Line #184 Main/TouchOfDeath


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13	->''"A master of the Dim-Mak can poke an enemy in a certain spot and they die. It originated in ancient China when early man still had prominent off-switches located around the body, much like a modern lamp. Back then, you could kill a guy by selling him the wrong sized hat."''
14	-->-- '''Creator/{{Seanbaby}}''', ''Website/{{Cracked}}'', [[http://www.cracked.com/blog/4-real-survival-guides-for-wildly-improbable-situations/ "4 Real Survival Guides for Wildly Improbable Situations"]]
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16	%% One quote. Extras go on the quotes tab, thanks.
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18	A particularly subtle type of DangerousForbiddenTechnique, the Touch of Death allows its practitioner to instantly kill their opponent with extremely minimal force. This can be accomplished either with one touch [[PressurePoint at a specific point]], or a series of precisely calculated strikes.
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20	The victim often survives for a few moments, allowing for the drama quotient to be raised either by [[ThisIsGonnaSuck quiet resignation]] or [[OhCrap desperate denial]], sometimes while the killer [[ToThePain describes in exacting detail]] what the technique is doing to the victim.
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22	For the non-lethal version that renders an opponent simply immobile, see TheParalyzer.
23
24	A subtrope of the OneHitKill. Not to be confused with video game CollisionDamage, which is often given this name, or the MediaNotes/FightingGameCommunity term for combos powerful enough to lead to KO. See also FingerPokeOfDoom, MakeThemRot, PsychicSurgery, and PoisonousPerson. If a character with this ability is paired with [[HealingHands the opposite ability]], see LifeDeathJuxtaposition.
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26	----
27	!!Examples:
28	[[foldercontrol]]
29
30	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
31	* The titular mecha in ''Anime/AquarionLogos'' does this to who or whatever comes into contact with it. Even entire concepts of reality are not safe from it.
32	* The title character of ''Manga/{{Arago}}'' picked up this ability from a supernatural SerialKiller, but has failed to find a way to turn it off. So far, he's not angsting much about it, since it helps him fight other monsters, but it's a bit inconvenient, to say the least. (It's [[MakeThemRot decay-based]] and works on anything organic, though it's slow-acting enough that he's been on the wrong end of a slap with only minimal damage to the slapper's hand.)
33	* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'':
34	** Sui-Feng's Shikai creates a butterfly print on the body of whoever it hits. When the attack hits the same spot a second time, that person dies after a time period sufficient [[OhCrap for them to realize their predicament]]. What makes this ability even scarier is that [[spoiler:the second strike does not need to share the same ''entry'' point as the first one; it only needs to share the same ''surface'' of the first strike's wound itself]]. She demonstrates this by [[spoiler:impaling Ggio Vega twice, once from the front and once from the back, both times striking the same area in his lung ''inside'' his body]].
35	** Barragan has the potential to do this with his RapidAging powers, as shown when he lightly taps Sui-Feng on her arm in his unreleased state and ages her bones to a brittle state. But really, why bother with a ''touch'' of death when he can use an omnidirectional ''[[BreathWeapon breath]]'' of death to [[MakeThemRot achieve the same results]] at full power?
36	** Pernida the Sternritter has incredibly strong prehensile nerves that he can shoot out of his body and use to crush, manipulate, or even draw power from a target. He can get nerves into the whole environment around him, meaning that ''nothing'' is safe to touch. Pernida could have easily beaten almost any shinigami, and was proving this against Kenpachi -- but then he had the bad luck to face the CrazyPrepared Mayuri, whose bag of tricks included the Quincy technique of Hirenkyaku, letting him hover to avoid contact. Even then, Pernida ''still'' got a touch in; Mayuri had to quickly operate on that part of his body to save it.
37	* ''Anime/DarkerThanBlack'':
38	** If Hei touches someone (either directly or indirectly with a conductive material), he can electrocute them to death.
39	** November 11 can instantly flash-freeze anything or anyone he makes contact with.
40	* Beerus in ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'', being a god of destruction, is naturally capable of this. [[spoiler:This is how he destroys the present version of Zamasu before he can enact his evil plan.]]
41	* BlackMage Zeref from ''Manga/FairyTail'' has this as his main magic, but he can't really control it, [[spoiler:which is why he isolated himself for several centuries]].
42	* ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar'': The martial art of Hokuto Shinken specializes in killing techniques targeting one or more of the 108 Keiraku Hikou points on the human body, with often ''very'' messy results for the poor bastard on the receiving end.
43	-->''"[[CharacterCatchphrase You are already dead.]]"''
44	* ''Franchise/FullmetalAlchemist'':
45	** In [[Manga/FullmetalAlchemist the manga]], Scar's body destruction technique is explained as being incomplete alchemy -- alchemy is in three parts, analysis, disintegration, and reintegration, while Scar stops at the second step. Edward does the same while fighting the Slasher Brothers.
46	** While Kimblee makes long-range explosions by disrupting molecules in the air, in [[Anime/FullmetalAlchemist2003 the 2003 anime version]], he instead can turn anyone he touches [[WhyAmITicking into a living explosive]].
47	* ''Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers'': This isn't a literal example, but when Russia goes to visit Italy and Romano, he tries to be as sweet as possible, and goes as far as putting his hand on Italy's shoulder. Russia being a CuteAndPsycho PsychopathicManchild, this causes them both to freak out, and Romano's next line could be the {{Trope Namer\|s}} (at least, in the English dub).
48	-->'''Romano:''' Touch of death!
49	* Inverted in ''Manga/HotarubiNoMoriE''. Gin is under a curse that would cause him to fade away if he were to come into contact with another human.
50	* In the climactic battle of ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventurePhantomBlood'', TheHero Jonathan Joestar and the BigBad Dio Brando '''both''' have a Touch of Death of sorts. Jonathan Joestar is a Ripple user who has the power to channel energy that has the same properties as sunlight, making his touch lethal to vampires like Dio Brando. Dio Brando has figured out how to instantly drain heat from anything he touches, freezing it. Jonathan thus has to figure out a way to get past Dio's Touch of Death so that he can inflict his ''own'' Touch of Death on Dio. Jonathan ultimately resorts to ''setting his own gloved fist on fire'' to negate Dio's freezing ability in order to land one good Ripple-infused punch on Dio.
51	* ''Manga/JujutsuKaisen'': [[PsychopathicManchild Mahito's]] cursed technique, Idle Transfiguration, allows him to alter the shape of the soul of anyone he touches (including his own). Because according to Mahito [[TheMindIsAPlaythingOfTheBody the body is shaped by the soul]] instead of [[InvertedTrope the other way around]], this means he only needs to touch a person to [[{{Biomanipulation}} alter the shape of their body into anything he can think of]], usually giving them horrible mutations or just turning them into weapons. And yes, [[AndIMustScream they remain fully conscious for the whole process]] until they are killed or die of shock. If Mahito is feeling less [[MadArtist artistic]], he can just touch a person and make them [[LudicrousGibs explode]]. The only reason this doesn't work on [[TheHero Yuji]] is because [[SealedInsideAPersonShapedCan he has the soul of Sukuna inside him]], and [[EvilerThanThou Sukuna does]] ''[[EvilerThanThou not]]'' [[EvilerThanThou take kindly to Mahito touching his soul]].
52	* ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'':
53	** Tomura Shigaraki's quirk, "Decay", allows him to cause whatever he touches to disintegrate and crumble to dust. When used on a human being, the results are very painful and [[BodyHorror very unpleasant]]. [[spoiler:Thanks to the events of the Meta Liberation Army arc, Shigaraki can now do this at range, turning him into a PersonOfMassDestruction.]]
54	** Kai Chisaki's quirk, "Overhaul", lets him disassemble and reassemble anything at will with a touch. When dealing with his enemies, he tends to stop at the first step, effectively turning anyone touched into a smear on the wall.
55	** Eri's quirk, "Rewind", allows her to rewind anyone she comes in contact with to their previous state when activated, such as [[spoiler:undoing Kai's fusions with his subordinates, or restoring Izuku Midoriya's damage when using One For All, Full Cowling 100%]]. However, it also has the potential to rewind people to before they were even born, erasing them from existence. It was revealed in a flashback that [[spoiler:her father suffered this fate and, because she had no control of her quirk yet, Midoriya would have been erased too if not for Shouta Aizawa's "Erasure" quirk shutting down hers]].
56	* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'':
57	** The Hyuga Clan specializes in the "gentle fist" technique. By attacking chakra points, they can screw with your internal organs.
58	** Danzo's body guard Torune can also kill you with nothing but a touch as any contact with his skin can spread microscopic insects into the target that rapidly destroy their cells with poison.
59	** Each one of Pain's six bodies has its own powers. The Human Path's powers is to grab a person's head or chest and tear out the soul, in order to absorb closely guarded information from the victim's mind. This also has the side effect of killing the target.
60	* ''Manga/OnePiece'':
61	** Crocodile arguably has this ability. His touch doesn't cause ''instant'' death, but he can dehydrate you pretty quickly. His Ground Death attack, however would likely be a instant kill, as he rapidly dehydrates everything within an InstantDeathRadius into sand, from trees to statues.
62	** Chief Warden Magellan is similarly not quite as instantaneous at killing (his lethal poisons aren't that quick, but they're extremely certain), but his devil fruit makes him so toxic even if ''you'' touch ''him'' unprotected you're going to die. The only reason he doesn't take down each and every last opponent with a single ultra-poisonous touch is that it's even easier to just swamp the room in toxins so he doesn't miss.
63	** Ain from the twelfth movie can use her [[FountainOfYouth rejuvenating powers]] to erase people from existence by touching them enough times.[[note]]How many times depends on how old the person is, as her power regresses people by twelve years a touch.[[/note]] [[InformedAbility She doesn't get a chance to perform it onscreen, though.]]
64	** Part of why [[spoiler:Charlotte Linlin, also known as Big Mom]] has managed to get so far is that one of her Devil Fruit's applications is to simply rip out a person's soul, entire lifespan (or fractions of it), or both with a single touch. It doesn't quite work on people who are not at all afraid of her, however, which leads to an embarrassing moment. Which isn't that much of a weakness, because [[spoiler:Big Mom]] is ''scary'', and very few people could possibly be completely without fear when she attacks them.
65	* Played with in ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf''. Cologne teaches [[TheRival Ryoga]] a martial arts technique that disintegrates anything by lightly tapping it. Her method of teaching is [[TrainingFromHell hurling large boulders at Ryoga which he has to shatter before they smash into him]]. When Ranma learns of this training, he starts training his speed to make sure he doesn't get hit. In the end, it turns out to be a trick by Cologne. The technique she taught can only be used to shatter boulders, not people. She was actually [[CharlesAtlasSuperpower training Ryoga's resilience by smashing him with all those boulders]], while tricking Ranma into thinking he had to train his speed, rather than his strength, to counter it.
66	* Matsuri's power in ''Manga/{{Sola}}'' is the ability to rapidly [[MakeThemRot decay]] anything she touches (if she chooses). Takashi freezes in place when she grabs hold of his arm during one of their battles.
67	[[/folder]]
68
69	[[folder:Comic Books]]
70	* In ''ComicBook/AstroCity'', Black Velvet can cause people to instantly disintegrate to nothingness in a sudden flash of light.
71	* ''Franchise/TheDCU'':
72	** In issue #398 of ''ComicBook/AdventureComics'', ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} is made to believe she gained a power that means she kills everything she touches. In reality, an alien was trying to trick her into leaving Earth; but she quickly figured out his ruse.
73	** An early issue of Creator/GrantMorrison's ''ComicBook/AnimalMan'' features the tragic "Red Mask", who'd always wanted to fly. In the 1950s, he touched a [[MagicMeteor glowing meteor]] hoping it would give him powers; it did, but the power was a literal death touch -- any person or animal he touched would die. He feels he has no choice but to become a villain, something he's not very successful at. Animal Man runs into him in the midst of a last hurrah, attacking San Diego with low-tech robots he'd won in a poker game. Now elderly, overweight and dying of cancer, he throws himself off a building, and Animal Man is too late to save him.
74	** ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}'':
75	*** The third Clayface, Preston Payne, received the power of melting human flesh into protoplasm with his bare touch. Preston is reluctant to use this ability, but he's wracked with horrible pains and headaches, and his touch momentarily allows him to transfer the sickness to another person. It's been mentioned that he's now on medication to reduce this pain, so any time he feels he ''needs'' to relieve his suffering is psychosomatic.
76	*** [[Characters/BatmanLadyShiva Lady Shiva]] has learned a number of martial arts techniques designed to kill in a single blow, but she considers most of them to have fairly easy counters. Her favorite and signature move is called the Leopard Blow, which DependingOnTheWriter either so thoroughly disrupts the victim's heartbeat that it kills them instantly or is her putting her hand through the victim's skull via their face. Batman, Tim Drake and ComicBook/RichardDragon (who is the only other known user of the technique) can tell she's around instantly when coming across victims of this technique.
77	** ''ComicBook/TheFlash'': Wally West learned a death touch technique in one mid-1980s annual that was never, ever referenced again.
78	** In ''ComicBook/GreenLantern'', a member of the Sinestro Corps, Murr the Melting Man, was an alien scientist mutated in a lab accident into a shambling, mindless being who can melt anything he touches. His teammates make a note to keep their forcefields up when he's around.
79	** ''ComicBook/JustImagineStanLeeCreatingTheDCUniverse'': This continuity's version of Deathstroke has the power to instantly kill whoever he touches. He's ultimately defeated when the Flash tricks him into [[HoistByHisOwnPetard using his own power on himself]].
80	** ''ComicBook/KidEternity'': Issue seven of the 1946 series had a convicted criminal named Murder Marton survive his electrocution after he's sentenced to the electric chair, in the process becoming charged with so much electrical energy that he can instantly kill whoever he touches, ultimately [[CheatedDeathDiedAnyway dying anyway]] after Kid Eternity summons Benjamin Franklin and has him use a lightning rod to drain the electricity in Marton's body.
81	** ''ComicBook/RedRobin'' villain Vitoria can kill through brief skin contact with a victim which causes them to be poisoned with a paralytic neurotoxin that acts like and possibly is a very concentrated version of a Brazilian wandering spider's venom.
82	** ''ComicBook/Robin1993'': The Daughters of Acheron are a pair of League of Assassins members who can kill with a touch. Only one of them has the control needed to use their corrosive ability without killing the target, and that still leaves Tim badly injured and unconscious despite her using it through his armored uniform.
83	* The ''Dictator'' class in ''ComicBook/{{DIE}}'' has this. Ash admits that she rarely uses it, since her CompellingVoice is usually far more effective. Death Touch has the downside of being so short range, making it basically just a more magical version of a dagger. It can be fighteningly effective though.
84	* ''ComicBook/JudgeDredd'': Judge Death is an evil zombie from a parallel universe, resembling a corpse in a Judge uniform. His touch causes instant death, which he accompanies with his catchphrase, "You cannot kill that which does not live!"
85	* ''Franchise/MarvelUniverse''.
86	** ''ComicBook/AlphaFlight'' villain Deadly Ernest is an example of both this and ThePunishment: as a soldier in UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, he was killed in battle, but rejected Death when she came for him. As a result, he was cursed to kill every living thing he touched. He ended up using the power to set himself up as a crime boss.
87	** The most iconic power of the ''ComicBook/ManThing'' is his ability to secrete a psychoreactive HollywoodAcid when aggravated, which causes those covered in it to burst into flames if they get scared.
88	** ''ComicBook/Marvel2099'': In ''X-Men 2099'', team leader Xi'an Chi Xan has one hand that kills anything he touches and another that heals.
89	** Hela from ''ComicBook/TheMightyThor''. Kinda cheating, since she is a death goddess.
90	** ''ComicBook/NewXMenAcademyX'' character Joshua Foley a.k.a. Elixir can use his {{biomanipulation}} abilities to kill people (pretty horribly, too).
91	** ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'':
92	*** Carrion is a virus variety of undead, with a death touch.
93	*** Another Spider-Man villain with touch of death is [[MeaningfulName Styx]], who got his powers from a cancer experiment done by his associate [[PunnyName Stone]]. He needs to kill in order to survive, can kill almost anything living and can disintegrate organic matter. He almost killed Venom Symbiote with his touch in one of his first fights.
94	** In ComicBook/{{Venom}}'s 2017 BatFamilyCrossover event ''ComicBook/{{Venomverse}}'', we have the creatures known as the Poisons. Like the Xenophages before them, they prey on symbiotes. Essentially, they are to Venom what Venom is to normal people. In their natural state, if you're wearing a symbiote, they can kill you just by touching you. {{Inverted\|Trope}} in the loose sequel ''ComicBook/{{Venomized}}'', where the Poisons die themselves if they so much as poke Anti-Venom.
95	** ''ComicBook/XMen'':
96	*** [[Characters/MarvelComicsRogue Rogue]] is normally BlessedWithSuck, but during some issues, her sucky power was overloaded into the ''"you touch her, you'll die"'' category.
97	---->''[[ComicBook/MiniMarvels "Rogue has cooties!"]]''
98	*** Selene, the former Black Queen of the Hellfire Club, is a mutant with a life-draining touch who has lived for millennia thanks to her powers, during which she also became a powerful sorceress. One of her followers, Lois London a.k.a. [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Mortis]], constantly emits a disruptive energy field that can induce heart attacks in living creatures.
99	** ''ComicBook/YoungAvengers'' character Melter can, well, melt anything with a touch, and accidentally killed his parents this way.
100	* Duncan in ''ComicBook/{{MINDMGMT}}'' can tap his pointer finger to a person's forehead and cause them to suffer a fatal heart attack, thanks to his psychic powers. Except actually, psychic powers only work [[ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve if people believe that they work]], so the victim has to ''believe'' that Duncan can really do it. Thus, every time he uses it, he has to hype it up beforehand and make a performance out of it.
101	* Laurel Darkhaven of ''ComicBook/RisingStars'' is dismayed at first that she can only use her telekinesis to manipulate small objects... [[LethalHarmlessPowers until she realizes that this includes the carotid artery]]. She becomes an assassin for the government.
102	[[/folder]]
103
104	[[folder:Fan Works]]
105	* ''Fanfic/{{Gather}}'' features this as Taylor's ultimate attack. As part of her AU powerset she can instantly kill any parahuman she makes skin contact with, [[PowerCopying stealing their powers]] and [[MookMaker turning them into a nearly indestructable minion]].
106	* Death in ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10685852/1/On-a-Pale-Horse On a Pale Horse]]'' automatically removes the soul of any mortal he touches, even through their clothes. While he can put their soul back, he describes the pain of having your soul removed as "agony on a level mortal were not meant to comprehend". Eventually, he learns there's a loophole in that since his powers don't work on himself, they don't work on alternate versions of himself, such as a still mortal Harry Potter.
107	[[/folder]]
108
109	[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
110	* In ''WesternAnimation/TheBookOfLife'', any living thing Xibalba touches dies. The best example is the food from the Land of the Remembered, that instantly turned to mold, with a sickly green color, after they touched him. [[FridgeLogic Despite the fact that mold is alive]].
111	* Frieza tries to do this to Gohan in ''Anime/DragonBallZResurrectionF'', giving him a lightning-quick punch to the chest that stops his heart. Quick thinking by Piccolo, using a kiai blast to Gohan's chest to restart his heart, saves his life. (See "Real Life" examples for a likely explanation.)
112	* In ''WesternAnimation/Epic2013'' the Boggans' weapons can deteriorate anything they touch. Mandrake's staff is much more potent, able to fell a tree with one swing.
113	* In ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda1'', the Wuxi Finger Hold causes (neither the scene in question nor WordOfGod is entirely clear) the victim to explode with city-shaking force merely by flexing the pinky finger. Made even more awesome when Po uses it on Tai Lung and admits that he figured out how do to it on his own.
114	* Baccarat from ''Anime/OnePieceFilmGold'' is an unorthodox example. Her Luck-Luck Fruit powers let her manipulate the luck of those she physically touches, giving people bad luck or stealing good luck for herself. Being left with nothing but bad luck can be fatal, however, as a group of henchmen she robs of their luck are quickly crushed under a collapsing pillar.
115	* In ''Film/OsmosisJones'', BigBad Thrax's particularly long-clawed left index finger allows him to kill the other cellular beings he interacts with by simply poking them. [[EstablishingCharacterMoment Within moments of appearing on-screen]], he gently pricks a harmless cell worker who horrifically ''boils/burns alive from the inside out''.
116	[[/folder]]
117
118	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
119	* ''Film/IronMonkey'': Hin-Hung, Imperial Legate Officer, renegade Shaolin monk and all-around BigBad of the movie, wields the "King Kong Palm", which allows him to deliver "the Buddha's Hit," which leaves a handprint embedded on the victim and poisons the blood.
120	* ''Film/KillBill'': Pai Mei's legendary Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique, which is used by [[spoiler:the Bride on Bill himself]].
121	* Eponymous in ''Film/KissOfTheDragon'', where Jet Li is able to do this by delicately applying a needle to the base of the skull, such that when he removes it, all of the victim's blood will travel to his head and not come out, resulting in an agonizing death as he bleeds out of every orifice in his head.
122	* Death in ''Film/LastActionHero'' can kill with a touch (complete with a tinkly "ding!" sound effect for extra LampshadeHanging).
123	* Dan [=McCormick=] in ''Film/ManMadeMonster'' is turned against his will by a MadScientist into an electric monster whose touch instantly electrocutes anyone to death. Said scientist devises a way around this by making him a protective rubber suit.
124	* In ''Film/TheMenWhoStareAtGoats'', a move fitting this description supposedly killed China's greatest martial artist -- eighteen years after the fact. Lyn believes himself to be affected by this. Presumably the story is based on the "quivering palm" theory of the death of Creator/BruceLee. (Short version: a martial arts master, angry over Lee revealing martial arts sequences in his films, killed him with a slow-acting deathblow.)
125	* ''Film/NoTimeToDie'': Quite literally what happens with Heracles, a mix of ThePlague and {{Nanomachines}}. When an infected person who's not the genetic target of the nanobots simply touches someone who ''is'' targeted by them, a lightning fast infection and a horrible death will occur in the span of a few seconds.
126	* ''Film/TheProjectedMan'': Steiner's accident allows him to both [[ShockAndAwe discharge electricity]] from his body and absorb all the electrical energy from any source, [[LifeDrinker including living things]], giving him two fun new ways to kill people.
127	* ''Film/TheSuicideSquad'': When Flag, Peacemaker, and Bloodsport are captured by three guards, Bloodsport tells the guards about the supposed "touch of death".
128	-->'''Colonel:''' Of course it's possible to kill a man with a single blow. But it's a matter of chance, [[TemptingFate and cannot be wielded with certainty]].\
129	'''Bloodsport:''' That's what they say.\
130	'''Colonel:''' ..."They"?\
131	'''Bloodsport:''' ''[[BadassBoast Amateurs]].''\
132	'''Peacemaker:''' [[OnThree On one?]]\
133	'''Flag:''' ''[[UnspokenPlanGuarantee One]].''\
134	''[all three kill their guards with a single blow]''
135	[[/folder]]
136
137	[[folder:Literature]]
138	[[AC:Examples by author:]]
139	* In his books, Creator/RobertRankin frequently references a supposed martial art called "Dimac", with which one can maim and disfigure opponents with a mere fingertip's pressure.
140	[[AC:Examples by work:]]
141	* ''Literature/TheAdversaryCycle'': In ''The Touch'', the Dat-tay-vao, a healing power, also works in reverse if someone gets in the way of the person with the power, and kills them with one touch.
142	* ''Literature/ACertainMagicalIndex'': Accelerator can use his vector control to [[CruelAndUnusualDeath reverse a person's bloodflow or bioelectricity]] just by touching them if he wants to (with the obvious exception of touching Touma's [[AntiMagic right hand]].
143	* In ''Literature/DarkShores'', the Seventh god grants its chosen (or the corrupted, as most people call them) the ability to steal another person's life force through touch, which also makes them very hard to kill (as they manage to accumulate hundreds of years of life through this).
144	* In ''Literature/ForeverAfter'', ''hingu'' master Gar Quithnick can inflict all sorts of instant or conditional death or paralysis with a touch (in addition to conventional martial arts). The highest technique of his art is a touch that will kill an opponent when he experiences a moment that defines his life. After using it on a deposed tyrannical despot, Gar informs him that he can live a long life of modesty and humility, or go back to his old ways and die.
145	* ''Literature/HarrowTheNinth'': After [[TimeAbyss ten thousand years]] studying {{Necromanc\|er}}y, {{Biomanipulation}}, and anatomy, Mercymorn the First can kill with a touch in as many different ways. When she wants to be ''absolutely'' sure of the target staying dead, she can reduce them to aerosol in one instant and annihilate the aerosol in the next.
146	* ''Literature/HarryPotter'': The infamous ''Avada Kedavra'' Killing Curse kills (almost) anything the instant it strikes. It also utterly obliterates objects. It takes some powerful magic and intent to make it work properly, however.
147	* In the ''Literature/IncarnationsOfImmortality'' series, there's a [[AllAsiansKnowMartialArts Japanese martial artist]] named Samurai who Fate requires for something. Since he already knows the touch of instant death, he requires that he be taught the way to kill someone by touching them and then having them die in agony a week later as their organs fail. He also tried to rape Fate as soon as he saw her approaching him, because he thought the only reason a woman would ever seek out a man is because she wants to get raped by him. [[SarcasmMode Clearly the kind of person you'd trust with such power]].
148	* Employed in the first book of the martial arts series ''Literature/JasonStriker'' by Creator/PiersAnthony.
149	* In the ''Literature/KnownSpace'' short story "Death by Ecstasy", the detective hero uses his "imaginary arm", a form of short-range telekinesis, to stop the BigBad's heart by reaching inside his body and ''squeezing''.
150	* Shurf Lonli-Lokli from ''Literature/LabyrinthsOfEcho'' wields a pair of gloves (made from the hands of two mages he killed), with the left one in particular embodying this trope, as it does not simply kill anything it touches, but disintegrates it into a handful of silvery ash. Shurf only survives wearing it thanks to powerful runic enchantments covering his entire body, and he ''still'' needs to wear an additional pair of thick gloves covered in the same runes in order to protect those around him from getting accidentally disinterated.
151	* ''Literature/TheLaundryFiles'': In ''The Fuller Memorandum'', the Nyarlathotep cultists' bungled summoning leaves Bob with the necromantic abilities of an [[EldritchAbomination Eater of Souls]], including the [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin clearly labelled one]]. It takes some time for him to [[PowerIncontinence learn enough control to be able to touch someone without killing them]].
152	* In ''Literature/LoyalEnemies'', an elven clan called the layne can kill with their touch. [[spoiler:Seven-year-old Virra is one of them.]] Other elves treat them with attitudes varying from "I don't want to have them nearby." to "Well, they can't help it." Customarily, layne work as assassins. With the killing touch comes an uncanny knowledge of the whereabouts and status of life or death of their target.
153	* In ''Literature/TheMachineriesOfEmpire'', the Vidona faction gain a unique "deathtouch" ability from the [[SufficientlyAnalyzedMagic High Calendar]], which reduces the victim to a translucent sheet of diagrams, numbers, and traced bones and blood vessels. It's usually used for ritual HumanSacrifice and summary executions; misuse is punishable by death, which is small comfort to the victims.
154	* ''Literature/TheMummyMonsterGame'': In book 1, the quest for Osiris's body takes place in a pyramid full of pharaoh phantoms, ghostly mummies whose touch is instant death for the game character (or at least, it's claimed to be; they turn up alive in a prison cell elsewhere). They also show up in the ''real'' pyramid that Josh has to enter in order to rescue Harry and Amy from after beating the game.
155	* In the ''Literature/ParadoxTrilogy'', the Stoneclaw virus grants this power to its host. When it is active, her hands turn a sooty black color, and anyone she touches dies.
156	* ''Literature/PerryRhodan'': The mutant Irmina Kotschistowa can screw around with any biological process, so she can do this, and has -- in emergencies. She's a good mutie who prefers to save lives with her powers, though.
157	* Sau'ilahk of ''Literature/TheSagaOfTheNobleDead'' is capable of killing humans with a single touch. Dwarves are somewhat hardier, as he learns to his consternation.
158	* ''Literature/SanoIchiro'' has the concept of killing by pressure point first appear in ''The Assassin's Touch'', when said assassin uses it to kill members of the Shogun's court. After Hirata protects Sano from injury during the events of the book and is permanently lamed as a result, he goes on a several book quest looking for the secrets of the death touch himself to compensate for being slowed by his injury.
159	* In ''Literature/ShadowsForSilenceInTheForestsOfHell'', the shades will wither any flesh that touches them. Applying silver to the area or forcing silver dust down the victim's throat can reverse the damage, but only within a brief time.
160	* ''Literature/SkulduggeryPleasant'':
161	** Baron Vengeous from the second book, ''Playing with Fire'', has a power that quite fits this. If he looks at people and has the will to, he can make "The body forget everything it ever learned about holding together" -- in short, explode.
162	** The fifth book, ''Mortal Coil'', has the Russian assassin Tesseract, who has a rare ability called [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Bonebreaker]]. With it, Tesseract can fatally shatter bones with the lightest of touches, but apparently it only works if he's touching the victim with his fingertips.
163	* In the ''Franchise/StarTrekExpandedUniverse'' novel ''Vulcan's Glory'', a Human/Vulcan hybrid named Daniel Reed uses a Vulcan martial arts technique called Lan-dovna to murder two members of the USS ''Enterprise'' crew. A method of strangling someone with a single hand, ''Lan-dovna'' was developed in Vulcan's violent past before the time of Surak. In the 23rd century, Lan-dovna is still taught to many Vulcan schoolchildren.[[note]]In the ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'' episode "[[Recap/StarTrekVoyagerS2E16Meld Meld]]", Tuvok may have used a Lan-dovna hold to strangle a holographic recreation of Neelix that Tuvok created in an attempt to bring his emotions under control after a mind meld with a serial killer.[[/note]]
164	* In the ''Literature/WildCards'' universe, there is a literal example and the slightly different "deadly stare" power of the ace Demise, who can kill by locking eyes with a person for few seconds.
165	* In ''Literature/WingsOfFire'', Peril has the power to fatally burn dragons just by touching them.
166	[[/folder]]
167
168	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
169	* ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD'':
170	** The Diviner is a piece of ImportedAlienPhlebotinum that kills any human who touches it [[spoiler:unless they are a potential Inhuman]].
171	** In "[[Recap/AgentsOfSHIELDS2E2HeavyIsTheHead Heavy is the Head]]", Carl Creel, a superhuman with the ability to [[MaterialMimicry turn into any material he touches]], touches the Diviner and gains the same Touch of Death ability, although touching it also screws with his powers, meaning he can't [[PowerIncontinence turn it off]].
172	** In "[[Recap/AgentsOfSHIELDS2E3MakingFriendsAndInfluencingPeople Making Friends and Influencing People]]", the [[MonsterOfTheWeek villain of the week]], Donnie Gill, is AnIcePerson capable of freezing anyone to death simply by touching them.
173	* An interesting variant in ''Series/AmericanHorrorStoryCoven'', as the wielder of said power, [[spoiler:Zoe Benson]], has no control over her ability, and it seems to activate on its own immediately after sexual intercourse. The effects seem to be intense internal hemorrhage all throughout the body, causing blood to escape from the eyes, mouth, ears, nose, and possibly other places.
174	* Anyone from who touches Gwen Raiden from ''Series/{{Angel}}'' will receive an electric shock powerful enough to kill them (provided they aren't undead), much to her chagrin.
175	* ''Series/{{Arrow}}'':
176	** The assassin "Mr. Blank" is somehow able to kill a man by prodding his forearm. This supposedly creates an air embolism that kills the target a few seconds later.
177	** Damien Darhk, the BigBad of Season 4, uses his magic to kill by draining the victim's lifeforce at a touch of his hand.
178	* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': The season two episodes "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS2E13Surprise Surprise]]" and "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS2E14Innocence Innocence]]" have the Scoobies dealing with the Judge, a {{Nigh Invulnerab\|ility}}le demon whose mere touch can incinerate any being with "humanity", or more specifically the capacity for emotions. Only truly evil and depraved beings, such as Angelus, can survive the process.
179	* ''Series/Charmed1998'': Darklighters, being the evil counterparts to Whitelighters, have this ability as opposed to whitelighters HealingHands.
180	* One episode of ''Series/{{CSINY}}'' has a martial artist who kills the VictimOfTheWeek with a single blow to the back of the neck.
181	* ''Series/DoctorWho'':
182	** In "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS28E1NewEarth New Earth]]", the clones created by the Sisters of Plenitude as test subjects are infected with every known disease in the galaxy, all of which are infectious. One touch can kill in minutes. The Doctor then inverts the trope by curing several of them and sending them out to cure the rest by touching them.
183	** In "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS29E2TheShakespeareCode The Shakespeare Code]]", the [[WickedWitch Carrionite]] known as [[MeaningfulName Doomfinger]] displays the ability to stop the heart with a single touch... and she ''really'' seems to [[OrgasmicCombat enjoy doing so]].
184	* ''Series/IronFist2017'': In "[[Recap/IronFist2017S2E2TheCitysNotForBurning The City's Not for Burning]]", the Triad boss Hai-Qing Yang returns Davos' money and says he's backing out of their deal. Davos [[DeadlyHug embraces him in front of his bodyguards]] while palliating his neck to give him a stroke, causing him to keel over right after Davos has left the room. While the Triads aren't suspicious, Danny Rand realizes who's responsible the moment he sees the bruises on the victim's neck, as there's only two people in the world (Danny and Davos) who know the technique.
185	-->'''Danny:''' It's an ancient technique they taught in K'un-Lun. It's called the Devil's Claw. It strikes the pressure points, carotid and subclavian arteries.
186	* ''Franchise/KamenRider'':
187	** ''Series/KamenRiderDouble'': The Virus Dopant is a StringyHairedGhostGirl that can kill anyone with a touch, and extremely difficult to harm due to being a mental construct of her unconscious human body. Despite this incredibly dangerous power, it turns out by the end of the two-parter that everyone was extremely lucky that Virus manifested this way: if the host had been awake, it wouldn't have needed to ''touch'' someone to kill them.
188	** ''Series/KamenRiderOOO'': Gamel, the DumbMuscle of the Greeed, goes most of the series without having access to all nine of the Core Medals that make up his body. When he does get the ninth, it turns out his SetBonus makes his strength essentially pointless, because anything and anyone he touches instantly collapses into a pile of coins.
189	** ''Series/KamenRiderBuild'': Evolt is capable of killing with a touch via lethal poison while he's wearing the cobra-themed Blood Stalk suit, later upgrading to disintegration once he regains his true black hole-based abilities. Fortunately it doesn't work on anyone strong enough to actually pose a threat to him, but a number of non-superpowered characters aren't so lucky.
190	* ''Series/TheMiddleman'''s not so OldMaster Sensei Ping has the Wu-Han Thumb of Death.
191	* ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'': In "[[Recap/MysteryScienceTheater3000S09E01TheProjectedMan The Projected Man]]", Crow gives himself the touch of death and kills Mike. Tom gives himself footsteps.
192	* ''Series/TheOutpost'': This is the power that the Black Kinj gives its host, allowing them the ability to kill any living thing they make physical contact with. The downside is that [[PowerIncontinence they have no control of it]], rendering them incapable of being around other people without killing them.
193	* The ''Series/{{Smallville}}'' episode "[[Recap/SmallvilleS01E17Reaper Reaper]]" features a man who reduces anybody (including a dog and some vegetables) who he touches to ash. It's suggested that he may be able to turn it off but [[PowerIncontinence finds it difficult to do so]], and thus wears gloves to prevent it happening to everything he touches -- in any case, he doesn't seem to be overly distraught by this, and goes around "mercy-killing" people whose suffering he considers to be too great. When he touches Clark Kent, even ''[[NighInvulnerability Clark]]'' screams in pain before knocking him away. When he's finally convinced that his mission is wrong and goes into MyGodWhatHaveIDone mode, removes his gloves and puts his hands together, turning to ash himself, which [[FridgeLogic raises a few questions]] about how he was able to change his clothes and do other stuff that involves touching his own skin.
194	* In the ''Series/Space1999'' episode "Force of Life", a Moonbase Alpha crewman is infected with a form of alien energy which causes him to absorb energy from other life-forms. Consequently, anybody he touches freezes to death instantly.
195	* ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'':
196	** Subverted in "[[Recap/StarTrekS3E2TheEnterpriseIncident The Enterprise Incident]]". Spock supposedly uses the famed Vulcan Death Grip to kill Kirk. Later on, we learn that no such thing exists, and Spock actually hit the captain with a Vulcan Nerve Pinch (which in itself is a milder version of this, capable of dropping almost anyone into unconsciousness in a matter of seconds).
197	** Although the Death Grip does not exist, it is revealed in the episode "[[Recap/StarTrekS2E10JourneyToBabel Journey to Babel]]" that there is a Vulcan instant-kill technique known as ''tal-shaya'', which appears to be a semi-ritual NeckSnap. Historically it was used for the execution of criminals, but Spock's father is suspected of having used it to murder someone.
198	** Played straight with Losira in "[[Recap/StarTrekS3E17ThatWhichSurvives That Which Survives]]", who implodes people's cellular structure with a touch. If she says "I am for you", ''run!''
199	* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'':
200	** At the end of season two, when all of Azazel's children meet up, they start comparing their powers: super-strength, mind-control, etc. Then one woman tells Sam to stop angsting about his death visions and says that when she touches people, their hearts stop. This included her girlfriend, apparently.
201	** Demonstrated by the [[HorsemenOfTheApocalypse Fourth Horsemen]], [[TheGrimReaper Death]] himself, during his spectacular [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bg0kQHIMx9M&feature=related introduction.]] Also, when Dean becomes Death for a day, he kills people simply by touching them.
202	** [[LightIsNotGood Angels]] have a specific form of killing touch; it burns out the victims' eyes and liquefies organs. Works on humans, monsters, and demons.
203	* In ''Series/Tracker2001'', a fugitive named Tev has the ability to do this to the alien EnergyBeings, although it takes a lot longer in humans.
204	-->'''Cole:''' One of his victims was a Cirronian diplomat who did great things. One touch from Tev was all it took.
205	* ''Series/TheTwilightZone1959'': In [[Recap/TheTwilightZone1959S1E2OneForTheAngels One for the Angels]], after Mr. Bookman repeatedly fails to pick up on the fact that his strange visitor is Death himself, Death gets fed up with his obliviousness and gives him a visual demonstration by touching a potted flower, causing it to instantly wilt.
206	[[/folder]]
207
208	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
209	* ''TabletopGame/{{Deadlands}}'': The aptly named Enlightened (read: fancy-pants martial artist) ability Poison Palm. Hucksters have a similar ability. Sykers have a number of variations on this trick, but the one that actually requires touch is called "heartstopper." Then again, Sykers are SuperSoldier {{Ninja}} [[JustForFun/RecycledINSPACE in the Future]]. (Yeah. Dey gots baggage.)
210	* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'':
211	** Earlier versions have a few spells that do this (such as Slay Living, the evil reverse of the 5th-level Raise Dead for clerics), as well as the Quivering Palm ability of the Monk, which allowed the monk to simply will the death of the target for some time afterward. The downside is you can only use it once per week. Thanks a lot, Wizards!
212	** Although Monks in 4th edition have no instant Touch of Death attacks, Quivering Palm returns as a highest-level once-per-day power that does high damage and ongoing damage that gets worse with each failed saving throw.
213	** Quivering Palm returns for Way of the Open Hand monks in 5th Edition, as perhaps one of the only Save-or-Die spells that survived the transition to 5e. While it's a very high level spell, it ''will'' bring the enemy down to 0 HP (an insta-down, if not an outright kill) if they fail the Constitution save, and deal 10d10 Necrotic damage even if they pass it, which is a pretty respectable amount of damage for something that only costs 3 Ki.
214	** A demilich, which is a [[TheUndead lich]] only more so, can ''trap a living creature's soul'' if they fail a saving throw. What's more, unless it's defeated less than twenty-four hours afterward, the demilich will ''devour'' it, rendering the unfortunate victim DeaderThanDead. And it can trap up to eight souls per day. [[TotalPartyKill Have fun.]]
215	** There is an Epic Level spell in 3rd edition called Memento Mori. You think that you want someone dead. They die. Nothing else to it. They call it Epic Level magic for a reason.
216	** 3.0 and 3.5 editions really love these kinds of abilities. Many "save or die" effects exist in the game. To name a few: Flesh to Stone, Disintegrate (you MIGHT survive, but probably not), Power Word: Kill, Implosion (one target PER ROUND), the special Cleric power for the Death Domain (it's even called Touch of Death), the Vorpal weapon enchantment (decapitates on a critical hit, no saving throw allowed), to name a few. There are also numerous Psionic variants which are even more brutal, with Decerebrate (save or get lobotomized) being probably the most straightforward. Some of these are not guaranteed to kill you instantly (even if you fail the save), but you have to be [[MadeofIron really durable]] to survive them. For example, Disintegrate's damage (if the save is failed) is calculated by 40 rolls of standard 6-sided dice; if the target has in excess of 240 HP, a single casting of Disintegrate will not kill them even if it inflicts the maximum possible damage...but few characters will have even close to that much HP.
217	** A monster in 5e called the Bodak can instantly reduce someone to 0 hp after a single failed saving throw simply by looking at them. There is another called the Intellect Devourer that can devour the brain of an incapacitated target if it fails a saving throw. This target is DeaderThanDead, only able to be brought back by the wish spell, effectively the InfinityPlusOneSword of spellcasting.
218	* ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'', being the game it is, has a myriad of ways to do this. One of the more painful is the sorcery spell Blood of Boiling Oil; Essence swirls around your hands and coats them red, and the first person you touch has their blood turn to... well, you know. You can also punch off souls, hurl opponents into a temporary orbit, summon a demon to hurl them into a permanent orbit, dismember them, and kick people's heads off with a sufficiently impressive stunt.
219	* ''TabletopGame/FengShui'' doesn't have many fu powers that might qualify as a "Touch of Death" (even Lightning Fist, on a path that includes "Dim Mak" which only ignores armor, mainly does damage that bypasses Toughness), but the prime contender for the title would be Storm of the Tiger, the ultimate technique of the Path of the Healthy Tiger, which you can only get by mastering both the healing and the vengeful paths of the style, and which allows you to spend as much Chi as you want on a barehanded strike that you have just made and do twice that amount of Chi in extra damage. Another special mention goes to Ming I's Arm of Darkness -- the name should say it all.
220	* ''TabletopGame/{{GURPS}}: Martial Arts'' notes that this exists everywhere, 17th century fencers had the ''botte segrete''. The actual ''dim mak'' is just a use of the (fortunately cinematic) Pressure Secrets skill or an Innate Attack called "Hand of Death".
221	* ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'':
222	** [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=4225 Hand of Death]], naturally. It allows you to destroy any non-black creature.
223	** [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=3883 Touch of Death]] subverts it, as it is so weak that it is unlikely to actually kill anything.
224	** The AwesomeButImpractical [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=106427 Phage the Untouchable]] has this. She instantly destroys anything she deals damage to, including ''the opponent''... but unfortunately, her touch of death can hit ''you'' instead if you don't summon her properly.
225	** Any damage done by a creature with the keyword ''Deathtouch'' instantly kills its victim, no matter how tough it is...provided of course, they do not have the ''[[TheJuggernaut Indestructible]]'' keyword.
226	** The keyword "Wither" and "Infect" are downplayed examples. Creatures with Wither or Infect don't deal damage normally. Instead, any damage they deal is delivered in the form of -1/-1 counters on the target creature. For example if a 1/1 creature with Wither attacks a 2/2 creature, that 2/2 creature has a -1/-1 counter placed on it, and this counter will remain even if that creature survives the turn or is regenerated to heal all normal damage. Infect expands upon this by inflicting damage to players in the form of poison counters, which unlike normal damage and life loss remains for the duration of the match.
227	* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'': Several instances, but practically anything with the [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Instant Death]] rule that causes an unsaved wound kills the target immediately, unless they have [[MadeOfIron Eternal Warrior]] rule, which explicitly makes them immune. Normally Instant Death is invoked by the ChunkySalsaRule, but certain artifacts, weapons, or a handful of exceptionally deadly units have Instant Death by default. The most common are the "Force" weapons are weapons forged for psykers, who can channel their psychic power into these weapons and cause enormous physical and psychic damage with a solid hit.
228	[[/folder]]
229
230	[[folder:Video Games]]
231	* ''Franchise/DragonQuest'':
232	** The Poison Needle, available since ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIII'', can get a OneHitKill if it [[CriticalHit critically hits]] (it's extremely weak otherwise). The Poison Needle's effect actually makes it the safest way to kill Bomb or Crag type enemies. Simply hand it over to a Jester (huge crit range), then have the rest of your party just sit back and have a staring contest with the little bastards till the needle procs.
233	** The Pressure Pointer skill that the Martial Artist vocation learns in ''VideoGame/DragonQuestVI'' is a pure example of this.
234	* ''VideoGame/DragonsDogma'':
235	** The Dark Arisen DLC has none other than [[TheGrimReaper Death itself]] as an enemy -- it only has one attack, and it's always an instakill. It doesn't matter how [[UnblockableAttack you try to block it]]; if you are on the radius of its attack the moment it does it, you ''will'' die, no exceptions. To make things worse, it can teleport and constantly harass you, and it's the only enemy in the game that completely ignores your [[NonPlayerCompanion pawns]]' GameplayAllyImmortality the moment they are touched by the attack, and [[ArtificialStupidity pawns being pawns]], they will often stay on its area of effect enough time to fall asleep and get instantly killed a moment after.
236	** Another less direct example is Daimon's Rift Vortex and Abyssal Vortex. Its area of effect starts pulling everyone inside first, and anybody can escape it, but if anybody inside this area is out of stamina or doesn't get far enough in time, they're pulled inside fast and killed instantly, also ignoring GameplayAllyImmortality.
237	** {{Downplayed\|Trope}} with the Dragonkin. All of them have a powerful roar that can instantly kill all pawns, but it doesn't ignore GameplayAllyImmortality, so the player can still revive them on the spot.
238	* ''VideoGame/EverQuest'' has many bosses that use this as their initial attack. This led to a rather humorous habit of bringing sacrificial halflings, rangers, et cetera.
239	* The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vgjPTy3jnA "Death" spell]] in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXV'' is this. Instead of just randomly killing off the targeted opponent as in other ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' games, "Death" in ''[=FFXV=]'' is an ability gained from the [[MementoMacGuffin Ring of the Lucii]] that has the target's life force slowly drained by said ring, shown by them slowly getting more and more emaciated before they burst into nothingness.
240	* The Reaper from ''VideoGame/GrabbedByTheGhoulies'' can instantly kill the player with his outstretched finger. However, he can also kill any enemy that comes in his way which can easily be exploited.
241	* [[spoiler:Gaia]] from ''VideoGame/Grandia1'' is capable of absorbing any living being's life force and consequently [[TakenForGranite petrifying]] them with nothing but its presence. The worst part? [[spoiler:Gaia is a humongous plant/insect EldritchAbomination that spreads like wildfire.]]
242	* ''VideoGame/{{Hearthstone}}'' adopts the aforementioned ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'''s deathtouch as "poisonous". Any character (a minion, a hero with a weapon, etc.) with poisonous can instantly kill any minion with any amount of damage.
243	* If you choose to pursue the difficult GoldenEnding in ''VideoGame/KingsQuestVIHeirTodayGoneTomorrow'', you'll end up visiting the Lord of the Dead in the underworld in an effort to revive some lost souls. He, bemused by your presence, suggests that you kiss his hand to receive an instant and painless death. If you do so, or wait around long enough for him to get bored and reach out to touch you, you'll be rendered DeaderThanDead and get a NonstandardGameOver.
244	* In ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends'', [[{{Mummy}} Amumu]] causes all living things he touches to wither. His [[https://youtu.be/0AvWV6Mk374 music video]] portrays his condition very well.
245	* ''VideoGame/NetHack'':
246	** The Touch of Death as a spell used by high-level spell casting monsters, and a more potent version by [[TheGrimReaper Death himself]]. Unlike the other versions, this one is unlikely to kill a well-prepared adventurer.
247	** The ''Wand of Death'', which, coupled with an angry gnome, can really ruin your day.
248	** Powerful wizards can learn the ''finger of death'' skill (which is what the wand shoots). Anything without resistance is instantly obliterated (including the Wizard of Yendor). Oh, and it's a ray spell, meaning it can hit multiple targets at once.
249	* [[OurLichesAreDifferent Liches]] in ''VideoGame/NexusClash'' get a touch of death as a basic ability, which grows progressively more lethal the more death magic and Lich powers they learn. It can be enhanced even further to damage anyone who tries to attack the Lich up close.
250	* In ''VideoGame/{{Scribblenauts}}'', if you create Death, the game makes a small [[TheGrimReaper Grim Reaper]] which has this power and can kill anything with a touch, including Death and God.
251	* ''VideoGame/SuperMetroid'':
252	** Acquiring the Charge Beam allows Samus to damage weak enemies by spin jumping into them while the beam is charged.
253	** Colliding into most enemies while using the Speed Booster/Shinespark in any capacity will kill them.
254	** The Screw Attack does nothing but this, and when combined with the Space Jump basically makes Samus death incarnate without firing a single shot.
255	* Feng Wei of ''Franchise/{{Tekken}}'' practices the particularly brutal (and fictional) God Fist Kenpo style, with one of his unblockable attacks invoking the Dim Mak directly, both by name (''Death Palm'') and method (being what amounts to a highly ritualized short palm thrust that takes away a massive amount of your health bar).
256	* ''Franchise/TouhouProject'' has [[CuteGhostGirl Yuyuko Saigyouji]], whose InformedAbility is to, plain and simple, cause anyone not immortal to die.
257	* ''Franchise/{{Tron}}'': Both Thorne in ''VideoGame/TronTwoPointOh'' and Abraxas in ''VideoGame/TronEvolution'' can kill Programs with a touch, or corrupt them into viral drones, unleashing a virtual ZombieApocalypse in both cases. With Thorne, it was an accident, since his handlers uploaded him without the safeties and quickly lost control of him. With Abraxas, it was a deliberate FalseFlagOperation on the part of Clu, who corrupted the Iso Jalen into Abraxas to make Programs believe the Isos were ''all'' capable of doing this and about to destroy the Programs...[[Film/TronLegacy which is how he got the majority of support behind his coup]].
258	* Shiki's MagicalEye in ''VisualNovel/{{Tsukihime}}'' allows him to see points of death. Simply poking such point with any sharp pointy object (like a kitchen knife or a sharpened pencil) will not only instantly kill said thing but also terminate its reincarnation cycle and any other metaphysical life functions it may possess. And this power is ''not'' limited only to living things, incidentally: he can "kill" non-living things as well. He once cured a person of poisoning by "killing" the poison.
259	* In ''VideoGame/{{Worms}} 4: Mayhem'', if you use Prod on an enemy worm during a match where the "Dim Mak" option is selected in the Wormpot, it will instantly kill him.
260	* ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'':
261	** Monks have a skill called Touch of Death that originally instantly killed an enemy if it had less health than the monk (though you can't use it on other players for [[CompetitiveBalance obvious reasons)]]. Two expansions later it was {{nerf}}ed to only deal 50% of the user's maximum health in damage after an 8-second delay, though the "target must have less health" restriction was lifted as well. Since the skill isn't actually guaranteed to kill the target anymore, the name could be considered an ArtifactTitle.
262	** ''Death Touch'' was a spell used by "Guardians of Blizzard", which were [=NPCs=] that served as a BorderPatrol for areas players weren't supposed to enter. These have disappeared since Cataclysm unlocked any areas that a player could get to that they previously weren't supposed to.
263	[[/folder]]
264
265	[[folder:Webcomics]]
266	* The first chapter of ''Webcomic/BitsFair'' features a character who severely injures Ida's dad by [[https://web.archive.org/web/20150906190525/http://bitsfair.com/comic/1-033-38/ touching him with his palm]].
267	* In ''Webcomic/HowIKilledYourMaster'', Master Fei tells young Liu Wong that his father's style, aptly named "The Divine Fist of the Unconquerable Sky," used what we can presume are Touches of Death and [[TheParalyzer Paralyzer]] attacks.
268	-->'''Master Fei:''' All he would say of his style was, "I don't know what it's like to hit a man twice."
269	* ''Webcomic/KidRadd'': This is how CollisionDamage is portrayed (and what it's called!). Those with it cannot control it, and must avoid touching normal people. (It seems that those with it can touch each other without harm -- at least, [[{{Sidekick}} Bogey]] can touch other members of his species.)
270	* In ''Webcomic/{{Plume}}'', touching Corrick's skin can apparently cause death, as he warns Vesper of it.
271	* Parodied in ''Webcomic/SaturdayMorningBreakfastCereal'' when the instructor in a ninja academy finally reveals where the magic spot on a person's body which will kill them if touched... and it's inside the human heart, deep inside the body instead on the skin, making the information both obvious and useless. The pupils angrily demand their money back, but the instructor, being a ninja, [[StealthHiBye has already left without notice]].
272	* ''Webcomic/TwilightLady'' has this as her signature killing technique. It took years to master, but if the target has committed murder of any kind, she can just use her martial arts to poke them to death -- which is why it's surprising when a female muscle demon slaver is completely immune.
273	* ''Webcomic/TwoFaced'' has the Frozenclaws, a group of cats who can kill (if they want to) with one touch of their white paws. Each time they kill a cat, the white marking grows. This is unfortunate, because if the white completely covers their body, they die coughing up blood.
274	[[/folder]]
275
276	[[folder:Web Original]]
277	* In the ''WebVideo/Lonelygirl15'' episode "Shadow of Death", Emma kills the seeker by running at him. In "Help Us!", [=LaRezisto=] explains that trait positives have the power to kill Order members with a touch. [[spoiler:This was later revealed to be utter bull]].
278	* SCP-049 from both ''Website/SCPFoundation'' and ''VideoGame/SCPContainmentBreach'' is a medieval-style PlagueDoctor that seemingly believes most human beings are infected with ThePlague, with the unfortunate ability to [[DeadlyDoctor kill anyone he goes near by touching them with his hands]]. He then, utilizing strange surgery, turns his victims into [[PlagueZombie zombies]]. This is made much, '''much''' creepier when [[HumanoidAbomination you read that his clothing is a part of his body]]. In contrast, [[AffablyEvil he's extremely polite and generally compliant]] whenever he's being put back into containment, or whenever someone speaks with him.
279	* Done subtly in ''WebVideo/TheTimeGuys''. Look carefully; you'll notice that [[DontFearTheReaper Death]] always wraps his hand in his sleeve whenever he physically interacts with someone.
280	* ''Literature/WhateleyUniverse'': Two people have this as an explicit power, in addition to the many lethal abilities most of the student body possesses. Tennyo has a "Death Blow" that gradually [[DeaderThanDead obliterates you from existence]] and Gotterdammerung can [[DisintegratorRay unmake matter]] at a sub-subatomic level.
281	* ''WebVideo/WitchCraftSMP'': An acquired ability of Necromantic Witches is to inflict this on their targets, though it is slow-acting and gradual as opposed to instant.
282	[[/folder]]
283
284	[[folder:Western Animation]]
285	* The one-shot ''WesternAnimation/AquaTeenHungerForce'' character Dan from "Grim Reaper Gutters" won't leave until he makes a sale, and kills Carl with a touch after Carl refuses to buy any gutters.
286	* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'': The ninja Kyodai Ken discovers the Way of the Fang technique and promptly decides to turn it against our hero. However, the always CrazyPrepared Batman wears armor to protect the exact spot Kyodai needs to hit. (Batman figured out the spot the Way of the Fang targets by looking at which spot had been hit the most on Kyodai's training dummy.) The plan worked and Kyodai was convinced that the technique doesn't work. Kyodai Ken is apparently killed after their fight, leaving Batman as the only person in the world who knows the Touch of Death, as well as the only person who would never use that knowledge or teach it to anyone else.
287	* ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'':
288	** Mrs. Turner can never grow anything in her garden, because she believes she is cursed and most forms of produce tend to shrivel up when she touches them.
289	--->'''Mrs. Turner:''' ''[bawling]'' EVERYTHING I TOUCH '''DIEEEEES!'''
290	** Then PlayedForLaughs as Mr. Turner asks [[SitcomArchNemesis Dinkleburg]] "Why don't you come over here and give my wife a congratulatory hand touch?"
291	** One episode in which Mr. Turner starts a farm shows that he's just as bad, even with the land being magically enchanted to grow.
292	* Death from ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' can kill with a touch, which makes sense by his being, well, ''[[TheGrimReaper Death]]''. When DeathTakesAHoliday and Peter needs to fill in for him, simply wearing Death's shroud causes anything and anybody Peter touches to instantly die, even without intending it. He learns this the hard way.
293	-->''"Note to self, do ''not'' go to the bathroom."''
294	* ''WesternAnimation/GIJoeResolute'' has a series of martial arts moves called the Seven Steps to the Sun. The seventh step, a way to kill anyone with seven blows, is considered too dangerous to be taught to anyone but the worthiest.
295	* ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'':
296	** Cat Noir is bonded to the kwami of Destruction. Among other powers, this lets him cause whatever he touches to rot away to nothingness. Fortunately for the show's kid-friendly rating, he doesn't use this ability on living things. On the other hand, whenever he's BrainwashedAndCrazy (which has happened several times so far), he almost invariably tries to use the ability on something alive.
297	** Timebreaker's main power is time travel, but this is how she fuels it. Whoever she touches fades away as she absorbs their time.
298	* In the Season 3 finale of ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty'', "[[Recap/RickAndMortyS3E10TheRickchurianMortydate The Rickchurian Mortydate]]", one of the president's men are ordered to arrest Rick. Rick warns the young man that if he touches him, he'll die. True to his word the poor bodyguard drops instantly dead without a sound or a flash. Rick thinks this a very good deterrent.
299	* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'':
300	** In "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS3E3WhenFlandersFailed When Flanders Failed]]", Bart claims to have learned the Touch of Death in a karate class he had actually skipped out on. He then repeatedly threatens Lisa with it to force her to do minor chores. (It's really just the "rock on" sign that he copied from a video game -- m/, or rather n/, as the characters all have FourFingeredHands.)
301	** In the CouchGag of "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS8E1TreehouseOfHorrorVII Treehouse of Horror VII]]", the Simpson family find Death waiting for them on the sofa. They all drop dead when he touches them, after which Death puts his feet up on their corpses to watch TV.
302	** In "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS15E1TreehouseOfHorrorXIV Treehouse of Horror XIV]]", Homer accidentally kills Death to save Bart. Homer tries on Death's cloak for fun and is conscripted by {{God}} to take Death's place. Homer uses the Touch of Death to kill Jasper and an unnamed hobo; at one point, he abuses the supernatural power to get better seats at a baseball game ''by killing everybody in the way''. Bart asks him if ''all'' of them were supposed to die, but Homer just shrugs it off.
303	* In the ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' episode titled, well, "[[Recap/SouthParkS1E6Death Death]]", when the Grim Reaper appears in person it's briefly established, "You'll die if he touches you!" (In a mixed-up retelling of the scene in "[[Recap/SouthParkS2E7CityOnTheEdgeOfForever City on the Edge of Forever]]", this does not prevent [[TheyKilledKennyAgain Kenny]] from grabbing Death by the finger and slamming him back and forth against the ground and it's recognized that "Kenny... killed... death.")
304	* ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBros'': This is Phantom Limb's superpower, aside from having [[FlightStrengthHeart invisible limbs]]. He can apparently actually can control this power, as observed when he's able to shake Brock Samson's hand with non-lethal effects. When activating this ability, the veins in his invisible limbs spark and give off a green-red light.
305	[[/folder]]
306
307	[[folder:Real Life]]
308	* While not as easy as it is in fiction, a strike to the front or back of the neck can kill a person with much less force than anywhere else on the body.
309	** This is commonly referred to as a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbit_punch "Rabbit Punch,"]] and as such is ''highly'' illegal in professional combat sports.
310	* Halfway between the above and below examples, a precise strike to the carotid artery can stimulate the vagus nerve, drop the heart rate and blood pressure of the victim and cause immediate unconsciousness. The touch of death part comes from the very real chance of dislodging a cholesterol plaque and causing a stroke.
311	* It's also theoretically possible to kill someone with a ''very'' precisely timed blow to the heart during the T-wave (the refractory period), initiating ventricular fibrillation, and effectively stopping the heart in what is known as ''commotio cordis''. The level of precision this would require (plus the knowledge of the human body) makes it extremely difficult to do deliberately.
312	** There have, however, been documented freak cases of children dropping dead from cardiac arrest after being struck in the chest, particularly with a baseball or other sports instrument. Children are particularly susceptible to ''commotio cordis'' due to the lack of development in the rib cage. It does, on exceptionally rare occasion, happen to adult professional athletes; notable examples are NHL hockey player Chris Pronger in 1998, and NFL football player Damar Hamlin in 2023. (In both cases, the player survived, but required resuscitation and medical intervention.)
313	* On the opposite end of real-life touch of death, there is the "precordial thump", which is essentially a desperation move when a [[MagicalDefibrillator defibrillator]] isn't imminently available. It is done by placing a sharp strike to the center of the chest. It's the same mechanism as ''commotio cordis'', but in reverse. It's usually only attempted once, and only when cardiac arrest is directly witnessed.
314	[[/folder]]

Context Main / TouchOfDeath