Line #81 Main/SwordPlant


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10	[[quoteright:269:[[VisualNovel/FateStayNight https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/eizoutokutennced1mkvsna_1372.jpg]]]]
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12	A character stabs the ground (or a wall) with a sword (or any other weapon, for that matter) as an attack, to help stand up, [[BladeBrake as an anchor]], or [[CaptainMorganPose just to look cool]].
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14	As an attack, it can be performed as a pointier version of a GroundPound and/or ShockwaveStomp, depending on whether the user is [[DeathFromAbove executing it from above]].
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16	In the tiresome world of RealLife, this is ill advised -- mistreat a sword this way and you are likely to chip, dull, bend, or even break the blade. In fiction, of course, anything is possible [[RuleOfCool if it looks cool enough]]. So, go ahead and drive your AbsurdlySharpBlade into six inches of reinforced concrete: it'll be fine. That said, this trope has a little backing in reality: sand or soft soil can be used to clean a blood-covered blade if nothing else is around, preventing rust. In any case, it's better to leave the sheath on when doing this.
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18	Some spears actually are designed for this, with a butt spike that’s less delicate than the main weapon end; on the Greek hoplite's Dory spear, this spike was called the ''sauroter'' or "lizard-killer". The warrior was thus able to stick it in the ground and leave it standing there until they were ready to retrieve it.
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20	Contrast StabTheSky and SwordPointing. A plant which happens to be a sword comes under LivingWeapon. See also TheBladeAlwaysLandsPointyEndIn, which is about when swords are thrown or dropped and land point-downward, SteppingStoneSword, when a sword thrown or driven into a surface is used to climb or stand on, WeaponTombstone when a sword is used as a tombstone marker, GroundPunch when a weapon is not used, LeftStuckAfterAttack if a weapon is unintentionally made stuck, and ClaimingViaFlag, when a flagpole is planted on the ground.
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22	[[JustForFun/IThoughtItMeant If you're looking for]] plants that ''grow'' swords, see GrowsOnTrees.
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25	!!Examples:
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27	[[foldercontrol]]
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29	[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
30	* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'':
31	** One of Rukia's shikai attacks involves her stabbing the ground four times.
32	** Ichigo tends to stab the ground and lean on his sword when he needs a prop to help him stay standing.
33	** Ichigo also does this purposefully during the Bount {{Filler}} arc, to release a [[SwordBeam Getsuga Tenshou]] in multiple directions. He also plants it in the ground in order to take out several of Soul Society's lieutenants bare-handed.
34	** Aizen plants his sword in a piece of fallen building while he removes the power-sealing cuffs put on him by [[spoiler:Urahara]] in the fake Karakura.
35	** Ichigo plants his sword [[ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks from a distance]] in order to stop [[spoiler:Yhwach]] in his tracks and get his attention, before landing and picking it up to confront him.
36	* Saya of ''Anime/BloodPlus'' does this frequently for various reasons.
37	* The titular Claymores from ''Manga/{{Claymore}}'' often plant their swords in the ground to have [[MundaneUtility something to lean against when they are sitting or sleeping]]. Justified in this case, since the swords in question are made from ThunderboltIron and so never break or need sharpening, no matter how much abuse they're put through.
38	* In ''Literature/{{Corsair}}'', Canale finishes his battle with Shirokko by stabbing his blade into one of the masts just shy of Shirokko's ear.
39	* Pictured above, [[TheyCallHimSword Saber]] from ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'' does this in flashbacks. Other swordsmen in later installments follow suit.
40	* Major Olivia Armstrong in ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' carries a saber everywhere she goes, and she's usually seen holding it in this position when she's standing and talking to anyone, though in most cases it's still in its sheath.
41	%%* Commander Taki from ''Manga/HyakujitsuNoBara''.
42	* In ''Manga/InuYasha'', whenever the titular Inuyasha is too injured to stand, he usually plants the [[{{BFS}} tetsusaiga]] in the ground to support himself.
43	* In ''Anime/KillLaKill'', this is Satsuki Kiryūin's signature pose, albeit with the sword still in its sheath.
44	* Carta Issue and her bodyguards in ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamIronBloodedOrphans'' do this whenever they introduce themselves to their enemies. It doesn't stop Akihiro from [[CombatPragmatist shooting them during their speech, however]].
45	* In ''Manga/MyHime'', Mikoto does this when she uses her sword's (very destructive) ultimate attack.
46	* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}''. Occurs during the Sasuke vs Deidara fight. Sasuke uses his sword as a SteppingStoneSword, and it is later revealed that Sasuke did it for ''another'' purpose, as well.
47	[[/folder]]
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49	[[folder:Fan Works]]
50	* ''Fanfic/TheNightUnfurls'':
51	** While addressing the recruits of his [[MenOfSherwood company]], Kyril has his hand on the hilt of the Holy Moonlight Sword, which is stabbed into the snow.
52	** Chapter 9 of the remastered version has Kyril leaning on the Holy Moonlight Sword stabbed point first into the ground, as [[spoiler:Morgan is dragged off by the Rat to have his soul taken]].
53	* ''Fanfic/WithThisRing'': The Renegade routinely sticks his daiklave into the ground just for somewhere to keep it when he needs his hands free -- which is {{Justified\|Trope}} by the fact that it's far more resilient than Earth materials, plus he can reinforce it with his soul.
54	[[/folder]]
55
56	[[folder:Film - Live-Action]]
57	* ''Film/{{Braveheart}}'' ends with a shot of William Wallace's enormous claymore stuck in the ground.
58	* Villard does this in ''Film/ByTheSword'' after a scene of showing his fencing skills to prove to himself that he's better than Suba.
59	* In the ''Film/ConanTheBarbarian2011'' film reboot, young Conan, while training with his father, refuses to admit defeat prompting his father to yell, "Enough" and stab the tip of his sword into the frozen lake they were sparring on. This act shatters the ice in such a way that it leaves Corin standing but dumps young Conan into the drink.
60	* ''Film/{{Excalibur}}''. Devastated but unwilling to kill his wife and best friend, King Arthur slams Excalibur into the ground between Guinevere and Lancelot so that when they wake up in the morning they both know they've just royally screwed up the kingdom.
61	-->'''Lancelot:''' The king without a sword! The land without a king!
62	* Shows up in ''Film/HighlanderEndgame'', with Duncan planting it as a memorial on Connor's grave.
63	** Connor also did it in the original film after Heather's death, in the scene with the burning croft in the background.
64	* ''Film/KongSkullIsland'': [[Characters/MonsterVerseSkullIslandExpedition Captain James Conrad]] performs a sword-plant with Gunpei's [[KatanasAreJustBetter katana]], throwing it blade-first so that it plants itself in the ground standing upright.
65	* In ''Film/TheMatrixReloaded'', Morpheus stabs his katana into the side of the semi-truck he's riding, in order to give him a platform to snag the Keymaster (who is passing by on a motorcycle).
66	* In ''Film/PacificRim'', a damaged Gipsy Danger does this during the FinalBattle [[spoiler:to avoid being knocked over by the shockwave of Striker Eureka's nuke detonating.]]
67	* ''Film/ThePrincessBride'': The Dread Pirate Roberts throws his sword into a plant, so he can use both hands to impressively swing down, during his fight with Inigo Montoya.
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72	%% See this entry? It doesn't even say which film this is in which the trope takes place. Thus, it has been hidden from public view until someone can identify which film this occured in.
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74	%%* In a Japanese movie about a BornInTheWrongCentury samurai, the police insist on confiscating his sword as evidence after he kills several mooks on a train. He drives his katana into the floor of the train, snaps it sideways to break it in half, then storms off. Then he has to wait several months while his swordmaster makes another one.
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80	[[/folder]]
81
82	[[folder:Jokes]]
83	* In UsefulNotes/{{Bulgaria}}, some unknown student may or may not have written an exam paper with a pompous description of how the country's FounderOfTheKingdom supposedly did this: "Khan Asparukh planted the sword between his legs''[[note]][[DontExplainTheJoke into the ground]], [[GroinAttack not the other thing]][[/note]]'' and spoke: [[DoubleEntendre Here]] shall Bulgaria be."
84	[[/folder]]
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86	[[folder:Literature]]
87	* This is how, in many versions/adaptions of the Myth/ArthurianLegend, the Sword in the Stone got into the stone.
88	* In ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'', when Jon Snow does this during sword training, [[DrillSergeantNasty Ser Alliser Thorne]] gets stuck into him for leaning on his sword from exhaustion.
89	* In his first appearance in the ''{{Literature/Corum}}'' books, when the protagonists are spying on him encamped with his force, it's noted that Prince Gaynor the Damned stands at a campfire, sword planted in the ground with both hands on its hilt... to subtly empathize that his great sword ''has no'' sheath, to go with the helmet and armor he cannot remove, and that he neither carouses nor sits nor sleeps. (The blade is probably of too rare quality to be damaged by the treatment, and he'd probably just find it mildly amusing if one of his deaths actually came from equipment neglect.)
90	* Different weapon, same principle: Vimes drives an ''axe'' into a table where several civic dignitaries are sitting near the end of ''Literature/FeetOfClay'' to, ahem... [[{{Pun}} make a point]]. (Though technically it's not actually a ''point'' per se, but... [[DontExplainTheJoke Oh, never mind]].) Lord Vetinari decides to leave it there as a conversation piece. And then, he has it tuned.
91	** There is also the BrickJoke which carries over from ''Literature/GuardsGuards'' to ''Literature/MenAtArms''. In the former, Fred Colon remarks that it's all very well pulling a sword ''out'' of a stone to demonstrate one's right to kingship. [[note]]And anyway, this can be faked with a hollow stone and some bloody Dwarf inside operating the release mechanism for the right candidate[[/note]]. The trick, in Fred's opinion, is to find the man who can put the sword into the stone in the first place. In the latter book, several novels along the timeline, Corporal Carrot, a man with a suspiciously crown-shaped birthmark on one shoulder and an inherited very sharp sword, kills the insane Chief Assassin who wants to make him King. The sword goes straight through the Assassin and right through the granite pillar behind him, standing out on the other side. Carrot then removes the planted sword from the stone without remarking on it even once.
92	* Subverted in the Norwegian novel ''Literature/KristinLavransdatter''. Simon is sitting on a wooden bench, talking to his fiancé and fiddling with his dagger. He stabs the bench with the dagger and only winds up bending the point so badly it won’t go back in its sheath.
93	* In ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive'', people are seen doing this with [[AbsurdlySharpBlade Shardblades]] on several occasions. Usually at dramatic moments.
94	** In the prologue of the first book, depicting the end of the Last Desolation, 9 out of the 10 Heralds drive their Honorblades into the ground to signify their [[RefusalOfTheCall refusal to continue with the Oathpact]].
95	* [[DarkMessiah Rand]] plants ''[[AmplifierArtifact Callandor]]'' in the floor of the Stone of Tear in book 4 of ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'', and leaves it to remind the Tairen nobles that he will return. Justified in this case, since ''[[InfinityPlusOneSword Callandor]]'' is [[AbsurdlySharpBlade easily sharp and durable enough to cut into the stone floor]].
96	[[/folder]]
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98	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
99	* One episode 1.07 of ''Series/{{Camelot}}'' has a group of female dancers planting swords into a table in front of surprised diners.
100	* The second opening to ''Series/TheColbertReport'' features Stephen doing this with a flagpole. With as many epic trimmings as you can pack into one intro.
101	* ''Series/GameOfThrones''
102	** Jaime and Bronn get held at spearpoint by several Dornish riders, who [[PutDownYourGunAndStepAway order them to toss their swords in the sand.]] Bronn does this trope instead, which saves him a precious half-second to rearm himself during the subsequent fight.
103	** Ser Jorah Mormont does this through Tyrion Lannister's bonds to hold him in place while he steals a boat. Tyrion tries to cut the ropes on this ConvenientlyPlacedSharpThing, but Jorah returns too quickly.
104	** Ser Arthur Dayne does this when confronting young Eddard Stark and his men at the Tower of Joy.
105	** Lord Eddard Stark stabs Ice into the ground while passing sentence on Will in the first episode. This may be a Stark tradition, as Robb Stark and Jon Snow each strike a similar pose before conducting executions of their own.
106	** In "Beyond the Wall", Lord Beric puts out his FlamingSword by stabbing it into the snow, extinguishing the fire magic.
107	* ''Series/HouseOfTheDragon'': Both King Viserys and Daemon Targaryen have such a pose in the throne room at one point or another, and both swords are family heirlooms made of Valyrian steel. Viserys [[https://45secondes.fr/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/1661116813_Que-sait-on-de-Blackfyre-et-Dark-Sister-les-puissantes-epees.jpg does it while sittin on the throne]], and Daemon [[https://imgix.bustle.com/uploads/image/2022/11/10/017af216-48f5-4f23-8c21-eeea1df7de8c-daemon-1.jpeg?w=400&h=300&fit=crop&crop=focalpoint&auto=format%2Ccompress&fp-x=0.4787&fp-y=0.394 does it while he's standing up]].
108	* ''Franchise/KamenRider'':
109	** ''Series/KamenRiderBlade'' tends to stick his sword into the ground when he performs his [[FinishingMove Lightning Blast/Sonic]]. Sometimes he'll jump off of the sword to get extra height for the kick.
110	** ''Series/KamenRiderKiva'': In one of the 1986 scenes, the Bat Fangire (in human form) flung the Demon Imperial Sword Zanvat Sword, which had been his weapon, into the wall of Castle Doran, where it stayed for 22 years. It wasn't pulled out until 2008, when it reacted to Wataru's power and partially exposed itself, staying in the wall until Wataru finished drawing it out.
111	** ''Series/KamenRiderDouble'': During his debut episode (excluding cameos in the previous episode and winter movie), Ryu Terui is shown carrying his ''very'' heavy Engine Blade around. Later, he stabs it into the ground so he has both hands free, and then transforms into Kamen Rider Accel for the first time.
112	* [[AmbiguousGender Rita Kaniska]], Chief Justice and King of Gokkan from ''Series/OhsamaSentaiKingOhger'', does this often, either to put pressure on the defendant in court, or to punctuate threats in battle. They also use to it to end their opponent while using their FinishingMove.
113	* In ''Series/TheUntamed'', Lan Wangji plants his sword on the ground twice.
114	** The first time is when he tried to keep himself standing after he was exhausted from [[spoiler: fending off anyone who attempted to destroy the Burial Mountains.]]
115	** The second time is when he learned that [[spoiler: Wei Wuxian sacrificed his golden core so Jiang Cheng would regain his cultivation]]. He slammed his (sheathed) sword on the ground to vent his sadness and anger and also as a warning to [[spoiler: Jiang Cheng]] that if they tried to stop him and Wei Wuxian from leaving again, Lan Wanji ''will'' run them through.
116	[[/folder]]
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118	[[folder:Professional Wrestling]]
119	* Wrestling/DrewMcintyre has made this part of his entrance, featuring a claymore of course.
120	* Dementia D'Rose has done this with her knife [[ThrowingDownTheGauntlet as a sign she's ready to fight]]. She makes people bleed [[BareFistedMonk the hard way]], she just takes the knife around because [[CloudCuckooLander she likes the way it looks.]]
121	[[/folder]]
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123	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
124	* In ''TabletopGame/{{Ironclaw}}'' calendar swords lack pointed tips so that paladins can do this while kneeling before an altar.
125	[[/folder]]
126
127	[[folder:Toys]]
128	* ''Toys/{{BIONICLE}}'': in ''The Legend Reborn'', Mata Nui does this with his sword to cut a part of a cliff to fall on a [[ScaryScorpions Skopio]].
129	[[/folder]]
130
131	[[folder:Video Games]]
132	* Duke of ''VideoGame/BattleArenaToshinden'' has his "Helm Crush" attack, where he swings his {{BFS}} such that it points straight down (hence the name), planting it deep into the ground (and whoever's unfortunate enough to be between the two).
133	* The introductory illustrations of ''VideoGame/BattleForWesnoth'''s ''Heir to the Throne'' campaign show Delfador making the point that even a hotshot princely swordsman shouldn't mess around with a staff, as their duel concludes with Delfador leaving said staff behind ''rammed through the prince's body into the ground''.
134	* Ra's al Ghul does this, right between the cobblestones in front of the Lazarus Pit, when challenging Batman in ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamCity''.
135	* ''VideoGame/BlazBlue'':
136	** Jin Kisaragi has a MagicKnight variation as his [[FinishingMove Astral Heat]] "Arctic Dungeon": he stabs the ground with his [[AnIcePerson magical ice]] [[KatanasAreJustBetter katana]], causing ice crystals to erupt across the ground. If his opponent is touching the ground when this happens, they are frozen and, when the ice shatters, instant-killed. In the third game onward, his Touga Hyoujin and Gekka Hyourou super moves all involve stabbing his katana to the ground to impale the foe with ice spikes.
137	** Ragna does this in his win pose, stabbing his {{BFS}} to the ground and then resting his foot onto the notch on the blunt side of the blade. Kagura also does this in his win pose--his blade is almost as long as he is tall and he can easily rest his whole body on it as if it's a wall.
138	** Litchi has this as a gameplay mechanic similar to Donovan below but done with her staff. After planting it, she can either send it flying towards the opponent [[BoomerangComeback and then back to her]] or jump onto it with a special move; from there she has a few more unique attacks. Her Astral Heat also requires her to plant her staff first.
139	* Frog does an especially cool variation of this as part of his and Crono's "Spire" [[CombinationAttack Dual Tech]] in ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'': he jams the sword into ''an enemy'', not the ground, whereupon Crono strikes the weapon with a lighting bolt, electrocuting the impaled opponent.
140	* The [[HumongousMecha Shogun Executioner]] of ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRedAlert3'' has a special ability that slams ''three'' {{Laser Blade}}s into the ground at once, producing [[ShockwaveStomp a massive shockwave of power]] that destroys anything around it. Not that the Shogun Executioner has much trouble on that front...
141	* ''VideoGame/ConquerorsBlade'': The final strike in the Sally Forth skill for Longsword heroes is a Sword Plant—into the enemy's chest.
142	* ''VideoGame/DarkestDungeon'' has the [[WarriorPoet Leper]] do this with his BFS whenever using a self-buffing move.
143	* In ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsIII'', the weapon skill of [[{{BFS}} Wolnir's Holy Sword]] has you stabbing the sword into the ground to cast a shockwave similar to the Wrath of the Gods miracle.
144	* ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry1'':
145	** After Dante pulls the Force Edge that Trish throws at his chest in the prologue, he plants it on the ground point-first.
146	** Dante also leaves [[spoiler:the Sparda in this manner to honor Trish's apparent death]].
147	* This trope serves as a central gameplay mechanic for [[WarriorMonk Donovan]] of the ''VideoGame/{{Darkstalkers}}'' series. He can plant his sword in the ground, where it will remain until he commands it to attack the opponent, which it does by flying out from its planted position then turning and returning to him like a boomerang. While this grants him good control of the playfield and a tricky way to apply pressure on the opponent, it also acts as a trade-off in that while his sword is planted his normal attacks lose range and strength, and he is unable to perform his other special moves.
148	* Both the Fighter and the Amazon of ''VideoGame/DragonsCrown'' does this for their GroundPound and [[ShockwaveStomp Power Smash]], stabbing the floor as an attack with their sword or spear respectively.
149	* ''VideoGame/DragonsLair'': a knight in black armor with a {{BFS}} stabbed the floor tiles to electrify the alternating squares.
150	* Some of the finishing moves in ''VideoGame/EternalDarkness'' involve planting one's sword into a fallen enemy.
151	* ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'':
152	** Sephiroth uses this attack in very dramatic fashion in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII''. It becomes a usable attack in ''VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy'' under the name "Hell's Gate".
153	** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'': The final part of Tidus' Blitz Ace has him plant his sword in the ground, use it as a stepping stone to leap high above the battlefield; an ally throws him a blitzball, which he then slams into the enemy.
154	** [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyX Jecht]] has this as his VictoryPose in VideoGame/{{Dissidia\|FinalFantasy}}, where he manages to imbed his {{BFS}} halfway into the ground and [[SteppingStoneSword use it as a stepping-stone]].
155	** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'': Vaan's tosses his sword into the ground in his victory animation. Even if that ground is the solid stone floor of a building.
156	** ''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn]]'' uses the ShockwaveStomp variation for the level 50 Paladin ability Circle of Scorn, which damages all enemies in melee range.
157	** Series-wide, this is the specialty of the dragoon class, who deliver DeathFromAbove by leaping high into the air for some time, then coming back down on their foes weapon-first. They generally get bonus damage applied if the weapon in question is a spear, but pretty much every dragoon can also equip swords if the player wants to take the trope name literally (or if the sword gives a bonus they can't get from a spear).
158	* In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'' itself, Chrom also does this after defeating an enemy. [[JustifiedTrope Makes a little more sense]] for Chrom, whose sword, Falchion, is uniquely indestructible, surviving without damage or dulling for thousands of years--it's the same weapon wielded by Marth [[AncestralWeapon millennia before Chrom's time,]] and can be visibly recognized as such by characters old enough to have seen both.
159	* ''VideoGame/GanbareGoemon'' has enemy ninja who try to stab downward at you after taking a running jump. When they miss, they get their swords stuck in the floor.
160	* Happens a few times in the ''VideoGame/GodOfWar'' games, mostly with the [[{{BFS}} Blade of Olympus]].
161	** In ''VideoGame/GodOfWarII'', Zeus stabs the ground with it and single-handedly ends the war by [[OneHitPolyKill banishing all of the Titans]] to the underworld with the ensuing magical attack.
162	** ''VideoGame/GodOfWarIII'' has Kratos stabbing the ground with it for a magic attack in a manner reminiscent of the way Zeus used it.
163	* ''VideoGame/GranblueFantasyVersus'': Charlotta's introduction on the P2 side has her performing this, albeit she has to stand atop a crate to do so, owing to her being a [[LittlePeople Harvin.]] She ends up getting flustered afterwards.
164	* In ''VideoGame/GuildWars2'', Mesmers and Guardians can stab the ground with their greatswords, the former to attack the enemy with a ghostly sword blade erupting from the ground, the latter to magically burn a protective symbol into the ground.
165	* In ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear'', this is [[AntiHero Sol Badguy]]'s iconic win pose.
166	* ''VideoGame/IllusionOfGaia'': Will's knightly alter ego Freedan could create paralysis-inducing earthquakes by leaping from high places and stabbing his sword into the ground as he fell.
167	* This is one of the most powerful attacks that can be made in ''VideoGame/JediKnightIIJediOutcast''. Against enemies who were knocked down, Kyle could leap forward and stab their downed opponent in (and probably through) the chest for an instant kill. Jaden could do the same, or stab them with two lightsabers if DualWielding in ''VideoGame/JediKnightJediAcademy''.
168	* Cloud in ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' tends to use this kind of attack as a finisher for his Sonic Blade combo. No matter if he hit anything with the attacks before it or not. In ''Dissidia'', when he uses the Braver attack and the opponent is hit into the ground ([[BlownAcrossTheRoom which is most of the time]]), Cloud's sword will end up fully a foot into the ground. Likewise, when he uses [=MeteoRain=], he spins his sword over his head and then stabs it into the ground.
169	** In ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII Final Mix'', Sora finds the Lingering Will--the AnimatedArmor of a previous Keyblade hero--crouching over its enormous Keyblade, head bowed. In ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep'', we see how it came to be there.
170	* The Exile in ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublicIITheSithLords' did this when told to surrender her lightsaber by the Jedi Council. Specifically, she thrust it into the centre stone of the Council Chamber and walked away.
171	* Weaponized in ''VideoGame/TheLastFaith''; both the Skullcleaver (axe) and the Ethereal Great Blade (two-handed sword) have a [[{{Mana}} Focus]]-draining alternative attack where Eryk leaps forward and slams the blade into the ground to damage enemies. With Skullcleaver, his strike sends a shockwave rippling forward across the ground, slamming into enemies and knocking them flying. With the Ethereal Great Blade, he stabs into the ground so hard as to cause jagged stone spikes to shoot up all around him, impaling enemies on both sides -- then he rips the blade free with an upward slash, sending three stone spikes flying forward and skewering enemies from a greater distance or doing more damage to the closest target.
172	* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'':
173	** ''VideoGame/ZeldaIITheAdventureOfLink'' marks the debut of Link's sword-planting move. It is called Down Thrust, and is learned in the town of Mido, during the process to find the third dungeon (Island Palace). It allows link to inflict damage to enemies by "[[GoombaStomp bouncing]]" on them with the sword aimed downward, quasi-''[[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Mario]]''-style.
174	** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast'' has Link doing this with the Quake Medallion, allowing him to perform a powerful, yet magic-costly earthquake that defeats enemies on the ground. It is obtained in the Lake of Ill Omen in the DarkWorld, and is needed to gain access to the penultimate dungeon (Turtle Rock).
175	** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'': This how Link travels back to the past. Originally, as a child, he had pulled the sword out of its pedestal in the Temple of Time, prompting the TimeSkip to the future and his growth into an adult. By planting the sword back to its pedestal, Link returns to the past and becomes a child again.
176	** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask'': Garo Master's strongest attack consists of teleporting right before reaching Link and then reappearing above him to attempt to land its two swords downward into him. Link has a very small time window to dodge this.
177	** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'' has Link perform a down thrust to [[spoiler:deliver the final blow to Ganondorf in the final battle]].
178	** In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'', Link briefly puts the Master Sword back to its pedestal in order to gain entrance to the Temple of Time. During battle, enemies who lay knocked down in the floor can be finished instantly this way, by using the Ending Blow skill. This technique is also necessary to [[spoiler:kill Ganondorf in the last battle]].
179	** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword'' has Link doing this to enter the Silent Realms. The Ending Blow retains the ability of stabbing enemies downward first seen in ''Twilight Princess'', and is also needed to inflict damage to [[spoiler:Ghirahim in his final rematch (though he'll still be alive after ''three'' sword plants, as he dies in a different way later), as well as Demise at the end of the final battle]].
180	** Link uses one as a combo-finisher in ''VideoGame/HyruleWarriors''.
181	* In ''VideoGame/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaAsPortable: The Battle of Aces'', [[MasterSwordsman Signum]]'s profile art has her striking this pose.
182	* ''Franchise/MegaMan'':
183	** ''VideoGame/MegaMan8'': Sword Man's AssKickingPose is him simply planting his BladeBelowTheShoulder to the ground. It's also used in his strongest attack, i.e him doing the pose and then swirls of towering flame covering him.
184	** ''VideoGame/MegaManX4'': Colonel does this in his "idle" pose. Also, during the battle with him, one of his attacks is him StabbingTheSky as his LaserBlade catches lightning, then stabbing it to the ground to spread the electricity across the ground.
185	** Zero frequently uses techniques like this in ''VideoGame/MegaManX'' and ''VideoGame/MegaManZero''.
186	* Used in Ghetsis' sprite animation in ''VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2'', to show his anger and [[SanitySlippage slipping sanity]].
187	* In ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyo15thAnniversary'' and ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyo7'', Schezo's victory pose has him holding his sword to the ground with one hand.
188	* One of VideoGame/{{Rastan}}'s signature attacks in his eponymous Creator/{{Taito}} game.
189	* The FinalBoss of ''VideoGame/ReturnToCastleWolfenstein'' uses this to compensate for his lack of ranged attacks: he jams his sword into the ground, causing the rain of rocks from the construction above and sending Blazkovitz flying towards him, into his reach.
190	* ''VideoGame/{{Runescape}}'': the Dragon two-handed sword's special attack does this, [[GroundPound damaging all surrounding enemies.]]
191	** In the lore, this was done in an epic scale by Guthix, the god of balance, to end the God Wars. Thrusting the tower-sized Sword of Edicts into the middle of the scorched battlefield, he enacted Edicts of Guthix, which cast out all other gods and prevented them from directly interfering in mortal affairs for over 2000 years.
192	* ''VideoGame/ShadeWrathOfAngels'' have you plunging your sword through portals of light on the floor to recharge your {{mana}}.
193	* Part of Mitsurugi and Yoshimitsu's kata in the ''VideoGame/SoulSeries''.
194	* The Thunderstrike ability in ''VideoGame/TheSpiritEngine2'', which creates an earthquake (or something).
195	* In ''VideoGame/Splatoon3'', the default post-match victory animation for a Splatana player has them jam their weapon into the ground to lean on it. However, this is an odder-looking example than most, as it's either a windshield wiper or a roller stamp made into a melee weapon, and thus has no pointed end to drive into the ground.
196	* The medieval lords/kings/what have you on the covers of the ''VideoGame/{{Stronghold}}'' games always have such a pose.
197	* ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'':
198	** One of Ganondorf's victory animations in ''Melee'' has him do this with a {{BFS}}.
199	** Link's down aerial, where he again bounces on his targets from above. Toon Link's down aerial is also this, with different mechanics more likely to result in him actually planting his sword in the ground.
200	** Ike's down taunt in ''Brawl''. His "Eruption" special attack in the game also involves stabbing the ground and making ''[[IncendiaryExponent fire]]'' shoot out. Ike's full-screen applause has his sword, Ragnell, planted next to him. He also plants his sword in one of his victory animations.
201	** Roy and his Echo Fighter Chrom both plant their swords in the ground in their stage entrance animation.
202	** The Black Knight Assist Trophy plants his sword in the ground before leaving the stage.
203	** Lastly is Sephiroth's down aerial, Hell's Gate, which, as mentioned below, [[spoiler: Is the exact way he kills Aerith in his home game.]]
204	* Used in numerous artes like Guardian Field and Rending Quake throughout the ''VideoGame/TalesSeries''.
205	* ''VideoGame/{{Transistor}}'': Switch() has Red float in the air, fire her projectile, then stab the Transistor into the ground to land, before pulling it out of the ground to reset.
206	* Duran in ''VideoGame/TrialsOfMana'' plants his sword whenever he casts a magic spell. Hopefully, Flammie doesn't mind him doing that when the party [[spoiler:has to ride on top of her head]] during one of the boss battles.
207	* ''VideoGame/{{Warframe}}'': Many warframes are portrayed in official art as striking a badass pose with their sword planted in front of them. Slamming the sword into the ground is also a standard aerial attack.
208	* Not an attack precisely, but the opening cinematic to ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft: Wrath of the Lich King'' features Arthas stabbing the runeblade Frostmourne into a glacier as part of a spell to reanimate the massive blue dragon Sindragosa, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkyGhSBc-do as seen here.]] He later uses the same method to shatter the ground beneath the Argent Coliseum during the Trial of the Crusader, dropping characters into the Nerubian underworld to face Anub'arak. It's also one of Arthas' idle animations-- he stabs Frostmourne into the ground so he can use both hands to adjust his gauntlets. Apparently, they're a little too big for him.
209	[[/folder]]
210
211	[[folder:Web Original]]
212	* In ''Literature/ChaosFighters'', this is a regular move and activates shockwaves or magical skills when charged with aura.
213	* Matt in the ''VideoGame/EpicBattleFantasy'' series uses this for some of his attacks. Anna in ''4'' and ''5'' can do this too, but with her bow.
214	[[/folder]]
215
216	[[folder:Western Animation]]
217	* In ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'', the Fright Night's sword is buried in the ground to stake a claim on Amity Park in the name of Pariah Dark. Removing it is the sign of surrender.
218	* ''WesternAnimation/TheDragonPrince'' has all sorts of characters do this for purposes ranging from dramatic to mundane, regardless of material and apparently without damaging any blades.
219	** Rayla can stab her sword blades into solid rock without damaging them, and in the second episode she uses them as climbing picks to scale a sheer cliff into King Harrow's castle. In episode five she sits down on the edge of a rocky outcrop and tries to use one of her blades to cut off the magical cord around her wrist, but it cannot be cut; she sticks her blade into the rock out of frustration and leaves it standing there for a moment. In episode nine, [[spoiler:she stabs her blade into the rocky ground to avoid being blown away by the storm that Callum released from his orb]].
220	** In episode 3, Lord Viren visits King Harrow in his bedroom to try and make him change his mind about refusing to use the soulfang before the Moonshadow elves come to assassinate him. Harrow is preparing for combat, and is clearly still angry at Viren for proposing what he sees as a cowardly use of dark magic; after taking the sword beside his chair and giving it a few passes with a sharpening stone, he stabs it right into the stone floor next to him with a metallic ringing noise and grudgingly tells Viren to start talking. The way he stabs his blade into the floor helps convey the tension and anger in his body, and also shows no concern for ruining his blade or damaging the floor. The camera subsequently confirms that it’s well-embedded and standing on its own.
221	** In the fourth episode, General Amaya serves her nephews the princes a loaf of hard old bread. She stabs a large dagger or short sword deep into the wooden tabletop so that it stands up on its own, apparently expecting them to use this to cut the bread. This action demonstrates her great strength while adding to her characterization as both a doting aunt and rough-edged military woman. Little Ezran doesn’t even try to pull the weapon back out, instead holding the loaf at both ends as he tries to saw it against the blade.
222	* In ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'', [[spoiler:Jack does this to finish off [[BigBad Aku]] once and for all.]]
223	* In ''WesternAnimation/WordGirl'', the villain Nocan the Contrarian does this at times. He's so strong that doing this triggers earthquakes.
224	[[/folder]]
225

Context Main / SwordPlant