History Main / YouGetKnockedDownYouGetBackUpAgain

** Surprisingly, SamuraiWarriors inverts this completely. While soldiers will still wait around, every general has a jump charge specifically for hitting you if you're (or they're) knocked down, so lying on the ground near death is not always a good idea.

--> - ''Tubthumping'', by Chumbawumba, where they sing this line about twenty times.

* In most of the ''TalesSeries'', if either you ''or'' an opponent are knocked down that character is generally invincible or at least highly resistant to damage until they get back up. Notably averted in one case though with Senel from ''VideoGame/TalesOfLegendia'', who learns a series of throws that can be performed on downed opponents (although otherwise the trope still applies).

--> - ''Tubthumping'', by Chumbawummba, where they sing this line about twenty times.

--> - ''Tubthumping'', by Chumabawamba, where they sing this line about twenty times.

Trope name misquoted from the Chumbawumba song Tubthumping, for those of you who weren't paying attention to popular music in the late '90s. The line goes "I get knocked down, but I get up again" and the song is primarily about getting drunk.

* Averted in ''DwarfFortress'': not only do knocked over units take full damage while being greatly slowed down, another unit can stand over them to keep them from getting up until they move to a square where no unit is standing. Once aimed attacks were implemented, being unconscious (though not just on the ground) left you incapable of dodging or blocking a potential CoupDeGrace, with your only defense being armor.

* Also averted in ''ElderScrolls'' games, where getting knocked down leaves you vulnerable and unable to react.

[[AC:Tabletop Games]]
* In ''{{Warhammer}} Quest'', the various fake death techniques allowed a warrior to avoid damage until everyone else was dead or gone, at which point the monsters would start poking or eating. It never occurs to them to poke or eat if the fighting is at the complete opposite side of the room, of course.

* {{Beat Em Up}}s such as ''GoldenAxe'' and pretty much all games in that genre have no attacks that hit people lying on the ground.
** ''The Combatribes'' averts this by allowing players to strike at downed enemies and even bosses low on health.
** Quite a few {{Konami}}-made BeatEmUp (''XMen'' arcade game, ''Vendetta'', ''ViolentStorm'' and ''MetamorphicForce'') let you attack knocked-down enemies.

* In ''AssassinsCreed 2'' Ezio can KickThemWhileTheyAreDown, but enemies will not do so even though the EliteMooks have moves that knock him off his feet.

* Averted in ''{{Fallout}}'' and ''{{Fallout2}}''. Whenever a player was knocked down, they could be attacked repeatedly until they either died or got back up with a penalty to AP for that round. Fortunately, this also happened to enemies.

This tends to be one of the AcceptableBreaksFromReality - because when it's averted, it can be ''[[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown really]]'' annoying. See MercyInvincibility.

** ''SengokuBasara'' is similar to some extent. If you're stunned badly enough that you can't jump right back up, mooks will mill around waiting for you to recover and go back to destroying them. The same can't be said for bosses though, who will quite happily perform diving attacks while you're down.
** Surprisingly, {{SamuraiWarriors}} inverts this completely. While soldiers will still wait around, every general has a jump charge specifically for hitting you if you're (or they're) knocked down, so lying on the ground near death is not always a good idea.

* {{Mooks}} in ''TwilightPrincess'' can usually be killed by the Finishing Blow skill when down, but if you don't get them in time, they're invincible until they're all the way up again. If you're in wolf form, though, you don't have that ability, so they're immune from when they get knocked down until they get back up again.

* The titular colossi in ''ShadowOfTheColossus'' will not attack Wander while he is lying prone on the ground, unless the player leaves him down for too long or if the game's difficulty setting is on Hard. However, some Colossi (namely Cenobia and Celosia) will simply attack Wander as soon as he gets to his feet, which can result in a frustrating cycle of [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard getting up and getting knocked over again]], often until Wander dies or is pushed into a place where the Colossi can't reach him.

** Quite a few {{Konami}}-made BeatEmUp (''XMen'' arcade game, ''Vendetta'', ''ViolentStorm'' and ''MetamorphicForce'') let you attack knocked-down enemies.

* Units knocked down in ''DawnOfWar'' cannot be targeted and are immune to directly-targeted further damage until they get back up again, although AOE attacks like artillery can keep hitting them.

** ''DragonAgeII'' has a whole [[PrestigeClass mage specialization]] focused on knocking people down and/or throwing them across the room. Leaving them perfectly vulnerable to stabbings and fireballs in the face.
* Also averted in ''{{Elder Scrolls}}'' games, where getting knocked down leaves you vulnerable and unable to react.

* In ''AssassinsCreed 2'' Ezio can KickThemWhileTheyAreDown, but enemies will not do so even though the EliteMooks have moves that knock him off his feet.

[[AC:SurvivalHorror]]
* In ''RuleOfRose'' no enemy can harm you when you're down or getting up (right after getting up, however...), but the same applies to you, as you can't harm enemies that you've knocked down, either. There's a stomping attack, but due to a bug or poor hit detection that plagues the rest of the game it's almost 100% useless; if you stomp every enemy you manage to get on the ground during the entire game, you may hit maybe one or two of them.

* In ''{{Warhammer}} Quest'', the various fake death techniques allowed a warrior to avoid damage until everyone else was dead or gone, at which point the monsters would start poking or eating. It never occurs to them to poke or eat if the fighting is at the complete opposite side of the room, of course.

** ''DragonAgeII'' has a whole [[PrestigeClass mage specialization]] focused on knocking people down and/or throwing them across the room.

* Brutally averted in TheWitcher computer game - Geralt can kill any knocked-down enemy with a coup de grace... and any enemy can do the same to a knocked-down Geralt.

** Averted in more recent titles, however, where allies and enemies alike only have a window of invulnerability during the actual ''getting up'' phase. Once someone's on the ground, hitting them to continue a combo is a great way to dish out damage without fear of retaliation. In fact, many attacks in ''TalesOfVesperia'', such as [[BlowYouAway Azure Blast]] and [[PlayingWithFire Wailing]] [[HurricaneKick Blast]], are invaluable for this specific purpose.

** Averted in more recent titles, however, where allies and enemies alike only have a window of invulnerability during the actual ''getting up'' phase. Once someone's on the ground, hitting them to continue a combo is a great way to dish out damage without fear of retaliation. In fact, many attacks in ''Tales of Vesperia'', such as [[BlowYouAway Azure Blast]] and [[PlayingWithFire Wailing]] [[HurricaneKick Blast]], are invaluable for this specific purpose.

* Unless they're doing some sort of grappling attack on Isaac, the necromorphs in ''DeadSpace'' are nice enough to just sit there waiting for him to get up before resuming their attacks.

* In ''[=~Assassin's Creed~=] 2'' Ezio can KickThemWhileTheyAreDown, but enemies will not do so even though the EliteMooks have moves that knock him off his feet.

Subtrope of MookChivalry. Contrast KickThemWhileTheyAreDown.

* Annoyingly turned upside-down in every possible way in Left4Dead. You can shoot zombies that are knocked down, and zombies can get you when YOU'RE knocked down (either from an effect, or just incapacitated.) But God help you if you try to help someone up while they're still in the middle of the "slowly falling and flailing" animation...

* Averted in ''DragonAge'', where knocking people down is a major tactic for both player-controlled characters and enemies. One of the nastiest attacks in the game is Overwhelm, a skill of warhounds, wolves, and shrieks which both knocks down and grapples an opponent, holding them helpless while dealing massive damage (usually until they're unconscious or dead).

* In most of the ''TalesSeries'', if either you ''or'' an opponent are knocked down that character is generally invincible or at least highly resistant to damage until they get back up. Notably averted in one case though with Senel from ''TalesOfLegendia'', who learns a series of throws that can be performed on downed opponents (although otherwise the trope still applies).

* Averted in the ''{{Persona}}'' series where they use the "Press system" AKA "One more turn", characters who are knocked down take extra damage and can also be stunned.

* BeatEmUps such as ''GoldenAxe'' and pretty much all games in that genre have no attacks that hit people lying on the ground.