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[[caption-width-right:190:Over already?]]
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->''"Boom! One hit, and three-thirds of your HP are gone!"''
-->-- '''Kenny''', ''VideoGame/{{Divekick}}''

Any time people gather with the goal of hitting each other until one of them keels over, the ultimate trump card would be a weapon, spell, technique, trick, or what-have-you that makes people fall over ''immediately'', without all that annoying [[TheStrategist strategizing]] and [[TheMedic healing]] and stuff. The One-Hit Kill is that trump card.

Often, the One-Hit Kill isn't humble enough to just kill, instead [[TakenForGranite petrifying]], [[ForcedTransformation permanently polymorphing]], or banishing its victim to the PhantomZone. At times, it's not even content with a single target, becoming a OneHitPolykill.

Usually, the One-Hit Kill comes at a price. Sometimes it's a DangerousForbiddenTechnique which to use requires [[CastFromHitPoints Casting From Hit Points]] or [[CastFromLifeSpan life span]], other times it's just [[AwesomeButImpractical really hard to pull off]], or [[DeathOrGloryAttack leaves you wide open for a counterattack]]. One-Hit Kills are a [[StockRPGSpells common spell]] in {{R|olePlayingGame}}PGs. In video [=RPG=]s, it's frequently a UselessUsefulSpell because of [[PowerfulButInaccurate low hit rates]], [[ContractualBossImmunity inability to affect bosses]], a prohibitive cost required to cast it, or not rewarding the player for defeating enemies with it (such as not giving any ExperiencePoints or item drops), if not all of the above at once.. {{Tabletop RPG}}s, by contrast, have a history of letting [[LinearWarriorsQuadraticWizards those pesky spellcasters]] make these spells ''insufficiently'' useless, turning many fights into a mere QuickDraw contest. In martial arts, it frequently takes the form of the TouchOfDeath. If it only works at the start of a fight, it's a BackStab. If it only works at the end of a fight, it's a FinishingMove. If ''every'' enemy attack is a one-hit kill, the protagonist is a OneHitPointWonder. If ''every'' attack by both you and the enemy is a one-hit kill, you get RocketTagGameplay.

There's also a non-lethal variant of this: The One-Hit Knockout. One-Hit [=KOs=] usually don't involve anything like forbidden techniques or rare technology, just an immense amount of force applied at once, usually in the form of a punch to the face. (Bonus points if a particularly fleshy or swift and satisfying sound effect accompanies the blow.) The drawback of this is somewhat self-explanatory: It's not a kill, only a knockout. Still, it gives the user at least a solid five-minute head-start, perhaps even longer, to make an escape or thwart some evil plans before the target can recover and figure out what hit him. In certain works, this is a common reprisal when someone (accidentally or intentionally) presses someone's BerserkButton.

With bladed weapons, cinematic representation of this trope often becomes a SingleStrokeBattle. When a character opens a fight with their most powerful attack in hope of a one-hit kill, the trope overlaps with BeginWithAFinisher.

See also ChunkySalsaRule. Often a DeathOrGloryAttack. Compare CoupDeGrace. Note that if the battle is laughably brief because the attacker is much more powerful, as opposed to simply using an instant-death weapon, it's a CurbStompBattle. Compare/Contrast HPTo1, where the attack is merciful enough to spare a single {{Hit Point|s}}. A {{Mook|s}} that can deliver this is an InstakillMook.

----
!!Example subpages:
[[index]]
* OneHitKill/AnimeAndManga
* OneHitKill/TabletopGames
* OneHitKill/VideoGames
[[/index]]

!!Other examples:
[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* ''ComicBook/{{Amulet}}'': [[spoiler:The Amulet spirit kills Chronos the Mountain Giant by crushing him under a massive boulder. Keep in mind Chronos is a ''giant'' winged half-spider, half-beast creature, providing a horrifying demonstration of how strong the Amulet spirit is]].
* ''Franchise/TheDCU'':
** In ''ComicBook/JusticeLeagueInternational'' #5, [[ComicBook/GreenLantern Guy Gardner]] challenges Characters/{{Batman|TheCharacter}} for leadership of the League. [[https://i.pinimg.com/originals/e1/b4/fe/e1b4fe023fc5f3445e00586daf30f170.jpg Bats ends]] the fight with one punch.
** Done again, in ''ComicBook/InjusticeGodsAmongUs'' with [[Characters/HellblazerJohnConstantine John Constantine]] taking Gardner's place... [[https://comicnewbies.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/batman-takes-out-constantine-with-one-punch-4.jpg on the floor]].
** Future Guy Gardner mastered this [[https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/marvel_dc/images/1/13/Green_Lantern_Vol_5_20_One_Punch.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20140719145432 move]] himself.
** When Batman gets his powers swapped with Superman via ''Banshee'', he gets brutal ''one-hit'' [[https://comicnewbies.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/batman-vs-bane-superbat-4.jpg payback]] against poor [[Characters/BatmanBane Bane]]. The time where [[ComicBook/{{Knightfall}} Bane broke Batman]] looks tame in comparison.
** In ''ComicBook/RedLanterns'' the adorable and [[CuteIsEvil deadly]] Dex-Starr is on the receiving end of a "One Punch" by the Midnighter, [[http://i.imgur.com/lTG8o.jpg whose clearly not proud of this action]].
** ComicBook/TheFlash has the [[http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/11111/111115653/3369410-3501809092-thefl.jpg Infinite]] [[https://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/11126/111268742/4982035-0578313732-12456.jpg Mass]] [[https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M_p302yr96A/V7fn0HDa_YI/AAAAAAAAIcg/y64uZnu5RScoR6c0hgD0xQhQLkV37feIACLcB/s1600/3392837-9054676007-Flash.jpg Punch]].
** Thanks to Characters/{{Superman|TheCharacter}}'s near-unstoppable SuperStrength, anytime he's [[BewareTheNiceOnes serious]] or [[BerserkButton enraged]] almost ''all'' his confrontations becomes this. The WhatIf scenarios with Supes fighting Batman, [[https://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/11/118094/3085898-9536688289-super.jpg tend to end quickly]] unless Batman is [[TheStrategist crazy prepared]] prior to facing Superman. There's also [[Characters/BatmanTheJoker The Joker]]'s death in ''ComicBook/{{Injustice|GodsAmongUs}}'' aka the [[https://qph.fs.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-81e946a6a61df77300d10218a7824620 "Superman high five"]]. Or Superman punching [[Characters/SupermanBrainiacCharacter Brainiac]] out [[ComicBook/SupermanBrainiac after the latter has gotten him real mad]]. However, if it's a reversal and it's Superman going down in one attack, it's usually an "DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu" moment or at worst TheWorfEffect.
** Superman's cousin [[Characters/SupergirlTheCharacter Kara]] doesn't fall far from the tree, as proved in ''ComicBook/Supergirl2005'' story arc ''ComicBook/GirlPower'' when [[ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} Kara]] knocks [[Characters/GreenLantern1941 Solomon Grundy]] out cold with one single punch.
** Superman's son [[Characters/SupermanJonathanSamuelKent Jonathan]] doesn't fall from the tree either as he gives a love tap to Damian Wayne that knocks the [[https://www.bleedingcool.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/1514987711656-600x677.jpg little bugger out cold]].
** The time [[ComicBook/GreenLantern Hal Jordan]] tried to measure up to [[Characters/NewGodsDarkseid Darkseid]] in ''ComicBook/New52''... [[https://i.pinimg.com/originals/50/f8/66/50f86627da714bfd7a395cfa9bac6d52.jpg didn't work out well for Hal]].
** Another straight example comes from [[WesternAnimation/HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse1983 He-Man]] of all people [[http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/11111/111114806/3579197-9087133681-33986.jpg who takes out]] a possessed Superman with one stab of [[CoolSword The Power Sword]] in a crossover. ''By the power of Gray Skull people''.
** [[Characters/BatmanLadyShiva Lady Shiva]]'s signature move is the Leopard's Blow, a single strike to the chest that kills her victim by disrupting their heartbeat (though in more graphic works it's her putting her hand straight through someone's face using the "weak" point across which their eyes lay). Batman, [[Characters/RobinTimDrake Red Robin]], [[ComicBook/Batgirl2000 Cass]], ComicBook/RichardDragon and Bronze Tiger can tell she's nearby if they come across victims of this attack with barely a cursory examination of the bodies (which is much more easily explained by the more gory take on the attack).
* ComicBook/JudgeDredd: Dredd was confronted by one of the "Dark Judges" -- Judge Fear, one look at whose face will usually kill; Fear opened the visor on his helmet and invited Dredd to "Gaze into the face of FEAR!" Dredd responded by PUNCHING RIGHT THROUGH FEAR'S HEAD, killing him, while bellowing, [[TalkToTheFist "GAZE INTO THE FIST OF DREDD!"]]
* Franchise/MarvelUniverse:
** Heavy hitters like [[Characters/MarvelComicsBruceBanner The Incredible Hulk]] and Characters/TheThing [[https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn%3AANd9GcRU2rXasHUj1EWe7pYVzWDH76-evhfJyL2QEg&usqp=CAU are]] [[https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/powerlisting/images/6/6a/Megaton_Punch_by_The_Thing.jpeg/revision/latest?cb=20180622221847 fond]] of this.
** [[Characters/MarvelComicsThorOdinson Thor]] [[https://web.archive.org/web/20220107152717/https://comicvine1.cbsistatic.com/uploads/original/7/78977/1857806-thor_one_shots_namor.jpg knocks out]] [[ComicBook/SubMariner Namor]] with one punch in ''[[ComicBook/TheInvadersMarvelComics Invaders #33]]''.
** One of Characters/IronFist's gimmicks [[https://static0.cbrimages.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/iron-fist-hercules.jpg?q=35&w=864&h=432&fit=crop is]] [[http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/11116/111160825/4312686-9679966291-31474.jpg his]] [[https://static.comicvine.com/uploads/scale_super/11/117763/2360502-new_avengers_20.jpg ability]] to one shot foes with his signature fist.
** [[Characters/MarvelComicsTheEnchantress The Enchantress]] vs ComicBook/SheHulk in ''ComicBook/SecretWars1984''... take a wild guess [[https://i.pinimg.com/originals/ff/73/73/ff737356053dc222d8e86cad754b937d.jpg who wins]].
** [[Characters/MarvelComicsMagneto Magneto]] has gotten this many times (mainly from [[http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v214/SaintSaturn/wolverine185.jpg Wolverine]], [[https://web.archive.org/web/20211015031952/https://comicvine1.cbsistatic.com/uploads/original/1/16715/3613339-col22.png Colossus]] and [[https://i.pinimg.com/originals/ca/60/8c/ca608cf6071054f4d5082405422a32ad.jpg Cyclops]]) two clearly fatal, one just a K.O. It's perfectly justified as the [[MagnetismManipulation Master of Magnetism]] is still a SquishyWizard.
** Magneto in the finale of ''ComicBook/XMen: ComicBook/AgeOfApocalypse'' (where he's the closest thing this CrapsackWorld has to a BigGood) goes one on one with [[Characters/MarvelComicsApocalypse Apocalypse]], who's pounding on Magneto and asks why he doesn't fight back. Magneto responds that he can't, because he's concentrating. Apocalypse doesn't even have time to wonder what Magneto means before [[HalfTheManHeUsedToBe getting ripped in half]].
** Despite being touted as "Street-level" [[Characters/MarvelComicsPeterParker Spider-Man]] has done this ''a lot'', likely due to Spidey having the necessary [[SuperStrength strength]] to knock [[Characters/MarvelComicsBruceBanner the Hulk]] around. The more average or even some higher-level foes don't stand a chance when Peter Parker [[YouWouldntLikeMeWhenImAngry gets serious]].
*** Early example with [[Characters/MarvelComicsFlashThompson Flash Thompson]] who made the dear mistake of challenging Peter to a boxing match, Peter ''tried'' using just a fraction of his strength to end the bout before Flash got hurt. But even a love tap from Peter sent [[https://i.stack.imgur.com/nDuRR.jpg Flash flying]].
*** Grey Hulk has a memorable "[[http://www.chasingamazingblog.com/wp-content/uploads/CosmicSpidey_13.jpg encounter]]" with Cosmic Spider-Man, aka [[MegatonPunch getting punched into space]]. Some nearby kids appropriately stated that if Spidey starts pulling stunts like that, he'd better start [[TheCape wearing a cape]].
*** The poor [[https://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/11114/111142536/4068785-spiderman_t-rex.jpg T-rex]] who meets Spidey in the [[HungryJungle Savage Land]].
*** Happens in ''ComicBook/DarkReign'' where [[Characters/MarvelComicsNormanOsborn Norman Osborn]], who had [[VillainousBreakdown long since gone off the deep end]], is ranting madly and gets [[http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4irVuZamOhA/S7y4NPN-iVI/AAAAAAAAA9M/eDGTL0uIagw/s1600/Blog+Sunday+7feb10+360.jpg quickly]] [[ShutUpHannibal silenced]] by his ArchEnemy.
*** In ''[[ComicBook/UltimateSpiderMan The Death of Spider-Man]]'', the Human Torch does this to the Green Goblin. Keep in mind, that in [[ComicBook/UltimateMarvel this universe]], the Goblin is a nigh-invincible hulking beast with the ability to throw fireballs and ''not'' a guy in a suit as he is in most media. Though this then shifts into BrokeYourArmPunchingOutCthulhu, when Goblin -- who's fire-powered in the Ultimate universe -- comes back from this bigger and stronger than ever, allowing him to fulfil the name of the arc. Later in that same arc, Peter Parker shows up, bleeding from a gunshot wound, and takes the Vulture out for a while with one web.
*** It's revealed in ''ComicBook/SuperiorSpiderMan2013'', that Peter [[AfraidOfTheirOwnStrength is holding back]] ''all the time'' as [[Characters/MarvelComicsOttoOctavius Doc Ock]] discovers [[GrandTheftMe when he takes over Peter's body]] and punches [[Characters/MarvelComicsMacGargan Scorpion]] in the face, [[https://i.pinimg.com/originals/46/68/9c/46689c52746718fa8055b9280435f8d0.jpg tearing his jaw off]].
*** One of the coolest examples is the MegatonPunch Spider-Man [[https://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/11128/111284868/6452852-0051843835-RCO04.jpg does against Red Goblin]] after rebounding with the [[Characters/MarvelComicsVenom Venom symbiote]] in ''ComicBook/GoDownSwinging''.
*** In the WhatIf version of "Back in Black", Kingpin's sniper killed MJ. When Spidey finally corners him, Kingpin has Aunt May as hostage and tries to use her to have him stand still while he beats him to death... Except Spider-Man has realized he plans to kill her next to avoid having a witness, and [[https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2wPaELAB8GU/XJROjRW3U-I/AAAAAAAAfTc/-MpvTTN-SN4RWCJ2DSKE-XWat5JV3FX9QCLcBGAs/s1600/051_023.jpg tears his heart out]]. As he dies, Kingpin realizes that Spider-Man had been pulling his punches ''immensely'' the entire time because he didn't want to kill him.
** There's the time Ultimate Universe Wolverine [[https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--d1fYb9IA--/c_fill,fl_progressive,g_center,h_900,q_80,w_1600/17j9qqitkp0mkjpg.jpg meets]] Ultimate Universe Hulk.
** [[Characters/GuardiansOfTheGalaxyModern Drax the Destroyer]] once did what he born/created for and killed [[Characters/MarvelComicsThanos Thanos]] with a [[https://i.imgur.com/g4t527U.png?1 single]] ''Franchise/MortalKombat''-esque FinishingMove; this [[JokerImmunity being Thanos]] he got better soon.
** [[Characters/MarvelComicsThanos Thanos]] himself is a fan of this trope using his [[SuperStrength insane strength]] to murder [[https://boundingintocomics.com/files/2018/02/Thanos-Kills-War-Machine1.jpg War Machine]], [[https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn%3AANd9GcS0Be39NtxiJY_Vg8EEeUBoKG_WGlUhpBPeQQ&usqp=CAU Star Lord]], [[https://boundingintocomics.com/files/2018/02/Thanos-Kills-Sam-Wilson-e1519667217156.jpg Falcon]] and [[https://boundingintocomics.com/files/2018/02/Thanos-Mentor2.jpg Mentor]] (his [[{{Patricide}} own father]]) with a single attack.
** In ''ComicBook/UncannyAvengers'', [[Characters/MarvelComicsRogue Rogue]] accidentally does this to Grim Reaper after absorbing ComicBook/WonderMan's strength. She was unprepared for just how much more powerful she'd become, and ended up snapping the villain's neck with one punch. ''While still holding back''.
** Rogue's main powers come from [[Characters/MarvelComicsCarolDanvers Carol Danvers]], who drops Norman Osborn (who's wearing PoweredArmor at the time) with [[https://i.pinimg.com/originals/d7/aa/4e/d7aa4e8b96035960f8952a99811ae533.jpg a single punch]].
* ''ComicBook/TheQuestForTheTimeBird'', this is a favorite of legendary warrior Le Rige, who tends to kill his prey with just one swift and powerful blow of his axe.
* ''ComicBook/SinCity'': Marv never seems to have to hit a person a second time (although sometimes he does anyway). The only exception to this rule was Manute, who was just as big and powerful as he was and required a hell of a beating to take down.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fan Works]]
* ''Fanfic/AbraxasHrodvitnon'': In the penultimate chapter, [[Characters/AbraxasHrodvitnonTitansAndOtherCreatures Godzilla]] obliterates [[spoiler:Keizer Ghidorah (as well as leveling and lastingly irradiating Berezniki)]] in one hit when he [[spoiler:unlocks his Spiral Heat Ray thanks to Mothra]].
* ''[[Fanfic/AceCombatEquestriaChronicles Ace Combat: Wings of Unity]]'' has ''Fluttershy'' of all ponies get this in the third chapter: when the villains launch a "burst missle" that destroys a fleet of Equestrian ships, she enters a FreakOut and [[DisneyVillainDeath knocks an enemy Pegasus out of the sky to his doom]] with ''one punch'', screaming in rage the whole time. Even her friends are startled, with Firefly remarking on how she'll avoid making Fluttershy angry at all costs.
* In ''Fanfic/CelestiasRocketAdventures'', Team Rocket's Robo Mega Meowth had been successfully tanking everything that could be thrown at it without any sort of damage. This streak comes to an end when it tries to attack Team Flare's ultimate weapon, with a single low-powered blast ripping the mech apart.
* "[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/9060802/1/Days-of-Futures-Past-What-Does-That-Mean-It-Kinda-Sounds-Sexy Days of Futures Past What Does That Mean It Kinda Sounds Sexy]]", [[spoiler:Naruto knocks out Superboy by throwing a cake laced with Kryptonite at his face]].
* ''{{Fanfic/Gather}}'' features this as Taylor's ultimate attack. As part of her AU powerset, she can instantly kill any parahuman she makes skin contact with, [[PowerCopying stealing their powers]] and [[MookMaker turning them into a nearly indestructable minion]].
* ''Fanfic/MarisStella'': Like in canon, several supervillains have powers that would defeat the heroes in one hit.
** Thorn Reaper can turn people into flower petals with her scythe.
** Knockout can knock people unconscious with a single punch.
** Phantom💔Kamen's powers allow him to knock people unconscious with his playing cards.
** Queen Guillotine can turn people into dust with her flying guillotine.
** Shadow Glaive has the power to drain enough energy to knock a target unconscious with just a single hit.
** Sharkbite can destroy anything or anyone it bites and erase them from existence.
** On the heroes' side, the power of Liberation is a functional one-hit-kill against akumatized villains, as it can free them from the negative emotions being used to manipulate them.
* ''Webcomic/ScarletLady'': Because the Bee Miraculous is held by Marigold [[spoiler:(Marinette)]] in this [=AU=] (aka someone who's actually a ''competent'' superhero), her Venom power instantly takes down an akuma, allowing either Chat Noir or Scarlet Lady to destroy and cleanse the akumatized object. Hawkmoth is so ticked off by this specific power of hers that he makes the Bee Miraculous his target along with the Cat and Ladybug Miraculouses.
* ''Fanfic/SeventhEndmostVision'', rather terrifyingly, this is how [[spoiler: Lucrecia fights. She kills four people in Barret's seven-person group, as well as a non-combatant, during their fight, and it only takes her one move for each kill, emphasizing her precision and deadliness]].
* In ''Fanfic/SugarPlums'' this is how most of Ume's fights end. It's noted this is because she's [[WeakButSkilled weaker than most shinobi by default]], thus unlike other shinobi who will prod and test opponents to conserve energy in case they have to run away or fight other opponents she will go [[CombatPragmatist all out immediately]]. It's only because of this trait she's able to kill objectively stronger opponents at all and even then it'll usually come at a [[HeroicRROD cost.]]
* In the ''Fanfic/TamersForeverSeries'', [[spoiler:Chaos easily kills Doumon by crushing her skull in his hand]].
* Naruto gets to deal one of these out to [[spoiler:Sasuke]] in the AlternateHistory fic ''Fanfic/{{Team 8}}'' during the Chuunin Exam preliminary battles (it's a knockout instead of a kill). It's [[AllThereInTheManual fully explained in author's notes later on]], given the context of the fight -- [[spoiler:Sasuke was still recovering from Orochimaru's seal being applied (and then removed), Naruto just watched Neji beat Hinata half to death in their preliminary battle and was [[TrueCompanions understandably pissed off]], and Sasuke crossed a line ''he should not have crossed'']]:
-->'''[[spoiler:Sasuke]]''': ''(as Naruto stumbles after vaulting off the balcony to the battlefield)'' Can't you do anything right, Dead-last?\\
''(Naruto ignores this remark. But...)''\\
'''[[spoiler:Sasuke]]''': ''(scoff)'' [[DudeNotFunny I hope you put up a better fight than your pathetic teammate]].\\
''(Naruto gawks at [[spoiler:Sasuke]], then [[DeathGlare glares a hole]] through him.)''\\
'''Test proctor Hayate''': Begin!\\
''(FlashStep, "Fuck You" Punch, broken jaw, [[RagdollPhysics ragdolls away]]. KO.)''\\
''({{Beat}}) [Exit Naruto.]''\\
'''Hayate''': ...winner, Uzumaki Naruto.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Animated]]
* ''WesternAnimation/TransformersTheMovie'': Galvatron [[spoiler:kills Starscream with one shot]].
* In ''WesternAnimation/TurningRed'', Mei ends the fight with [[spoiler:her mother's kaiju-panda form]] by headbutting her once in the forehead.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
* Any number of Kung Fu B-movies, which often featured characters (usually villains) who knew a special technique that could kill people (or otherwise take them out of a fight) instantly.
** In a parody of this, the Wuxi finger hold in ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda''.
** The Flying Guillotine from the movies was a weapon version of this. If it gets on your head and the villain pulls the chain, [[OffWithHisHead it's game over for you]].
* In ''Film/BackToTheFuture1'', skinny wimp George [=McFly=] hits his long-time tormentor [[BarbaricBully Biff Tannen]] with a single left hook after he [[BerserkButton shoves Lorraine to the floor]]. Biff spins over on the spot, falls back against the car behind him, and slumps to the pavement completely out cold. One of the most satisfying moments in film.
* In ''Film/{{Diggstown}}'', "Honey" Roy Palmer gets pissed off and knocks out an opponent with a single punch immediately after the round starts.
--> '''Roy:''' (''to the ref'') Get the next one in here now.
* ''Film/DriveAngry'' gives us the Godkiller. A unique gun that can kill anything shot by its bullets in one shot, and even banishes them from existence.
* All but the tiniest phantoms in ''Anime/FinalFantasyTheSpiritsWithin'', since they're an [[{{Intangibility}} Intangible Man]] that does CollisionDamage by ripping the soul from your body like walking through a cloud of smoke.
* Jason Voorhees shows [[https://youtu.be/QWuM_NSDhb8?t=134 how it's done]] in ''Film/FridayThe13thPartVIIIJasonTakesManhattan'' when he corners ActionSurvivor and [[BoxingBattler promising amateur boxer]] Julius. Julius makes a brave last stand against the walking corpse, punching him [[PunchPunchPunchUhOh over and over]] again even though it proves futile. Finally, when Julius is completely exhausted, his hands broken, and he's literally unable to do anything else he [[FaceDeathWithDignity just calmly stands upright and tells Jason to take his best shot]]. Jason hits Julius with a MegatonPunch that would make [[Webcomic/OnePunchMan Saitama]] proud, as it [[OffWithHisHead literally rips Julius's head clean off]] his body.
* ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}'':
** The title character possesses the "Spiral Ray" in a few of his later incarnations, a supercharged, red/orange-colored variant of his normal light-blue atomic BreathWeapon. It proved capable of annihilating some of Godzilla's most powerful foes ever (such as Super Mechagodzilla, Spacegodzilla, and Kaiser Ghidorah) within seconds. The one and only time it did not provide an immediate victory was when used against Destoroyah -- and that was when it was being used for the duration of the entire climactic battle -- which [[TheWorfBarrage demonstrated how amazingly dangerous Destoroyah really was]].
** ''Film/GodzillaAgainstMechagodzilla'': Kiryu (AKA "Mechagodzilla 3") possessed a weapon called the [[FreezeRay Absolute-Zero Cannon]] which could [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin instantly freeze anything it hit down to absolute zero.]] The devastating effects of the weapon are seen when Kiryu accidentally freezes several skyscrapers during a battle with Godzilla. Said skyscrapers collapsed into dust almost immediately after freezing. The lethality of the weapon is subverted when used against Godzilla himself ''twice''. The first time, Kiryu had gone berserk from hearing Godzilla's roar and was rampaging across Tokyo before they could fire the weapon. And, the second time, the Absolute-Zero Cannon was badly damaged and could only ''very'' temporarily trap Godzilla in ice.
** ''Film/{{Godzilla 2014}}'': Godzilla performs one on [[Characters/MonsterVerseMUTO the male MUTO]], by way of a TailSlap into a skyscraper. Amusingly, the way Godzilla turns around to deliver said attack looks almost casual.
* ''Film/TheHobbitTheBattleOfTheFiveArmies'': As you may know after reading the book, [[spoiler:the [[DiscOneFinalBoss dragon Smaug]] gets instantly killed by Bard after being pierced by the Black Arrow on the [[AchillesHeel scaleless skin spot of its chest]]]].
* ''Franchise/IndianaJones'':
** In ''Film/RaidersOfTheLostArk'', when Indy is searching for [[OldFlame Marion]], the crowd parts to reveal a black swordsmen with scimitar showing off his skill ready to fight, but Indy casually [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YyBtMxZgQs pulls out his gun and blows him away]]... enshrining the scene in movie history. [[CombatPragmatism Hilarious practicality]] aside, this scene originally was going to have Indy face the swordsmen for real in a choreographed fight scene which would've taken three days to film and blown the studio over budget. Until Harrison Ford (who was suffering from dysentery) wisely suggested to Spielberg that he just "''shoot the son of a bitch''".
** Indy's InstantDeathBullet is powerful enough to take out [[https://youtu.be/2tGDSAs_uU4?t=216 three Nazis]] with one shot in ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheLastCrusade''.
* In the ''Series/ISpy'' [[TheFilmOfTheSeries film]], Creator/EddieMurphy's character is a boxing champion known for one-hit [=KOs=]. Not exactly a "kill", but it would definitely end your career if you went down from one punch.
* In ''Film/JasonBourne'', Bourne is shown knocking an opponent out in a single hit during a illegal fight.
* The Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique in ''Film/KillBill'' is a special PressurePoint technique that once performed kills the victim once they take five steps through means of exploding their heart. Pai Mei taught this infamous technique to only one student during his lifetime: [[spoiler:The Bride, who uses it on Bill himself at the end of Volume 2]].
* In ''Film/KingsmanTheSecretService'', Gazelle does this [[spoiler:to Lancelot]], cutting him in half lengthwise.
* Creator/BruceWillis pulls off a one-hit kill in ''Film/TheLastBoyScout''.
-->"I'm gonna need a light. You touch me again, I'll kill ya."
* ''Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse'':
** Tony Stark aka ''Film/IronMan'' given the abilities of his suit, can [[https://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/11122/111225346/6293661-5910612138-giphy.gif easily]] MegatonPunch the average joe so hard it kills him. On a less lethal note, Iron Man One-Hit K.Os the Hulk in ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron'' with the [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Hulkbuster Armour]], justified as Hulk was distracted (having just come to his senses after Scarlet Witch meddled with his mind).
** ''Film/{{The Incredible Hulk|2008}}'''s [[BigBad Emil Blonsky]] gives a demonstration as to [[https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nPr650hexQ4/VQ4HhlpVsyI/AAAAAAAAE4w/fGzGWUOP_8c/s1600/HulkMovie2TimRothKick54fXLG.gif why]] normal humans (even those who have injected themselves with PsychoSerum) shouldn't be [[TooDumbToLive stupid enough]] to try measure up to the Hulk. Blonsky only survives thanks his HealingFactor.
** The Bunker Buster aka "Ex-wife" from ''Film/IronMan2'' is ''supposed'' to be this, but it being developed by the inept Justin Hammer means it fails miserably when Rhodey uses it against Whiplash.
** ''Film/{{Thor}}'' swings and throws with Mjölnir [[https://78.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lkkcmt1wYy1qcnhhzo1_r1_500.gif tend]] [[https://thumbs.gfycat.com/DisastrousClutteredArcticseal-size_restricted.gif to be]] one hit kills unless you're a super powerful being, a man in a power suit, have a indestructible shield or possess a magical superweapon of your own to match Mjölnir. Even without the hammer (or [[BroughtDownToNormal without powers]]) Thor can knock out trained regular humans with a single blow.
*** [[spoiler:Thor does [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu the near impossible]] and takes out Thanos with a single throw of Stormbreaker into the Titan's chest, however it would've been a true One Hit Kill if he'd [[RemovingtheHeadorDestroyingtheBrain aimed]] for the head]].
** Using the power of an Infinity Stone will tend to vaporise your target instantly e.g ''Film/{{Guardians of the Galaxy|2014}}'' using the [[PurpleIsPowerful Power Stone]] to destroy Ronan. Though you are more likely die yourself from just touching or coming into contact with one of the stones.
** Despite [[Characters/MarvelComicsSteveRogers Steve Rogers]] aka ''Captain America'' being the {{Determinator}} (once again) against Thanos in the ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'' by [[PunchCatch catching]] and holding back the Infinity Gauntlet, causing a stalemate, ''Steve is then instantly knocked out when Thanos uses his other hand''. Considering Thanos overpowered Hulk, Thor, Vision and Spider-Man, the fact that Steve still has a head on his shoulders is a mark of his [[SuperSoldier strength]].
** Non-lethal variant. In ''Film/{{Doctor Strange|2016}}'', The Ancient One demonstrates a palm strike move that will kick out a person's astral body out, leaving their physical body unconscious and helpless. Considering she uses the same move against [[spoiler:Professor Hulk in ''Film/AvengersEndgame'']], it's clear that physical might is irrelevant when defending against this move.
* ''Film/OngBak'' contains a kick-to-the-face that is [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LumB0v5hYOw possibly the best example ever.]]
* In ''Film/PunisherWarZone'', Frank kills a man with a single punch that penetrates his skull.
* The DuelToTheDeath in ''Film/SevenSamurai'' comes down to this.
* ''Film/{{Snatch}}'' has "One Punch Mickey", Gypsy bare-knuckle boxing champion. Bonus points for doing it when he shouldn't.
* At the start of ''Film/StarTrekTheMotionPicture'', three Klingon battlecruisers launch an AttackHello against the entity V'Ger, which proceeds to effortlessly one-shot each of them. By contrast, the DeflectorShields on the refit ''Enterprise'' barely manage to NoSell a similar blast from V'Ger.
* In ''Franchise/StarWars'':
** ''Film/ANewHope'':
*** The Death Star plays this both ways. One shot from the superlaser at a target ''planet'' creates [[EarthShatteringKaboom the planetary equivalent]] of the ChunkySalsaRule. Whereas a single proton torpedo to the thermal exhaust port, and the Death Star -- the size of a moon with a crew numbering in the millions -- turns itself into a planet-sized firework.
*** This is how the famous "who shot first" is resolved. Han shoots and kills Greedo with a single shot before Greedo can react.
** ''Film/ThePhantomMenace'': Despite how badass and unique Darth Maul is in this film, many forget he is the ''only'' major film antagonist to be taken out ([[HalfTheManHeUsedToBe sliced in half]]) in one slash by Obi-Wan. To compare, Kylo Ren (BigBadWannabe) in ''Film/TheForceAwakens'' got up again after taking a slash to face from Rey's Lightsaber strike.
** ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'': General Grievous survived mutiple Lightsaber strikes and having his arms sliced off thanks to being a {{Cyborg}}. But thanks to his heart being [[AttackItsWeakPoint left vulnerable]] Obi-Wan just shoots him dead with [[CombatPragmatism common blaster]].
--->'''Kenobi''': (throwing the blaster away) [[BondOneLiner So uncivilized]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Gamebooks]]
* The Servile Enthrallment spell from ''Literature/BloodSword'''s Enchanter will completely control any foe under its influence and don't worry about it running out of time. It'll last past the end of the fight, where the Enchanter and/or party will simply slit their enemy's throat -- killing the victim regardless of how much health they have remaining
* A staple of ''Literature/ChooseYourOwnAdventure'' books are the no-escape dead ends, though gamebooks (e.g. ''Literature/LoneWolf'') fit the trope best with instant death if you're lacking the right skill/item or just plain unlucky -- being not only accepted, but ''expected''.
** In ''Literature/LoneWolf'', the bow and arrow, far from being [[AnnoyingArrows just annoying]], often allows a one-hit kill for the hero, if he chooses the right target and is enough of a good shot (though some monsters are utterly immune to this). Also fights can end in an instant death, if there's a sufficiently large difference between the combatant's weapon skill.
** The best Choose Your Own Adventures were better known for their [[HaveANiceDeath creatively]] [[CruelAndUnusualDeath gory]] [[TheManyDeathsOfYou endings to your life]] than for their successful endings.
** Ditto ''Literature/StarChallenge''. ''You'' and/or your robot are as common to be the one(s) on the receiving side as your enemies.
* In the ''Literature/FightingFantasy'' book ''Literature/CreatureOfHavoc'', the PlayerCharacter is a hulking MonstrousHumanoid with a 1-in-6 chance each combat roll of landing a CriticalHit that instantly kills its opponent. [[spoiler:It can also accidentally drink a potion that suppresses this power.]]
** In ''Literature/FreewayFighter'' and ''Literature/TheRingsOfKether'', you can do this but only in vehicular combat and are limited by ammo. The first example, your car has rockets to blow up enemies while the second, your spaceship has smart missiles to vapourize them.
** In ''Literature/RebelPlanet'', humans (and it's only humans) have taken to mastering the martial arts against their alien oppressors, the Arcadians. Human fighters know all the pressure points on Arcadians and humans, so they have a chance to kill either species if they fight them unarmed ([[PowerUpLetDown making your character's laser sword kinda pathetic barring a skill penalty for being unarmed]]).
** In ''Literature/SlavesOfTheAbyss'', your character is a master with their [[CoolSword sword of Fangthane steel]]. With this weapon [[CripplingOverspecialization and only this]], your character will instantly kill enemies if you roll a pair of 6 for your Attack Strength.
** In ''Literature/StarshipTraveller'', if you successfully shoot someone with a phaser -- they're either dead or stunned depending on the weapon's setting. Unfortunately your enemies have the same advantage (except for one "primitive" species that uses a rocket staff -- your Medical Officer has a chance of stabilizing crew that have been struck, preventing them from dying).
* ''[[https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/54476/dungeon-life Dungeon Life]]'': Grim, the scythe-wielding groundskeeper, starts out with Earth affinity and Fate affinity, then picks up Death affinity, and eventually Life affinity. With all of those together, he can cause creatures to simply die on the spot, without lifting a finger.
* In ''Literature/GoldenDragonFantasyGamebooks'''s 4th book ''The Eye of the Dragon'', the insectoid swordsmaster Lord Mantis has an artifact called the Glove of Unerring Dexterity -- if you fight him, he has a chance of killing you instantly. But if you beat him or otherwise somehow get his glove, besides improving your attack roll, if you roll a pair of 6s you automatically skewer your enemy's heart.
* In ''Literature/GrailQuest'''s 4th book ''Voyage of Terror'', one encounter has you meeting the Poetic Fiend again and the guy's carrying a magical crystal-bladed knife. It automatically hits and instantly kills its victim by exploding inside of them, as you discover if you attack the Fiend. If you listen to the Fiend's poem, he's actually trying to help you and gives you the crystal-bladed knife plus a golden key.
* In the ''Sagard the Barbarian'' series by Creator/GaryGygax, the 2nd book ''The Green Hydra'', Sagard can find 7 "fire darts". These are magical darts that explode in a fireball that instakills its victim. Against the Green Hydra boss, one fire dart is only good for killing one head.
* In the ''Savage Realms'' series by Brian Henson and Troy Anthony Schermer, your character(s) can find "epic" weapons such as the Death Bringer Blade. These are {{Limited Use Magical Device}}s that instantly kill enemies that have a maximum health of 50 or have health that's been reduced to 50 and some especially potent epic weapons will [[SmartBomb kill every foe of 50 or lower health in an encounter]]. Unfortunately epic weapons won't have any effect on the [[ContractualBossImmunity Boss monster]] regardless of their health.
* In ''Literature/{{Sorcery}}'', the ROK spell will petrify enemies while the MUD spell turns the ground under them into quicksand drowning them unless they can fly. These spells do require ingredients which limits how often you can take down your enemies with these.
* In the ''Tolkien Quest'' and its successor ''Middle-earth Quest'' books, there was always a chance that you could instantly kill your enemy (or stun them if they have godlike stats way beyond yours). In one book it was possible for your sorceror's apprentice to knock out his boss, [[Characters/MiddleEarthFilmSauronsEvilForces Saruman the White]], with a single hit!
* In ''Literature/WayOfTheTiger'', your ninja assassin Avenger can instantly kill opponents if he has the Poison Needle skill and is given the option of using it. He sometimes can kill enemies with the Nerve Strike skill if he took that as his special skill learnt from the Island of Dawn. Additionally he carries a garrotte and a single dose of the "Blood of Nil" - which is the deadliest poison in the world, sometimes he gets the option of using those particular tools on a hapless victim. Finally there are rare instances that he ends up killing someone if you chose a specific attack; for example in one book he breaks the neck of an attacking ninja by throwing that novice who ends up landing poorly.
* In ''Literature/WizardsWarriorsAndYou'', there is no health stat. Fights involving the Warrior either result in him slaughtering everybody otherwise he's the one getting killed or captured.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* In Creator/FredSaberhagen's ''Literature/BookOfSwords'' series, Farslayer can kill anyone (including demons and gods) anywhere as long as they don't have Shieldbreaker or Woundhealer to save them.
* In ''Literature/BillyBudd'', the eponymous character is accused of conspiracy and mutiny aboard a British [[WoodenShipsAndIronMen man-of-war]] by the ship's master-at-arms, who is doing this to fight off his "[[HoYay strange attraction]]" to the androgynous sailor. Upon hearing this, Billy freezes up, unable to say anything in his defense. Eventually, he answers the only way he can -- by punching the liar in the temple. The man dies on the spot. Unfortunately, [[spoiler:Billy is found guilty of murder by the tribunal of officers, despite them all being sympathetic to the boy, and hung the next day]]. Interestingly, [[spoiler:the tribunal was about to find him not guilty as a weird case of self-defense, when TheCaptain intervened and convinced them of the necessity of the execution]].
* In ''Literature/{{Changes}}'', [[spoiler: Ebenezar [= McCoy =]]] casts what essentially is a mass version of aforementioned ''Avada Kedavra'' onto two hundred or so {{Mooks}}. There's no flash, no sound or anything, he just makes a wide gesture with his staff and those he points to simply drop dead.
* In the second series of ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfAmber,'' Merlin knows a "neat little cardiac arrest spell." He only uses it once, but he just obliterates a Jabberwock with it. Apparently, he has a separate "death spell," but he never uses it. However, he does note that the first spell wouldn't have been a One Hit Kill on a fire [[OurAngelsAreDifferent angel]], as they have three hearts.
* In ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia'', Jadis uses the deplorable word and basically one-shots an entire planet, resulting in no more subjects for her to rule. But that's okay, a pair of children help save the day on Earth and Narnia
* The Ivory Knife in P.C. Hodgell's ''Literature/ChroniclesOfTheKencyrath'', a mere scratch from which will kill; it is described as "the very tooth of Death". As one might imagine, this can be somewhat dangerous for the wielder as well. Heroine Jame carries it in her boot sheath for a long while, at first because she doesn't realize what it is, then after she knows, because she doesn't have anywhere safe she can leave it.
* The [[HiveQueen Vord Queen]] in ''Literature/CodexAlera'' has become powerful enough by First Lord's Fury that, when an [[WorldOfBadass Aleran]] High Lord [[BigDamnHeroes takes the field at the battle of Alera Imperia]], [[NegatedMomentOfAwesome she blasts him out of the sky with one hit]]. ''When he's protected by dozens of Citizens and knights.'' Cue the MassOhCrap.
* ''Literature/CradleSeries'': By ''Skysworn'', Lindon is finally at a reasonable power level. He's far from the strongest, and people far stronger than him keep declaring oaths of vengeance against him, but at least he's past the point where the average child would curb-stomp him. When a random idiot of his power level attacks him, Lindon counters with a punch, already planning for how to continue after the idiot blocks with his shield but is knocked back a few feet. Instead, the fight is over in that one punch, and he has ''no idea what to do''. Lindon has spent so long fighting desperately against those stronger than him that he hasn't realized how overpowered he is compared to people who are supposed to be on his level.
* In ''Literature/TheDestroyer'' book series, the martial art of Sinanju is mostly one-hit kill moves. The (very long) series isn't entirely consistent on how much of this is based on actual precise technique targeting vital spots, and how much is because practice of Sinanju [[CharlesAtlasSuperpower raises basic physical abilities]] to the point where pretty much any imaginable attack can be used to do lethal damage.
* "Morganti" weapons in ''Literature/{{Dragaera}}'' all destroy the soul of the victim upon entry, making revivification impossible, and also making it impossible for the victim to travel the Paths of The Dead to the afterworld. (Assuming the victim has a means of both suiciding and entirely disassociating their soul from their body before contact -- a never certain process, aside from its obvious drawbacks -- they damage the corpse as an ordinary weapon of their type.)[[note]]One book has Sethra and Vlad discuss the issue, as part of a discussion about "Great Weapons" (more powerful, and almost "intelligent", versions, capped at 17 in existence). Sethra comments that if you stick a Morganti weapon into a corpse, it does nothing to a 'dead' soul, but it's still there to leave the body after three days. Vlad just comments he wasn't in the habit of testing the matter, being usually hired to use such weapons on ''living'' people...[[/note]]
* The demon-in-the-form-of-a-sword "Stormbringer" in Creator/MichaelMoorcock's ''[[Literature/TheElricSaga Elric of Melnibone]]'' series kills any non-magically protected human in one blow (it also eats the victim's soul). "Mournblade" is a similar demonic sword, and one story reveals that there is an entire race of these demons -- all of them taking the form of swords.
* In Creator/MichaelMoorcock's novel "The Eternal Champion", when [[spoiler:the Eldren]] use their ultimate weapon, [[spoiler:a high-powered energy gun]], against their opponents, who are using classic Middle Ages armor, their attack is a OneHitPolyKill, obliterating entire lines of their opponents each shot.
* [[TruthInTelevision Much like in real life]], more than one viewpoint character in ''Literature/GrentsFall'' took down a target in one hit.
* ''Literature/HarryPotter'':
** The Killing Curse, ''Avada Kedavra'', works like this. [[UnblockableAttack In nearly all circumstances, the only way to survive it is to not be hit]]. The fact that the title character survived it as a child is what made him a legend ("The Boy Who Lived") in the wizarding world. Quirrell in ''Theatre/AVeryPotterMusical'' all but uses the trope name when he describes it as BoringButPractical.
** Direct eye contact with a {{basilisk|AndCockatrice}} will instantly kill the victim. Indirect eye contact, such as through a camera lens or a reflective surface, merely petrifies (which is reversible). In ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheChamberOfSecrets Chamber of Secrets]]'' it's revealed ghosts who make eye contact -- even direct eye contact -- are also petrified, since you can't exactly kill them ''again''.
** The scream of a mature mandrake will instantly kill anyone who hears it. In ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows Deathly Hallows]]'' [[spoiler:during the final battle, the seventh year Herbology students start [[GoodIsNotSoft throwing them out the windows and right onto the Death Eaters]]]].
* Literature/HonorHarrington delivers a One Hit KO to [[UpperClassTwit the Honorable Sir]] [[AssInAmbassador Reginald Houseman]] in ''Honor Of The Queen'', after he demands that she pull her forces out of Yeltsin's Star, leaving the Graysons to be conquered or nuked by Masada. It worked not only because Honor is a HeavyWorlder, but that he was such an EntitledBastard that he had no idea at all that she would ''dare'' to actually strike him.
* Any of several magic words in the ''Literature/InheritanceCycle'' which cause instant death to whoever they were directed at.
* The inspiration for the James Bond film and video game Golden Gun, the book version in ''Literature/TheManWithTheGoldenGun'' is a gold-plated Colt Single Action Army firing custom solid gold bullets with silver-plating. Ballistics calculations (using lead .45 Colt bullet weights as a starting point) indicates that Scaramanga's revolver hits like a ''.500 S&W Magnum'', which has aided his reputation for only needing one shot.
* In ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'', it's not that [[BlackKnight Gregor Clegane]] has any magical trick or secret technique that suddenly turns him deadly. He's just ''that'' [[TheBigGuy big]], [[WorldsStrongestMan strong]], able to wear [[MadeOfIron so much armour]] ''and'' can wield a ''cavalry'' weapon that's just ''[[{{BFS}} that big]]'' (while he's on foot; [[OneHandedZweihander in a single hand]], no less) in such a way to lay waste to even the most heavily armoured of his opposition in one swing thanks to the sheer ''power'' he can put behind it. Now, add a horse's mass and velocity to this equation for when he starts using a lance in or out of the lists... If he makes contact, you're so very dead (and, probably even the guy next to you and the one next to him). It's simple physics and [[AxCrazy psychotics]] -- and, he proves it time and again. The downside is that he isn't the [[MightyGlacier fastest]] ([[FasterThanTheyLook still faster than you'd expect]], considering how much he and his poor, disposable horses haul about) and he suffers from chronic physical pain thanks to his gigantism for which he's on constant medication. But, if you think that's a bonus, it just means you need to hurt him more (all while dodging the inevitable) for him to even register it.
* In the ''Literature/StarCarrier'' series H'rulka weapons easily one-shot smaller Confederation ships, being as how their ammunition consists of what amounts to [[AbnormalAmmo miniature black holes]]. They also outrange most Confederation weapons.
* Shardblades from ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive'' cut the soul of living things rather than the flesh, and cut straight through almost any inanimate matter without any effort. Slicing the blade through one of a victim's vital organs kills them instantly. Slicing it through a limb "kills" that limb, rending it permanently paralyzed and numb. The only beings that are likely to give somebody with a Shardblade a problem are those with a suit of Shardplate, (which can withstand a Shardblade, at least for a while) or beasts so large that the blade can't easily be sliced into their vital organs (and these are {{BFS}}s an average of six feet long, so the fact that there ARE beasts that big, and a lot of them, says [[DeathWorld something about this world]]).
* In ''Literature/SwordArtOnline'', the boss of the [[spoiler:75th]] floor. It's bad enough that [[spoiler:the only door out closes and disappears, and teleport crystals don't work, so the raid group is trapped until they either win or get wiped out]]. But on top of that, it also one-shots almost everyone unlucky enough to get hit by it. Most of the fighters are [[OhCrap suitably terrified]]. By the end, [[spoiler:14 out of 32 are gone]].
* ''Literature/TalionRevenant'': A Talion Justice like Nolan can kill someone quickly by ripping [[YourSoulIsMine the soul of their body]]. Nolan only uses this when there's no other option.
* ''Literature/ThirdTimeLuckyAndOtherStoriesOfTheMostPowerfulWizardInTheWorld'': In "Be It Ever So Humble" Magdelene is able to kill Warlord Herrick with one word: "Die".
* The Magic Wand that Griswalda gives Lucifer in ''Literature/TheVaginaAssOfLuciferNiggerbastard''. Lucifer, "tests", the Magic Wand out on Griswalda.
* In ''{{Literature/Warbreaker}}'', Vasher uses his sword [[ArtifactOfDoom "Nightblood"]] to dispatch numerous {{Mooks}}. Nightblood, when fully drawn, will [[spoiler: completely obliterate its victims, [[SoulCuttingBlade soul and all,]] in a single strike, leaving nothing but a [[NotEnoughToBury brief cloud of black smoke]] where they were standing. Wielding Nightblood in this manner comes with [[ArtifactOfDeath severe drawbacks]]]].
* Balefire in ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'' instantly erases from existence anyone it hits retroactively. And it kills in such a way that even the Dark One (who has power over death and can reincarnate people) can't save them. Balefire comes at a very high price, though. Since it kills retroactively, the past will be changed -- any actions performed by the killed within for everything for a minute back to days (all according to the power of the Balefire) will now not have happened. If this happens too much, reality itself unravels, causing a ''TemporalParadox'' that can destroy the world.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* Franchise/{{Buffyverse}}:
** Every single [[OurVampiresAreDifferent vampire]] without PlotArmor goes down ([[NoBodyLeftBehind turns to dust]]) with one stab of a wooden stake (or sharp wooden object) to the heart. ''Usually'' there's a drawn out fight at the very least to showcase vampires as powerful foes, then at other times they get staked instantly, and some don't even make it out of their own graves before Buffy dusts them. [[WeakenedByTheLight Sunlight]] also ends vamp-fights quickly e.g. Russel Winters in the first episode of ''Series/{{Angel}}'' who [[DestinationDefenestration is pushed out]] a skyscraper's window by the titular hero and doesn't make it to the ground.
** Despite how much a threat they are played up to be, most BigBad(s) in both Buffy and Angel are taken out in one attack such as The Master, The Judge, The Beast and Jasmine.
** [[spoiler: Before [[Anime/OnePunchMan Saitama]] there was [[https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/vampirediaries/images/8/89/Illyria%27s_punch.gif/revision/latest?cb=20130818205509 Illyria]] in ''Angel'' Season 5.]]
* ''Series/{{CSINY}}'': Done in "[[Recap/CSINYS02E19 Super Men]]" where a martial arts expert killed a victim of the week with a single blow to the back of the neck.
* In ''Series/DoctorWho'' the [[OmnicidalManiac Dalek race's]] beams are this, even for other daleks, who are usually really hard to even scratch. There's a very memorable scene in the 9th Doctor's first Dalek episode where a room full of soldiers shoot at a Dalek [[ImmunetoBullets uselessly]] and instead of shooting back the Dalek just hits the fire sprinkler on and shoots one death beam and [[ElectrifiedBathtub electrifies all the wet soldiers in one]]. Further material has stated their rays have different power settings and are usually set to instantly kill whatever they're pointed at -- and then the Daleks themselves dial it down ''just'' a little bit so that death is both assured ''and'' agonizing.
* ''Series/GameOfThrones'': As Bronn stated, one can attempt to fight Gregor "The Mountain" Clegane by out-maneuvering him, but if he gets just one good hit in, that fighter is ''dead''. This is illustrated in "The Mountain and the Viper." After spending an entire fight flailing at -- and missing -- the much more nimble Oberyn Martell, Gregor finally manages to get his hands on him and ends the fight in seconds.
* {{Game Show}}s: In its simplest sense, the one-hit kill was a contestant winning the game outright on the first play of the game, before his opponents even have a chance to play. Although rare, the most notable examples were:
** ''Series/TicTacDough'': The "red box" "Bonus Category," which immediately allowed the contestant another turn if he/she answered a three-part question correctly. The categories were moved to other boxes after the question, and the "Bonus Category" always appeared in an adjacent box or other space that allowed him/her to set up and eventually complete a TabletopGame/TicTacToe. Played correctly –- and it often was – a tic-tac-toe was completed without the opponent getting a chance to play (although he/she was always invited back to play the next game). Eventually, in the interest of fair play, the category was retired, in lieu of the modified "Double-or-Nothing."
** ''Series/TheJokersWild'':
*** Spinning three jokers on a single spin automatically won the game for that contestant ... provided he/she correctly answered a question. While it has happened several times on the game's first spin, only once -– the first time it happened -– did it result in the opponent not getting to play. (The opponent, a challenger, forced his smile as he was on and off the show in roughly 90 seconds.) The ""first-spin triple joker" quick kill was averted thereafter by allowing the challenger –- who always played second –- an opportunity to catch up by continuing to answer questions until they either caught up, won by surpassing the opponent's score or giving an incorrect answer; however, the game would end if the challenger spun the triple joker and answered the question correctly.
*** Like its sister show ''Tic Tac Dough'', the 1977-1986 syndicated version had special scoring categories, which could be used on the player's first turn to build a huge lead and virtually assure themselves a win, simply by severely pressuring the opponent. Categories fitting this example were "Fast Forward" and "Bid," both which allowed contestants to answer multiple questions in a single turn until they either stopped and kept their winnings ("Fast Forward") or completed the terms of their bid to earn the cash ("Bid").
** ''{{Series/Concentration}}'': Solving the puzzle after making a match on the game's first turn.
** Although one contestant did spin (and miss) before her, Caitlin Burke solved I'VE GOT A GOOD FEELING ABOUT THIS on ''Series/WheelOfFortune'' after calling the L.
* ''Series/InterviewWithTheVampire2022'': In "[[Recap/InterviewWithTheVampire2022S1E1InThroesOfIncreasingWonder In Throes of Increasing Wonder...]]", Lestat de Lioncourt ''literally'' [[TearOffYourFace defaces]] a priest with a single SuperSpeed punch through the latter's head, and the resulting {{Gorn}} includes some of his victim's [[CameraAbuse blood and brain matter hitting the camera]].
* ''Series/LabRats'': A PG version (because its a Disney show). Adam learns in the [[EleventhHourSuperpower season one finale]] that he has the ability to create blast waves, which temporarily incapacitates machines, humans, and bionic humans around him.
* ''Series/LegendOfTheSeeker'': The dacras can kill instantly with magic if they hit someone (at least when this isn't a [[PlotArmor main character]]).
* In the finale of ''Series/Life2007'', [[spoiler: Crews kills Roman with one blow to the throat]].
* ''Series/TheOutpost'': Anyone a possessor of the black kinj touches dies instantly.
* ''Series/ThePower2023'': The power is capable of killing someone with a heart attack on command if precisely used.
* In the competitive robot combat show ''Series/RobotWars'' robots could be battered into submission and some robots were in fact powerful enough to disable an opponent with a single lucky blow. Robots could also be flipped over and those with no way to right themselves were immobilized and defeated. However there was only one guaranteed way to defeat an enemy robot in a single strike: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jYTotkRN5g throwing it over the wall and out of the arena.]] The first time it happened, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOojWy6Lta4 no one could believe their eyes.]] Not to mention, the pit.
* In ''Series/{{Smallville}}'', especially early seasons, there are very few opponents that Clark doesn't take out in one hit. Like many adaptations of Superman, this is the reason KryptoniteIsEverywhere.
* The Zat'nik'tel in ''Series/StargateSG1''. Although it takes two shots to kill, one shot delivers excruciating pain, enough to neutralize any target that's not protected against it.
** One Season 8 episode has O'Neill use an Ancient ship that is basically a transport shuttle (defensive weapons only, no shields) to do this to a Goa'uld Ha'tak mothership (the same class of ship that was a major threat to Earth in the early seasons). Shows how powerful the Ancients were.
* ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'': In the episode "The Changing Face Of Evil", we see for the first time the Breen's Energy Dissipator, which in one shot, disables the engines, weapons and shields of its target. While not necessarily a "one-hit kill" per sé, the target becomes a sitting duck.
* ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'': In the final episode (Endgame), Voyager gets upgraded with technology from the future. It gets armor that makes it immune to Borg weapons, and it gets special torpedoes that can destroy Borg cubes in one hit.
* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'':
** [[RevolversAreJustBetter The Colt]] is a magical gun that can one-shot nearly anything in existence, even beings that would normally be considered unkillable. However, there are a few cosmically powerful creatures that it can't outright kill. [[spoiler: Dean and Sam learn a bit too late that [[{{Satan}} Lucifer]] is one of them.]]
** Most of the highest ranking [[OurAngelsAreDifferent angels]] enjoy doing this to anyone less powerful than them who manages to piss them off, with Lucifer being the standout example. One snap of his fingers is usually enough to turn just about anyone into a [[LudicrousGibs red paste]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Mythology and Religion]]
* David (the original DavidVersusGoliath story) was able to knock out Goliath with one sling in the Literature/BooksOfSamuel in Literature/TheBible.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Pinball]]
* During the first Demogorgon mode in ''Pinball/StrangerThings'', shooting the ball [[AttackItsWeakPoint into its mouth]] results in the monster immediately being destroyed, ending the mode.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Pro Wrestling]]
* It's pretty common in North America for a pro wrestler's FinishingMove to be used as a One Hit Kill; matches where the opponent kicks out afterwards are rare. There are many, many matches where one participant spends the whole match getting the snot beaten out of him, then seizes an opportunity to hit his finisher and win the match. Note that this is less common in Mexico, Japan (except in Wrestling/NewJapanProWrestling, where finishers are treated as One Hit Killers there), and Europe.
** The One Hit Kill effect is essentially what made Wrestling/DiamondDallasPage so dangerous in Wrestling/{{WCW}}. You could beat him up all day, but all he had to do was hit the Diamond Cutter and he'd come out on top -- and he could hit the Diamond Cutter at a moment's notice, from ''fifty-two'' different positions.
** As well as Wrestling/RandyOrton's RKO. Though the RKO occasionally gets hit with TheWorfBarrage. Orton's Punt to the Head is a better example, as no one has ever kicked out of it.
** Also witness [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AFvk3StVWQ this WWF title match between]] Wrestling/BobBacklund and [[Wrestling/KevinNash Diesel]]. Kick, Jackknife Powerbomb, match over.
* Though he didn't use it for obvious reasons, Michael Tarver of Wrestling/TheNexus once had the gimmick of the 1.9 second punch, a punch that would instantly KO anyone.
* Wrestling/SantinoMarella has The Cobra, a jab to the throat. He's still mostly a {{Jobber}} because he wastes so much time signalling for it that he's almost always intercepted.
** And then after months, he finally hit the move for the first time on Wrestling/ZackRyder...and still ended up losing the match.
** People now have to ''sell'' the damn thing.
* Wrestling/{{Umaga}}'s [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awG8ZNPm4pk Samoan Spike]]. One of the few people that required two Samoan Spikes to keep down was Wrestling/{{Kane}}.
* Wrestling/ShawnMichaels and Sweet Chin Music.
* The Tombstone Piledriver: In the (almost) thirty years that Wrestling/TheUndertaker had been using it, you could count the amount of people who had even kicked out of it ''once'' on your fingers. In fact, when Wrestling/ShawnMichaels kicked out of it at ''Wrestling/{{WrestleMania}} XXV'', the look on Undertaker's face and reaction of the commentators was akin to "[[ThisCannotBe That did not just happen!]]"
* Wrestling/KentaKobashi's Burning Hammer can actually one-up on the Tombstone: ''nobody'' has ever kicked out of it. As a result, he's only used it seven times to maintain its special-ness. [[MemeticMutation Well, eight if you include the time he used it on his cancer.]]
* If Wrestling/MitsuharuMisawa's standard Emerald Flowsion fails to put his opponent away, then he has its upgraded version, the Emerald Flowsion Kai (an Emerald Flowsion transitioned from a vertical suplex/brainbuster lift) to finish the job instead.
* {{Wrestling/Sheamus}}. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FA4GguW67Vo The]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQB6u7n_OJc Brogue]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zF_kEtYlfBc Kick]].
* Wrestling/BigShow. The Knockout Punch aka The Weapon of Mass Destruction.
* [[Wrestling/TheDudleyBoys Spike Dudley]]'s Acid Drop/Dudley Dog.
* A simple roundhouse kick to the head is a staple of the Japanese shoot-style finishing offensive. It's credible enough to pass for a real KO, and the UsefulNotes/MixedMartialArts world has taught us that it's indeed as powerful. This is seen in Wrestling/YoshiTatsu's debut match in WWE's ECW against Wrestling/SheltonBenjamin. Benjamin got distracted at the beginning of the match with mocking Tatsu's Japanese salute... and hitting the roundhouse kick was all Yoshi had to do for the win.
* Wrestling/LaceyEvans has The Woman's Right, a right hook that almost always KO's her opponent.
* Despite his very hit-and-miss booking, Wrestling/BaronCorbin has possibly the most-protected finisher on the entire current WWE roster in his End of Days (Pendulum Lifting Reverse STO). Wrestling/AustinAries was the only person to ''ever'' kick out of it for many years and that was [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness while Corbin was still in]] [[Wrestling/{{WWENXT}} NXT]]. Wrestling/DrewMcIntyre would become the second in 2022.
* Wrestling/KennyOmega's One Winged Angel. Wrestling/KotaIbushi is the only one so far who was able to kick out of it.
* Wrestling/BrockLesnar's F5. Only few main eventers are able to survive a single F5 from him and may make him raise an eyebrow. Surviving 2 F5s though can give him an OhCrap moment.
* Ron Garvin was known as "The Man With the Hands of Stone". His finisher was a single right that would immediately put his opponent down for the pin.
* Wrestling/{{Goldberg}}'s Jackhammer was this, helped by the fact that it was almost always preceded by the spear, which one could argue was the true finisher. Few people have kicked out of it: one being Wrestling/HulkHogan (who did so because Kevin Nash was supposed to interfere and break up the pin, but Nash was slow getting to the ring) another being Brock Lesnar.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Roleplay]]
* ''Roleplay/DestroyTheGodmodder'' uses this often. Any attack that isn't charged has an incredibly high chance of this happening to it. If the godmodder doesn't [[{{Brainwashed}} brainwash them]] and turn the summon to his side instead.
* ''Roleplay/TheBalladOfEdgardo'': [[NonElemental Raw Spirit]] [[NoSavingThrow cannot be resisted]], so ''enough'' Spirit will turn any attack into this. And once Edgardo combines his Overflowing Spirit perk (which means he has no Spirit cap) and the Spirit Well buff from the city of Haven (which instantly fills your spirit reserves up to the cap), he can destroy anything in the setting with a single punch.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Webcomics]]
* In ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'', Susan, armed with a magic sword, and supercharged with magic, can [[http://egscomics.com/comic/2017-12-08 take out]] an aberration with one swing.
* ''Webcomic/GirlGenius:'' While defending Mechanicsburg, Gil destroys two of the attacking HumongousMecha in quick succession with his one-zap lightning weapon. The drawbacks being 1. It takes quite a while and lot of equipment to set the thing up, and 2. Much of said equipment blows up or melts after the second shot.
* In ''Webcomic/{{Noblesse}}'', Raizel has the ability to take out any opponent with one strike of his blood magic, but it shortens his life span the more he uses his powers.
* ''Webcomic/ScoobAndShag'' has the [[PopularityPower Ballyhoo]] "Power", which grants the user the power to "turn off" anything... by making it collapse on itself until it disappears. The user can also undo the effects by "turning on" anything that they previously erased. If they want to permanently kill someone, they can just [[YourHeadAsplode target the head]].
* The Golden Arrows from ''Webcomic/SlightlyDamned'' tend to take football sized chunks out of their targets. It's not a guaranteed kill, but it's pretty close.
* ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'':
** The [[EmpathicWeapon talking sword]] Chaz can kill pretty much anything with a single swing. Even a scratch will suffice in most instances. The Demon King of the Dimension of Pain managed to survive getting scratched, but was still permanently crippled. The only limitation is that Chaz only has this power after bathing in the blood of the innocent.
** Later, 4U City's military is shown using weaponized teleporters which transport whatever they hit into AnotherDimension. Not really a one-hit ''kill'', but definitely a one-hit victory.
* In ''Webcomic/YokokasQuest'', Pinky and [[SquishyWizard Inky]] both get knocked out in one blow at the [[https://yokokasquest.com/comic/chapter-8-page-27/ start of the fight against two tunnel dwellers]], requiring Blinky to revive them with a HealingPotion.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwNVQvygCNQ Art of the Instakill]]'' celebrates the trope in several modern game franchises. Visual effects included. Here's a reference for those who may not know.
** ''VideoGame/Battlefield3'': Knifing
** ''VideoGame/ModernWarfare'': Knife throwing
** ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'': BackStab
** ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'' series: Plasma sword
** ''Franchise/MassEffect'': Omniblade
** ''{{VideoGame/Golden Eye|1997}}'': Golden Gun
** ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'': [=AR2=] SecondaryFire
** ''VideoGame/MarioKart'': Blue Shell
* One of ''Website/{{Cracked}}'''s [[http://www.cracked.com/photoplasty_586_31-life-lessons-you-can-only-learn-from-video-games/ 31 Life Lessons You Can Only Learn From Video Games]] is that "no matter how strong and powerful you are, some scrub will take you out with a death spell."
* ''WebVideo/CriticalRole'': During the fight against Dashilla in Campaign 2, she demonstrates her ability to magically frighten the party. When she targets Caleb with one of these frightening attacks, he critically fails the saving throw, causing him to have a heart attack and knocking him down to zero HP immediately. Fortunately, Yasha manages to restart his heart before he actually dies.
* ''WebAnimation/{{Dreamscape}}'': The Overlord of Evil can fire a small laser that annihilates whoever is hit. Unless you have ResurrectiveImmortality like Melissa, you're done for.
* ''WebAnimation/RedVsBlue'':
** Season 1 has Donut throw a [[StickyBomb plasma grenade]] and oneshot Tex, who was halfway across a canyon and in a tank. This gets a CallBack in Season 10, where he manages to lob three plasma grenades in one throw to kill three soldiers.
** In Season 10, Agent Maine does this to TheBigGuy of the enemy team to show off his new SuperStrength. The guy is killed in a single punch (which also either knocks his reinforced titanium helmet off or out-and-out ''decapitates'' him... the camera angle leaves this unclear).
* ''Website/SCPFoundation'':
** [[http://web.archive.org/web/20090316130341/http://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-544 SCP-544]] perceived threads extending upwards from the heads of others, as well as from other living things, and could kill anything instantly by cutting its thread with his mind.
** [[OurAngelsAreDifferent One of the 001 proposals]] can obliterate anything in a single strike of its flaming blade, from people to missile bases, [[PlagueDoctor 049]] has an extremely effective DeathTouch, [[LivingToys 956]] will petrify you with a single look (while not immediately fatal, you'll wish it was), and witnessing ''anything'' done by someone infected by [[BrownNote 370]] will mean YouAreAlreadyDead.
* ''WebVideo/TierZoo'':
** The Crocodile's Death Roll was mentioned to be an instant kill in an earlier video. A later video expanded upon this -- while it was a death sentence when successfully pulled off, it also required the crocodile's unbroken concentration meaning that it could be interrupted by an ally of the victim.
** In the Dinosaur Tier List, the sauropod's GiantFootOfStomping was mentioned to be ''the'' most devastating attack of any animal, knocking down the target while dealing lethal crushing damage. This effectively gave them an InstantDeathRadius and was one of the reasons why sauropods were the sole dinosaur type in the S-Tier.
** The Poison Dart Frog's poison was stated to be lethal enough to one-shot any attacker that hit it. The trouble is that the frog [[CounterAttack had to be attacked for this to work]], and due to its tiny size, it would also be killed easily.
* ''Literature/WhateleyUniverse'': Tennyo's 'death blow' can kill anything -- including {{Physical God}}s and {{Eldritch Abomination}}s -- DeaderThanDead. Even the sub-atomic particles that made up their body simply decay into nothingness.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'':
** The series gives the impression that the advanced Firebending ability to shoot lightning is a One Hit Kill if it manages to get a direct hit. This is offset by the difficulty of shooting lightning in the first place (it requires a mindset which is opposite to the usual for Firebending, and insufficient skill is likely to cause it to explode in the users face), and even when mastered the time it takes to build up the charge tends to telegraph the attack.
** In the grand finale, Aang's use of Energybending borders on a peculiar sort of Have-a-Heart instant neutralization.
** Ty Lee was also feared enough for her ability to ''temporarily'' kill someone's Bending. Not a 'kill', but in a world where children can throw fireballs it leaves you pretty helpless (various big name mundanes aside). The horror is taken to a whole new level in the sequel series, ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'', which features characters who can kill someone's Bending permanently, much like Aang's Energybending, except it doesn't need much to work with. Judging by how the victims of the procedure are treated, this is basically the Avatar-verse equivalent of lobotomy.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Castlevania|2017}}'':
** {{Dracula}}'s unarmed strikes are enough to [[https://media.giphy.com/media/pb1o6NUZFh9kaZTdL9/giphy.gif instakill]] any {{Muggles}} and Dracula is so strong even a VampireHunter like Trevor Belmont is [[https://gfycat.com/confusedfemininefirecrest-vlad-dracula-tepes-film-animation beaten immediately by single gut punch]] from him. Vampires and monsters in general can butcher humans with the simplest strikes, even a good guy {{Dhampir}} like Alucard ends his fight with Trevor by [[PunchedAcrossTheRoom punching him across the room]].
** Trevor gains this ability with the Morning Star whip which with one swing makes vampires [[https://www.syfy.com/sites/syfy/files/styles/1100xauto/public/castlevania_trevor_fights.gif?timestamp=1540920158 aspolode]], [[NoSell it doesn't work]] on Dracula though only making him fall to his knees. Sypha the mage [[https://gfycat.com/glamoroushalfichthyosaurs does this]] with her elemental magic, she might have the best [[FinishingMove finishing moves]] of the trio.
** In Season 3, Isaac does this with his magic dagger; killing humans with one stab and [[MookMaker turning them simultaneously into Night Creatures for his army]].
* ''WesternAnimation/CelebrityDeathmatch'':
** The Loch Ness Monster gets one on Bigfoot during their fight when he slices Bigfoot in half.
** In Spice Girls vs. Hanson, Marilyn Manson gets one on both combatants by crushing them under the light rigging.
** In Kid Rock vs. Eminem, Joe C jumps into the ring and eviscerates guest referee Carson Daly, but not before Carson kicks him into the air. He lands on Eminem, and takes control of Eminem's body, which he uses to take out Kid Rock with one hit.
** Jean-Claude Van Damme cuts Chuck Norris in half with one hit.
* ''WesternAnimation/CodeLyoko'':
** Many of XANA's monsters are able to do that.
*** The Kankrelat, one-shot Yumi in Episode 91.
*** The Blok's rings of fire are powerful enough to one-hit a Lyoko-warrior.
*** The Megatank's attacks, starting with Season 2 is an instant kill.
*** The Manta's explosive mines. Ulrich was immediately devirtualized in Episode 66.
*** Any of the Kolossus' attacks : it is so big any of it's attacks (whether it's his arm-sword or him crushing someone) instantly sends you back in the scanners.
** Some Lyoko-warriors are also able to do that.
*** [[MasterOfAll William]]. Even when he was a beginner, ''any'' of his sword attacks will devirtualize you. When Xanafied, it goes from Bad to Worse. He gains a sword beam attacks which is not only as fast as Odd's laser arrows, but are also a One-Hit-Kill, except when William lowers it's powers in order to capture Aelita.
*** Aelita's fully charged Energy Field. Not even [[MadeOfIron William]] can tank it.
*** Yumi's fans devirtualizes instantly monsters without having to hit their weak point. In some episodes, XANA-William can tank it, however.
*** If you don't block Ulrich's sword throw attack, you're as good as dead. XANA-William tasted it. Twice.
* In general, unless you're [[NoSell Vlad Masters]], if you find yourself on the receiving end of WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom's [[MakeMeWannaShout Ghostly Wail]], you're about to go down and stay down. Good thing, too, since the attack is so draining it usually leaves the hero de-powered and severely weakened afterward, stopping it from being a StoryBreakerPower.
* ''WesternAnimation/ElenaOfAvalor'': Shuriki's "Vadisima" spell can destroy or kill anything with a single blow; it in particular killed the parents of the titular heroine. When Shuriki attempted to use the same spell on Elena, she was spared by the magic of the Amulet of Avalor. After Shuriki upgrades to the Scepter of Night, its "Demolish" spell works the same way, with Elena once again spared by the Scepter of Light during their final confrontation. Shuriki is also killed herself by a single blast of the Scepter of Light's "Blaze" spell, in reverse of what happened during their first encounter years prior.
* {{Film/Kramer vs|Kramer}}. Franchise/{{Predator}}, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxI6ITD42RY as seen on]] ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy''.
* ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'': This is a common power among the rogues gallery, but one of the heroes' has this on his side.
** Cat Noir's Cataclysm power will almost instantly destroy anything he touches. As we are reminded every time he ends up BrainwashedAndCrazy, this very much could include human beings.
** Timebreaker can absorb the time of anyone she touches, causing them to fade away from existence.
** The Gamer [[DiscardAndDraw (before his upgrade)]] can turn people into points that he uses to level up his mecha.
** The Collector can seal anything or anyone in his book, as long as he's still got blank pages.
** Befana's candy gun turns those she views as bad into coal statues. [[HoistByHisOwnPetard She's not immune to her own weapon.]]
** Glaciator can turn people into statues of ice cream if they're hit by the ice cream he uses as ammo, but [[LoveFreak he refuses to attack loving couples]].
** Style Queen's main offensive power is that she can turn anyone into a statue of golden glitter, or a pile of golden glitter if she's particularly mad.
** Backwarder has a non-lethal but still hopelessly debilitating variation. Anyone hit with her clock hand cane will be forced into rewinding their actions, with Backwarder absorbing their remaining forward time.
** Desperada can turn anyone she hits with her musical instruments or the beams they can fire into yellow smoke and a sticker on her guitar case.
** Party Crasher can seal anything or anyone in his disco balls, as long as there's still a blank square.
** Cat Blank, being a villainous version of Cat Noir, has unlimited uses of his signature Cataclysm, which have been powered up to the point he can destroy [[spoiler:the entire Milky Way Galaxy, and this is lowballing it]].
** Heart Hunter's female face can turn anyone who feels any kind of love into a heart, which promptly gets eaten by the male face.
** King Cash can turn whoever he slashes with the gold blades of his fan into golden statues. [[spoiler:However, [[InformedAbility that ability was never seen in action.]]]]
** Yan Woshi can reduce anyone to a pink mist with his EyeBeams. [[spoiler:With the exception of the wielder of the Prodigious.]]
** Mr. Pigeon [[TookALevelInBadass got an upgrade]] for his 72nd akumatization. On top of controlling every pigeon in Paris, his pigeons can turn people into more pigeons under his command with just a touch.
** Sole Crusher can absorb anyone she kicks, stomps, steps on, or otherwise touches with the bottom of her shoes, and becomes bigger as a result.
** Queen Banana can turn anyone shot by her banana gun, or hit by a banana shot from the turrets of her banana-themed car, or hit by her giant gorilla companion Banana Boom Boom and the giant bananas he throws, into a certain curvy yellow fruit.
** Robustus [[RecurringBoss (the second time around)]] can trap anything or anyone in a cyberspace prison using the smartphones he's hacked (and their mind-controlled holders).
** Wishmaker can transform and brainwash anyone into performing their childhood dream if they're hit by the energy shot from his microphone-like staff, which would unmask the heroes in the process should they be hit.
** Moolak's safe is equipped with lasers that can turn anyone hit into gold coin that is teleported inside the safe.
** Sole Destroyer's kicks and stomps can turn anyone into a high-heeled shoe that sings her praises.
** Gold Record's gold record turns anyone it touches (except for him) into a vinyl record that automatically plays a song that contains their deepest secrets.
* In ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'', the main characters use [[AllYourColorsCombined the Elements of Harmony]] twice: [[spoiler: once to take down Nightmare Moon, the evil ruler of the moon, and again on Discord, the omnipotent dark god of chaos]].
** Even without the Elements, a CircleOfFriendship attack has enough power to One Hit Kill a trio of Windigos, powerful monsters capable of causing a world ending blizzard.
* ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'':
** In "Jack and the Zombies," most of the zombies turn into dust after one hit.
** Season 5; Jack seemingly kills one of the Daughters of Aku with a single punch to the face, snapping her neck in the process.
* With the amount of damage the gems in ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'' can take, it's easy to forget that humans don't have the same luxury. Therefore, [[spoiler: Lars dying in a Robonoid explosion]] was one of [[WhamShot the most shocking moments]] in the show.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Real Life]]
* TruthInTelevision. Many weapons don't need many hits to kill a person, especially if they [[BoomHeadshot hit the brain]].
* This is the aim on both UsefulNotes/{{kendo}} and [[UsefulNotes/EuropeanSwordsmanship German School of Swordsmanship]].
* It is entirely possible to kill or knock out a person instantly with a single surprisingly gentle blow. However, beyond accidental cases there is [[https://web.archive.org/web/20110604000500/http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2509/is-the-ninja-death-touch-real little evidence for the existence of a reliable martial technique]]. Chances of an instant knockout are significant if any highly trained fighter is given a reason to go all out against an opponent with little or no conditioning. Even if the attacker has no training, (un)lucky hits can lethally aggravate a pre-existing condition (aneurysms are particularly infamous) and kill in short order. If the initial blow causes the victim to fall over (not necessarily unconscious) onto a hard surface or an object that results in critical trauma to the brain or spinal cord, the fall and resultant impact can easily paralyse the unfortunate victim, or even be fatal.
* A rare real-life example outside a military context is ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commotio_cordis commotio cordis]]''. If [[PrecisionCrash a blow strong enough strikes a small region of the chest between the 2nd and 4th ribs during a 15-millisecond window in the heartbeat cycle]], the heart rhythm will be disrupted and cardiac arrest will ensue. While this probably can't be induced during a real fight due to the coincidences involved, it has happened to hockey, lacrosse[[note]]the reason defensemen in that sport are no longer allowed to step into the crease and play goalie when the actual goalie and his mandatory chest protector are elsewhere[[/note]] and baseball players who have been hit by shots or hits. Lacrosse players [[https://www.nytimes.com/1999/05/11/sports/lacrosse-a-ball-strikes-a-chest-on-the-field-and-a-young-life-is-lost.html have]] [[http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2004-03-19/sports/0403190136_1_lacrosse-chest-commotio-cordis died]] from this, while [[UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeague NFL]] player Damar Hamlin nearly died from such a blow in January 2023.
* ''Nuclear weapons'', capable of annihilating entire cities and [[OneHitPolykill the inhabitants located in them]]. Practically anything near the epicenter of the explosion is vaporized by extreme heat, while the resulting blast-wave can instantly demolish most structures. Anything that hasn't died from either of the above may then succumb to radiation poisoning within a matter of hours or days.
* The Box Jellyfish, the deadliest venomous animal known to exist. It generally takes somewhere between 5 minutes to a second for its sting to kill. [[http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/apr/27/box-jellyfish-stings-australian-girl-survives Only one person is known to have survived from one]].
* The poison dart frog poison kills in less than 3 seconds; it has to get in the blood though, so contact itself probably won't kill you. Unless it's the ''Golden'' Poison Dart Frog, which can.
* In both armoured and naval warfare, a well-aimed or lucky hit in the opposing tank/ship's magazine can lead to that unfortunate target being blown up by its own ammunition. This is what happened to three British battlecruisers at the battle of Jutland in 1916 (as well as two older British armored cruisers and a German predreadnought battleship) and to HMS ''Hood'' in 1941. It doesn't even have to be in the main magazines! Two of the hits that killed the British battlecruisers at Jutland (one of them on HMS ''[[{{Irony}} Invincible]]'',[[note]]although that ship's belt armor was thin enough that, had the incoming shell instead hit the side of the ship, the result would likely have been the same[[/note]] the other on HMS ''Queen Mary'') each penetrated the roof of a main battery turret,[[note]]as did a third that came ''very'' close to taking out HMS ''Lion'', which avoided going up only due to a mortally-wounded crewman who, after the initial shell hit, ordered the turret's magazine flooded before the rest of the propellant charges in the turret and its handling room ignited[[/note]] which wouldn't have been a problem (other than for the people in the turret itself) except that the Royal Navy's battlecruiser gunners were [[DangerousForbiddenTechnique bypassing safety protocols for the sake of rapid fire]] and leaving a nice, flammable chain of cordite leading all the way to the magazines.[[note]]The third battlecruiser, HMS ''Indefatigable'' (which, by the way, means [[TemptingFate "unable to be defeated"]]), plus the two armored cruisers (HMS ''Defence'' and HMS ''Black Prince'') and the predreadnought (SMS ''Pommern''), were blown up in the more conventional manner, by shells (or, in ''Pommern's'' case, a torpedo) simply punching straight through into the magazines.[[/note]] That, and the fact that the cordite stock hadn't been sufficiently rotated and the stuff was a bit old and chemically twitchy, added up to cause disaster. In the ''Hood's'' case, ''Bismarck's'' gunners most likely got a ''very'' lucky shot that slipped in just below the ship's armor belt and penetrated to the magazines.[[note]]''Hood's'' armor extended far enough below the waterline that this normally wouldn't be possible (in order to hit the side of the ship below the lower edge of the armor belt, a shell would have to hit the water well short of the ship, which would likely initiate the shell's fuze, and travel a considerable distance through the water, which would slow the shell quite a bit and could easily destroy the fuze; the combined effect of these two factors would've been either to detonate the shell in the water outside the ship's hull, or to keep it from detonating ''at all'', even after punching through the hull and into the ship)... [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLPeC7LRqIY unfortunately, due to the specifics of her construction, when travelling at high speed (as she was in her final battle) she generated a bow wave prominent enough that the trough of this wave (which just so happened to line up with the longitudinal position of her aft magazines) almost uncovered the lower edge of her belt, allowing a shell which happened to land right in the trough just a few feet short of the hull to punch through below her armor without being set off outside the hull or having its fuze destroyed, and then to reach the magazines and detonate]].[[/note]]
* Japanese cruisers in general were vulnerable to this. This was because they carried highly-volatile "Long Lance" torpedoes, which were the most advanced torpedoes in the world by the 1940s but powered with pure and ''flammable'' oxygen. Even glancing hits from low-caliber shells could cause them to quickly cook-off and destroy or cripple the ship. In particular, during the Battle of Samar, the USS ''Johnston'' managed to land a crippling hit onto the Japanese heavy cruiser ''Kumano'', completely taking it out of the battle with a torpedo hit (the hit ''blew the ship's entire front end off'').
* Another notable Japanese naval example from the Second World War was the loss of the aircraft-carrier/flagship ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_aircraft_carrier_Akagi Akagi]]'' in the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Midway Battle of Midway]]. During the Battle, the Japanese Carrier Forces were in the process of refueling & rearming their planes to launch an attack on the US Fleet; however (by sheer chance) American Carrier Planes managed to attack the Japanese fleet at this exact moment to devastating results. In the ''Akagi's'' case, she was hit only by a single aerial bomb. Ordinarily, this would not have been fatal damage; however the bomb hit & detonated within the main hangar deck when it was littered with bombs, torpedoes & aviation fuel to be used for the upcoming assault. Because of this, a series of secondary explosions in the hangar rapidly ensued and the ''Akagi'' was quickly engulfed in flames that proved impossible to control, made worse by the fact that after several hours burning the carrier lost ''all'' power, [[FailsafeFailure even emergency power]], which destroyed any chance of putting out the fires to save her. Realizing how hopeless the situation was for the ship, Admiral Yamamoto ordered the ''Akagi'' scuttled.
* In UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, the SMS ''Szent István'' was torpedoed in the aft boiler room, killing the power needed to use the pumps and throw the water out. In fact a direct hit from a well-placed torpedo will sink most warships, with only the biggest capable of surviving. Modern torpedoes, which all use proximity fuses rather than needing to strike the target, ideally detonate a short distance below the keel of a vessel "breaking its back" under the target's own weight, causing the ship to split in two and sink relatively rapidly. The "back breaking" effect happened to one US ship during World War II from a kamikaze aircraft instead of a torpedo. The aircraft crashed in front of the ship, the ship ran over it, and was destroyed by an airplane which had already been shot down.
* In general, aircraft are extremely susceptible to being brought down by a singular cause, whether intentional or accidental. A propeller strike on a single-engined plane, for instance, can effectively cripple the plane's means of propulsion, resulting, at best, in a forced landing. In air-to-air combat, a direct hit by a single missile will generally suffice to bring down any aircraft.
* Hydrogen-filled Zeppelins in UsefulNotes/WorldWarI were surprisingly resilient to being brought down by machine gun fire,[[note]]but ''not'', as popularly told, invulnerable to it; before incendiary ammunition was developed, several zeppelins were brought down by [[DeathOfAThousandCuts riddling the envelope and gas cells with bullet holes until it eventually lost too much lifting gas to stay airborne]][[/note]] but they could be downed with just one burst of incendiary ammunition or a single explosive shell in the right place. This was, in a roundabout way, also the cause for the Hindenburg disaster... The US, seeing UsefulNotes/NaziGermany gear up for a war, refused to sell helium to them, forcing the Nazis to use hydrogen as lift gas.
* Similarly, anything that penetrates the armor of a [[TankGoodness tank]] will kill it, or at best take it out of action for the duration of the battle. This is because tanks are very compact vehicles, so anything that gets through the armor is going to hit something important. Increasingly, this "something important" is the crew itself.
* Masutatsu Oyama, founder of Kyokushinaki Karate, was considered in his time the embodiment of "One Strike, Certain Death". Three times in exhibitions, he killed a ''full-grown bull'' with a single punch.
* A lot of pesticides are made like this.
* Many combat athletes are known for their ability to end a fight with a single strike. Perhaps the best contemporary example is the [[UsefulNotes/UltimateFightingChampionship UFC's]] Anthony "Rumble" Johnson, who, as of March 2017, shares the record for most all-time knockouts (including [=TKOs=]) in UFC history (11) with Anderson Silva, and boasts an incredible five KO/TKO victories in 51 seconds or less, with two of them coming in ''13 seconds'' each. In the words of UFC commentator Joe Rogan, "Rumble Johnson connects on people, and they just ''shut off.''". Another great example is Jorge Masvidal knocking out Ben Askren in ''five seconds'' at UFC 239, [[https://twitter.com/somosmma/status/1148041124206075905 when Jorge only needed a flying knee to lay Ben out cold]], setting the record for fastest KO in UFC history.
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