Line #40 Main/RazorSharpHand


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18	->''"Pattram Sword Hand focuses on blows so precise and sharp that they turn the edge of the hand, foot, or finger into a cutting implement strong enough to part flesh, sunder armor, and cleave bone. I have seen masters of this school sever solid rock with a fingernail."''
19	-->-- '''Manual of Hands and Feet''', ''Webcomic/KillSixBillionDemons''
20
21	There are [[HeroesPreferSwords heroes who prefer swords]]. Others think KatanasAreJustBetter. Then there are those who need neither. No, if they have to cut their opponent in tiny pieces they will just use their ''bare hands''. Of course there will usually be some magic or AppliedPhlebotinum behind this, but the idea is that they don't need any tool whatsoever. A swipe of their extended palm with jointed fingers, and the job is done. Alternately, the hand can be used as an [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice unstoppable piercing weapon]].
22
23	When this trope is present in western media, It's normally HandWaved by the user [[IKnowKarate knowing Karate]] and is also commonly PlayedForLaughs.
24
25	Note that an example doesn't qualify if the "hand" itself is an actual blade or spear. Examples of that should go to BladeBelowTheShoulder. It must have the appearance of a normal fingered hand. Let it also be known that a BrickBreak doesn't count as "cutting", since it uses blunt force and leaves a jagged edge where the pieces cracked apart.
26
27	See also HeroesFightBarehanded. Compare AbsurdCuttingPower. For a defensive equivalent, see BareHandedBladeBlock.
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29	----
30	!!Examples:
31	[[foldercontrol]]
32
33	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
34	* ''Manga/ArmedGirlsMachiavellism'': Kirukiru Amou has trained extensively until her hands can slice through pretty much anything, even concrete.
35	* Two fighters are shown to excel with a technique like this in ''Manga/BakiTheGrappler''.
36	** Shinogi Kosho practices a fighting style that allows him to sever nerves with his fingertips, allowing him to cripple or blind his opponents.
37	** One of titular "Most Evil Death Row Convicts" in said arc is Sikorsky, although he puts his own spin on this trope. He knows of a technique where he can cause deep cuts on his opponents, but instead of his fingers or nails, he actually makes use of swift knuckle strikes using friction to cut through flesh.
38	* In ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'', all of the Arrancars can do this as they have the ability to toughen their skin. Some shinigami practice forms of hand to hand combat which allows them to perform both this and {{Bare Handed Blade Block}}s if they're sufficiently more powerful than their target.
39	* In ''Literature/{{Campione}}'', Athena destroys Liliana's clothes just by running her finger along them, even slicing through her belt buckle.
40	* ''Franchise/DragonBall'':
41	** ''Manga/DragonBall'': Tao Pai Pai has toughened not only his hands and feet but also his ''tongue'' to the point he can pierce through anything and effortlessly kill enemies.
42	** ''Manga/DragonBallZ'':
43	*** Gohan at one point uses this ability to [[MundaneUtility split firewood]].
44	*** Pops up again in the Buu saga, this time used by [[FusionDance Vegito]] against [[BigBad Super Buu]]. The first of a couple of signature attacks (named Vegito Sword in the fighters), the energy sword projected from his hand is shown to briefly paralyze Buu.
45	*** Dr. Gero [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice punctures a hole]] through [[ButtMonkey poor Yamcha]]'s chest after grabbing hold of him and draining his energy. Android 17 later jabs a hole in Gero himself before kicking his head off.
46	** ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'': Goku Black likes to concentrate aura into one of his hands, then shape it into a blade, allowing him to use his arm like a sword.
47	* ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar''
48	** ''Nanto Seiken'' is a whole family of fighting disciplines that generally works this way. Most famous among the Nanto fighters is side protagonist Rei, whose ''Nanto Suicho Ken'' style can literally slash his enemies to ribbons; and Shin, whose piercing fingers were responsible for the Seven Scars that Kenshiro bears.
49	** Even Hokuto Shinken does this, such as [[https://youtu.be/ZIUfstu5qvY?t=1m15s this incident]] where Kenshiro [[HalfTheManHeUsedToBe cleaves a man in half lengthwise with the edge of his hand]].
50	* Alucard from ''Manga/{{Hellsing}}'' ends his duel with [[DeathDealer Tubalcain Alhambra]] by cutting through his card and his entire arm lengthwise with just his hand.
51	* In ''Manga/{{Kandachime}}'', Mumiyo suffers from PowerIncontinence and cuts everything she touches.
52	* The Kyotoryu school from ''Literature/{{Katanagatari}}'' has been noted to slice through not only flesh but also other swords with bare handed techniques -- even if those swords [[spoiler:have been specifically made to be indestructible]]. One user even manages to create RazorWind with a cut of her hand, which gives another character a perfectly-styled haircut.
53	* [[spoiler:Sieglinde Jeremiah]] of ''Manga/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaVivid''. A missed swipe from her hand tore a deep crevice across the ground that ended in a destroyed arena wall. A flashback through [[GeneticMemory the eyes of her ancestors]] shows them literally tearing through armies of knights with her bare hands, decapitating several soldiers and horses with each swing of her hands and feet.
54	* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'':
55	** The Chidori technique in its basic form consists of concentrating lightning chakra in your hand and charge very fast to make it cut and pierce through anything. [[TheJuggernaut The Third Raikage]] has a similar technique, except he takes it to OneManArmy levels. While [[DeadlyDoctor Kabuto]] uses a repurposed medical technique, making his hand like a scalpel which lets him cut tendons and arteries without breaking skin but more often he can just use it to slice enemies in half.
56	** When Kabuto released a number of Orochimaru's prisoners and made them all fight each other to the death (with the last survivor earning the "honour" of becoming [[GrandTheftMe Orochimaru's new host body]]) the eventual winner (Gen'yūmaru) kills his last opponent by taking his head clean off with his bare hands and sending it flying across the room.
57	* Kotaro of ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi''.
58	* ''Manga/SquidGirl'': Chizuru demonstrates the ability to cut things with her bare hand. In the anime she only demonstrates the ability on Squid Girl's tentacles (the manga version has her holding a knife while doing these actions, making the anime version even ''more'' awesome) but later on in the manga she uses her bare hand to cut a weapon-grade watermelon that the [[MadScientist three stooges]] had enhanced to resist a chainsaw.
59	* The ''Manga/{{Strider}}'' manga shows that Strider Hiryu could slice cleanly through humans with a karate chop.
60	* ''Manga/{{Toriko}}'''s Fork and Knife techniques work this way.
61	* That's how Fuuma prefers to kill his victims in ''Manga/{{X1999}}'' (impaling them through the chest).
62	[[/folder]]
63
64	[[folder:Comic Books]]
65	* In the Creator/DCComics series ''ComicBook/HeroHotline'', Diamondette has this power with her hands acting like diamond-hard knives. She's part-timing as a hero for hire to pay for medical school, as she plans to [[MundaneUtility become a surgeon]].
66	* ''ComicBook/JudgeDredd'''s nemesis, Judge Death, is shown chopping through one unfortunate judge's neck with his bare hand in his introduction story. His signature move involves reaching into a person's chest and squeezing their heart.
67	* ''ComicBook/NewGods'': One of ComicBook/{{Darkseid}}'s Female Furies, Guilotina, has this power. Her hands can cut through just about anything, making the {{Absurdly Sharp Blade}}s she wields almost redundant.
68	* ComicBook/{{Superman}}'s fingernails are harder than diamond, and have to be cut with either heat vision, special kryptonian metal, or bitten DependingOnTheWriter.
69	[[/folder]]
70
71	[[folder:Fan Works]]
72	* ''Fanfic/DragonFromAsh'': During the second dragon battle an irate Serana uses the piercing version of this on the dragon.
73	* ''Fanfic/RosarioVampireBrightestDarkness Act III'': In chapter 15, Tsukune slices Yukari's wand in half with a single karate chop.
74	[[/folder]]
75
76	[[folder:Film -- Animation]]
77	* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanSoulOfTheDragon'': ComicBook/LadyShiva manages to ''shatter'' Lady Eve's sword with her bare hands.
78	* ''WesternAnimation/LuckyLukeBalladOfTheDaltons'': Caricatural ChineseLaunderer Ming Li Foo responds to the threat to his life the Dalton Brothers stupidly uttered a minute earlier while undressing to have him clean their clothes by attacking Lucky Luke (who just wants to talk to him and save his life) [[AllAsiansKnowMartialArts with kung fu]] outside his shop. Foo chops clean everything in his path with his hand to get to Luke, including wooden saloon poles, a metal street lamp (in several small bits), a wooden barrel, a mannequin's head, a wooden ladder and even an ''anvil''.
79	* In 1988 Soviet animated adaptation of ''Literature/TreasureIsland'', [[AdaptationalBadass Jim]] discovers that his [[KungFuProofMook kung fu doesn't work]] on a [[GiantMook gigantic, hulking pirate]]. He runs to a tree about a meter in diameter and karate-chops it down, so it falls on the pirate and breaks over his head. [[NoSell The pirate hardly notices this]].
80	[[/folder]]
81
82	[[folder:Film -- Live-Action]]
83	* In ''Film/{{Casshern}}'', there is a four-minute action sequence in which the hero mows down an entire army of war robots. The first one is dispatched by punching it through the heart using the artillery shell the hero has just caught in front of his own face. The second one has his head ripped off at the neck and is then bisected with a single vertical chop to the neck stump. It's as crazy as it sounds.
84	* In ''Film/FistOfLegend'', Creator/JetLi is discussing philosophy with a Japanese warrior. Jet Li's character says it's about power, and punches a rock. The Japanese fighter effortlessly swings his hand through the air, cutting a piece of paper in half and says it's not about power, but focusing that power.
85	* In ''Film/{{Hancock}}'', every part of Hancock is invulnerable, even his hair, but he can shave using his fingernails.
86	* In ''Film/JohnCarpentersVampires'', the Vampire Lord at one point uses his bare hand to first jam it into a human's chest, then swings the arm in an upward motion to completely rip the poor victim in half.
87	* In ''Franchise/{{Zatoichi}} Meets the One Armed Swordsman'', the last one, to demonstrate his strength and scare Zatoichi, cuts down trees with a single blow of his bare hand.
88	[[/folder]]
89
90	[[folder:Literature]]
91	* ''Literature/BrokenRing'': How the ''senkata'' can kill. They form their normally shadowy forms into hard, jagged ends to slice with.
92	* In ''Literature/CerberusHigh'' the twins Mitzy and Roxy are said to be able to slice diamond with their chops.
93	* Subverted in ''Literature/TheFifthElephant''; the assassin/aide Vimes is assigned on his diplomatic trip to {{Uberwald}} appears to decapitate a bandit with his bare hands, but shortly afterwards it's revealed that he's really carrying a [[AbsurdlySharpBlade palm dagger]].
94	[[/folder]]
95
96	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
97	* The titular hero of ''Series/UltramanAce'' has the "[[CallingYourAttacks Ultra-Knife]]!" which encases his hands, in a chopping motion, with a razor sharp aura, capable of shredding monster's body parts with ease. This attack notably relieves the monster Zaigon [[OffWithHisHead of its cranium]].
98	[[/folder]]
99
100	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
101	* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'':
102	** The ''TabletopGame/EpicLevelHandbook'' includes feats that improve effectiveness of a character's (usually monk's) unarmed strike, culminating in giving it a vorpal effect.(instant kill by decapitation on a natural 20 critical hit. [[AwesomeButImpractical Unfortunately, far too many Epic level enemies are immune to critical hits]].)
103	** ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms'' has the spell "Laeral's Cutting Hand", making the caster's hand work as a weapon equal to a +2 dagger.
104	* 3[[superscript:rd]] Edition ''TabletopGame/{{GURPS Supers}}'':
105	** The Buzzsaw power causes the user's hand to vibrate at hypersonic speed, allowing it to cut through things and cause massive damage.
106	** The supplement ''TabletopGame/{{GURPS}} Literature/WildCards'': The super villain Mackie Messer (AKA Mack the Knife) can cut through anything physical with his hands.
107	* ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'' has the Boar Style line of feats which can give your unarmed attacks the slashing or piercing damage type, plus a damage and Intimidation bonus. Downplayed in that the fluff describes it as using [[AbsurdlySharpClaws hardened and sharpened nails]] ([[ManBitesMan and teeth]]) instead of the "blade" of the hand.
108	[[/folder]]
109
110	[[folder:Video Games]]
111	* This is Yasha's weapon of choice in ''VideoGame/AsurasWrath'', by contrast to Asura's fists. As a bonus, he can even throw {{Sword Beam}}s with them.
112	* This is how ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}'' cuts off the tentacles of Iustitia. Sadly you can't use that move during gameplay.
113	* ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry4'': Dante did this to a slab of stone (and later, many slabs) when he acquired Gilgamesh (a set of supposedly non-sharp gauntlets and boots). Unfortunately, that only worked in [[CutscenePowerToTheMax a cutscene]].
114	* ''VideoGame/EXTRAPOWERAttackOfDarkforce'': The bem, such as Gradius, have Panzer Arms that transform their bodies into weapons. For Gradius, it means turning his hand into a sharpened knife's edge which he uses to slice and stab his foes.
115	** The giant hand Edelweiss that pulls Nemuri's wagon in ''VideoGame/EXTRAPOWERAttackOfDarkforce'' is also a bem, and it automatically slices through enemies by touching them during movement.
116	* In ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters'', Iori Yagami, Goenitz, Leona Heidern and Mature use their hands to slice their opponents like a knife. In Leona's case, she inherited her razor-sharp hands from [[spoiler: her biological father Gaidel.]]
117	** Iori begins to rely only on his bare hands in ''XII'' and ''XIII'' [[spoiler: after being forcefully BroughtDownToNormal by Ash Crimson]], but he retains his ability of his claw-like hands to slash his opponents.
118	* ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends'': Prior to her rework, [[{{Ninja}} Akali, the Fist of Shadow]] was said to have been raised from infancy as a martial artist. By the time she was officially inducted into her ninja order, she was able to slice a dangling chain with a chop of her hand.
119	* ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyDualDestinies'': Simon Blackquill, who often speaks in odd sword metaphors only he seems to understand fully, obviously can't bring one to court. So he resorts to this instead, being able to slash your glasses in half from across the courtroom without moving from the prosecutor's stand, and without even harming you.
120	* ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'': Wesker is a big fan of this move, most notably when he kills [[spoiler: Oswald E. Spencer]] with a stab to the chest in ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil5''. In his case, his hand isn't so much sharp as it's a matter of his SuperStrength: he brute-force slams his fingers through his victim's sternum.
121	* In a couple of the more recent fighter spinoffs from the ''Franchise/TouhouProject'' series, Yukari Yakumo's Last Word ✶Lend Me Those Beautiful Legs!✶ winds up as this. With a single swipe from her fingernails, she cuts the victim clean in half. Or at least she appears to, as the silhouette screen and clip thereafter imply she's just pulling a bit of a stunt using her gaps (this being Yukari, it wouldn't be a major stretch); the hapless victim is almost immediately pieced back together again.
122	[[/folder]]
123
124	[[folder:Webcomics]]
125	* ''Webcomic/KillSixBillionDemons'': The Pattram Sword Hand style of SupernaturalMartialArts enables this via EnlightenmentSuperpowers, which TheHeavy Juggernaut Star frequently uses to [[https://killsixbilliondemons.com/comic/wielder-of-names-5-82/ decapitate people]] barehanded. According to lore, used to its fullest effect, a single strike can [[NoKillLikeOverkill tear a body into thirty pieces]] and [[LudicrousGibs purge all its vital fluids]].
126	* In ''Webcomic/{{Sidekicks}}'' this is Glamqueen's [[spoiler:and later on, one of Gale's]] superpower.
127	* ''Webcomic/UnOrdinary'': Volcan kills Alana by stabbing her hand through the other woman's chest. She tries to do the same to Remi, but Remi manages to dodge enough that Volcan's hand cuts through her side and her friends are able to get her away from Volcan and to a healer in time to save her life.
128	[[/folder]]
129
130	[[folder:Western Animation]]
131	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'': Played for laughs in "[[Recap/FuturamaS4E4LessThanHero Less than Hero]]", when Bender the DoAnythingRobot makes his hand spin rapidly to mimic the function of a saw and cut a plank of wood. This is especially implausible considering that his three fingers are thick, cylindrical and wider at the ends, as poorly suited to cutting as anything imaginable.
132	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Invincible\|2021}}'': Omni-Man has the [[FlyingBrick typical combo]] of SuperSpeed, SuperStrength, and NighInvulnerability. When he's fighting lethally, he can ruthlessly apply these abilities to perform cleanly slicing hand chops in the blink of an eye.
133	* ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'': Shego can slash or cut things with her hands by infusing them with green, flame-like energy.
134	* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'': Spongebob, Sandy and (in one episode) Patrick due to their [[IKnowKarate knowledge of Karate]].
135	[[/folder]]
136

Context Main / RazorSharpHand