Impending Clash Shot

My body is ready, bub.

A Stock Pose common in video games, covers, and art. It features one character about to exchange blows with another one; the angle doesn't matter, but it's usually shot Over the Shoulder.

One side typically looks as if it has an advantage. Other instances feature a sense of symmetry by having the characters balance each other out; whether by having a superior-looking weapon against an intimidating looking "partner", or by having both look like they can kick each other's butt.

This isn't limited to covers and still art. Motion pictures can also make use of this in the form of Hit Stop, where instead of Overcranking and stopping on impact, they stop it when they're about to hit.

Thematically, it emphasizes impending conflict or battle. Sometimes Rule of Cool applies when the battle is ongoing and the fighters are about to unleash fiercer blows to each other.

Closely related to Charge-into-Combat Cut, but instead of cutting into something else, it simply just cuts to end scene altogether if it does cut after the pre-clash. See also Mirrored Confrontation Shot, which is similarly about impending conflict, contrast with Fearful Symmetry, where the participants are already at it. Related to Hit Stop, which is used for emphasizing impact. Compare Versus Character Splash, where character portraits juxtaposed to each others are used as prelude to a fight in Video Games.

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Examples:

Anime & Manga

• Attack on Titan
  • This features Eren in mid air with the 3DMG Dual Blades about to clash with the Colossal Titan in volume 1's cover. also present in a different angle in the form of a Hit Stop in the anime's opening,
  • Besides that, "pre clash" Hit Stops also crop up in other shots within the anime along with Midair Motion Shots.
• Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z
  • At least one per fighting antagonist arc, an episode will have a picture (usually based on a panel from the manga) of either the characters charging into the fray or one if not both at ready fighting stances.
    • Like before Goku fights King Piccolo in Dragon Ball.
    • And Freeza charging (flying) with his energy aura at Goku's super Saiyan Kamehameha in DBZ.
• This happens often at the end of Mobile Fighter G Gundam episodes, usually after Domon has defeated this week's opponent and next week's comes flying at him.

Fan Works

• The Mountain and the Wolf: The fic's illustration features, well, the Mountain (Gregor Clegane) and the Wolf (Wulfrik the Wanderer) making a sincere effort to murder each other.

Films — Animation

• Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. During the narration at the beginning. a shot of Cloud wielding his Buster Sword about to clash with Sephiroth with his Masamune was among some of the flashbacks.
• Some posters and Blu-ray covers feature an impending clash shot between Cloud and Sephiroth.

Films — Live-Action

• Rocky III ends with Rocky and Apollo about to punch each other in an unofficial match either to see who'd win or just for the sport.

Pro Wrestling

• Rather than a poster or still, this how the 2014 NWA Vendetta Pro April Cruel's Day trailer ends, regarding Billy Blade and Kadin Anthony.

Video Games

• Final Fantasy XIV does this in Stormblood to replicate the trailer duel that the Warrior of Light has with Lyse atop the statue of Rhalgr the Destroyer in Rhalgr's Reach. During the Level 80 Monk quest in Shadowbringers, your Monk trainer and sworn brother, Widargelt, takes her on as a new student to start rebuilding the Fist of Rhalgr and to also give her Boxing Lessons for Superman.
• In God Eater Burst, All of the covers have your Player Character weilding the default God Arc against an Aragami. The original pits him against a Vajra and the Burst cover features him against a Hannibal, the flagship aragami of the Burst storyline. Both shots are in City of Mercy
• Toukiden. The cover pits the Default Player Character in the foreground with a Longsword and Nagi at the middleground against the first Oni you encounter, who takes up most of the shot as the background.
• Monster Hunter. The covers always feature a Hunter using a Greatsword about to clash with whatever the flagship monster of that game is, background is usually inconsequential (MH:Freedom for one uses a plain white frame and a small circular background).
• Marvel vs. Capcom 3
  • One official art featuring Vergil with his Yamato about to clash with Wolverine with his claws out in a Crisis City-esque background.
  • Also has one for Spidey vs Strider Hiryu, Ryu vs Nova and (on a larger scale) Magneto vs Galactus.
• Tekken:
  • From Tekken 6 and onwards, the Namco Bandai logo shows Jin and Kazuya about Cross Counter before the screen turns black at the last second.
  • In Tekken Tag Tournament 2, this also happens to be their special tag winning pose.
  • This can happen in-game in Tekken 7. If you and your opponent are closing in on each other at the same time and the next hit will end the round for one or both characters, the action will slow down so you can take in who lands the deciding hit.
• Street Fighter IV features Ryu about to clash with Ken on an Xbox Live poster.◊
• Virtua Fighter:
  • A downplayed version (due to it being a Long Shot) appears in the fifth installment between Eileen and El Blaze.◊ where we get an half non-Evil Overlooker in the background and the rest of the cast in the middleground spectating the fight.
  • The Virtua Fighter 5 opening features dozens of character match ups.
• At the end of the openings of Dynasty Warriors 7 & 8. they have Zhao Yun about to clash with Xiahou Dun, flying towards each other, weapons brandished.
• The attract trailer/opening cinematic seen in PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale ends with one of these for each of the game's respective rivalries.
• In For Honor, before a multiplayer match the two teams will be shown facing off with each other, adopting different poses whether they are on your side or the enemy's, with the player's hero always being at the front. When the match begins, both sides leap at each other right before cutting to the battlefield.

Webcomics

• Sleepless Domain: The cover of Chapter 20 features a shot of Anemone from just above Tessa's head, as the two prepare to fight.

Western Animation

• In the Justice League Unlimited episode, "Grudge Match", villainess Roulette has been mind-controlling heroines into fighting, but once that's stopped, two of them decide to have a match for fun. And they do so a la Rocky III to boot.
• A terrifying one occurs at the end of Chapter 20 of Star Wars: Clone Wars, featuring Master Ki-Adi Mundi facing off against experienced Jedi-killer General Grievous. Grievous leaps at him, wielding three lightsabers simultaneously; Ki-Adi plants one foot behind and prepares to engage him. End of the season.

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