Shinigami powers]].]]
42** Askin is defeated by [[spoiler:[[EnemyMine Grimmjow]]]] when the latter [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice impales his chest from behind with his hand]] while in his [[spoiler:Resurrección]] and [[BeatStillMyHeart tears out his heart]].
43** After [[spoiler:[[EvilVersusOblivion Aizen]] uses [[MasterOfIllusion himself]] as a [[ImmortalLifeIsCheap decoy]]]], [[CombatPragmatist Ichigo]] exploits the opening to attack [[BigBad Yhwach]] from behind.
44* Momose from ''Manga/BloodyCross'' has been known to use her [[CastingAShadow shadow manipulating]] abilities to [[StealthHiBye sneak up]] behind opponents and stab them in the back.
45* In ''Literature/ACertainMagicalIndex'', one teleport esper, Kill-Point, can only teleport directly behind people, and ''only'' people in his line of sight. As such, this is his preferred attack style. Accelerator quickly figures him out and puts several bullets through his limbs.
46* ''Anime/CodeGeass'':
47** Gino Weinberg, the Knight of Three, certainly isn't above this. This is how he [[spoiler:kills Ryoga Senba of the Four Holy Swords, and how he destroys the otherwise [[BeehiveBarrier highly guarded]] Shinkiro much later]].
48** [[spoiler:When Cornelia turns on Schneizel out of disgust for his plan to enact a rule of fear, Schneizel remotely activates a turret behind her as she tries to cut him down, and it puts a bunch of holes in her. She somehow managed to survive that.]]
49* A very brutal version of this happens to [[TheAtoner Beelzemon]] in ''Anime/DigimonTamers''; in one of their fights with the [[BigBad D-Reaper]], he gets an opportunity to rescue its hostage, [[TheWoobie Jeri]], and goes for it. He's so desperate and focused on saving her [[MustMakeAmends to make amends]] that he completely forgets to keep his guard up. The D-Reaper notices and ''[[spoiler:shoots half a dozen razor-sharp flying discs into his spine]]''. '''OUCH.''' [[spoiler: He survives, but barely, and his injuries are so severe that he's sidelined for the rest of the war.]]
50* ''Manga/DragonBallZ'':
51** Krillin attempts to do this with his Destructo Disk against Vegeta in his Oozaru form (it fails) and Frieza (after his first transformation), where he only manages to lob off some of the latter's tail. Though if the villains hadn't reacted ''right'' when they did, Krillin could've easily killed them both, despite them being vastly stronger than him.
52** Frieza himself tries this. Goku beats him, and now he's [[{{Pun}} not half the despot he used to be]]. So he tries to blast the Super Saiyan from behind. Not smart, Frieza. Just not smart at all.
53* ''[[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion The End of Evangelion]]'':
54** There's a scene where a JSSDF commando sneaks up on a NERV gate guard, grabs him by the face, and pushes a knife into his back. It's quite horrifying, as you see the guard arch his spine, groan, and then go limp.
55** In another scene we see one gun down NERV staff whilst they're running away from the JSSDF with their backs turned.
56* ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'':
57** [[spoiler:Lust stabs Havoc in the back after having pretended to be his sweet and loving girlfriend. He survives, but it leaves him paraplegic.]]
58** [[spoiler:Buccaneer does this to [[OldRetainer Fu]] in order to injure Bradley after Fu's [[TakingYouWithMe suicide attack]] fails, ensuring that Fu's HeroicSacrifice will not be [[SenselessSacrifice in vain]].]]
59* ''Anime/TheGalaxyRailways'':
60** [[spoiler:Manabu's brother]] dies when a space pirate shoots him in the back.
61** [[spoiler:Bruce]] is killed when a thug he pissed off earler in the episode shoots him in the back while he's buying a drink from a soda machine.
62* Juubei attempts to kill Kazuki this way in ''Manga/GetBackers'', but Kazuki dodges very slightly at the last second.
63* ''Manga/GTOTheEarlyYears'': Fumiya stabs Kamata in the back, showing how dangerous and willing to kill he is.
64* In ''Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers'', Japan does this to his adoptive older brother China. We don't see it because of a GoryDiscretionShot, but we can assume that poor China tried to run away when he saw Japan pointing the sword at him. Later on we can see the scar.
65* ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'':
66** ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventurePhantomBlood Phantom Blood]]'': Dio Brando stabs Jonathan's father George in the back, [[TakingTheBullet though it was actually Jonathan himself Dio was aiming for]].
67** ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureBattleTendency Battle Tendency]]'': Kars quickly proves what a dishonorable cheat he is when he distracts Lisa-Lisa with a body double and stabs her in the back after he had just agreed to a fair duel with her for the Red Stone of Aja.
68** ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureStardustCrusaders Stardust Crusaders]]'': J. Geil's [[FightingSpirit Stand]], Hanged Man, stabs Avdol in the back, with the coup-de-grace being a bullet in the head, courtesy of Hol Horse. [[spoiler:It's revealed that Avdol survived the headshot by dodging in a way that the bullet only grazed him, but how he survived the stabbing is left unclear]].
69** ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureDiamondIsUnbreakable Diamond is Unbreakable]]'': In the spin-off; ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureCrazyDiamondsDemonicHeartbreak Crazy Diamond's Demonic Heartbreak]]'', Karaiya tried to attack Josuke from behind after he managed to break out of Pet Sounds's illusion. It doesn't work and Karaiya gets clocked in the face by Crazy Diamond.
70** ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureGoldenWind Golden Wind]]'': [[spoiler:Bucciaratti and Abbacchio]] are brutally impaled from behind by King Crimson's fist. [[spoiler: It's fatal in both cases, but thanks to [[CreatingLife Giorno]], Bucciaratti is at least able to make it to Rome before he expires for good.]]
71** ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureStoneOcean Stone Ocean]]'': After Pucci [[spoiler: fully evolves his Stand into Made In Heaven]], the first of his victims is [[spoiler: Narciso Anasui]], who is slain from behind.
72* A rare hero-on-villain example occurs in ''Anime/KillLaKill'' when [[spoiler:Satsuki unexpectedly runs her sword through the back of her mother Ragyo]]. Even more unusually, the latter survives it with the utmost ease and proceeds to [[CurbStompBattle soundly trash]] [[spoiler:Satsuki]].
73* In the original manga, this comprises a ''lot'' of'' Manga/LupinIII'''s early kills, reflecting how he's initially something of a VillainProtagonist. In fact, a giant knife handle sticking out of someone's back is almost as much Manga!Lupin's trademark as the iconic Walther P38.
74* ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'':
75** Used all the time by the Numbers Cyborg Deed in ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaStrikers''. [[spoiler:This leads to her downfall in the end, as Teana predicts her doing this and counters accordingly]].
76** ''Manga/MagicalRecordLyricalNanohaForce'':
77*** Done by Deville of Huckebein as his DynamicEntry against [[spoiler:Isis and Nanoha. The first succeeds, the second would have if not for Fate.]]
78** Later done by Curren of Huckebein to [[spoiler:Hayate]].
79* ''Anime/MazingerZ'': In the Gosaku Ota manga continuity, DragonWithAnAgenda Archduke Gorgon [[spoiler:murders BigBad Dr. Hell]] by stabbing him from behind with one sword when he's distracted. Afterwards he pulls his sword from the body, says, "So long, old madman" and leaves him lying -- and bleeding -- on the ground, laughing all the way as he leaves the place.
80* ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEED'':
81** NiceGuy [[AntiVillain Nicol Amalfi]] dies while trying to stab [[TheHero Kira Yamato]] in the back; Kira turns around and proceeds to cut Nicol (not [[HumongousMecha his Blitz Gundam]] but Nicol himself) [[HalfTheManHeUsedToBe nearly in half]]. Nicol's action is never portrayed as anything other than sympathetic, given that a) It's a war, b) The Blitz is too damaged to confront Kira and The Strike head on, and c) He's trying to save his best friend, Athrun, from Kira.
82** Later, in response to [[BadBoss being shot by Patrick Zala for trying to question orders]], Ray Yuki [[TheDogBitesBack pays him back in kind]] and shoots Patrick from behind multiple times before he dies.
83* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'':
84** In [[Recap/NarutoFiveKageSummitArc Chapter 483]], [[spoiler:Sasuke tries to kill Sakura this way. It doesn't work, [[BigDamnHeroes thanks to Kakashi]].]]
85** In Chapter 678, [[spoiler:Black Zetsu backstabs Madara right in the middle of his EvilGloating. Zetsu then reveals that Madara was just one more cog in a machine run by Princess Kaguya.]]
86* ''Manga/OnePiece'':
87** It's noted when Whitebeard dies that he doesn't have any wounds or scars on his back, suggesting that he never ran from a fight.[[note]]Well, he does have ''one'' wound on his back, but that was from a sword coming out from the front.[[/note]]
88** When Roronoa Zoro loses his duel with Dracule Mihawk, he makes a point of turning to face Mihawk for the final blow.
89--->'''Mihawk:''' But why?\
90'''Zoro:''' Scars on the back are a swordsman's shame.\
91'''Mihawk:''' Admirable.
92* Rokudo Mukuro from ''Manga/Reborn2004'', after [[ISurrenderSuckers pretending to have resigned his fight with Tsuna and given up]], attacks Tsuna while his back is turned.
93* The ''Anime/RevolutionaryGirlUtena'' episode "[[Recap/RevolutionaryGirlUtenaE38TheEndOfTheWorld The End of the World]]" contains an [[EmotionalTorque extremely painful and jarring scene]] where [[spoiler:Anthy stabs Utena with her own sword -- the same one that Utena wielded throughout the series]]. And it's made even more tortuous for the audience by Utena's drawn-out struggle to remain on her feet and [[spoiler:save Anthy ''despite her betrayal'']].
94* ''Anime/RomeoXJuliet'': This is how [[spoiler:Mercutio]] kills [[spoiler:Laertes Montague]].
95* ''Anime/SSSSGridman'': In the last episode, [[spoiler:Anti]] is impaled by Alexis Kerib from behind in an attempt to dispose of him. He survived long enough to join the team for the final battle.
96* ''Manga/StarStrikeItRich'': To interrupt Hina's first fight with Nozomi, Ichika knocks Hina out by shooting her with a stun gun from behind.
97* ''Manga/{{Strider}}'': The MegaCorp [[CorruptCorporateExecutive secretary Yuri]] sells out his boss to Hiryu, and as soon as Hiryu turns his back on Yuri to go after the man, he pulls up a gun ready to shoot him from behind. Noticing this, Hiryu simply swings his [[AbsurdlySharpBlade Cypher]] while [[OffhandBackhand not turning around]], slicing the cowardly man across the face.
98[[/folder]]
99
100[[folder:Comic Books]]
101* In ''ComicBook/AstroCity'' story "Pastoral", after the villains menace the carnival to get Roustabout to appear, the first one to attack him does it from behind; he's caught off-guard and overwhelmed until the {{Heroic Bystander}}s step in to let him regroup.
102* In ''ComicBook/TheAvengers'' storyline ''ComicBook/TheTrialOfYellowjacket'', Egghead is aiming a gun at Hank Pym following his victory over the Masters of Evil to do just this. It’s averted as Hawkeye fires an arrow down the barrel just as Egghead fires, killing the mad scientist, much to Hawkeye’s horror.
103* ''ComicBook/BatmanBlackAndWhite'': In "Dead Boys Eyes", a criminal lures Batman into a trap and shoots him in the back.
104* In the ''ComicBook/BlazeOfGlory'' miniseries, ComicBook/KidColt dies from being shot in the back by the BountyHunter Gunhawk, who was looking to claim the price on Colt's head.
105* ''ComicBook/CaptainGravity'': In the {{Flashback}} scene of the rise of the Itza Maya people, after [[spoiler:Hunac Ceel gains the power of [[{{Unobtainium}} Element 115]] and slaughters the AncientAstronauts, he's killed by a spear to the back]].
106* In ''ComicBook/Earth2'', Steppenwolf stabs ComicBook/WonderWoman in the back with his sword.
107* In ''ComicBook/{{Flashpoint}}'', [[spoiler:ComicBook/{{Batman}} does this to [[Characters/TheFlashEobardThawne Eobard Thawne]]]].
108* ''ComicBook/{{GI Joe|ARealAmericanHeroMarvel}}'' provides the page image, wherein the original Cobra Commander after having a crisis of conscience is shot in the back by Fred-7, a Crimson Guardsman who then briefly takes over the role unbeknownst to the rest of Cobra wearing the Commander's new armor.
109* ''ComicBook/JonahHex'': Supporting character J.D Hart is shot in the back when he turns away, refusing to draw on a woman he has no quarrel with.
110* ''ComicBook/JudgeDredd'' has the death of the original Judge Giant. Attempting to arrest an agent of East Meg One, he is distracted by said agent's RobotBuddy. The agent rather calmly shoots Giant in the back.
111* ''ComicBook/KidColt2009'': At the very start of the series, Colt's having breakfast in a saloon when three gunmen burst in and try to kill him. The fourth comes in more quietly, hoping to shoot him in the back. He gets the drop on Colt and is just about to fire - having stopped to gloat - when another diner, Colt's soon-to-be sidekick Hawk, shoots him first.
112* In issue #11 of ''ComicBook/MegaManArchieComics'', Flash Man is killed in the back by Quick Man when he is distracted by Mega Man's hair. After the Robot Masters are revived by Ra Moon in issue #14, Flash Man stays sore at Quick Man for a while.
113* In ''ComicBook/MightyMorphinPowerRangersShatteredGrid'', [[spoiler:Lord Drakkon ambushes and runs Tommy through with Saba]].
114* ''ComicBook/MrMiracleHolyoke'': Seemingly the only way Mr. Miracle can be hurt is by surprising him, as he is not invulnerable.
115* ''ComicBook/TheOutsideCircle'': While in Edmonton Maximum Security Prison, [[TheProtagonist Pete]] is tasked with dealing with a guy who attacked someone in his group. He does so by shivving him in the kidney from behind when they pass in the hallway.
116* In one issue of the ''ComicBook/SecretSix'' comics, Deadshot and Catman have an argument about this that ends with Catman insisting that Deadshot walk in front of him on all future missions. Given [[TheSociopath Deadshot's]] particular [[ColdSniper skillset]], [[TeamKiller personal history]], and belief that a surprise headshot is the kindest way to kill someone, it's not a terribly unreasonable demand.
117* ''Franchise/StarWars'':
118** ''ComicBook/DoctorAphra'': Our introduction to the title character involves Aphra shooting another AdventureArchaeologist (who the audience is made to believe is the protagonist until his DramaticUnmask) in the back and leaving him to die. She then says that it's in payback for ''him'' [[NotQuiteDead doing the same to her]], but it still firmly establishes her AntiHero credentials.
119** ''ComicBook/{{Kanan}}'': Both Stance and Depa Billaba are killed when shot in the back, Stance by Coburn Sear when he ambushes the squad and Depa when she turns to use the force to save Caleb and leaves her back unprotected during Order 66.
120** ''ComicBook/XWingRogueSquadron'': A man is assassinated from behind, and Isard orders the assassin to [[MakeItLookLikeAnAccident make it look like suicide]]... somehow.
121* ''ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}'':
122** In ''ComicBook/DemonSpawn'', super-villain Nightflame attacks ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} from the back, striking the heroine's temple with the flat of her magical blade.
123** In ''ComicBook/TheSupergirlFromKrypton2004'', Big Barda stabs Stompa from behind with her halberd.
124** In ''ComicBook/{{Bizarrogirl}}'', Supergirl hits Bizarrogirl from behind when the latter is distracted.
125* ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'':
126** In ''ComicBook/ThePhantomZone'', Kru-El catches Supergirl off guard by lunging at her from behind.
127** ''ComicBook/ThePlagueOfTheAntibioticMan'': Amalak has just blinded Supergirl, but he does not want to run useless risks, so he shoots a stunning ray at her head from behind.
128* ''ComicBook/WonderWoman'':
129** ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1942'': Nikos Aegeus steps out from behind a pillar and stabs an unprepared and unaware ComicBook/SteveTrevor in the back when Steve turns back towards Diana as he is heading into work.
130** ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1987'': [[Characters/WonderWomanAres Ares]] kills Hades by pretending to ally with the elder generation of gods and then stabbing him in the back while he is distracted trying to kill Wonder Woman.
131* ''Franchise/{{Zorro}}'': In ''The Lone Ranger: The Death of Zorro #1'', a sixty-something Diego is compelled to don the cape and mask one last time to help Indians brutalized by American soldiers. [[spoiler:Only thing: "Tonight you forgot to watch your back, old bastard!", while fighting skillfully a sergeant.]]
132[[/folder]]
133
134[[folder:Fan Works]]
135* ''Fanfic/AbraxasHrodvitnon'': In Chapter 6, an unstable Alan Jonah shoots one of his own men dead from behind [[spoiler:in an effort to stop him revealing the truth about what he did with the {{disposable vagrant}}s, but it's too little too late]].
136* ''Fanfic/AlwaysVisible'': In Galbraith's nightmare, doctor Baselard appears behind his interlocutor, mister chief inspector Schaeymoure, and it is eventually revealed that it was in fact a performance with a wooden mannequin.
137* In one of the installments in the ''Fanfic/BlackCrayons'' series, ''A Child's Innocence'' (which is a rewrite of ''Film/TransformersDarkOfTheMoon''), [[spoiler: [[FallenHero Sentinel Prime]] attempts to do this Ironhide like he did in the movie. Unlike in ''Dark of the Moon'', however, Ironhide manages to react in time and faces Sentinel head-on instead.]]
138* Many fights in ''Fanfic/ChristianHumberReloaded'' involve one protagonist trying to get behind the other. In Vash's first fight with his corrupted self, he manages to get behind his corrupted self, only for his corrupted self to then get behind him.
139* ''Fanfic/TheDarkLordsOfNerima'': In ''The Dark Lords Ascendant'', Sailor Uranus does this to Ryouga when he turns his back on her after [[PleasePutSomeClothesOn seeing her naked]] during her transformation. To her surprise, [[MadeOfIron it only makes him mad]].
140* In ''Fanfic/GoldenThreadsTieUs'', Severa has mastered the art of blindsiding and backstabbing the enemy. She has lost count of how many mindless zombies she has slain via driving her sword into their backs.
141-->But she couldn't spend all her time gloating. Severa needed to meet up with the others, and Laurent was still injured and helpless. With that thought, she thrust her sword into the Risen's back, the motion smooth as she pressed in deeper. It had been years and hundreds of bodies since she had erred in this killing strike.
142* In ''Fanfic/TheKeysStandAlone: The Soft World'', Lee Ayson shoots Paul in the back with his rifle. Given that Paul is NighInvulnerable, the attack has no effect except to irk Paul. Since he and George are in a rush at the moment, his only response is to call out the bad behavior of the supposedly good Lee.
143* In ''Fanfic/TheMoonsFlashPrincess'', [[Literature/SwordArtOnline Kirito]], being a CombatPragmatist, kills [[Anime/SailorMoon Kunzite]] by running him through while he's fighting someone else, and later does the same to [[spoiler:Jadeite]]. Differently from most uses he's ''praised'' for this, as he makes the fight (and the victory) that much quicker (plus, nobody doubts his bravery).
144* In ''Fanfic/PerfectionIsOverrated'', during the side chapter, "A Common Enemy Without A Common Cause", [[spoiler:Meiko]] is killed by being stabbed in the back (figuratively and literally) by [[spoiler:Sekai]].
145* ''Fanfic/TheRigelBlackChronicles'':
146** Played straight when [[spoiler:Lee Jordan]] hexes Harry in the back while she's on a flight of stairs, causing her to fall and break her wrist.
147** Downplayed when Leo wins a challenge match for his crown by throwing his knife and then wordlessly summoning it back toward himself, sticking it in his opponent's back. Since they were free-duelling, it was an entirely legitimate tactic (and it wasn't fatal, merely teaching a painful lesson).
148* In ''Fanfic/TheRoadNotTaken'', an AlternateTimeline version of Eleya threatens to do this to a Klingon causing a scene on the Promenade at Deep Space 9, walking up behind him and sticking the barrel of her phaser in the back of his neck, then threatening him with a dishonorable death that would land him in [[FireAndBrimstoneHell Gre'thor]].
149* ''Fanfic/ShadowsOverMeridian'':
150** During [[AllYourBaseAreBelongToUs the Shadowkhan's attack in Elyon's castle]], Aldarn saves Drake from a [[AirborneMook Bat Khan]] by stabbing its back.
151** During the Battle of Cavigor, a Razor Khan uses its clawed hands to impale the Warden of Cavigor from behind when the [[KnightTemplar latter]] is busy arguing with Vathek about executing the prisoners so that they can't be freed by the attackers.
152* ''Fanfic/SomeSemblanceOfMeaning'': When [[spoiler:[[{{Deuteragonist}} Obsidian]] is leaving the pack]], he ends up stabbing [[spoiler:Ford, the guy from District Four,]] in the back. This comes back to haunt him, and later on, in his fight with Achilles, the latter mocks him for being a backstabber. Then, [[spoiler:when Obsidian has him prostrate on the ground and is preparing to kill him, Achilles asks him to just let him turn over first, so he won't stab him in the back, and lets him stab him in the chest instead.]]
153[[/folder]]
154
155[[folder:Film — Animated]]
156* Near the end of ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast'', [[spoiler:the Beast lets Gaston live after he wins their fight. He goes over to Belle, who has just returned. At that point Gaston takes the sneaky road and climbs up to the Beast so he can stab him from behind. When the Beast lashes out after getting knifed, Gaston subsequently loses his footing and plummets to his death.]]
157* In ''WesternAnimation/FrozenII'', [[spoiler:King Runeard kills the Northuldra king from behind, when he had no reason to have his guard up]].
158* In ''WesternAnimation/{{The Hunchback of Notre Dame|Disney}}'', [[spoiler:antagonist Judge Claude Frollo attempts to do the same to Quasimodo, who fights back.]]
159* ''WesternAnimation/PeterPan'':
160** Hook is sneaking up on Peter with sword drawn, when Smee sees him and calls out, "Capt'n!", Peter then turns around and asks, "In the back, Captain?"
161** [[spoiler:In the climax, after Peter spares Hook's life in return for the latter vowing to leave and never return, [[ISurrenderSuckers Hook tries to do this to Peter as soon as he turn his back to crow in victory]], using his hook since Peter threw away his sword. Wendy calls out to Peter to look out, and Peter manages to sidestep the attack just in time, leaving Hook to lose his footing on the topsail and fall into the waiting jaws of the crocodile in the water below.]]
162* At the climax of ''WesternAnimation/TheSecretOfNIMH'', [[spoiler:Sullivan pays [[BigBad Jenner]] back for stabbing him by throwing a knife into his back, killing him]].
163* In Disney's ''WesternAnimation/{{Tangled}}'', [[spoiler:Mother Gothel does this to Flynn/Eugene when she fatally stabs him in the back with her dagger, unseen, while he's trying to save Rapunzel]].
164[[/folder]]
165
166[[folder:Film — Live-Action]]
167* In ''Film/SevenMenFromNow'', Payte Bodeen forces John Greer to step round him if wants to get to the sheriff's office. Greer does and Bodeen shoots him the back.
168* [[ComicBook/{{Shazam}} Captain Marvel]] machine-guns a couple of fleeing, unarmed bandits in ''Film/TheAdventuresOfCaptainMarvel'', which is odd behaviour for a superhero of any time, let alone that time. Unlike his comic counterpart, this version of Captain Marvel is equal parts pulp adventurer and superhero, and as a result, is not afraid to kill his opponents. ''Film/JMenForever'' parodied this scene by turning "The Caped Madman" into a HeroicComedicSociopath.
169* In ''Film/TheAssassinationOfJesseJamesByTheCowardRobertFord'', this is how Jesse meets his end. The treacherous and cowardly nature of the killing helps sway public opinion to sympathize with Jesse over Bob.
170* ''Film/BackToTheFuturePartIII'': While searching for the Delorean in 1955, Marty discovers Doc Brown (who's in 1855) was shot in the back by Buford Tannen over a matter of eighty dollars.
171* ''Film/BadApples'': Samuel is stabbed in the back with a little sickle by one of the girls while he's distracted with the other one.
172** Ella gets stabbed in the back by one of the girls when they invade her home. She manages to get away, and doesn't notice the knife until she leans back against a wall, pressing against it. After that, she pulls it out.
173* ''Film/TheBalladOfBusterScruggs'': In "All Gold Canyon", the prospector finally discovers the vein of gold he's been searching for, only to be suddenly shot in the back by a claim jumper. He's able to turn the tables by PlayingPossum, and is outraged not only that the claim jumper would let him do all the work and then try to steal his claim, but that he would backshoot him in doing so, ranting about the latter in particular as he treats his injury.
174* ''Film/{{Barbarella}}'': Our [[VillainousRescue introduction to the villainous]] Black Queen has her stabbing two men in the back simultaneously, as they [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil leer at our hapless heroine with sinister intent]].
175-->'''Queen:''' Hello, [[LesYay pretty-pretty]]... ''[dual knife twirling]''
176* ''Film/TheBattleOfAlgiers'': When Ali-La-Pointe first joins the Algerian resistance, he's ordered to sneak up behind a policeman and shoot him in the back. Instead, he [[PrepareToDie angrily confronts the policeman]] and pulls the trigger [[OhCrap of an empty gun]]. Turns out the gun wasn't loaded because they were testing Ali-La-Pointe to see if he was a spy; fortunately he's able to escape.
177* ''Film/BillyClub2013'': Billy attacks a pizza delivery man (who was on his team back in 1981) by stabbing him through the stomach from behind with the retractable knife blade in the tip of his [[SavageSpikedWeapons nailed]] [[BatterUp baseball bat]]. It's seen sticking out of his belly, even though the blade doesn't look long enough to reach that far through him.
178* In ''Film/BlackPatch'', Holman shoots the escaping Danner twice in the back as part of the plan to frame Marshal Clay Morgan for murder.
179* ''Film/BladeRunner'': Deckard shoots an unarmed female replicant in the back, repeatedly, as she's fleeing. Even for a setting drawn from FilmNoir that's pretty dark, and it's played for WhatMeasureIsANonHuman that the "hero" would do that and no-one question it.
180* ''Film/{{Blindspotting}}'': The White police officer in the beginning shoots a Black man fatally who was running unarmed this way, making it blatant PoliceBrutality (though the film implies that he still won't get punished, or at most quite lightly).
181* ''Film/BlondeSavage'': When Berger attempts to flee the native village, Meelah kills him by throwing a knife into his back.
182* ''Film/BloodBags'': The killer kills Petra by stabbing her multiple times in the back.
183* ''Film/BloodPi'': Amber stabs a few people in the back, like the cheerleader [[spoiler:whose [[FacialHorror face she cut off]]]].
184* In ''Film/TheBoldCaballero'', the Commandante murders the Governor by throwing a knife into his back.
185* ''The Brass Legend'':
186-->'''Sheriff Wade Addams:''' It's the worst kind of killer that would shoot a man in the back just as soon as look at him.
187* Out of sheer spite, Mei Ling shoots Gus in the back as he is walking towards his girlfriend in ''Film/ChaiLaiAngelsDangerousFlowers''.
188* ''Film/ChristmasBlood'': The [[BadSanta Santa killer]] attacks Ritika by throwing his axe so it strikes her in the back.
189* ''Film/Claw2021'': The scientist who created [[RaptorAttack the raptor]] shoots Julia with his tranquilizer gun after doing the same to said raptor. When she tries to run, he gives her another shot in the back. That second one is what brings her down.
190* How the cook met her end in ''Film/{{Clue}}'', as shown by the knife still in her back when she falls out of the kitchen freezer and into Mr. Green's arms.
191* In ''Film/TheCowboys'', Creator/BruceDern's character shoots Creator/JohnWayne in the back, and Dern was typecast for life as a villain. In RealLife, poor Dern received ''death threats'' from fans upset that Wayne's character was killed like that.
192* ''Film/TheCrow'': During Eric and Top Dollar's battle on the church rooftops, Eric is momentarily distracted by a distressed Sarah. Top Dollar takes a cheap shot by sneaking up behind him and stabbing Eric through the back with his sword.
193* Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse:
194** ''Film/ManOfSteel'': Superman and [[Characters/DCEUGeneralZod Zod]] and his crew regularly attack each other in the back when the other's guard is down, usually by rushing into each other at high speed.
195** In ''Film/ZackSnydersJusticeLeague'', ComicBook/{{Aquaman}} impales Steppenwolf on his trident before Wonder Woman beheads the New God after he gets PunchedAcrossTheRoom by Superman.
196* Red very casually shoots the Sheriff of Edendale in the back in ''Film/DeadInTombstone''.
197* ''Film/ElDiablo'': Naive cowpoke Billy Ray (Creator/AnthonyEdwards) protests that the grizzled gunslinger Van Leek (Creator/LouisGossettJr) shot a man in the back. Van Leek responds, "[[CombatPragmatist His back was to me.]]" Later, it gets an IronicEcho when Billy Ray does it to the eponymous BigBad, as Van Leek gives the line, and Billy Ray shrugs and replies as Van Leek did earlier in the film. Van Leek chuckles.
198* Very strangely applied in ''Film/DialMForMurder''. Margot stops the hitman trying to strangle her by grabbing a pair of scissors and, instead of sticking them in one of the dozen or so really good places to stab somebody who's right in front of her, decides to laboriously reach all the way around and plunge them into his back instead. [[MediaWatchdog It's probably safe to blame this one on the Hays Code.]]
199* ''Dirty Dingus Magee'':
200-->'''Charles Stuart:''' Here he comes! Shall I shoot him in the back when he passes?\
201'''Herkimer "Hoke" Birdsill:''' No! I want this to be a fair fight. ''I'll'' shoot him in the back. It's the Code of the West.
202* ''Film/TheEliteSquad'': How Baiano fatally wounds [[spoiler:Neto]].
203* Subverted in ''Film/EscapeFromLA''. A Neo-Nazi skinhead attempts to throw a knife into Snake's back as he's walking away. Snake turns around and riddles him with bullets from his {{BFG}} before continuing on his path.
204* ''Film/TheFieldGuideToEvil'': [[spoiler:At the end of "A Nocturnal Breath", Xaver sucks the drude out of Anni before it can go out on its nightly rampage, trapping it in his own body. As he leaves, Anni shoots him in the back, killing him and destroying the drude.]]
205* In a famous scene in ''Film/TheFrenchConnection'', Popeye Doyle shoots a man in the back. The real Popeye objected to this portrayal at first but eventually learned to accept it under the RuleOfCool.
206* ''Film/TheFunhouseMassacre'': Rocco The Clown is stabbed in the back with a knife, [[NoSell and it does absolutely nothing]].
207* ''Film/FutureWorld2018'': Ash kills the Warlord this way, stabbing him repeatedly from behind.
208* In ''Film/GangsOfNewYork'', Bill the Butcher throws a meat cleaver into Monk's back after he is elected sheriff, before beating Monk to death with his own shillelagh.
209* [=McBride=] in ''Film/TheGuard'' actually chooses to be shot in the back rather face the gangsters threatening him, to "show you up for the cowards you are".
210* In ''Film/TheGunfightAtDodgeCity'', Bat's brother Ed is shot in the back by Dave Rudabaugh.
211* In ''Film/HangmenAlsoDie'', Schirmer releases [[spoiler:Czaka]] after having him arrested for [[spoiler:the murders of UsefulNotes/ReinhardHeydrich and Inspector Gruber]] and tells him to run, only to shoot him in the back.
212* In ''Film/HighNoon'', Amy shoots Pierce, one of Miller's men, in the back through a window while he's trying to reload.
213* ''Film/HighPlainsDrifter'': A man walks up behind Clint Eastwood's character and starts to slip a knife out of its sheath. Without turning round, Clint informs him that he'd look pretty stupid with that knife shoved up his ass. The man wisely backs off.
214* Subverted in ''Film/IpMan'', where [[spoiler:Zealot Lin tries a sneak attack on General Miura after the latter had accepted the Chinese pugilists' loss and gets a fatal beating for his troubles]].
215* In ''Film/IShotJesseJames'', Bob Ford shoots Jesse James this way.
216* ''Film/ItsAWonderfulKnife2023'': The Angel Killer frequently stabs people to death this way.
217* In the Creator/JohnWoo movie ''Film/TheKiller1989'', when Inspector Li confronts the title character at the beach house, he demands that he turn around, as he won't shoot people in the back. The title character, a HitmanWithAHeart, notes that this is another way that they're the same. One of the mooks during the final shootout gets in a bullet to Ah Jong's back. It doesn't kill him, of course, but it's one of the rare moments that gets the slow-mo treatment.
218* In ''Film/LAConfidential'' [[DirtyCop Captain Dudley Smith]] tells Ed Exley that he's not ready for detective work because he's not willing to shoot a suspect in the back. [[spoiler:By the end of the movie, Exley has done just that... to Smith.]]
219* Hickey uses this in ''Film/LastManStanding'', putting his tommy gun down and turning his back to his victim preparatory to drawing a pistol and blowing them away. And then in the final showdown:
220--> '''Hickey:''' I don't suppose you're the kind of man who would shoot an unarmed man in the back?\
221'''John Smith:''' I've done worse than that.
222* ''Film/TheLegendOfFrenchieKing'': BigBad Dr. Miller shoots the chemist who tells him about the oil while his back is turned, because up to that point he's pretending that they're partners and that he'll share the fortune with him.
223* ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'':
224** How Saruman's death plays out in the extended cut of ''[[Film/TheLordOfTheRingsTheReturnOfTheKing The Return of the King]]''. Originally Wormtongue [[SlashedThroat slashed his throat]].
225** Samwise Gamgee does this to an orc while [[RoaringRampageOfRescue getting Frodo out of Cirith Ungol]].
226* In ''Film/TheManFromColorado'', Owen shoots Del in the back when he, Caroline, and Doc attempt to flee to Denver to tell the governor about Owen's insanity. Because he uses a [[LittleUselessGun holdout pistol]], Del survives, but his wound does hinder him during the final confrontation.
227* Katie, one of the cult members, stabs a homeowner this way after he catches her compatriots in the act of burglarizing his house in ''Film/MarthaMarcyMayMarlene''.
228* ''Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse'':
229** How [[Characters/MCULokiLaufeyson Loki]] kills [[spoiler:[[Characters/MCUPhilCoulson Coulson]]]] during ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'' and wounds Kurse in ''Film/ThorTheDarkWorld''.
230** In ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron'', a brainwashed [[Characters/MCUTheHulk Hulk]] attacks Hulkbuster-[[CharactersMCU/IronMan Iron Man]] from behind. Tony calls him on it.
231--->'''Tony:''' In the back?! Dick move, Banner!
232** Tony himself blasts [[spoiler:[[Characters/MCUBuckyBarnes Bucky]]]] in the back during the climax of ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar''.
233** Corvus Glaive makes his entrance by impaling [[spoiler:[[Characters/MCUVision the Vision]]]] from behind in ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar''. [[spoiler:Vision returns the favor later on.]]
234** In ''Film/{{Eternals}}'', as Sersi makes her way to the volcano [[spoiler:where Tiamut will rise, Sprite creates an illusory Ajak to distract her. Sersi believes that Sprite is disguised as Ajak, but she's actually behind Sersi and stabs her through her stomach.]]
235** In ''Film/SpiderManNoWayHome'', [[spoiler:[[Characters/MCUNormanOsborn the Green Goblin]] manages to stab [[Characters/SpiderManTrilogySpiderMan his universe's Spider-Man]] when he's distracted. And this is after he just saved the Goblin from being killed by [[Characters/MCUSpiderMan MCU Spidey]], so this is ''purely'' a KickTheDog moment. Fortunately, the act doesn't kill him.]]
236* In the 1974 movie ''[=McQ=]'', John Wayne plays a detective whom a known hitman tries to shoot but misses. The hitman is killed by a single aimed shot at long range from [=McQ=]'s revolver as he's fleeing the scene. The movie takes pains to show that he's acting legally, with the revolver handed over for evidence and [=McQ=] making sure that a witness gives a written statement that the hitman fired first.
237* In ''Film/{{Mohawk}}'', SociopathicSoldier Colonel Holt stabs Joshua, who is his prisoner and restrained, in the back with his sabre.
238* ''Film/Mortuary1983'': Christie kills [[spoiler:Paul]] by chopping him in the back with an axe, thus saving Greg's life.
239* ''Film/MyNameIsNobody'': Nobody realises ahead of time that someone intends to shoot him in the back and sets up a humiliation for them when they try.
240* In ''Film/NoneShallEscape'', Wilhelm shoots his nephew Willie in the back after the latter denounces Nazism.
241* ''Film/Oldboy2003'' has an instance during the HallwayFight, where Oh Dae-Su gets stabbed in the back by a goon and seems to be dead. He gets his HeroicSecondWind moments later.
242* ''Film/TheOldGuard'': Anya only discovers that [[spoiler:Booker has betrayed them when he shoots her in the back. In fairness, Booker only intended to temporarily put her down so she could be captured; he is horrified to find that Anya's HealingFactor no longer works and so being shot puts her in serious danger.]]
243* ''Film/OneNightInOctober'': Michelle stabs [[AssholeVictim Jason]] in the back with a knife in her garage.
244* ''Film/PacificRim'': This is how the kaiju Leatherback destroys [[spoiler:Cherno Alpha]]; by leaping onto [[spoiler:Cherno's]] back, dragging it underwater, and smashing it to pieces.
245* ''Film/ParanormalAsylum'': Mary[[spoiler:-in-Michelle's-body]] stabs [[spoiler:Andy]] in the back with a knife [[spoiler:while he's arguing with Mark]].
246* Kit's father in ''Film/{{The Phantom|1996}}'' was killed by being stabbed in the back by Quill.
247* A knife stab to the back finishes off the Phantom om ''Film/ThePhantomOfTheOpera1998''.
248* In ''Film/TheProfessional'', Stansfield appears from behind to kill Leon when he reaches the entrance of the apartment complex.
249* ''Film/{{Pumpkins}}'': One of the two heads of the wilderness survival excursion, Lance, gets stabbed through the neck from behind by The Pumpkin Man.
250* In ''Film/{{Push}}'', when Kira [[MoreThanMindControl pushes]] Agent Mack to think that his partner Agent Holden killed his brother (Mack doesn't have a brother), Mack walks out of the bathroom and shoots Holden in the back before realizing [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone what he's done]].
251* ''Film/TheQuickAndTheDead''
252** Having given Ratsy a MercyLead of twenty seconds to get out of town, Herod takes a rifle from one of his bodyguards and calmly shoots Ratsy in the back as he is still running.
253** The EstablishingCharacterMoment of Scar has the ex-convict throwing a man out of a saloon, who flees on his horse only to be killed by a long-range pistol shot from Scar.
254* In ''Film/RamboIV'', [[BigBad Major Tint]]'s only contribution to the FinalBattle is to shoot an unarmed, fleeing missionary in the back. He spends the rest of the battle [[DirtyCoward in hiding, not even commanding his men at all]].
255* ''Film/RanchoNotorious'': Kinch murders his partner Whitey by shooting him in the back during a NoHonorAmongThieves betrayal.
256* ''Film/RevengeOfTheVirgins'': Connor shoots Potter in the back and attempt to flee with all the gold. However, Potter is [[PocketProtector saved by the back of coins he had stashed in the back of his vest]], and guns Connor down.
257* In ''Film/Revolver1973'', Vito eventually kills [[spoiler:Milo Ruiz]] by shooting him in the back, although [[spoiler:Milo Ruiz]] lives long enough to turn around and take a second shot in the chest, so he dies facing Vito.
258* ''Film/RobinHoodTheRebellion'': In a KickTheDog moment, the Sheriff shoots the serving girl who is helping Robin in the back. She topples forward and [[DiedInYourArmstonight dies in Robin's arms]]. Later, he comes up behind Much and stabs him in the back in front of Marian.
259* ''Film/RockyMountain'': After taking an arrow in the back from the Shoshone chief Man Dog, Captain Barstow manages to draw his revolver and shoot Man Dog down with a LastBreathBullet, before a second arrow in the back finishes him off.
260* ''Film/RoguesOfSherwoodForest'': King John summons four of the barons to his castle where he [[NastyParty has his archers shoot them in the back]].
261* ''Film/{{Scream}}'': Given the films' subject matter, and [[StealthHiBye Ghostface's uncanny ability to pop in and out]], this happens a lot. How fatal this proves to the character on the receiving end depends on if they've already been injured in some other way, if they're an important character, or if their name happens to be Dewey. [[spoiler:Jarring when you consider the cases of Dewey and Kate Roberts; they both get very similar injuries (albeit in different films) in the same place, yet Dewey survives hours without medical attention, and Kate dies mere seconds after the stabbing occurs.]]
262* The Operative pulls this on Mal in ''Film/{{Serenity}}'' [[spoiler:when the latter is trying to get to Mr. Universe's backup broadcast equipment]], causing Mal to ask if he's made him angry (referring to their conversation in the Companion training house). Luckily for Mal it appears to have been a stun gun.
263* ''{{Film/She|1965}}'': While Billali is struggling with Leo over who gets immortality, Ayesha stabs Billali in the back.
264* An interesting inversion happened in John Wayne's final film, ''Film/TheShootist''. In the original script, Wayne's character was to shoot someone in the back during the final gunfight, but Wayne refused to do so, saying, "...I've made over 250 pictures and have never shot a guy in the back. Change it."[[note]]Which isn't actually true, as seen in the ''[=McQ=]'' example above. Perhaps he was only referring to the Westerns.[[/note]] Despite protests from Creator/DonSiegel, who insisted that good friend Creator/ClintEastwood would've shot a guy in the back, the script was changed, and the final shootout played to Wayne's satisfaction.
265* In ''Film/Shotgun1955'', BountyHunter Reb Carleton prefers not to give his targets an opportunity to shoot back.
266-->'''Clay Hardin:''' ''[disgusted]'' Don't you ''ever'' shoot a man in the front?\
267'''Reb Carleton:''' Not if I've got a choice.
268* In ''Film/SilverLode'', [=McCarty=] publicly accuses Ballard of shooting his brother in the back and stealing his money. Ballard points out in private that [=McCarty=] knows full well that Ballard won that money in a game of cards and that [=McCarty=]'s brother drew first.
269* ''Film/{{Skyfall}}'': Film/JamesBond throws a knife into the back of [[spoiler:the cyber-terrorist BigBad as he's about to kill M]]. This has RuleOfSymbolism given the film's theme of whether CloakAndDagger assassins like Bond are obsolete in the modern era, not to mention the general theme of betrayal.
270* ''Film/SpiderMan1'': In the climax, [[Characters/SpiderManTrilogyGreenGoblin the Green Goblin]] attempts to kill Spider-Man this way via the extendable blades on the front of the former's glider; however, the Goblin didn't know about Peter's spider-sense, which alerts him to the glider rocketing his way in time to dodge the attack, resulting in the Goblin getting [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice run through]] instead.
271* In the AlternateTimeline of ''Film/StargateContinuum'', [[MagnificentBastard Ba'al]] has become the Supreme System Lord and has taken Qetesh (in Vala's body) as his bride. However, when Qetesh sees that Ba'al is not being as "[[StupidEvil Goa'uldey]]" as he should (he doesn't want to destroy Earth out of pragmatism), she stabs him in the back with a [[SharpenedToASingleAtom monomolecular]] blade. She tries to get Teal'c's cooperation, but he retorts that she'll kill Ba'al anyway. She does.
272* In ''Film/{{Starkweather}}'', Charlie prefers to shoot his victims in the back.
273* ''Franchise/StarWars: Film/RevengeOfTheSith'':
274** As soon as Order 66 is brought up, the troops accompanying Aayla Secura shoot her in the back. [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill Over and over.]] The other assassinations play out similarly (e.g. Plo Koon is shot down by his wingman, and Commander Cody tries to kill Obi-Wan from behind with an artillery cannon but fails), though Ki-Adi-Mundi turns around at the last second. Which was the ''entire point'' of not just Order 66, but the Clone Wars as a whole: to weaken the Jedi (and Jedi senses) far enough that when you shoot, their back is still towards you when the bolt hits. Subverted with Yoda, who is ''not'' having any of that backstabbing. Yoda is aware of what's going on as the Jedi are being slaughtered, far too many to simply be attributed to combat. When the clones approach him with weapons drawn, he knows what they're up to and strikes first.
275** A deleted scene from early in the film shows General Grievous executing Jedi Master Shaak Ti by igniting her lightsaber through her back. This one is less for symbolism and more as a KickTheDog moment for Grievous.
276* ''Film/{{Sunshine}}'': Corazon is stabbed in the back with a power scalpel, and there's a horrifying scene of the scalpel vibrating away in her back as she makes a futile attempt to reach behind her and pull it out.
277* ''Film/SupportYourLocalSheriff'':
278** After Jake helps out the new Sheriff during a gunfight:
279--->'''Jake:''' Well, I... couldn't let him shoot you in the back...\
280'''[=McCullough=]:''' Oh, you could have.
281** And then its non-sequel follow-up ''Support Your Local Gunfighter'':
282---> '''Jug:''' You hit him from behind!\
283'''Latigo:''' Just as hard as I could!
284* ''Film/TalonFalls'': In the chase scene late in the movie, when the pig-masked employee has one of the girls in his grasp, the other saves her by stabbing the guy in the back with a machete.
285* In ''Film/TheTerrorOfTinyTown'', Bat Haines shoots Tex Preston in the back, and then [[FrameUp frames Buck for the crime]].
286* In ''Film/TowerOfLondon1962'', Richard stabs his brother George, Duke of Clarence in the back when he goes to hug him.
287* ''Film/TransformersDarkOfTheMoon'':
288** How [[spoiler:Ironhide]] is killed: shot in the back by [[spoiler:Sentinel Prime]].
289** In an IronicEcho, the perpetrator of the above example is himself shot in the back by [[spoiler:Megatron]]. He doesn't die, but is crippled enough for [[spoiler:Optimus]] to finish him off with a headshot right after [[spoiler:decapitating Megatron in the space of 5 seconds... while missing an arm]].
290* In ''Film/{{Valentine}}'', [[spoiler:[[GoldDigger Campbell]]]] dies when the Cupid-faced killer puts an axe in his back while he fixes the water heater.
291* In ''Film/WhisperingSmith'', [[spoiler:Smith's EvilFormerFriend Murray Sinclair attempts to put a LastBreathBullet into Smith's back but expires before he can do so]].
292* In ''Film/WhiteHeat'', when Arthur Cody Jarret [[spoiler:learns that his mother was dispatched through being shot in the back, it's strongly implied that his plans for vengeance against the backshooter in question became all the more imminent and brutal]].
293* In ''Film/WhiteSunOfTheDesert'', Said reveals that {{Off Stage Villain|y}} Djavded killed his father from behind. Said's current apparel has several bullet holes in the back--but whether he inherited it from his father or liberated it from someone else is unknown.
294* ''Film/WildHorsePhantom'': Daggett shoots Tom in the back when he decides to abandon the escape attempt and return to prison to serve out his sentence.
295[[/folder]]
296
297[[folder:Literature]]
298* ''Literature/OneHundredCupboards'' has [[BadassNormal Uncle Frank]] end up in a magical battle between his brother Mordecai and EvilWizard [[TheDragon Darius]]. Frank notes that it's generally considered cowardly but he's going to [[CombatPragmatist take every advantage he can get]], and lies down and pretends to be dead until Darius rides past, then blasts him in the back with a ''shotgun''. [[spoiler:It doesn't take.]]
299* In ''Literature/TheBarbarianAndTheSorceress'', [[spoiler:Kira]] stabs [[spoiler:Barnabus]] in the back with a sacrificial knife. It [[spoiler:doesn't kill him]].
300* Corelle Whistler shoots someone in the back in ''Literature/ABrothersPrice''. Aware of this trope and unwilling to look like a traitor or a coward, she justifies it, noting that the woman she shot was trying to kill Eldest.
301* ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia'': In ''Literature/PrinceCaspian'', the usurper King Miraz, who's tripped and fallen (leading to the Telmarines charging in to attack the Narnians), is still laying on the ground when his own follower Glozelle, passing by as part of the charge, takes the time to stab him in the back in revenge for Miraz calling him a coward earlier. ([[Film/PrinceCaspian The Disney film adaptation]] has Sopespian do it instead, but using one of Susan's fallen arrows to make it look like she shot him.)
302* In ''Literature/ColdMountain'', a minor character is terrified of being shot in the back, which would prove that he was fleeing the battle. He is eventually shot in the chest, whilst running backwards.
303* In Creator/RobertEHoward's "Literature/RedNails", Franchise/ConanTheBarbarian repeatedly tells Olmec that he has to go before Conan. When he forgets and pushes ahead because he heard a scream, Olmec does indeed attack from behind.
304* ''Literature/TheDarkTower:'' Rigorously and brutally trained in his profession, Roland the Gunslinger will backshoot people without hesitation if it gains him a tactical advantage.
305* In the ''Literature/DragonsInOurMidst'' SequelSeries ''Oracles of Fire'', Billy is forced to {{Deconstruct|ion}} the morality of this trope after he kills Palin from behind and finds himself unable to access [[OnlyThePureOfHeart Excalibur's powers]] afterwards.
306* Creator/JimButcher's ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'':
307** In ''Literature/SummerKnight'', Harry slugs [[spoiler:Aurora]] in the back with his staff, ungentlemanly though it is. [[spoiler:On the other hand, she is trying to [[HumanSacrifice sacrifice]] a helpless prisoner.]]
308** In ''Literature/DeadBeat'', he shoots [[spoiler:Captain Luccio]] in the back of the head. In his defense, [[spoiler:her body was possessed by a psychotically evil OmnicidalManiac necromancer who would have just possessed ''him'' if it had realized he'd figured it out, and Luccio herself had been {{Body Swap}}ped into the necromancer's previous victim]].
309** In ''Literature/SmallFavor'', Harry threatens a thug with this if he tries to run, pointing out that it could mean his spine got hurt.
310** At the end of ''Literature/{{Changes}}'', [[spoiler:Harry himself is shot in the back by a sniper and dies]]. Which turns out in TheReveal of ''Literature/GhostStory'' [[spoiler:to be a ThanatosGambit arranged by ''Harry himself'' to avoid giving himself over to Queen Mab as the Winter Knight]].
311* ''Literature/ForestKingdom'': In book 2 (''Blood and Honor''), this is how [[spoiler:Prince Viktor]] dies at the hands of Jordan himself, after Jordan realizes what a monster he is.
312* ''[[Literature/JoesWorld Forward The Mage]]'': Artist and swordsman Benvenuti Sfondrati-Piccolomini is rigorously trained by his uncles to be a cold-blooded CombatPragmatist, and so when he comes to the aid of his future lover Gwendolyn Grayboar against a swarm of attackers, he backstabs three of them at once with the spike-equipped legs of his easel. And when the enraged survivors face him, he switches straight to the [[GroinAttack low blow]].
313* Lampshaded in ''The Golden Gate'' by Creator/AlistairMaclean, when the reporter is not happy to find out that the secret agent is armed with poison dart weapons: "to be shot into the back, I suppose." The agent calmly points out that a dead man doesn't care from what direction he gets shot.
314* The ''TabletopGame/{{Greyhawk}}'' novel ''White Plume Mountain'' has this as one of The Justicar's main points:
315-->'''Justicar:''' If they can hit you back, you're doing something wrong.
316%%* ''Literature/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame''.
317* In Chris Roberson's novel ''Literature/SonsOfDorn'', Jean-Robur learns to fight like a CombatPragmatist in his first battle, stabbing a foe In the Back.
318* In ''Literature/TheIronTeeth'' web serial, the goblin protagonist loves loves stabbing people in the back, probably because he's fast, sneaky, and almost completely without morals.
319* Creator/EdgarRiceBurroughs's ''Literature/JohnCarterOfMars'': In ''The Master Mind of Mars'', Gor Hajus is a respected assassin, and part of the reason is that he will not attack from behind.
320* ''Literature/{{Lensman}}'': ''First Lensman'' opens with the visitor to a lab sneaking up on a scientist with a handgun and shooting him in the back seven times, including twice in the head--only for every bullet to pass through him harmlessly. Coupled with the scientist's blasé reaction and addressing the shooter as "Gharlane of Eddore", this is how we find out that the shooter and the scientist are an Eddorian and an Arisian (respectively) in disguise. (No one notices any of this thanks to their [[PerceptionFilter zones of compulsion]].)
321* ''Literature/MalazanBookOfTheFallen'':
322** In ''Literature/MidnightTides'', Scabandari Bloodeye stabs his closest ally and friend Silchas Ruin in the back. Since Silchas is too powerful to kill, the dagger has to be magically imbued in order to incapacitate him enough that Scabandari can [[BuriedAlive bury him alive]] in a magical prison.
323** ''Literature/ReapersGale'' has two examples:
324*** Sirryn Kanar, a minor character, kills [[spoiler:Trull Sengar]] by stabbing him in the back with a knife while he is momentarily distracted, courtesy of the God of Fate being unable to keep himself from meddling. Sirryn thinks it's a "TheDogBitesBack"-moment against [[spoiler:Trull Sengar's]] whole people, who conquered his country, except the latter is the ''only'' one [[TheExile not involved]] with the whole mess.
325*** Towards the end of the book, there's a ContinuityNod to Scabandari backstabbing Silchas Ruin in ''Literature/MidnightTides''. Fear Sengar ''tries'' to stab Silchas Ruin in the back, and Fear is a descendant of one of Scabandari's followers. He is then however in turn killed from behind with a garotte by [[ProfessionalKiller Clip]], who is a descendant of one of Silchas Ruin's followers from the time the first backstabbing happened.
326* In ''{{Literature/Malevil}}'', Armand is stabbed in the back when attempting to rape a woman. The big thug is unaware that he was stabbed and walks around town with the knife sticking out.
327* In Creator/TadWilliams's ''Literature/MemorySorrowAndThorn'' trilogy, Rachel the Dragon attempts to stab [[TheDragon Pryrates]] in the back with a kitchen knife. It doesn't work.
328* ''Literature/PhiloVance: The Casino Murder Case'': The murderer is holding Philo Vance and district attorney John Markham at gunpoint. After shooting Vance, he tells Markham that since Markham is "only a cop at heart", he would shoot Markham in the back. Markham refuses to turn around. [[spoiler:Vance was PlayingPossum after switching the murderer's bullets for blanks, hoping TheCavalry, a.k.a. the NYPD, would kill the murderer and save everyone the hassle of a trial. It works.]]
329* Happens in one of the ''Literature/{{Redwall}}'' books, because the shrew in question is a {{Jerkass}} and a coward that throws his rapier at Log-a-log, killing him.
330* ''Literature/RetiredWitchesMysteries'': In book 3, Makaleigh Veazy, a member of the Council, is stabbed in the back with a poisoned knife, but manages to hang on long enough to say a few final words to the group.
331* ''Literature/{{Safehold}}'': At the climax of book 9, ''At the Sign of Triumph'', [[spoiler:when Grand Inquisitor Zhaspahr Clyntahn and his second-in-command Archbishop Wyllym Rayno emerge from an escape tunnel out of the Temple to be confronted by ''seijins'' Merlin and Nimue, there to arrest them for the numerous atrocities they've been responsible for, Clyntahn backstabs Rayno when the latter tries to surrender.]]
332* ''Literature/TheSwordOfSaintFerdinand'': Pero Miguel is shot from behind by crossbowman Fortún Paja, who is not feeling guilty about putting one bolt through the neck of the man who almost speared his friend García Vargas to death.
333* ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'':
334** ''[[Literature/{{Revan}} Star Wars: The Old Republic: Revan]]'' has three main characters: Revan (redeemed from the Dark Side), Meetra Surik (the PlayerCharacter from ''[[VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublicIITheSithLords KotOR II]]''), and Darth Scourge (who realizes that TheEmperor is planning to start a war the [[TheEmpire Sith Empire]] can't win and wants to stop him). At the end of the novel, [[spoiler:the three characters have joined forces and are facing down the Emperor. Scourge has a Force Vision that shows him a different Jedi killing the Emperor. Realizing that they can't win, he stabs Meetra in the back, killing her instantly, while the Emperor disables Revan.]]
335** Grand Admiral Thrawn is killed this way in ''Literature/TheThrawnTrilogy'', sitting in his own command chair on the bridge of the ''Chimaera'' when he's stabbed through the back by his own Noghri bodyguard Rukh, who had learned of Thrawn's treachery against his people.
336** In ''Literature/StarWarsKenobi'', a customer of the local general store/restaurant appears in the doorway when everyone else is gathered outside, and something seems off — then he falls forward with a knife in his back, revealing a Tusken Raider in the store behind him. Fortunately, he survives.
337** In the ''Literature/XWingSeries'' novel ''Solo Command'', one of Wedge's pilots is brainwashed to assassinate him, and attempts to shoot him from behind. When the squad tries to talk him down before he tries again, appeals to his friendship fail to make a dent in his implanted compulsion, but what does get through is one of his friends pointing out that he's usually far too honorable to shoot someone in the back.
338* ''The Takers'' by Jerry Ahern: When he's trapped on a yacht that's been hijacked by pirates, Josh Culhane has to do this. As he's a writer of action-adventure novels where TheHero isn't supposed to shoot people in the back, it bothers him, but [[CombatPragmatist not enough to stop him from doing it]], as he's outnumbered and needs every advantage.
339* ''Literature/ThereIsNoEpicLootHereOnlyPuns'': In the chapter [[https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/there-is-no-epic-loot-here-only-puns-dungeon.590739/page-443#post-58990471 "Delta"]], when talking about betrayal and weaponry leading to people doing this, a LiteralMetaphor is mentioned:
340-->"He got [[spoiler:a lot of comedy material luring wanna-be dark lords and mad swordsmen to him]] so he could literally stab them in the back,"
341* In ''Literature/TheTomorrowSeries'', [[spoiler:Corrie]] is shot in the back at the end of ''Tomorrow, When the War Began''. [[DroppedABridgeOnHim Offscreen.]]
342* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'':
343** In William King's novel ''Literature/SpaceWolf'', a Chaos Space Marine tells Ragnar:
344--->''Do turn around, please. I want to look at you, for I never like shooting anyone in the back.''
345** In Creator/GrahamMcNeill's ''Literature/{{Ultramarines}}'' novel ''Dead Sky Black Sun'', during the final attack on [[EvilTowerOfOminousness the Chaos stronghold]], Leonid sees a foe sneaking up behind the Lord of the Unfleshed and takes him out. The Lord hails him, [[FireForgedFriends "Now you Tribe!"]]
346** ''Literature/CiaphasCain'':
347*** In ''The Traitor's Hand'', Cain's final KillMeNowOrForeverStayYourHand is to tell Beije and the soldiers with him:
348---->''If you're going to shoot us, you'll have to do it in the back.''
349*** The primary point of any of Cain's altruistic acts, heroics, etc. are to stop Guard units he is leading from shooting him in the back (as happens to other Commissars). Or so he insists, anyway. [[ShrugOfGod Even Sandy Mitchell himself isn't sure if Cain just doesn't give himself enough credit.]]
350** ''Literature/{{Eisenhorn}}'':
351*** Inquisitor Eisenhorn has the courtesy to wait until the enemy is facing him. Though he still shoves his pistol in Eyeclone's mouth and fires while the renegade isn't expecting to spot him.
352*** During our introduction to Bequin, she saves Eisenhorn by stabbing a thug through the back of the neck.
353** In Nick Kyme's novel ''Literature/{{Salamander|s}}'', the Salamander captain is shot in the back. [[spoiler:At the climax, Dak'ir accuses the killer of having no honor because of it, and a renegade Space Marine such as he defends himself; he had to obey orders.]]
354** ''Literature/DawnOfWar'': In C. S. Goto's ''Dawn of War: Ascension'', at the Blood Rites, aspirants are stabbed this way, by others whom they had trusted to guard their backs.
355* ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfDorsa'': General Remington is killed through a stab in the back, with Tasia mentally lamenting that an old veteran like him died in such an ignominious manner.
356* In ''Literature/TheFaerieQueene'', Satyrane throws a javelin at Triamond while his attention is elsewhere. This cowardly move cripples Triamond and forces him to sit out most of the second day of TheTourney.
357[[/folder]]
358
359[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
360* When Jack Bauer has to [[ShootYourMate shoot Nina Myers]] in the first season of ''Series/TwentyFour'', she insists strongly that he look at her when he does it. She's wearing a BulletproofVest.
361* Uncle Fester's signature line in ''Series/TheAddamsFamily'':
362-->'''Uncle Fester:''' I'll shoot 'em in the back! Turn around!
363* ''Series/AlteredCarbon''
364** The warden reads in Kovacs's file that he shot his own partner in the back of the neck (destroying her [[BrainUploading stack]] and so killing her for real), and tries to goad Kovacs by saying this makes him a coward. Kovacs, however, knows that she was shot while unconscious by one of the soldiers who captured him [[KickTheDog as an act of spite]].
365** In Season 2, Kovacs isn't interested in BountyHunter Tepp's offer to work for her boss. She responds by shooting him in the back, cutting out his stack and needlecasting him to a virtual reality meeting room where her boss is waiting. Tepp doesn't see what the fuss is about. "[[DeathIsCheap Organic damage]] isn't personal; it's business."
366* ''Series/TheATeam'', "[[Recap/TheATeamS2E23CurtainCall Curtain Call]]": In the opening, the team turns around and begins to walk away from the villain. Unfortunately, the villain takes the opportunity as a last chance to kill Hannibal and attempts to shoot him, kicking off the rest of the episode when Murdock [[TakingTheBullet takes the bullet]] instead.
367* ''Series/BlakesSeven'':
368** In "[[Recap/BlakesSevenS3E8RumoursOfDeath Rumours of Death]]", Sula shoots her own husband (a high-ranking Federation politician) in the back after revealing that she's actually a rebel. Later she does the same to a Federation guard. [[spoiler:This foreshadows TheReveal that she's an agent of the SecretPolice.]]
369** In "[[Recap/BlakesSevenS3E12DeathWatch Death Watch]]", during a CombatByChampion, Tarrant refuses to shoot his duel opponent in the back (despite [[spoiler:his being an android]]), prompting cries of "KillHimAlready". Instead Tarrant calls out his opponent's name, then shoots him when he turns to fire. He is smart enough to be lying down though, so any return shots would miss.
370** This contradicts "[[Recap/BlakesSevenS3E2Powerplay Powerplay]]", where Tarrant stabs several of his own men (he's disguised as a Federation captain) in the back. This is EarlyInstallmentWeirdness because Tarrant was originally intended to be a more treacherous character, a FakeDefector who joined the crew because he was planning to seize the Liberator.
371** AntiHero Avon of course has no such scruples. In "[[Recap/BlakesSevenS2E12TheKeeper The Keeper]]", he's using the Liberator to sneak up on a Federation pursuit ship.
372--->'''Cally:''' No indication that he's seen us.\
373'''Avon:''' Good. I have [[CombatPragmatist no objection to shooting him in the back]].
374** In the notorious BolivianArmyEnding of "[[Recap/BlakesSevenS4E13Blake Blake]]", half the cast get shot InTheBack as they reap the consequences of mistrust and betrayal. [[spoiler:Mind you the rest get shot in the front, and don't fare any better.]]
375* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': In "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS5E10IntoTheWoods Into the Woods]]", Buffy finds herself facing the vampire prostitute she earlier caught feeding on her LoveInterest Riley Finn. Initially Buffy lets her go, but her [[WomanScorned darker side takes over]] and she hurls a wooden spear into the vampire's back as she's running away.
376* ''Series/Charmed1998'': During the third season finale, "[[Recap/CharmedS3E22AllHellBreaksLoose All Hell Breaks Loose]]", magic is exposed, and a madwoman bursts into the house before being (rightly) [[MindOverMatter ejected by Prue]]. The same woman returns with a rifle and shoots Piper in the back when she and Prue are talking in the living room. And Leo is in the Underworld, where he can't hear them.
377* ''Series/ClassOf07'': Zoe gets stabbed by Sandy this way, with the knife kept lodged in her back for some time since she can't get it at first and no one will help because they're all mad at her.
378* ''Series/CowboyBebop2021''. A flashback episode to when he was a hitman for the Syndicate has Spike (who's supposed to be the hero of the series) exiting a BadGuyBar where [[OneManArmy he just killed everyone single-handed]] only to find a woman, an apparently InnocentBystander, staring at him. She assures Spike that she didn't see anything and he tells her to flee, only to shoot her in the back as she's running away. That killing is shown to haunt him years later in the present day.
379* In the ''Series/CriminalMinds'' episode "[[Recap/CriminalMindsS4E8Masterpiece Masterpiece]]", Rossi stays pretty composed while the unsub of the week [[spoiler:tries and fails]] to kill his team and destroy him in various other ways. He loses it, however, when that same unsub attacks him from behind.
380* ''Series/{{CSINY}}'':
381** In "[[Recap/CSINYS01E09 Officer Blue]]", a mounted policeman is shot this way by a sniper while astride his horse.
382** In "[[Recap/CSINYS05E25 Pay Up]]", where the bar the [=CSIs=] are sitting in is shot to bits. It's mainly a result of the villain shooting anywhere and everywhere with some kind of automatic weapon and Danny, who was sitting closest to the window anyway, having thrown himself over Lindsay to protect his wife, leaving his back exposed.
383%%** Mac in the season 8 finale, "[[Recap/CSINYS08E18 Near Death]]". (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample; who does it, and under what circumstances?)
384* Brad from ''Series/DansUneGalaxiePresDeChezVous'' prides himself on how good he is at shooting someone in the back. The Captain however stops him before he makes good on his word.
385%%* Wild Bill Hickock's ultimate fate in ''{{Series/Deadwood}}''. (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample; who does it, and under what circumstances?)
386* In the ''Series/{{Decoy}}'' episode "An Eye for an Eye", a junkie Casey is trying to befriend is knifed in the back.
387* ''Series/{{Degrassi|TheNextGeneration}}'':
388** This is where Jimmy is shot, causing him to be paralyzed from the waist down for the remainder of his time on the program.
389** This is also where JT is fatally stabbed.
390* ''Series/DoctorWho'':
391** Defied, albeit narrowly, in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E5ThePoisonSky The Poison Sky]]". During UNIT's assault on the Sontaran facility, Colonel Mace comes up behind Commander Skorr and bellows, "You will face me, sir!", then puts three in his chest the second he turns around.
392** "[[Recap/DoctorWho2016CSTheReturnOfDoctorMysterio The Return of Doctor Mysterio]]": When being held at gunpoint by Dr. Sim, the Doctor challenges Sim to shoot him, Nardole, and Lucy Fletcher in the back so he won't be able to claim self-defence. They then get rescued by the Ghost.
393** "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS36E12TheDoctorFalls The Doctor Falls]]": [[spoiler:Creator/JohnSimm's Master, having been stabbed by his own future self Missy, retaliates by shooting her in the back as she walks away. He notes how deeply appropriate an end this is for them, given the Master's ChronicBackstabbingDisorder.]]
394* ''Series/EscapeAtDannemora'': Sweat is shot twice in the back by a police officer at long range while he is fleeing and unarmed. This is TruthInTelevision. The incident was apparently justified because Sweat was an escaped murderer.
395* ''Series/{{Firefly}}'':
396** When Mal confronts Simon in "[[Recap/FireflyE01Serenity Serenity]]", he tells him: "You don't know me, son, so let me put this to you plainly. If I ever kill you, you will be awake, you will be facing me, and you will be armed." Given Mal's later nature as a CombatPragmatist, this seems more an acceptance of Simon and his sister into Mal's TrueCompanions than anything else. Creator/JossWhedon suggests sardonically that Mal just has a ''very particular'' code of honor that will let him shoot an unarmed, surrendering enemy... but only in the front.
397** In "[[Recap/FireflyE02TheTrainJob The Train Job]]", Mal distracts a guy during his annual Unification Day bar fight so Zoe can hit him from behind.
398* ''Series/{{Forever|2014}}'':
399** In the pilot, the killer shoots Jo in the back, possibly having watched and waited for her to turn.
400** In "The Frustrating Thing About Psychopaths" Henry is stabbed from behind with a knife long enough for the tip to emerge from the other side. The killer says it went through his lung and vena cava.
401** In "Skinny Dipper" Adam [[InstantDeathStab stabs]] cabbie Raj Patel in the back, ''through'' the seat between them.
402* ''Series/GameOfThrones'':
403** Jaime Lannister offed [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast The Mad King]] in this fashion, seventeen years before the beginning of the show. AndThereWasMuchRejoicing. Though even though the Mad King was obviously completely unfit to rule and a danger to the entire kingdom, Jaime was called "Kingslayer" from then on and is met with disdain from LawfulGood (or LawfulStupid, if you prefer) characters like Ned Stark, who believe that what he did was dishonorable. [[spoiler:This despite the fact that he did it to prevent the Mad King burning down and killing everyone in King's Landing.]] Lampshaded in the TV series. "Tell me; if I'd stabbed the Mad King in the belly instead of the back, would you admire me more?"
404** Inverted when FieryRedhead Ygritte puts three arrows into Jon Snow (two in the back and one in the thigh) as he rides off to warn the Night's Watch of the impending wildling attack. It's actually [[FakeDefector Jon who betrayed her]], but [[YouWouldntShootMe he thinks she won't shoot]] because they love each other. As Ygritte is fond of pointing out, he knows nothing.
405** To the shock of Bran Stark, who's been raised on the heroic legend of his father killing MasterSwordsman Ser Arthur Dayne in single combat, the Three-Eyed Raven shows him what really happened. Ser Dayne had defeated all of his opponents and was about to kill Ned Stark, when Howland Reed (who'd been PlayingPossum after getting stabbed earlier) saves young Ned by stabbing Ser Dayne through the back of his throat.
406** Lord Commander Mormont is mortally wounded this way by one of his own disgruntled men.
407** Ralf Kenning gets an axe to the head for refusing to surrender.
408** Rickon Stark dies after getting an arrow in the back, courtesy of Ramsay.
409** How Ser Stafford Lannister was killed. Rickard Karstark was the one who ended Stafford's life when he personally drove a spear through him.
410** In "[[Recap/GameOfThronesS8E5TheBells The Bells]]", a vengeful Grey Worm kills several Lannister soldiers by spearing them from behind, even if they're running or have already thrown down their arms.
411* ''Series/HouseOfTheDragon'': During TheTourney, Criston Cole hits Daemon Targaryen in the back while he's too busy dinking the crowd's cheering. Not that Daemon is that fair of a contestant as his earlier dirty move to hit a knight's horse's legs during a joust can attest.
412* The ''Series/HaveGunWillTravel'' episode "The Colonel and the Lady":
413-->'''Clay Sommers:''' ''Head-on, from the side, in the back; nobody's gonna make a fair fight out of it. We see you, we shoot.
414* Horatio Hornblower is nearly stabbed in the back in the [[Series/HoratioHornblower mini-series]], by a furious and humiliated [[spoiler: Simpson]], but is saved by [[spoiler:a truly excellent shot by [[AFatherToHisMen Captain Pellew]]]].
415%%* The only way you could actually get zapped by the ''Series/{{Interceptor}}''. (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample; who is the Interceptor, what does being zapped mean, and why is this the only way you can be?)
416* ''Series/JakeAndTheFatman'': In "Out of Nowhere", Jake's NewOldFlame [[DiedInYourArmsTonight falls into Jake's arms and dies]] after being shot in the back by the Perp of the Week.
417* ''Series/KaizokuSentaiGokaiger'': [[TheDragon Damaras]] forces Basco into an alliance against the heroes [[spoiler:to avenge Warz]]. Basco betrays Damaras the very next episode, and appears out of nowhere to literally backstab him the second he realizes.
418* ''Series/{{Lost}}'':
419** In "[[Recap/LostS04E13And14TheresNoPlaceLikeHomePart2 There's No Place Like Home, Part 2]]", Keamy criticizes Richard for shooting him in the back (which also wasn't effective because Keamy was heavily armored). Richard didn't have a choice, though, as Keamy was grappling with Sayid at the time.
420** In "[[Recap/LostS05E14TheVariable The Variable]]", [[spoiler:Eloise shoots Daniel, her own son, in the back]].
421* The ''Series/LostInSpace'' episode "Invaders from the Fifth Dimension":
422-->''[Smith tries to shoot one of the aliens in the back. The aliens make the laser pistol disappear]''\
423'''Alien:''' You showed treachery and cunning. Noble qualities on your native planet no doubt, but indicating defective relays in your reasoning circuits.
424* ''Series/TheMagnificentSeven'' pilot:
425-->'''Chris Larabee:''' You don't shoot nobody in the back!
426* ''Series/{{Merlin|2008}}'': In "[[Recap/MerlinS05E02ArthursBanePartII Arthur's Bane Part II]]", [[spoiler:Mordred stabs Morgana in the back to prevent her from killing Arthur]].
427* ''Series/PersonOfInterest'':
428** Done as a RunningGag in "[[Recap/PersonOfInterestS01E20 Matsya Nyaya]]" due to that episode's [[RuleOfSymbolism theme of betrayal]].
429** In "[[Recap/PersonOfInterestS03E16 RAM]]", the EstablishingCharacterMoment of Mr. Dillinger is him shooting a criminal in the back -- the man was about to murder a DamselInDistress, but it foreshadows that Dillinger is a more treacherous and amoral character than John Reese (who prefers {{kneecapping}} in line with Team Machine's ThouShaltNotKill policy).
430* ''Series/ThePersuaders'':
431-->'''Angie:''' Aww, what you gonna do? Shoot me in the back? That was always the difference between you and me. See, in your place, I could pull that trigger.
432* ''Series/TheProfessionals'':
433** Subverted when Doyle is shot in his home by an assassin, and the use of this trope shows a ''lack'' of ruthlessness. The assassin should have fired a CoupDeGrace into Doyle's head, but is unable to look him in the eye and so shoots Doyle in the back instead.
434** Played straight when George Cowley [[KickTheDog shoots a fleeing traitor]] in the back as he's running away. He could have send Bodie and Doyle to recapture him, but decides on a "shot while trying to escape" instead.
435* From the ''Series/RedDwarf'' episode "[[Recap/RedDwarfSeasonIVJustice Justice]]":
436-->'''Rimmer:''' What are you waiting for? Gloop him!\
437'''Lister:''' ...I can't. He's not armed.\
438'''Rimmer:''' Lister, this isn't a Scout meeting. We're not trying to win the Best-Behaved Troop flag. Gloop him!\
439'''Lister:''' ...W-what? In the back?\
440'''Rimmer:''' Of course ''in the back''! It's only a pity he's awake.\
441'''Lister:''' You mean you could happily kill him if he was asleep?!\
442'''Rimmer:''' I could happily kill him if he was on the job. ''Gloop him.''
443* ''Series/RipperStreet'': In "A Man of My Company", a villainous {{Pinkerton|Detective}} attacks the SacrificialLion Constable Hobbs, severs his spinal cord with a knife, and drops him in a creek to drown. Not only is it a {{cruel|AndUnusualDeath}} and slipshod way to MakeItLookLikeAnAccident, police recognize another one of his victims by his penchant for going for the spine.
444* ''Series/TheRookie2018'': Jackson's shot dead this way in "Life and Death" by La Fiera's gunman.
445* ''Series/{{SCTV}}'': An ad for the TV Western "Yellowbelly" shows just what a yellowbelly the title character (Creator/JohnCandy) is, as he shoots a ''child'' in the back, and then does the same to the child's ''mother''.
446* ''Series/{{Search}}'': Lee Hyeok shoots Min-guk in the back.
447* In ''Series/StargateSG1'', Teal'c's android copy shoots Cronus in the back with a staff weapon in revenge for killing Teal'c's father.
448* ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'':
449** Garak has no qualms about this. Being pragmatic is the Cardassian way, especially if you've received TrainingFromHell meant to prepare you for the life of an operative. In "[[Recap/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS05E26CallToArms Call to Arms]]", he notes to Odo that when he and Gul Dukat were fighting to keep the Klingons away from the Detapa Council in "[[Recap/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS04E01E02TheWayOfTheWarrior The Way of the Warrior]]", he had an opportunity to shoot Dukat in the back for just a moment.
450--->'''Odo:''' You'd shoot a man in the back?\
451'''[[MagnificentBastard Garak]]:''' It's the safest way, isn't it? But then I thought, "oh, no, I can't fight all these Klingons by myself." So I let him live.\
452'''Odo:''' And now you regret it.\
453'''Garak:''' Ah, my dear Constable, before this day is over everyone on this ''station'' is going to regret it.
454** In "[[Recap/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS07E20TheChangingFaceOfEvil The Changing Face of Evil]]", Gul Dukat disguised as a Bajoran convinces Kai Winn to align towards the Pah-Wraiths. Winn's assistant finds this out and a conflicted Winn stabs the assistant in the back.
455* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'':
456** Sam is killed the first time by a stab in the back. Subsequent deaths are much less dramatic, until three seasons later he jumps into Hell to save the world, and ''technically'' doesn't ''die''.
457** "[[Recap/SupernaturalS06E22TheManWhoKnewTooMuch The Man Who Knew Too Much]]":
458*** Sam attempts to kill [[spoiler:Castiel, who has just declared himself God,]] with a stab to the back. [[spoiler:It doesn't work.]]
459*** Castiel kills [[spoiler:Balthazar]] with a back stab. [[RuleOfSymbolism Symbolic]] in that he's punishing him for what he saw as [[EtTuBrute a betrayal]].
460** Lucifer killed his brother [[spoiler:Gabriel]] this way.
461* ''Series/TidelandsNetflix'':
462** [[spoiler:Corey is murdered by Leandra stabbing him in the heart this way.]]
463** [[spoiler:Adrielle later also gets stabbed in the back by Gilles, but Dylan heals her.]]
464* ''Series/Titans2018''. When HeroicWannabe Tim Drake is shot in the back by Scarecrow, it gives him an incentive to return from the Afterlife as he's ashamed of getting killed while running away.
465* ''Series/TheTwilightZone1959'': In "[[Recap/TheTwilightZone1959S5E32MrGarrityAndTheGraves Mr. Garrity and the Graves]]", Sheriff Gilchrist shot the notorious outlaw "Lightning" Peterson in the back in the presence of six deputies. As such, he does not want him to come back from the dead and pays Jed Garrity $1,200 to prevent this from happening. [[spoiler:It turns out that Garrity's ceremony was successful in resurrecting Peterson and the other 127 people buried in Boot Hill Cemetery, and Peterson plans to have his revenge on Gilchrist.]]
466* ''Series/WantedDeadOrAlive'': In "The Martin Poster", Andy Martin shoots the doctor who has just saved his brother's life in the back as he walks away, so as to leave no witnesses.
467* ''Series/Watchmen2019'': Laurie shoots The Revenger this way as he's trying to escape. He survives thanks to his body armor, and a younger FBI agent asks how she knew it would save him. It's made clear from her attitude however that [[HowDidYouKnowIDidnt she simply didn't care]], and this was just a happy accident.
468* ''Series/TheWheelOfTime2021'': Egwene stabs Valda in the back with a knife during her escape after she frees herself from her bonds by channeling and he's distracted seeing Perrin's transformation.
469[[/folder]]
470
471[[folder:Music]]
472* The chorus for Music/{{Daughtry}}'s song "Traitor" mentions being stabbed in the back as a figurative expression to state just how severe the betrayal is.
473-->You put the knife right in my back\
474Killed any history we had\
475And now it's war
476* Rob Cantor's "Music/{{Shia LaBeouf|Live}}": After fleeing from the eponymous murderer, you stealthily enter his cottage while he's busy sharpening an axe, and you get the drop on him by sneaking up on him from behind.
477* The O'Jays' song "Back Stabbers" involves a number of shady individuals who fall into the WithFriendsLikeThese category, and appear to be lurking in the dark to possibly get the protagonist's lady while lurking in dark alleys, ready to stab him in the back; {{lampshaded}} by the refrain:
478-->''(What they do?) They'll smile in your face\
479All the time, they want to take your place, the back stabbers (Back stabbers)''
480[[/folder]]
481
482[[folder:Myths & Religion]]
483* ''Literature/{{Mahabharata}}'': During the final duel between Karna and Arjuna, Karna's chariot got stuck in the mud. Despite calling for a break while he tried to get it unstuck, Arjuna shot him in the back of the head with an arrow.
484* In the ''Literature/{{Nibelungenlied}}'', Hagen spears Siegfried in the back while Siegfried is drinking water from a spring during a hunt. This also happens in most other versions of the Siegfried story. Of course, since Siegfried's one vulnerable spot happens to be on his back, it's not so much cowardly as it is reasonable.
485[[/folder]]
486
487[[folder:Podcasts]]
488* ''Podcast/PokemonAdventuresInTheMillennium'': In episode 56, [[spoiler:Belle]] gets stabbed in the back by [[spoiler:Starr]] when the former tries to stop the latter's attack on Eterna.
489[[/folder]]
490
491[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
492* The ''TabletopGame/BattleTech'' CCG has the card "Fortunes of War", which has the flavor text, "Whoever said 'never shoot a man in the back' never saw the front of a Hunchback."[[note]]The Hunchback is a mech characterized for mounting an [[{{BFG}} AC/20]] as a ShoulderCannon, so it's naturally a heck of a lot safer to avoid getting in front of one.[[/note]]
493* While creating the Alara shard of Bant in ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'', a world where the orderly, honorable and noble white mana ruled without any influence of the selfish corruption of black or chaotic brutality of red, one member of the team simply thought of the idea "They don't wear armour on their backs". Yes, in this world, the thought of someone being such a dirty coward that they would attack an enemy from behind is so ''alien'' to them that they don't even consider it.
494[[/folder]]
495
496[[folder:Theatre]]
497* In ''Broadway'' by Philip Dunning and George Abbott, Steve Crandall is approached in his office by Scar Edwards, who threatens an escalation of their MobWar. Steve shoots him in the back. Not only is his body soon discovered, the manner of his murder is discussed by several characters as morally objectionable in itself. [[spoiler:When Pearl shoots Steve in revenge, she makes sure he is facing her before she fires.]]
498* In ''[[Theatre/TheRingOfTheNibelung Götterdämmerung]]'', Hagen stabs Siegfried in the back in a more elaborate version of the scene from the ''Literature/{{Nibelungenlied}}''. In the opera, Brünhild had cast a spell that made Siegfried invulnerable from the front because she said she knew that he would never turn his back on an enemy.
499[[/folder]]
500
501[[folder:Video Games]]
502* ''VideoGame/ANNOMutationem'': In the bad ending, [[spoiler:after Amok has fully taken over Ann's body]], she quickly dashes behind [[spoiler:Dr. G]] before stabbing him in the back.
503* One ending route of ''VideoGame/AviaryAttorney'' has a random commoner shot in the back in order to [[TheRevolutionWillNotBeCivilized destroy the peaceful aspects of the revolution]].
504* The GoodCounterpart to [[spoiler:Susie Campbell's]] Alice Angel stabs her in the back in ''VideoGame/BendyAndTheInkMachine'' Chapter 4. However, considering that the evil Alice was in the act of trying to kill [[spoiler:Henry, who was busy mourning the death of his pal, Boris,]] at the time, she's not just some DirtyCoward.
505* In ''VideoGame/Borderlands2'', after [[spoiler:the death of Angel]], [[BigBad Handsome Jack]] [[SurprisinglySuddenDeath unexpectedly shows up to shoot]] [[spoiler:Roland]] from behind, killing him almost instantly.
506* You can do this in ''VideoGame/BushidoBlade'' to get an almost certain OneHitKill, but remember that it is considered dishonorable in Story mode, and will lead to a NonStandardGameOver.
507* ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyWorldAtWar'':
508-->'''Private Chernov:''' Are we to shoot them in the back?\
509'''Sgt. Reznov:''' The back, the front, the head! Whatever you wish! Just so long as they are dead!
510* At the end of ''VideoGame/ConquestsOfCamelot'', the thief that stole the grail tries to stab King Arthur in the back, which fails since he's wearing armor ([[Film/{{Serenity}} He is not a moron]]). The guy is then promptly reduced to a skeleton by the grail's power for his bad manners.
511* ''VideoGame/TheDarkness'':
512-->'''Mobster 1:''' ''[back turned to the player]'' Always figured someone would sneak up behind me in the middle of the night and shoot me in the back.
513* ''VideoGame/DyztopiaPostHumanRPG'': In Aquarius Temple, [[spoiler:if Edgar survived Chapter 2, he'll stab Clyde in the back in order to avenge Rosie. If the player is in the Evil Runi route, Gemini/Runi forms an ESP Blade to stab Clyde instead. If neither condition is fulfilled, Robun simply slashes Clyde from the front]].
514* In ''VideoGame/Fallout3'', one of the first quests is to decide if you want to set off or defuse an atomic bomb in the middle of a town. If you tell the town's sheriff about the individual who offers to pay you to set it off, he will go to confront him and be shot in the back for his trouble (unless you save him, but this doesn't affect the game much).
515* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX2'': In an optional sidequest, you can view a sphere that shows [[spoiler:Nooj shooting Gippal and Baralai in the back before turning his gun on Paine, who was recording]]. It all makes sense later, though.
516* Bugg's mission in ''VideoGame/{{Kindergarten|2017}}'' requires the player to kill Ms. Applegate by getting her to turn her back before stabbing her with a knife. However, the game's GroundhogDayLoop mechanic means that it doesn't stick. [[spoiler:You repeat the deed in the OmegaEnding of ''VideoGame/Kindergarten2'' to save Buggs from being strangled by her.]]
517* ''Franchise/TheKingOfFighters'': At the end of ''[[VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters2001 2001]]'', K9999 attempted to [[TeamKiller murder his own teammate Foxy]] via stabbing her in the back. Needless to say, [[spoiler:when the two meet again in one of ''[[VideoGame/TheKingOfFightersXV XV]]'''s endings, Foxy is visibly not happy to see K9999 (or Krohnen, as he now goes by) and only Kula's intervention prevents a brawl breaking out]].
518* In ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep'', on Terra's route, after [[spoiler:the boss fight with Master Eraqus, both have a MyGodWhatHaveIDone moment, until Master Xenanort stabs Eraqus in the back (while Terra watches), killing him (although in Blank Points, it's shown that Eraqus's heart went into Terra's).]]
519* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsOfColdSteel IV'' has [[spoiler:Rufus Albarea]] stabbing [[spoiler:Arianrhod]] in the back, thereby "officially winning" the third "[[ThereCanOnlyBeOne Rivalry of the Seven]]".
520* ''Franchise/MassEffect'':
521** The first mission in ''VideoGame/MassEffect1'' starts with Nihlus, a turian Spectre, getting shot in the back by his old colleague [[FaceHeelTurn Saren]].
522** ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'':
523*** [[BloodKnight Grunt]] feels the need to let you know that he won't stab you in the back.
524---->'''Grunt:''' Warriors like you and me? [[BoomHeadshot Right in the face.]] ''[{{beat}}]'' [[JustJokingJustification Kidding, kidding.]]
525*** A Renegade interrupt prompt lets Shepard stab a mercenary in the back with a welding tool, preventing him from finishing his repairs on a gunship and giving Shepard an advantage against it later.
526** ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'':
527*** Shepard can do this, but the event is widely considered a MoralEventHorizon by players. [[spoiler:If choosing to sabotage the Genophage Cure while Wrex and/or Eve are still alive, the player shoots Mordin in the back to try and stop him from curing the krogan. You're then forced to watch Mordin struggle on and almost make it to the cure console in a scene custom-made to make you feel like a monster for doing it. If Wrex is alive when you choose this option, you're going to have a much more face-to-face confrontation later.]]
528*** After being soundly beaten by Shepard, [[TheDragon Kai Leng]] limps up to them as they're perusing through the Illusive Man's files and attempts to stab them in the back. [[spoiler:[[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice It doesn't work.]]]]
529* In ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'', [[spoiler:Shao Kahn breaks Kung Lao's neck from behind him [[SoreLoser after Kung Lao defeats Kintaro]]. This upsets Liu Kang and the two fight.]]
530* ''VisualNovel/NineHoursNinePersonsNineDoors'' has examples in the "Submarine", "Knife", and "Safe" endings:
531** In the "Submarine" ending, [[spoiler:after discovering that everyone around you is dead, you leave them all behind and try to escape in the yellow sub... and just as you're reaching the hatch, you get stabbed by an unrevealed person. It's heavily implied that the one who killed them all is Ace.]]
532** In the "Knife" ending, [[spoiler:you go down to E Deck and discover that Lotus is dead. Stabbed. [[GenreBlindness Thanks to your great intelligence]], you get knifed as well while examining her body. Again, it's widely accepted that the one who killed both of you is Ace.]]
533** In the "Safe" ending, [[spoiler:Clover is stabbed by Ace because she knows about Musashidou and the fact that he's got the 9th Man's bracelet]].
534* ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneySpiritOfJustice'': [[spoiler:Inga Karkhuul Khura'in, the DirtyCoward who killed the Defiant Dragons' leader Dhurke Sahdmadhi, ends up getting knifed in the back by his traitorous wife Ga'ran doing a DeadPersonImpersonation.]]
535* A rare good guy version occurs in ''VideoGame/QuestForGloryIII''; when the five heroes enter the Demon Wizard's inner sanctum, they're confronted by super-strong, demonic versions of themselves created via magic mirror. The player's fight seems unwinnable until [[spoiler:the thief from the bazaar appears and backstabs the evil version, telling the hero to go on and face the wizard while he holds off the copy]].
536* One quest in ''VideoGame/RuneScape'' has you distracting members of Humans Against Monsters so that your cave goblin ally Zanik can shoot them in the back with her bow. In the middle of all this, you can try to pull a WhatTheHellHero on her by asking if shooting them in the back is too mean; she responds that [[CombatPragmatist it's no more so than shooting them in the front]].
537* The original ''VideoGame/{{Strider|Arcade}}'' for arcades has an interesting version for a platform game: Soldiers at the beginning of the game have a chance of falling back in fear when Hiryu looks at them. If Hiryu/the player walks toward them they will start crawling back, but if the player turns Hiryu's back to them they will suddenly stand up and rush at him with their weapons held high over their heads, trying to hit him. If one is quick enough to face them again before they hit, they will go back to being scared.
538* In ''VideoGame/{{Super Robot Wars Z}}3: Jigoku-Hen'', when Char finally decides to go to the frontlines, he confronts Amuro face-to-face. But Full Frontal is such a jerk that while Char and Amuro are talking, he attacks Amuro from behind which makes [[WorthyOpponent Char]] pretty angry.
539* In ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosBrawl: The Subspace Emissary'', [[spoiler:Ganondorf]] shoots [[spoiler:Bowser]] with the Dark Cannon from behind.
540* This is how the Nanaya clan in ''VisualNovel/{{Tsukihime}}'' operates. As they're almost entirely normal humans going up against demons and vampires, the only way to win is to get close to them before they notice you and cut them to bits. Kiri, Shiki's father, actually used a mace to crush skulls, throats and internal organs. Shiki can mostly avoid this one because his eyes [[GameBreaker cheat]], though he does take out at least one DAA like this in supplementary material.
541* ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'':
542** The BackStory of [[FallenHero Alexandros Mograine]] features this. [[spoiler:His son Renault was persuaded to lead him into a trap -- a hopeless fight against wave upon wave of undead. Because he was such a badass, he killed them ''all'' -- but when he took a breather afterward, and let go of his sword, Renault came out of hiding and [[SelfMadeOrphan stabbed him with it]].]]
543** Orgrim Doomhammer died when he was stabbed in the back with a polearm. Those who look up to him consider this a cowardly act.
544** One quest in the Twilight Highlands involves fighting some enemies long enough for your ally to sneak up on them and finish them off.
545* ''VideoGame/Yakuza0'': After Kiryu's third fight with Kuze, the former does a PunchCatch against the latter, but before he can capitalise on this, Yoneda runs up with a bat and hits him on the back of the head, knocking him down. It would have ended in Kiryu's subsequent death were it not for TheCavalry. One of the signs that Kiryu TookALevelInBadass in ''VideoGame/Yakuza2'' is that another enemy also hits him on the back of the head, this time with a bottle, and all that results is Kiryu giving an annoyed DeathGlare.
546[[/folder]]
547
548[[folder:Web Animation]]
549* This happens regularly in ''WebAnimation/KnightsOfTheOldRepublicCinematicUniverse'':
550** In ''Hunger for the Force'', Visas Marr kills Darth Secuulus by impaling him from behind.
551** In ''Knights and the Darkness Pt. I'', Hanharr kills Saquesh by stabbing the unsuspecting Quarren in the back.
552** In ''Knights and the Darkness Pt. II'', [[spoiler:Scourge]] kills [[spoiler:Meetra Surik]] by stabbing her from behind, and then he injures [[spoiler:Vitiate]] by striking the [[spoiler:Sith Emperor]] in the back, and following a monologue, kills him by stabbing him from the front. And ''[[RuleOfThree then]]'' he finishes off [[spoiler:Revan]] as well by cutting him down from behind. [[AllJustADream All of this turns out to be just a vision]] of [[spoiler:Meetra]] who proceeds to impale [[spoiler:Scourge]] from behind for real to [[RewardedAsATraitorDeserves foil his backstabbing plans]].
553** In the premiere of ''Shadow of the Sith'', [[DiscOneFinalBoss Emperor Vitiate]] is [[MakeWayForTheNewVillains assassinated]] in this fashion by [[spoiler:Bao-Dur]] [[EvilAllAlong of all people]].
554[[/folder]]
555
556[[folder:Web Comics]]
557* In ''Webcomic/EightBitTheater'', [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/05/12/episode-1127-invincible-sword-technique/ this]] is how Black Mage hopped up on an impossible amount of evil gets around Fighter's ability to block literally anything.
558-->'''Black Mage:''' [[BondOneLiner Funny story]]: I noticed you use '''''swords''''' to block.
559* Angel warriors in ''Webcomic/BasicInstructionsBeforeLeavingEarth'' try this quite often ([[OurAngelsAreDifferent different]] indeed...). If only they'd stop ''[[WithCatlikeTread shouting]]'' as they did so.
560%%* ''Webcomic/BobAndGeorge'': [[http://www.bobandgeorge.com/archives/020918 It's a clue.]] [[http://www.bobandgeorge.com/archives/060719c It's also dishonorable.]]
561* Sarine in ''Webcomic/ErrantStory'' has the dubious honour of being the first to backstab someone from the front with a sword.
562* ''Webcomic/TheFoxSister'': The Kumiho's fighting style of blindsiding an opponent and attacking from behind sure isn't pretty, but effective.
563* In ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'', it's something of a recurring theme. [[spoiler:Vriska, John, Bro, Dave,]] and possibly others are all killed by being either stabbed or shot in the back. [[spoiler:Some of them get better.]]
564* The final fate of the Head Alien in the main continuity of ''Webcomic/ItsWalky'', [[spoiler:courtesy of Sal]].
565* In ''Webcomic/TheNoordegraafFiles'', Violet does this to Kat in their sparring match. Or at least ''tries''.
566* In ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'', Elan gets stabbed in the back by his EvilTwin brother [[SdrawkcabName Nale]], serving as Nale's reveal to the rest of the characters as... well, evil.
567%%* ''Webcomic/{{Pibgorn}}'': [[http://www.gocomics.com/pibgorn/2009/06/29/ There's nowhere I like to shoot a man more... than in the back.]]
568* In ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'', Advisor Magon knives a guard [[HeKnowsTooMuch who knows to much]] in the back [[http://www.sluggy.com/daily.php?date=990705 within three panels of his introduction]], just to make it clear that he's "morally challenged." And in case there's any lingering doubt, he [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill does it four more times to the guy's corpse]] in [[http://www.sluggy.com/daily.php?date=990706 the next strip]].
569* ''Webcomic/ThistilMistilKistil'': [[http://tmkcomic.depleti.com/comic/ch02-pg15/ Loki throws a sword into Coal's back.]] Good thing that the latter is already dead and more annoyed by the fact that he can't get it back out.
570* ''Webcomic/{{Unsounded}}'': Dhampir kills Danila by stabbing him in the back while Danila and Lemuel are hunting a boar, unaware any enemies lurk in the smoke.
571[[/folder]]
572
573[[folder:Web Original]]
574* At the end of an episode of ''WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall'', a villain appears behind Linkara, shoots him in the back, and calmly removes the magic gun from Linkara's unconscious body and walks away.
575* ''WebVideo/FreshyKanal'': Thanks to the ''Epic Rap Battles of History''-style allowing multiple Olafs in the same shot, there's a scene in "Loki vs. Count Olaf" where Olaf stabs ''himself'' in the back with a knife, specifically the Olaf who is disguised as Loki, likely a reference to the backstabbing nature of both characters.
576* In ''Roleplay/TheGamersAlliance'', many villains and antiheroes keep stabbing their targets in the back. This is particularly common among the various thieves guilds.
577* In the "[[WebAnimation/RedVsBlueTheRecollection Recovery One]]" miniseries of ''WebAnimation/RedVsBlue'', Agent South shoots Agent Washington in the back. He really likes to bitch about that.
578* In episode nine of ''WebVideo/ThereWillBeBrawl'', [[spoiler:Zelda]] stabs [[spoiler:Link]] in the back [[spoiler:with his own sword]].
579[[/folder]]
580
581[[folder:Western Animation]]
582* ''WesternAnimation/{{Amphibia}}'': In "True Colors", [[spoiler:Marcy takes the Calamity Box, gets Anne and the Plantars through the portal to Earth, and tries to figure out a way to get Sasha through as well -- only to be suddenly stabbed in the back by King Andrias, to the point where the tip of his sword comes out of her chest. She survives, but barely.]]
583* ''WesternAnimation/{{Archer}}'': At the end of "[[Recap/ArcherS1E3DiversityHire Diversity Hire]]", Conway Stern stabs Archer in the back immediately after saving him from two Cuban hit squads.
584-->'''Archer:''' Conway, buddy, are there more Cuban hitmen behind me?\
585'''Conway:''' Nope.\
586'''Archer:''' You dick.
587* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'':
588** Commander Zhao attempts to hit Zuko in the back when they fight a duel early in Season 1 (Zuko having just won). Unfortunately for Zhao, Iroh is right there and knocks him on his back, berating Zhao for his lack of honor.
589** In "[[Recap/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTheCrossroadsOfDestiny The Crossroads of Destiny]]", Aang's attempt to enter the [[SuperMode Avatar State]] is promptly shut down by [[CombatPragmatist Azula]] putting a lightning bolt into his back.
590* In the [[WartimeCartoon wartime]] [[WesternAnimation/ClassicDisneyShorts Disney cartoon]] ''Commando Duck'', WesternAnimation/DonaldDuck is floating downriver when a slew of Japanese snipers aim their guns at him.
591-->'''Sniper 1:''' All right, here he coming! Time to shooting now, please, I hope.\
592'''Sniper 2:''' No, no, wait, please. Japanese customs say only shooting a man in the back, please.\
593'''Sniper 1:''' Oh, thank you. ''[giggles]''
594* In ''WesternAnimation/GIJoeRenegades'', TheBaroness isn't having much luck against Snake Eyes, so when he turns to face Storm Shadow, she takes the opportunity to get in a free hit (and earns a ''very'' threatening reproach from [[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou Storm Shadow]]).
595* ''WesternAnimation/IlEtaitUneFois'': Two of Le Teigneux's characters do this to their respective enemies, [[CantGetAwayWithNuthin but never get away with it]]:
596** In "[[Recap/IlEtaitUneFoisManE10TheAgeOfVikings The Age of Vikings]]", Viking Teigneux, a chief-turned-outlaw, [[spoiler:stabs Viking Pierre in the back with his sword, only to get killed by Viking Pierrot]].
597** In "[[Recap/IlEtaitUneFoisManE14TheQuattrocento The Quattrocento]]", Renaissance!Teigneux, caught up in a vendetta with Renaissance!Nabot, [[spoiler:uses a stiletto to kill Nabot in similar fashion. [[MutualKill He dies because Nabot has poisoned his wine.]]]]
598* ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfVoxMachina'': Krieg kills Gregory Fince by stabbing him in the back with his sword.
599* This is how [[spoiler:Brainiac 5]] kills Imperiex in ''WesternAnimation/LegionOfSuperHeroes2006''.
600* ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'': In ''WesternAnimation/TheUnrulyHare'', WesternAnimation/ElmerFudd has WesternAnimation/BugsBunny at gunpoint.
601-->'''Bugs Bunny:''' Only a rat would shoot a guy... ''[turns around]'' ...in the back.\
602'''Elmer:''' ''[starts to pull on the trigger]''\
603'''Bugs Bunny:''' I reiterate: only a ''big, fat rat'' would shoot a guy in the ''back''.\
604''[Elmer shoots -- a smoke cloud appears where Bugs was]''\
605'''Elmer:''' ''[[[BreakingTheFourthWall facing the audience]]]'' So I'm a big, fat wat!\
606''[Bugs appears out of smoke]''\
607'''Bugs Bunny:''' ''[in Jerry Colonna voice]'' Ah! Have some cheese, rat! ''[shoves cheese wedge in Elmer's mouth]''
608* ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'': In the GrandFinale, [[spoiler:when The Collector attempts to utilize the lessons on redemption and friendship that Luz, Eda, and King taught them on [[BeyondRedemption Belos]], Luz immediately throws herself in front of them to save them from being blasted by Belos' flame-breath from behind, leading to her DisneyDeath]].
609* Played with in ''WesternAnimation/RockyAndBullwinkle'', during "The Last Angry Moose", when Boris Badenov impersonates a Hollywood agent to bilk Bullwinkle out of his money:
610-->'''Narrator:''' Now why should Boris stand there patting Bullwinkle on the back?\
611'''Boris:''' Heh heh heh, just looking for soft spot for de knife!
612* ''Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse'':
613** ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'':
614*** "[[Recap/StarWarsTheCloneWarsS1E9CloakOfDarkness Cloak of Darkness]]": Ventress ignites one of her lightsabers through Argyus's back and out of his chest when he makes the mistake of disparaging her skills. She then casually shoves his corpse to the floor to take his seat.
615*** "[[Recap/StarWarsTheCloneWarsS2E13VoyageOfTemptation Voyage of Temptation]]": Anakin kills the treacherous [[spoiler:Tal Merrik]] this way.
616** ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsRebels'': In "[[Recap/StarWarsRebelsS3E14LegacyOfMandalore Legacy of Mandalore]]", [[spoiler:Gar Saxon attempts this twice. First, he tries to sneak up on Ursa Wren with the Darksaber, but Sabine and Ezra see him, and Ezra loans Sabine his lightsaber so she can stop him. Second, after Sabine defeats him, he tries to shoot her in the back while she's walking away, but Ursa sees him drawing his blaster and shoots him first.]]
617* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'': In "[[Recap/StevenUniverseS3E3SameOldWorld Same Old World]]", it's revealed that the poofing that began [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds Lapis Lazuli]]'s TraumaCongaLine came via her getting punched in the back. [[spoiler:This is a key factor in why she and the attacker responsible, Bismuth, [[ForgottenFirstMeeting don't recognize each other]] when they meet each other properly later.]]
618* ''WesternAnimation/SuperRobotMonkeyTeamHyperforceGo'': In "[[Recap/SuperRobotMonkeyTeamHyperforceGoS2E12 I, Chiro]]", [[TheDragon Mandarin]] doesn't just stab Antauri in the back, he does so in the back of ''his skull'' for added effectiveness.
619* In ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2012'', [[spoiler:Shredder kills Splinter with a stab through the back in "[[Recap/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2012S3E2526AnnihilationEarth Annihilation Earth!]]"]].
620[[/folder]]
621
622[[folder:Real Life]]
623* Despite the legends, TheGunslinger in [[TheWildWest the real Wild West]] was quite likely to meet his fate like this:
624** The real-life assassination of the real-life UsefulNotes/JesseJames by the real-life coward Robert Ford happened in exactly this fashion. Ford himself was killed years later by one Edward O'Kelley, who walked up behind Ford and at least said "Hello Bob" before unloading both barrels of his shotgun. O'Kelley, in turn, was later justifiably (though not related to the murder) shot by police.
625** Gunslinger and outlaw (and later subject of a Music/BobDylan [[Music/JohnWesleyHarding album]] and song) John Wesley Hardin was shot in the back. His killer, John Selman Sr., got off by claiming self-defense on the grounds that Hardin could see him reflected in the barroom mirror Hardin was looking at. Like O'Kelley, Selman was later justifiably shot by a lawman in an unrelated incident.
626** Wild Bill Hickok was shot in the back by Jack [=McCall=]. It happened to him the only time he ever sat with his back to the door. ([=McCall=] shot Hickok in the back of the head, whereupon Bill stood up and began to draw his pistol and turn toward his attacker before falling across the table dead. Reflexes like that qualify Hickok for Epic Badass status.) Like the previous two back-shooters, [=McCall=] got away with it -- at first. However, problems with the first trial, the legal status of Deadwood itself, and [[TooDumbToLive the fact that Jack started bragging about it]] led to a second trial, after which he was quickly and efficiently [[PublicExecution not shot, but hanged]].
627** Pat Garrett, the man who gunned down UsefulNotes/BillyTheKid, was shot in the back of the head. Unlike the previous examples, the killer's identity is still a matter of dispute; one man confessed, but was acquitted and a few years later vanished from history completely.
628** Famed Lakota warrior chief Crazy Horse was reputedly ''bayoneted'' in the back.
629* While in the Wild East... One 19th Century Chechnyan warlord surrendered to Russians (yes, Chechen Wars aren't exactly new stuff), and the other kept fighting. On one occasion they met, and when the first one was leaving, the second shouted at him to turn around, because he wanted to at least shoot him (for mentioning surrendering to Russians, what he saw as treason), but wouldn't shoot him in the back.
630* TruthInTelevision. It has actually been proven that it is significantly easier for soldiers to kill their opponents when their backs are turned, especially if they are retreating. An opponent facing a shooter or attacker is a human being and a face that conveys a variety of emotions, immediately triggering a fundamental human aversion[[note]]with exceptions: see TheSociopath[[/note]] to killing one's own kind. On the other hand, a person fleeing triggers predatory "pursue and kill" instincts, and the killer doesn't see their face, thus dehumanizing their target, making shooting or stabbing them much easier. A person from behind also resembles the standard "person silhouette" target used on many target ranges, making it easier to revert back to training mentality and shoot.
631 * Creator/GeorgeMacDonaldFraser, in his autobiography ''Quartered Safe Out Here'', recounts being in the climactic battles of May-June 1945, that saw the reconquest of Burma and the destruction in detail of an entire Japanese army. He relates a major battle where the Japanese broke and tried to retreat; [=McDonald Fraser=] relates that this part of the battle was in open country, the Japanese were forced to retreat uphill, and from the point of view of vengeful and angry British soldiers, from that point on it became a firing-range exercise in killing as many soldiers as possible, firing into their fleeing backs.
632* This is true in melee as well. Approach an experienced fighter from the front with violent intent and [[NeverBringAKnifeToAFistfight whipping out a weapon might not save you]], but catch one by surprise and things look quite different...
633* For all their "gallant knights of the air" image, the fighter aces with the most kills were ruthless {{Combat Pragmatist}}s who preferred to attack from above and behind to get the advantages of speed and surprise, ideally [[BlindedByTheLight from out of the sun]] with the opponent a [[RedShirt novice flyer]] without the skills to avoid the attack.
634* In the British news magazine ''Magazine/PrivateEye'', the section where all the really scandalous stories about incompetence and/or malfeasance in public office can be found, is located, and appropriately titled, In The Back.
635* In some forms of [[ShotAtDawn execution by firing squad]], a soldier condemned for dishonorable crimes will be tied to a chair and shot in the back as he's considered to not deserve the "honor" of being shot in the chest.
636[[/folder]]

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