History Main / DontSneakUpOnMeLikeThat

* ''WesternAnimation/ReadyJetGo'' Mindy is ''constantly'' sneaking up on Mitchell as he is spying on Jet, which gets him very startled. No violence is involved, since this show is for young children. Lampshaded in the episode "What Goes Up...",

* In the ''WesternAnimation/ReadyJetGo'' episode "What Goes Up...", Mindy sneaks up on Mitchell as he is spying on Jet. He gets very startled. No violence is involved, since this show is for young children.

** Also with [[ThoseTwoBadGuys 21 and 24]]...sort of.

* In ''Webcomic/{{Curtailed}}'', Mandy winds up clinging to the ceiling thanks to a [[http://www.curtailedcomic.com/comic/001-sneeze/ Fox sneeze]].

** Happens in reverse after Buffy returns to Sunnydale at the start of Season 3. Buffy sees a suspicious-looking character in an overcoat creeping along a dark alley at night. She sneaks up on him, only to step on a discarded soda can whereupon she's almost staked by a startled Xander.

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/reaction.jpg]]

* In ''Film/CharliesAngels'' this happens a lot to Alex's boyfriend.

* This is how Ike's mother got killed in ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemTellius Fire Emblem: Path Of Radiance]]'', as she was trying to retrieve a medallion from her husband that turned him into a crazed berserker. She succeeded, but not without getting stabbed.

* ''The Ethical Engineer'' by Creator/HarryHarrison. Jason [=dinAlt=] gets his wrist broken by his ActionGirlfriend Meta when he kisses her unexpectedly. She was raised on a DeathWorld where the ReflexiveResponse to something unexpected is to hit it or shoot it.

* ''The Ethical Engineer'' by Creator/HarryHarrison. The protagonist gets his wrist broken by his ActionGirlfriend when he kisses her unexpectedly. She was raised on a DeathWorld where the ReflexiveResponse to something unexpected is to hit or shoot it.

[[folder: Anime And Manga ]]

[[folder: Comic Books]]

* In the first issue of ScoobyApocalypse, When Velma arrives via a well hidden entrance [[spoiler: In an attempt to expose Project Elysium]] Fred mistakes her for an attacker and knocks her out.
* ''ComicBook/RedRobin'': When Tim is distancing himself from [[ComicBook/{{Nightwing}} Dick]] and preparing to leave in order to track down more clues as to Bruce's location after Bruce's "death" [[ComicBook/Batgirl2009 Stephanie]] sneaks into his safe house and approaches him from behind without announcing herself and ends up getting kicked into some shelving for her trouble.

[[folder: Film ]]

[[folder: Literature ]]

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

[[folder: Newspaper Comics ]]

* ''ComicStrip/BloomCounty'', "The Great Bloom County Snake Massacre". Several main characters set out to kill a snake at the local swimming hole. In one strip Binkley was carrying a club when the groundhog Portnoy came up behind him, touched his shoulder and said "See anything?" Binkley, scared out of his mind, started wildly swinging the bat around and knocked Portnoy unconscious.

[[folder: Tabletop Games ]]

* The "Berserk" disadvantage in ''TabletopGame/{{GURPS}}'', in addition to everything else the disadvantage entails (rabidly attacking every enemy on hand with whatever weapon is on hand), also conveys this, treating anyone trying to restrain the character, friend or enemy, as an enemy. Earlier editions nicknamed the berserker rage "the Doom of the North" for this very reason.
* The Berserk disadvantage/complication in ''TabletopGame/{{Champions}}'' works like this.

[[folder: Theme Parks ]]

* ''Theatre/TheEighthVoyageOfSindbad'' show at [[Ride/UniversalStudios Universal's Islands of Adventure]] has a scene where Kabob is trying to regroup with Princess Amoura, only to get accidentally smacked in the head when he sneaks up on her.

[[folder: Webcomics ]]

-->'''[=McNinja=]:''' He fell down the stairs.
-->'''Gordito:''' I fell down the stairs.

[[folder:Video Games]]
* This is how Ike's mother got killed in ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemTellius Fire Emblem: Path Of Radiance]]'', as she was trying to retrieve a medallion from her husband that turned him into a crazed berserker. She succeeded, but not without getting stabbed.
* In ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIII'' Connor does this, it's hilarious.
* ''VideoGame/TheWalkingDead'' plays with this trope more than once.
** In the main story Season Two, [[spoiler: this happens right off the bat. Omid is shot and killed by a girl who is startled by the door closing as he entered.]]
** In 400 Days, [[spoiler:Bonnie]] is snuck up on by one of the other central characters of this story. As a result this character is accidentally bludgeoned by [[spoiler:Bonnie]], as the two were running from a group trying to attack them.
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** Exploited by the villains in the season 6 episode "Dead Things", who manage to make Buffy think she killed an innocent woman this way.

* ''Literature/HarryPotter:'' Don't ''ever'' surprise [[CrazyAwesome Mad-Eye Moody]]. Although chances are he [[CrazyPrepared already knew you were there]], if you actually ''do'' [[DeadlyPrank catch him off-guard]]... [[TakeOurWordForIt well]]...

* ''Literature/HarryPotter:'' Don't ''ever'' surprise [[CrazyAwesome Mad-Eye Moody]]. Although chances are he [[CrazyPrepared already knew]] [[TheOmniscient you were there]], if you actually ''do'' [[DeadlyPrank catch him off-guard]]... [[TakeOurWordForIt well]]...

* ''Manga/{{Golgo 13}}''. This is a BerserkButton for the normally stoic and professional Golgo 13. The very few occasions when he makes a mistake usually involve his instinctive response to this. He always stands with his back to the wall when meeting new clients, and when someone came behind him during one meeting, he shot the guy. It was his client's assistant.

* ''Manga/{{Golgo 13}}''. This is why the title character stands against a wall when he meets new clients. When someone came behind him during one meeting, he shot the guy. It was his client's assistant.

FriendOrFoe is the SuperTrope, while WakeUpFighting is a common SubTrope. See also CatScare.

* PlayedForDrama in ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'': since Connie has been in a lot of fights and has been training to save the world, when another student bumps into her in a school hallway her training takes over and she throws him, accidentally breaking his arm. Although he she apologizes and he forgives her, her mistake is taken seriously and leads to her doing meditation training with Garnet.

->''"Gentle pressure..."''
-->-- The mantra from ''Film/TheDaysOfOurYears''

* ''Film/TheDaysOfOurYears''. Remember, use ''gentle pressure'' to get someone's attention.

-->"Gaby?"
-->She jerked still held by the bellicose nostalgia, she reacted on instinct. Grabbing her confronter, she put him in a deadly hold----and heard a choking laugh.
-->"God Gaby I've missed you," the strangled voice said.
-->Mort. "You idiot!" She loosed him with a shove of temper. "Don't you know better than to sneak up on me?"

** In the CharlieAndTheChocolateParody episode, a {{ninja}}'s wife gives him a hug from behind and he reflexively punches her out before he even looks round.