History Main / DismembermentIsCheap

See also DeathIsCheap, ImmortalLifeIsCheap. Like those tropes, it's a way to show things are serious without having to disable your characters permanently.

* In ''VideoGame/HaloReach'' Spartan Kat-B320 sports a mechanical right arm that she lost in the Deliver Hope trailer. The player can also use an identical prosthetic if they so choose by equipping the right chest plate in the customization menu.
** Prosthesis has appeared in the Halo universe since before ''VideoGame/HaloCombatEvolved'' came out, as Spartan James-005 had his arm melted off by a hunter in the prequel novel ''Literature/HaloTheFallOfReach'', which released a few months before the game.

* Creator/DCComics:
** SelfDemonstrating/{{Lobo}} takes this UpToEleven: If the Main Man loses a limb, that limb could potentially grow ''into an entirely new Lobo''.

* ''Franchise/StarWars'': Luke has his hand cut off in the climax of ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'', but gets a cybernetic replacement shortly after. Other than a couple wistful glances, it's functionally and visually identical.

* In the Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse book ''Darth Maul: Shadow Hunters'', Pavan gets his hand cut off by the titular Sith Lord. He's quickly rescued, put in a hospice, and told he'll get a replacement, so he's not sad about that at all. [[spoiler:Too bad Maul bursts in and then kills him immediately.]]

* In ''Series/DoctorWho'', the Tenth Doctor loses a hand, but regrows it as he had just regenerated from the Ninth. [[ChekhovsGun This hand becomes important later.]]
* In ''Series/LegendsOfTomorrow'', Snart is chained on Cronos' ship and [[LifeOrLimbDecision freezes his hand solid and smashes it]] to escape. It's [[HealingFactor regrown]] at the end of the episode thanks to the Waverider's future tech.

[[folder:{{Webcomics}}]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales2017'' [[spoiler:Della Duck]] loses her leg when she [[spoiler:crashes on the moon]] and builds a replacement. She seems no worse for wear, and the missing leg rarely actually comes up.

Not so in this fictional universe. Through magic or advanced science, they have ArtificialLimbs that are as good (or better than) the original or can regrow lost limbs, just like a lizard. Dismemberment becomes a mere temporary inconvenience, even an opportunity to get an upgrade covered by health insurance.

* In ''SupplementalMaterial/TeamFortress2 Comics #1: Ring of Fired'', Soldier loses his hand then gets it reattached a scene later (at a ''veterinarian office'') all for a quick gag.
-->'''Soldier:''' Miss Pauling! Pyro cut off my hand!\\
'''Miss Pauling:''' [[SeenItAll Pyro, don't cut off people's hands.]]

** In [[Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureDiamondIsUnbreakable Part 4]], Josuke's Stand, Crazy Diamond, has HealingHands so powerful he can completely reverse even full removal of limbs. The only limitations are it can't bring someone back to life and [[NoSelfBuffs he can't heal himself at all]].

* ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'': Inverted in [[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureBattleTendency Part 2]]. When [[TheHero Joseph Joestar]] gets his left hand cut off by [[BigBad Ultimate Kars]], the scene is played with the appropriate level of shock and horror. After a TimeSkip leading to [[Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureStardustCrusaders Part 3]] Joseph becomes the grandpa to the new protagonist Jotaro Kujo, and receives a [[ArtificialLimbs prosthetic hand]]. That new hand is often cut apart and destroyed for laughs, and constantly replaced.

* ''Franchise/StarWars''. The famous "Luke Hand". Other than a couple wistful glances, it works just fine.

* In ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales2017'' [[spoiler:Della Duck looses her leg when she crashes on the moon and builds a replacement. She seems no worse for wear, and the missing leg rarely actually comes up.]]

[[folder:Comicbooks]]

*** Although Comicbook/{{Wolverine}} rarely loses limbs because of his adamantium skeleton in the ''first'' place.
*** Comicbook/{{X 23}} has lost limbs. In one case she actually cut her ''own'' hand off to escape a set of cuffs, and reattached it afterwards. She also completely regrew her arm on at least one occasion.
*** The fact that Comicbook/{{Daken}} did ''not'' regrow his arm in ''Comicbook/{{Wolverines}}'' was a source of considerable angst due to his lost HealingFactor. He later gets it back, but when he loses it ''again'' in ''Comicbook/AllNewWolverine'', its slow regrowth is an indication that his ability to heal is being negatively affected by his mental state.

** Several X-Men have prosthetic limbs:

** SelfDemonstrating/{{Lobo}} takes this UpToEleven: If the Main Main loses a limb, that limb could potentially grow ''into an entirely new Lobo''.

[[/folder]

[[Folder:Web Animation]]

* ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'': Inverted in [[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureBattleTendency Part 2]]. When [[TheHero Joseph Joestar]] gets his left hand cut off by [[SuperMode Ultimate]] [[BigBad Kars]], the scene is played with the appropriate level of shock and horror. After a TimeSkip leading to [[Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureStardustCrusaders Part 3]] Joseph becomes the BadassGrandpa to the new protagonist Jotaro Kujo, and receives a [[ArtificialLimbs prosthetic hand]]. That new hand is often cut apart and destroyed for laughs, and constantly replaced.

[[folder:AnimeAndManga]]

* ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure''
** Inverted in [[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureBattleTendency Part 2]]. When [[TheHero Joseph Joestar]] gets his left hand cut off by [[SuperMode Ultimate]] [[BigBad Kars]], the scene is played with the appropriate level of shock and horror. After a TimeSkip leading to [[Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureStardustCrusaders Part 3]] Joseph becomes the BadassGrandpa to the new protagonist Jotaro Kujo, and receives a [[ArtificialLimbs prosthetic hand]]. That new hand is often cut apart and destroyed for laughs, and constantly replaced.

[[folder:Film - Live Action]]
* ''Franchise/StarWars''. The famous "Luke Hand." Other than a couple wistful glances, it works just fine.

[[folder:{{Literature}}]]

[[folder:LiveActionTV]]

[[folder:VideoGames]]

-->'''Soldier''': Miss Pauling! Pyro cut off my hand!
-->'''Miss Pauling''': [[SeenItAll Pyro, don't cut off people's hands.]]

* Ash loses his left hand in the second ''Franchise/EVILDEAD'' film, then engineers a clockwork replacement in the court of King Arthur. It's ''groovy.''

* Manga/JojosBizarreAdventure

!Examples:

[[AC:AnimeAndManga]]

[[AC:Film - Live Action]]

[[AC:{{Literature}}]]

[[AC:LiveActionTV]]

[[AC:VideoGames]]

[[AC:{{Webcomics}}]]

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]

* Characters get mutilated semi-regularly in ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'', up to and including decapitation. However, even the hilariously incompetent Dr. Zoidberg can reattach limbs and make them fully functional in a minute. Cloning new limbs doesn't take long either, as evidenced by Fry visiting "Handcrafters" after a dinosaur-feeding accident.