"Flawless victory."
A fight that's extremely one-sided; where one side just absolutely trashes the other with little-to-no effort. Commonly used as a way of establishing a character as being very strong, especially if the person on the receiving end of the beating is known for being very rough and tough.
The name comes from the act of forcing someone to lie down in the street and bite the curb, then stomping on the back of his or her head (sort of like this Kenyan police officer is doing— Mortal Kombat screen after winning a round while taking no damage.
). This could be very humiliating to him or her, especially if he or she were to die. Even if he or she were to survive, they may be missing some teeth and have a severely broken jaw.
Sometimes, this is played for humor; other times, it tends to be a Moment of Awesome.
Sometimes, it actually makes sense by the logic of the story, but writers use Third Act Stupidity to avert it.
Compare Pendulum War, which is where sides take turns to perform this trope upon each other. In Professional Wrestling this frequently overlaps with Squash Match. In video games, see Flawless Victory. Breather Bosses and Anticlimax Bosses are the types most likely to be on the receiving end of a Curb-Stomp Battle. If this is done to the heroes, on the other hand, it becomes a Hopeless Boss Fight, often from a Hero Killer. Compare No Sell. Contrast Story-Breaker Team-Up. If the curbstompee manages to get a few good hits in to show that he or she is not totally helpless, it's a Curb Stomp Cushion. A No-Holds-Barred Beatdown is similar but much more realistic, brutal, and violent.
One-Hit Kill is a subtrope that's Exactly What It Says on the Tin. A subtrope for elections is Landslide Election. No Kill Like Overkill is often the result of a Curb-Stomp Battle. Often paired with The Worf Effect, which it amplifies.
Examples:
- Anime and Manga
- Comic Books
- Fan Fic
- Film
- Jokes
- Literature
- Live-Action TV
- Mythology & Religion
- Professional Wrestling
- Roleplay
- Sports
- Tabletop Games
- Theater
- Video Games
- Web Comics
- Web Original
- Western Animation
- Real Life
