History Main / IneffectualDeathThreats

* In ''WebVideo/HellsingUltimateAbridged'', as in canon, Alucard is unimpressed with most of his opponents.

* Memorably averted in ''Franchise/FinalFantasy''. "I, Garland, will knock you all down!" In the original Japanese, it's, "I, Garland, will kick you around!" The Japanese really do have a verb for "to kick around". Still ineffectual, though. It's not that he wouldn't have followed up on it, the threat just got inverted.

* Niftu Cal's (you may remember him better as "the biotic god") ill-advised assault upon Wasea in ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' is preceded by a few boasts about how he will wipe the floor with her. [[TooDumbToLive While high.]] [[PunctuatedForEmphasis And level 1.]] [[RuleOfThree And unarmed.]] [[BeefGate It doesn't go well for him]]. Inverted in [[VideoGame/MassEffect3 the third game's multiplayer]], if you [[HeroOfAnotherStory choose to give him a]] [[TheCameo cameo]]. Reaper forces will be [[LethalJokeCharacter swept aside by a great wind]] [[DifficultButAwesome in the hands of a good player]].
** In the third installment's single player, Kai Leng is full of these in gameplay, ([[GameplayAndStorySegregation though not]] [[HeroKiller in story]], [[spoiler:[[AssassinOutclassin taking out fan-favourite Thane while not using his biotic-proof shields, cloak, gun, or anything except his sword]]]]) - being a Phantom [[TheWorfEffect without an instant-kill move, and with a heavily nerfed palm gun, and no cloak outside cutscenes]]. So despite his [[spoiler:[[MagnificentBastard playing bait for a cunning gunship trap on]] [[TheBadGuyWins Thessia, leading to Cerberus' victory against]] [[TheDreaded Commander Shepard, of all people]]]], his [[KickTheDog mocking e-mail]] was horribly ill-advised, as he's a pushover in [[spoiler:[[HeroicRematch Cerberus' final battle on Chronos Station]]]].

* ''Film/TheRoom'' has a scene where Johnny threatens to kill his friend Mark, even claiming he'll "Break ev'ry phone in yor body!" Tommy Wiseau's delivery doesn't exactly loan itself to being threatening.

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* The ''Fanfic/ResurgenceSeries'' features a variation of this as an ineffectual threat that could have ''led'' to death, when Samuel Sullivan tries to get Bella Swan (who has the ability to block other superhuman abilities) to restore Rebecca’s ability to become invisible by having Peter Petrelli and Claire Bennett teleported into the distant past. Samuel tells Bella that he will only bring them back once Rebecca can use her ability, but once Bella confirms that nobody at the carnival can shut down powers like she can, she decides to ignore Samuel and leave to wait for Peter to get him and Claire back on his own.

-->-- '''Lilah Morgan''', ''Series/{{Angel}}'', "Supersymmetry"