View source for Killed Mid-Sentence

{{trope}}
{{quote|'''Kreely Slaver:''' I'll DIE before I'll--
'''''[[Wave Motion Gun|THOOOM!]]'''''
'''[[Ridiculously Human Robot|Ennesby]]:''' [[Bond One-Liner|"...finish my sentence," I think he was saying.]]
|''[[Schlock Mercenary]]'', [http://www.schlockmercenary.com/2004-07-19 2004-07-19]}}

No matter what the medium or genre of a work of fiction is in, there are a few general rules that are usually in place. One of them is that if a character isn't a [[Red Shirt]], it doesn't matter if they're in a situation of dire peril as long as they're speaking. Because [[Talking Is a Free Action|as long as they're talking]], nothing bad is going to happen to them. Oh sure, they can die after saying some [[Famous Last Words]] or important [[Final Speech]], but dying in the middle of a sentence, especially if it's an ordinary, unimportant one? That's not going to happen, ri--[[Self-Demonstrating Article|GHAAAAACKKK!]]

...Let me step in for him. ''Wrong''.

There are any number of reasons to kill a character, whether major, minor, or [[mook]]ish, in the middle of a sentence. Firstly, in an [[Anyone Can Die]] story, it's a great way to show that not only can anyone die, but ''they can die at any time''. (Which can make for great drama and suspense over the fates of your favorite characters). Secondly, it can be a great way for an [[Anti-Hero]] to show off his [[No-Nonsense Nemesis|no nonsense]] [[Badass]] nature by killing an antagonist in the middle of some sort of threat, or as a more lethal version of [[Talk to the Fist]]. (Likewise, it can be a way to show a villain is truly [[Dangerously Genre Savvy]] and avert the classic [[Why Don't You Just Shoot Him?]] scenario). It can be a way of showing that a story is on the gritty and cynical end of the [[Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism]]. Lastly, it could just be that the author doesn't care much for interminable [[Final Speech]]es, and chooses to subvert that trope.

One thing is for sure: when this trope happens, you know that this is for real. If the story was a light, not too serious sort before, it's just gotten a whole lot [[Darker and Edgier|darker and more serious]] after this.

See also [[Dead Line News]] when this happens on the other side of a TV screen (though not necessarily in the middle of a sentence).

If a character is killed mid-''word'', there's a good chance of it being a [[Curse Cut Short]]. The [[Almost-Dead Guy]] will invariably die mid-sentence, and there's a good chance of the sentence beginning "[[His Name Is--]]--" followed by dead silence as [[The Un-Reveal]].

If this is a sci-fi story and the scientist figures out how to destroy the alien monster, expect him to die halfway through his explanation, just as he's about to say that it can only be destroyed by—On the other hand, if that name is [[Candle Jack]], expect it to happen right after you say {{color|white|Y}}

Contrast [[Talking Is a Free Action]]-- '''''BLAM!'''''

{{deathtrope}}

{{examples|Examp--}}
== [[Advertising]] ==
* Several [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwCyVku1HvI safety ads] use this trope.

== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==
* In ''[[Cowboy Bebop]]'', Spike Spiegel did this to one of the [[mook]]s of his [[Evil Counterpart]] Vicious right as the mook was telling him to [[Put Down Your Gun and Step Away|put down his gun and step away]].
* ''[[Death Note]]'' has {{spoiler|L getting the trademark heart attack almost finishing the word "shinigami"}}; as well as {{spoiler|Matt being shot and killed by Takada's bodyguards for his part in kidnapping her [[Too Dumb to Live|right in the middle of listing the reasons why they won't shoot him]]}}.
** Not really so much killed mid-sentence, but L does interrupt Soichiro Yagami by going 'Bang'.
* Revy from ''[[Black Lagoon]]'', [[Tranquil Fury|having a bad day]] and faced with a [[Those Wacky Nazis|huge Nazi general]] wielding a [[Bling Bling Bang|huge golden pistol]], calmly reloads and shoots him in the chest before he can finish [[To the Pain|bragging about his gun]], then [[Lampshade Hanging|ridicules him]] and sends him off with a final lesson: [[Pre-Mortem One-Liner|"As long as they hit their target, any gun will do."]]
** She also shot Rotton The Wizard mid-introduction, but he [[Subverted Trope|had a kevlar vest on]] and is still hanging around.
* {{spoiler|Keiichi Maebara}} in ''[[Higurashi no Naku Koro ni]]'' is killed by the [[Big Bad]] mid- [[Kirk Summation]]. He got back due to [[Groundhog Day Loop|time shenanigans]]
** In ''[[Umineko no Naku Koro ni]]'''s second arc, {{spoiler|George's}} last words are inferred to be {{spoiler|a pledge of love to Shannon}}. "I will always {{spoiler|--" "YOU THOUGHT I'D LET HIM SAY THAT? IDIOT!}}" Darn you, Beatrice!
* ''[[Fullmetal Alchemist]]'': In the manga, {{spoiler|commander of the Drachman army after the annihilation of his forces. Kimbley even lampshades it in a disturbing way.}} Also the soldier Sloth kills and one of Greed's men.
* Pretty much every Druggie (Clotho, Orga, Auel, Sting, etc) death in ''[[Gundam Seed]]'' happens mid-sentence/mid-psychotic laugh.
*  {{spoiler|Monica}} from ''[[Code Geass]]'':  {{spoiler|"It's Suzaku Kururu-!"}}
* In some translations of ''[[Naruto]]'', {{spoiler|Shizune}}'s being taken hostage, mind-probed and killed by {{spoiler|Pain's Ningendo body}} happens when she's in the middle of a sentence.
** Also done [[Narm|hilariously]] with a [[Filler Villain]] how activates his [[Collapsing Lair]] and is crushed under a rock in the middle of his [[Evil Laugh]].
** Tayuya was also killed in this way: she was in the middle of thinking she would use her genjutsu when Temari's huge attack instantly leveled the area and crushed her under a tree.
** {{spoiler|Zetsu's clone of Kisame}} was decapitated in the middle of [[Calling Your Attacks|Calling His Attack.]]
** Sasori dies this way. After being stabbed in the heart capsule by poisoned swords handled by his Mother and Father puppets, he continues to talk to a wounded Sakura and a severely weakened Chiyo, though he is immobilized. He then grudgingly congratulates Sakura on defeating him and gives her a parting gift: Information gathered by a spy he was supposed to meet at Tenchi Bridge. He is stopped mid-sentence while lamenting he won't be able to meet his subordinate when the poison and the damage to his heart finally catches up to him, and he dies.
* ''[[Elfen Lied]]'': Kouta's sister Kanae is split in half by Lucy as she tearfully begs Kouta not to hate her. {{spoiler|Shirakawa}} suffers the same fate when she is about to warn Kouta about Lucy, and {{spoiler|Kakusawa}} [[Your Head Asplode|loses his head]] bargaining with Lucy.
* In ''[[Soul Eater]]'', Mosquito is killed mid-sentence by Noah.
* Subverted repeatedly by ''[[Bleach]]''. There are many occasions when you'd think this has just happened, but it usually turns out to be a trick using a character's power, or that the character being "killed" is [[Not Quite Dead]].
** Finally happens with {{spoiler|Giriko.}} He boasts so much about his power that {{spoiler|Kenpachi got fed up, and just bisected him.}}
* {{spoiler|Kaji}} of ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion]]''. Sounding cheerful to see the killer.
* In the 9th OVA for ''[[One Piece]]'', a retelling of the Drum Kingdom Saga that adds Robin and Franky, they do this to Dr. Hiriluk.
* {{spoiler|Kagero}} in ''[[Ninja Scroll]]'', although that may count as Dying Mid Sentence.
* Not actually '''killed''', but in ''[[Girls und Panzer]]'' one character gloated about how the tank '''behind which''' hers was weaving back and forth had armor the opposing team couldn't possibly "penetrate." But then her much-less-armored vehicle swung too far to one side just as someone '''missed''' the bigger one. Her laughter cut short the instant that shot hit and disabled her tank. In the anime, she doesn't even get a [[Big No]] or a gasp, just immediate silence.

== [[Comic Books]] ==
* Being both [[Combat Pragmatist]] and having a [[Genre Savvy]] [[Medium Awareness]], [[Deadpool]] has pulled this more than once on his enemies and targets.
** And had it pulled on him in turn; the difference comes in whether the attacker unknowingly intends to actually kill him, or they are aware of Deadpool's [[Healing Factor]] and simply want to shut him up while he regenerates.
* Jaime Madrox aka "Multiple Man" from ''[[X-Factor (comics)|X-Factor]]'' commented on how nobody ever commits suicide mid-sentence, then later mentions that he might. Later, one of his dupes (duplicates) blows himself up mid-sentence.
* In ''[[Swamp Thing]]'' #53, Alec manages to croak out most of "I love..." to Abby before his apparent death.
* In What If? ''[[Dark Reign (comics)|Dark Reign]]'', Clint Barton, also known as Hawkeye, does this to Osborn. Best part of the book.
* In ''[[Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers]],''  {{spoiler|Snare}} dies in mid-sentence ''while asking for a [[Mercy Kill]].''
* The illustrated novel ''Zombies: A Record of the Year of Infection'' is presented as being the recovered journal of a survivor dealing with the initial stages of the [[Zombie Apocalypse]]. It ends {{spoiler|with the journal suddenly trailing off mid-sentence, and slight spatters of blood on the side of the page.}}
* In the first chapter of ''[[V for Vendetta]]'', a Fingerman grabs what he thinks is V's hand, only for him to be left holding a prosthetic hand as V fights the other secret policemen and escapes with Evey. The Fingerman then says, "I've got his hand. What should I do with his" and explodes in the same panel.
* Makes a [[Tear Jerker]] in ''[[Empowered]]'', with the death of {{spoiler|Mindf**k. "I love you, Theresa. I'll always love y--"}}
* In ''[[Superman Earth One]]'', Tyrell's ship blows up while he is mocking Superman.
* Miss America in ''[[The Golden Age]]'' is killed by Robotman in her attempt to expose {{spoiler|Dynaman as being Adolf Hitler in Daniel Dunbar's body}}.

== [[Fan Works]] ==
* [[Deadpool]] did this to [[Watchmen (comics)|The Comedian]] in one ''[[I'm a Marvel... and I'm a DC]]'' skit after The Comedian made the mistake of only describing how the skit worked as "We basically just fight over our movies".
* ''[[The Joker Blogs]]'': The priest officiating at Harleen Quinzel's wedding, who the Joker shoots before he can finish the "[[Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace]]" bit.
* The ''[[Portal 2]]'' fanfiction ''[[Test of Humanity]]'' has {{spoiler|1=GLaDOS}} doing this. She tries to call {{spoiler|Wheatley a "stupid moron" for getting stuck in an exhaust pipe and causing too much pressure to build up}} but the lab explodes before she can.
{{quote|{{spoiler|"You stupid mor-"}}}}
* The ''[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic]]''/''[[Doctor Who]]'' crossover ''[[Time Lords and Terror]]'' has this done to {{spoiler|'''the Doctor''' of all people}}.
{{quote|"Oh, that's not fair."}}
* In the ''[[Lucky Star]]/[[Puella Magi Madoka Magica]]'' crossover ''[[Stars Above]]'',  {{spoiler|this happens to Tsukasa in the 2013 timeline, setting up Kagami's [[Start of Darkness]], and then to [[Puella Magi Kazumi Magica|Kazumi]], to reinforce the fact that [[Anyone Can Die]]... [[Everybody's Dead, Dave|and most eventually do.]]}}
* In ''[[Dragon Ball Abridged]]'', Gohan gets his neck snapped by a kick from Recoome before he can complete his sentence about how Goku will kick Recoome's ass despite Gohan losing the fight."

== [[Film]] ==
* Lord Farquad in ''[[Shrek]]'' gets eaten in mid-sentence:
{{quote|'''Farquad:''' I will have order! I will have-- ''(gets eaten by Dragon)''}}
* [[The Joker]] when he dies in ''[[Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker]]'' after being shot
{{quote|'''The Joker:''' That's not funny, that's not--''(keels over)''}}
* This is how {{spoiler|Rachel Dawes}} died in ''[[The Dark Knight]]'', making what was said from the [[Final Speech]] that got cut off a slight [[Tear Jerker]].
* [[James Bond (film)|James Bond]] pulled this at the very start of ''[[Casino Royale]]'', talking to a traitor about his first kill.
{{quote|"Made you feel it, did he? Well, you needn't worry. The second is -" *BAMM*
[[Bond One-Liner|"Yes. Considerably."]] }}
** An [[MI 6]] agent in ''[[You Only Live Twice]]'' is talking to Bond when he suddenly stops talking mid-sentence. As Bond approaches him, he finds that a knife was stabbed into his back through the shoji wall. Anybody who has seen a death by knife knows that knives do not work this way.
* {{spoiler|Wash}} in ''[[Serenity]]''.
{{quote|'''{{spoiler|Wash}}:''' I'm a leaf on the wind. Watch how I-- ''(gets harpooned by a Reaver ship)''}}
** Also, {{spoiler|Mr. Universe}}. Okay, technically he didn't die right away, but he gets his speech cut off by a sword to the guts, and he is dead the next time we see him. {{spoiler|Fortunately for Mal and crew, Mr. Universe had just enough life left to make a helpful recording}}.
* {{spoiler|[[The Woobie|Selma]]}} from ''[[Dancer in the Dark]]'' is killed [[Mood Whiplash|mid]]-[[The Musical|song]].
* In an awesome subversion of {{spoiler|[[Never Give Up Speech|a monologue]]}}, this is how {{spoiler|[[Samuel L. Jackson]]}}'s character died in ''[[Deep Blue Sea]]''. The [[Sedgwick Speech]] variant of this trope.
* R.K. Maroon in ''[[Who Framed Roger Rabbit?]]''.
* Swan is killed mid-sentence, ''in the middle of a musical number'' no less, in Trey Parker and Matt Stone's ''[[Cannibal! The Musical]]''.
* In ''[[Pan's Labyrinth]]'', [[Complete Monster|Captain Vidal]] begins to make a speech about what to tell his infant son about his death when the boy grows up, just as his own father did. But instead he's interrupted by Mercedes, who cuts him off, saying "No. He will never even know your name." Then Vidal is shot in the face before he can say another word.
* ''[[Taken (film)|Taken]]''. The final bad guy. "We can nego..."
* George Kirk in the latest ''[[Star Trek (film)|Star Trek]]'' film dies telling his wife he loves her. Somewhat odd in that he had an actual countdown until his ship impacted, and thus knew exactly when he was going to die, but apparently not when he was going to finish his sentence. Still, it was his [[Moment of Awesome]] and a [[Tear Jerker]] too.
** More likely he was just repeating "I Love You" over and over so that it would be the last thing his family hears him say.
* Happens to the pro-gun control politician in ''[[Shoot'Em Up (film)|Shoot Em Up]]''.
* In a funny subversion, in ''[[Monty Python and the Holy Grail]]'', this is how Brother Maynard dies, but his death scream completes the sentence.
{{quote|"It's the Legendary Black Beast of -- ''(is eaten)'' -- AAAAAAAUUUUUUGGGGHHHH!!!!"}}
* In one scene from ''[[American Gangster]]'', [[Villain Protagonist|Frank Lucas]] is in the middle of breakfast telling his brothers, (newly recruited into the drug trade) the most important things about business, (honesty, integrity, hard work, family, etc.) when he spots a rival across the way, standing on a busy street in front of plenty of people. Frank politely excuses himself, walks up to [[The Rival]], and puts a gun to the guy's head. [[The Rival]] laughs, says "Get the fuck out of here, Frank. What you gonna do? Come on, Frank. You gonna shoot me here, in front of everyone? [[Boom! Headshot!|Come o...]]" Frank then walks away and goes back to eating breakfast with the family. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXCMz340CRg See it here.]
* ''[[Star Wars]]'':
** In ''[[Attack of the Clones]]'', Shmi Skywalker's last words to Anakin are "I love--"
** ''[[The Empire Strikes Back]]'' has an audio-only version: "Imperial troops have entered the base! Imperial troops have--" *ABRUPT BLAST OF STATIC*
** Quite a few pilots have their fighters explode as they're talking, though only about half can be heard by the audience.
* ''[[Clue (film)|Clue]]'': "Duh-duh, duh-duh duh duh! I, am, your singing telegram--" *BAM*
* Billy in ''[[Final Destination]]'' is cut off mid-rant by a large shard of metal kicked up by the train that just took out Carter's car, which whistles up apparently out of nowhere and beheads him. He stays on his feet for a few startled seconds before his legs realize he's dead, whereupon he topples over.
* Inverted in ''[[Pulp Fiction]]''. Vincent Vega turns around to explain something to Marvin while being driven by Jules, and [[Accidental Murder|accidentally]] [[I Just Shot Marvin in the Face|blows Marvin's brains out]] while ''he's'' mid-sentence.
* Not a textbook example, as it takes him a few more minutes to die, enough time for him to scream out his brother's as HE gets killed, but worth a mention as the effect is the same, and for the sheer audacity of it: Nicky from ''[[Casino]]'' is struck with a cricket bat while midway through his own narration, cutting it off with a scream.
* ''[[Pirates of the Caribbean]]: On Stranger Tides'' played this for [[Black Comedy]]:
{{quote|{{spoiler|'''Theodore Groves:''' This land is hereby forever claimed for the glorious name of his majesty, King George--" ''(gets shot by the Spaniard)''}}
{{spoiler|'''Spaniard:''' Someone make a note of that man's bravery.}} }}
* From ''[[Transformers (film)|Transformers]]: Dark of the Moon'': {{spoiler|Que/Wheeljack: "Why did you--?" right before he is finished off execution-style}}
** Also from the same film... {{spoiler|Starscream's [[Famous Last Words]]}}
{{quote|"I'm gonna kill y—[[Your Head Asplode|*BOOM!*]]"}}
* What happens to Steve in [[Casual Danger Dialogue|his final conversation with Peggy]] over the radio in ''[[Captain America: The First Avenger]]'', even when [[Foregone Conclusion|the audience knows]] he is only frozen, not killed.
{{quote|"It'll have to be a slow dance, I don't want to step on your-" }}
** Also this scene:
{{quote|'''Hydra mook''': CUT OFF ONE HEAD, TWO MORE—
'''Colonel Phillips''': ''(shoots him)'' Let's find two more. }}
* ''[[The Wild Geese]]'': Faulkner's final confrontation with Sir Edward Matheson. Sir Edward is so inflated with hauteur that he cannot conceive of there being any threat to himself - the discovery that the murderous mercenary with a gun and grudge is, yes, ''there to kill him'' completely baffles Matheson, and he's left stammering "now wait just a minute--!" before Faulkner fires.
* The 'Bowtie Driver' in ''[[The Untouchables]]''. Mid countdown.
* {{spoiler|Audrey II}}'s death in ''[[Little Shop of Horrors]]'' combines this with [[Curse Cut Short]]. "[[Oh Crap|OH SHI--]]"
* Subtle example in [[I Miss You I Miss You|I Miss You]]. Cilla begins to say something and gets hit by a car and dies.
* In ''[[Muppet Treasure Island]]'', more like "Died of a Heart Attack Mid Sentence," the dying Billy Bones warns Jim, Gonzo and Rizzo to beware the one-legged man, but also "Beware running with scissors or any other pointy objects! It's all good fun, 'till somebody loses a-" and he screams "Aaaahh" and dies before possibly saying "eye" or something else, putting the trio in a room "where the dead guys roam"

== [[Literature]] ==
* In the original version of ''[[Podkayne of Mars]]'' by [[Robert Heinlein]], teenage heroine Podkayne says "Do listen please, because this is important. I love--" before she is killed by a bomb blast. However, Heinlein's publisher hated such a downbeat ending to a novel aimed at teens and insisted Heinlein revise the ending to allow Podkayne to live. The most recent editions have included both endings.
* This is how {{spoiler|Fred Weasley}} dies in ''[[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (novel)|Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows]]'':
{{quote|"You're joking, {{spoiler|Perce}}! You actually are joking... I don't think I've heard you joke since you were--"}}
** Could be a mild case of [[His Name Is--]] as well, as some readers would have really liked to have heard the rest of that sentence.
* In ''Confessor'', the last book of the ''[[Sword of Truth]]'' series, Richard, freshly freed from his imprisonment by the Imperial Order, approaches the officer who'd captured him. Said officer gets four words into his "I've been waiting for this" speech before Richard cuts him down without breaking his stride.
** Furthermore, he later  {{spoiler|does the exact same thing to the series' resident Big Bad, and to top it all off, he orders him to be thrown in the mass grave with all his dead Mooks.}}
* In ''[[The Third World War]]'', two of the emergency of communities involved in the war have this. The first ends mid-sentence, when the building is bombed, picking up with the backup journal noting the deaths. The second one cuts off mid-word, as  {{spoiler|Birmingham is nuked. It is stated it is found in the remains of the centre}}.
* In the [[Stephen King]] novella ''[[The Langoliers]]'', Craig Toomy is facing down against the eponymous beasties, mistaking them for hobgoblins his father told him about as a caution against laziness. His last thought:
{{quote|'''Toomy:''' How can their little legs be fast? They don't have any le--}}
**  {{spoiler|Eddie Kaspbrak}} in ''[[IT]]''.
**  {{spoiler|Carrie}} dies mid-thought in ''[[Carrie]]''
* One of the characters in Arthur Hailey's ''Airport'' is an air traffic controller who's haunted by memories of a mid-air collision that took place on his watch (and for which he holds himself responsible). A flashback scene has him and his colleagues listening to a radio transmission from one of the planes as it plummets to earth after the collision, and the final words of a little girl aboard said plane:
{{quote|"...Mummy! Daddy!...Do something! I don't want to die... Oh, Gentle Jesus, I've been good... Please, I don't want..."}}
* In the [[Star Wars Expanded Universe]] [[X Wing Series]] novel ''Wraith Squadron'', Admiral Trigit flees in a starfighter after his forces surrendered. General Crespin and Lieutenant Donos are in pursuit... Crispin offers Trigit to surrender. Trigit refuses, and instead orders his bodyguards to shoot down his pursuers. Crespin skillfully takes care of them though. Trigit, realizing he's in trouble, tells Crispin he's reconsidered and wants to surrender. He doesn't even get to mid-sentence when a torpedo launched by Donos hits his starfighter.
* ''[[Vorkosigan Saga]]'': ''Barrayar'' has the would-be Imperial usurper Vordarian's last words cut off when [[Mama Bear|Cordelia]] orders him decapitated: "You're a Betan! You can't do--" [[Knife Nut|BOTHARI]] [[Axe Crazy|CHOP!]] Later, she references Vordarian's words, and assumes he was going to finish with "that."
**  {{spoiler|Miles}} is thinking "Wait, I haven't-" when he is blown nearly in half by a sniper.  {{spoiler|As this is ''Miles'' we're talking about, he gets better.}}
* In Ian Fleming's ''[[From Russia with Love]]'', the reader is led to believe this happens to [[James Bond]]. Fortunately, he got better in time for the next book.
* Gavroche dies mid-''song'' in both [[Les Misérables|the book]] and [[Les Misérables (theatre)|musical]] ''Les Misérables''.
* In Pat Frank's ''[[Alas, Babylon]]'', a teletype message from Jacksonville stops mid-sentence when the city is annihilated.
* In ''The Split Second,'' the second book in the Seems series written by John Hulme and Michael Wexler, this happens to Tom Jackal. His body is rapidly aging and he is talking to Becker about his family, whom he left behind to come help save The World (and The Seems): "Don't feel bad for us, son. Because our love will survive anything. And I know I'll see them in A Better ..." He would have said "Place," if he'd had the time... He just didn't quite make it.
* Pharaun Mizzrym from ''[[Forgotten Realms|War of the Spider Queen]]'' series once was held at wand-point by a fellow drow wizard. This guy would be more of a trouble if he could shut up on his own, though.
{{quote|'''Pharaun:''' ''(to a ''[[Literally Shattered Lives|glasstrike]]''-n statue)'' If you hadn't been so busy expounding on my foolishness, you might have heard the words of my spell.}}
* ''[[Discworld]]'':
** {{spoiler|Salzella}} in ''[[Maskerade]]''... [[Final Speech|eventually.]]
** A minor thief in ''[[Guards! Guards!]]'' turns around the corner and accidentally finds himself mugging a dragon, and dies with "Oh sh--" And then his ghost finishes "--it."
** Many an ancient lord's final words were, "You can't kill me, I'm wearing magic ar''rrgh''!" ("Armour" being the interrupted word)
* Lewis Carroll's ''[[The Hunting of the Snark]]''. The luckless person to find it {{spoiler| (the Baker)}} calls out "It's a Boo--!" and then {{spoiler|softly and suddenly vanished away, for the Snark ''was'' a Boojum, you see.}}
* ''[[Wheel of Time]]'' "You? No!" The word still hung in the air when death took him.” And that's the end of Asmodean. That's also all we hear about it for 8 books. It's slightly frustrating.
* Jake Featherston, the CSA's [[Adolf Hitler|Hitler]] [[Expy]] in [[Harry Turtledove]]'s ''[[Timeline-191]]'' series, does ''not'' commit suicide; he's still pushing his underlings to regroup when a group of black guerrillas spots them. "Get us some motorcars and--"
* {{spoiler|Javier Giscard}} in ''[[Honor Harrington|At All Costs]]''. He realizes that he's up against a weapon he can't hope to defend against, and manages to get through only half of his lover's first name before he's vaporized.
* Apparently happens to {{spoiler|Anna, the protagonist}} of the fictional story ''An Imperial Affliction'' within [[John Green]]'s ''[[The Fault in Our Stars]]'', as the story-within-a-story "{{spoiler|ends right in the middle of a }}"
* ''The Slithergadee'', by [[Shel Silverstein]]:
{{quote|''The Slithergadee has crawled out of the sea.
He may catch all the others but he won't catch me.
No you won't catch me, old Slithergadee,
You may catch all the others, but you wo--'' }}
** ''I'm Being Eaten by a Boa Constrictor'', also by Shel Silverstein, ends with the lines:
{{quote|"Oh, heck, it's up to my neck.
Oh, dread, it's upmmmmmmmmmmffffffffff..." }}

== [[Live-Action TV]] ==
* Malcolm Reynolds from ''[[Firefly]]'' wasted no time in shooting Dobson while the latter was in the middle of a [[Put Down Your Gun and Step Away]] moment. [[Crowning Moment of Awesome|Without even breaking stride.]]
{{quote|I'm not playing anymore! Anyone so much as'''''BANG'''''}}
* A wounded Damar tried to say some last words, but died after only saying "Keep..." in ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]''. Even that much was [[Throw It In|improvised]] and Casey Biggs admitted that he actually had no idea how he would have finished the line.
* ''[[Angel]]''
** In the fifth season, {{spoiler|Wesley shot his father the moment dad began threatening Fred}}. Fortunately, {{spoiler|it was just a cyborg with an illusion to make it look like dear old dad}}.
** In the same season, {{spoiler|Wesley did this again. While Angel is monologuing about how they're the good guys so they have to protect any member of humanity, Wesley kills Knox}}.
{{quote|'''{{spoiler|Angel}}:''' Were you even listening?}}
*  {{spoiler|Paul Ballard}} dies this way on ''[[Dollhouse]]''.
* In ''[[Lost]]'',  {{spoiler|Boone}} dies in the middle of giving a request to Jack. Later in the season,  {{spoiler|Arzt}} gets one when the dynamite he was handling blows up.
** Jack's [[What the Hell, Hero?|failed kill]] of {{spoiler|Locke}} would have happened this way, if the gun had been loaded.
** The last words of Juliet: "I have to tell you something, it's really really important..." Luckily, [[I See Dead People|Miles]] is there to relay what she intended to say. It doesn't make sense until the finale, when it's revealed that  {{spoiler|it was something she was saying to Sawyer in the flash-sideways universe/afterlife}}.
** {{spoiler|Ilana's}} Arzt moment in the final season. Killed while saying something seemingly very important in relation to The Big Bad, no less.
* ''[[Criminal Minds]]'' episode {{spoiler|"Mosley Lane"}}: The female unsub is held at gunpoint by one of her hostages and has the bad idea of mocking him.
{{quote|'''{{spoiler|Anita Roycewood}}:''' Come on, you gotta be kidd-- {{spoiler|BANG!}}}}
* {{spoiler|Kryten}} is killed mid-sentence in the last episode of ''[[Red Dwarf]]'''s sixth season.
** Parodied in ''Inquisitor'':
{{quote|"For some bizarre reason, my final word is Enig."
"Enig?"
"Yes, Enig!" ''(Inquisitor crushes Kryten's head against the wall with one hand)'' }}
* ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'':
** "She's not even half the girl she... OW..." Best [[Musical Episode]] ever.
** "Your shirt", {{spoiler|said by Tara after Warren shot her.}}
** "You don't have the-" {{spoiler|Buffy slices Caleb in half vertically… [[Groin Attack|from bottom to top]]… probably counts as a [[Stealth Pun]] too in this case}}
* Hearing this happen over the phone to two people in Atlanta is how residents of ''[[Jericho]]'' first learn it's not just Denver that got nuked.
* Happens to {{spoiler|Kate}} in ''[[NCIS]]''.
{{quote|'''{{spoiler|Kate}}:''' I thought I'd die before I-- *BAM!* }}
** And, a couple of episodes later, to the killer, {{spoiler|Ari Haswari}}:
{{quote|"Sorry to spoil your-- *BAM!* }}
* This happens to the Borg at the start of the ''[[Star Trek: Voyager]]'' episode that introduced Species 8472 (the baddies one level up on the [[Food Chain of Evil]]). Cue much ''[[HSQ|Holy Crap]]'' from the fans.
{{quote|'''Borg ships:''' [[Catch Phrase|We are the Borg]]. [[You Will Be Assimilated]]. [[Resistance Is Futile|Resistance Is]]-- '''KABOOOOMM'''}}
* Emmett on ''[[Chuck]]'' is killed in the middle of [[Mugging the Monster|calling someone a pussy.]]
** In another episode, John Casey kills off a bad guy right in the middle of said baddie giving off [[Evil Gloating|a gloating speech]].
* This appears several times on ''[[24]]''. The most recent{{when}} example coming from a private security goon holding a key witness at gunpoint. Jack simply dispatches him with a single shot mid-threat.
* {{spoiler|Stringer Bell}} from ''[[The Wire]]''.
{{quote|"Get on with it motherfu..."}}
** Also {{spoiler|Cheese: "There's just the street, the game, and what happen' here today. When it was ma uncle, I was wit ma uncle. When it was Marlo, I was wit him. But now, nigga..."}}
* On ''[[The West Wing]]'', in an almost painful [[Tempting Fate]], a secret service agent happens to walk in to a convenience store in the midst of a robbery. Only seeing one of two robbers, he gets him to drop his weapon, gets him on the floor, and then says the kid was smart, because he's secret serv--
** Actually, it didn't quite happen that way. They first screwed the audience into thinking he might actually, improbably get away with it because he ''does'' survive the tempting fate line about being secret service. Afterwards, when he's safe, he jokes to the clerk that he hates to be a problem customer, but if he doesn't get a Milky Way bar pretty soo--
* The Ice Truck Killer in Season 1 of ''[[Dexter]]''.
* A running joke in the ''[[Wayne and Shuster]]'' sketch "Rinse the Blood Off My Toga" involves people being killed mid-sentence as they try to tell the investigators [[His Name Is--|the name of Caesar's killer]].
* Happens in the ''[[Breakout Kings]]'' episode "There Are Rules", when the white-collar criminal who masterminded the [[Once an Episode|prison break of the week]] pulls a gun on his relatively violence-oriented accomplice, and the latter tries to [[Hannibal Lecture]] him:
{{quote|"...you got a problem, Ronald. You got nobody to pull that trigger for you. This is a job you can't delegate. You gotta actually dirty your hands for once, and we both know that--" BLAM}}
* In the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' episode "World War Three", one of the Slitheen gets one, getting out half of [[Precision F-Strike|"Oh, bollocks."]] before getting blown up.
* In the Season 3 opener of ''[[Chicago Fire]]'', in the flashback, Paramedics Gabriela Dawson and Leslie Shay are treating an injured person in a building, during what was originally intended to be Dawson's last call before she transfers to another firehouse. They're discussing this as they treat the injured person, and then this happens:
{{quote|'''Shay''': "You know, I'll never get used to--" ''sudden explosion, Shay is hit on the head by debris and killed''}}

== [[Music]] ==
* "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" by the Beatles. "But as the words are leaving his lips/A noise comes from behind"
* Vaughn Monroe's '50s novelty hit "In the Middle of the House" ends this way, with the singer run over by a locomotive.*
* Dream Theater's song "Pull Me Under'' ends like this.
* Pink Floyd's "The Final Cut": The line that goes "And if I'm in I'll tell you what's behind the wall" has a gunshot going off after "I'll tell you", suggesting that whoever was trying to say this line was shot. {{spoiler|Possibly done to obscure its reference to the main character in ''[[Pink Floyd the Wall|The Wall]]''.}}
* Assemblage 23's "30kft" ends with the singer's phone call cutting out.

== [[Tabletop Games]] ==
* Done quite humorously in the ''[[Dungeons and Dragons]]'' 3.5 supplemental ''Complete Mage'', in a line relating to a prestige class.
{{quote|''"Bah! Face one 'holier than thou' spellcaster, you've faced them all! This so-called scourge doesn't worry me at--"''|'''Count Lucius Darvold''', vampire lord, twice deceased.}}

== [[Theatre]] ==
* [[The Zeroth Law of Trope Examples]] strikes again, since this is how Hotspur dies in [[William Shakespeare]]'s ''[[Henry IV]], Part I'':
{{quote|...''O, I could prophesy,''
''But that the earth, and the cold hand of death,''
''Lies on my tongue. No, Percy, thou art dust''
''And food for--'' }}
** Prince Hal finishes his sentence:
{{quote|''For worms, brave Percy: fare thee well, great heart!''}}
* In the musical ''[[Les Misérables (theatre)|Les Misérables]]'', Eponine and Marius sing "A Little Fall of Rain" as Eponine lies in Marius's arms, dying of a gunshot wound. She dies before they can finish the last note.
{{quote|"And rain will make the flowers..."}}
** Gavroche, too.
** Fantine's voice trails off on her final words "And tell Cosette I love her and I'll see her when I wake. . ."
* In ''[[Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (theatre)|Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street]]'' Pirelli suffers a similar fate, Judge Turpin narrowly avoids it in the first act when Anthony bursts in, and Mrs. Lovett gets hers near the end.
* Sometimes during the final scene of [[Miss Saigon]], Kim dies in Chris' arms before she can finish the line, "How in one night have we come so far. . .?"
* Orin in ''[[Little Shop of Horrors]]''.
{{quote|'''Orin:''' Are you satisfied? I--laughed--myself--to--
'''Seymour:''' Death? ''(Orin dies)'' }}
* Cited in the song "I Love a Film Cliche" from ''[[A Day in Hollywood, A Night in the Ukraine]]'':
{{quote|''The killer's name, Inspector, is aaaaagh''}}

== [[Toys]] ==
* Several examples in ''[[Bionicle]]'':
{{quote|'''{{spoiler|Mutran}}:''' Amazing. If I could tap this energy, I could -- Wait! Yes! I see it now -- It's so absurdly simple. I can control this storm! All I have to do is -- YAARRGHH!
'''{{spoiler|Bitil}}:''' What do I gain by saving them? When I make it out of here, Teridax will see that I am his most trusted lieutenant! He'll see--
'''Narrator:''' [[Deadpan Snarker|No he won't.]] }}

== [[Video Games]] ==
* As if interrupting him mid-speech wasn't rude enough (with a flaming chakram to the face, no less), Axel also cuts Vexen's last words short in ''[[Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories]]''.
{{quote|"No! Please don't! I don't want to-!"
"[[Pre-Mortem One-Liner|Goodbye. *snap*]]"
[[Kill It with Fire|*FWOOSH*]] }}
* The player character in ''[[Alpha Protocol]]'' can do this to a ''lot'' of people during the game, depending on dialogue choices. They vary between extremely awesome, or incredibly chilling depending on your relationship with the person in question.
* In one of the later missions of ''[[Assassin's Creed II]], we see a guard reporting to the [[Big Bad]] that "Everything is going according to pla-"  {{spoiler|before being killed by Ezio, who had secretly replaced one of the others guards}}.
* In the ''[[Call of Duty|Call of Duty: World at War]]'' mission "Little Resistance", the landing craft the player character is in gets caught on something. A [[Non-Player Character|NPC]] then shouts "It's the coral! We're stuck on the cor--" * [[Pink Mist|Cue]] [[Boom! Headshot!|headshot]]* (A rather gory one at that.)
** Again, in ''[[Call of Duty: Black Ops]]'':
{{quote|'''{{spoiler|[[Morally-Ambiguous Doctorate|Dr. Clarke]]}}:''' Ah, yes, {{spoiler|the numbers.}} They're the key to-- ''(headshot)''}}
* This happens to {{spoiler|Cole}} near the end of ''[[Clive Barker's Jericho]]'':
{{quote|"Sir! I believe he is going to channel our powers against us, however, if you're currently in possession of --" *ZAP* "Silence, BITCH!" '''*SPLAT*'''}}
* Even in the original ''[[Call of Duty]]'', we get this memorable line
{{quote|Medic : Oh God. They're shooting medics too! They're not playing by the-}}
* ''[[Dead Space 2]]'' takes the cake; for the first time, you get to see a necromorph infection-and-mutation up Close ANd PERSONAL.
{{quote|'''Franco:''' You're in terrible terrible dang--AAAUUUGGGHHH! WHOOOO... *Snarl*}}
** CUE NECK AND FACE SKIN EXPLODING... on Issac's face.
* In ''[[The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion]]'', it is possible for a skilled archer to pick off Mankar Camoran midspeech with one shot if the difficulty level's dialed down far enough and the player's got a 100% Chameleon suit (or spell) to ensure the stealth bonus.
* In ''[[Fable]] 2'',  {{spoiler|end boss Lucien rambles on and on for some time after you interrupt his ascension to godhood. The player can kill him mid-sentence, with Reaver thanking them. Alternately, if left to ramble long enough, Reaver will shoot Lucien himself.}}
* This happens to Ultimecia in ''[[Final Fantasy VIII]]'', and again in ''[[Dissidia Final Fantasy]]''.
{{quote|'''True Ultimecia:''' Reflect on your... Childhood... Your sensation... Your words... Your emotions... Time... It will not wait... No matter... How hard you hold on... It escapes you... And...}}
* A terrified sailor in ''[[God of War (series)|God of War]]''{{'}}s first stage:
{{quote|"These creatures, they came out of nowhere! Our ships are all destroyed-all hope is lost, Spartan! Even for yo-" [[Pretty Little Headshots|*thuk*]]}}
* ''[[Grand Theft Auto]] III’s'' {{spoiler|Maria Latore}} apparently dies like this off screen.
* ''[[Half Life]]'' "Freeman! I was told to give you a message! Make sure you don-- ''thwip'' urgh-arrrgh". Couldn't have asked for a more punctual introduction for the assassin characters in the original game.
* {{spoiler|Kat}} in ''[[Halo: Reach]]'', courtesy of a sniper: "Where does he get off calling a demolition op Priority O-"
* In ''[[Killer7]]'', Dan Smith kills [[Complete Monster]] {{spoiler|Curtis Blackburn}} mid-sentence to deprive him the dignity of a [[Final Speech]]. Hey, the guy ''deserved it''.
** Well, he wasn't actually in the middle of a sentence. He just said "Guess it's time to close the curtains." before he died, so I assume that counts as finishing a sentence.
** An actual example exists in this game, though. {{spoiler|Christopher Mills said to Garcian, "30 years ago, you and Harman..." and then somebody shoots him, forcing Garcian to flee the scene, as he thought he was in danger.}}
* At the end of ''[[Killzone]] 2'' {{spoiler|Scolar Visari gets shot by Rico in the middle of his third epic speech.}}
* ''[[Legend of Dragoon]]'': {{spoiler|Lavitz Slambert}}, as he is fatally wounded: "Dart, survive... and..." [[Died in Your Arms Tonight|He dies in Dart's arms before he can finish.]]
* ''[[Mass Effect]]'': "You talk too much." ''[[Stuff Blowing Up|BANG]]''
** Many, many of the Renegade interrupts in ''[[Mass Effect 2]]'' use this, though it doesn't always result in the victim's death. In several cases, [[Player Character|Shepard]] simply punches the person in the face, knocking them unconscious (although this makes it no less of a [[Crowning Moment of Awesome]] on Shepard's part).
{{quote|"There are two ways down..."}}
** It's not always Shepard, either:
{{quote|''' {{spoiler|Wilson}}:''' "Miranda! I thought you were-" ''BANG!''
'''Miranda''': ...dead? }}
** Depending on your choices, you can have a spectacular one in ''[[Mass Effect]] 3'' on Tuchanka. And in this case, it's for a major character.
{{quote|''' {{spoiler|Mordin}}:''' ''(singing)'' I've studied species Turian, Asari, and Batarian
My xenoscience studies range from urban to agrarian
[[Major-General Song|I am the very model of]]-''(BOOM)'' }}
* Robert Barnes, a captured contact in the [[Nintendo 64]] version of [[Mission: Impossible (film)||Mission Impossible]], falls over dead when you try to talk to him. There's even a [[Lampshade Hanging]]:
{{quote|'''Ethan''': I ''knew'' he wasn't gonna finish that sentence...}}
* More of a "killed mid-thought", but during one conversation in ''[[Neverwinter Nights]] I'' an option for every response is "snap her neck", which interrupts the speaking character rather effectively.
* Towards the beginning of ''Penumbra: Black Plague'', the player can listen to a cassette tape made by a research member on the main weakness of the Infected. You can hear them growling and approaching as he speaks, and they attack and rip him to shreds right before he says the weakness.
* ''[[Saints Row]] 2'' ends with  {{spoiler|Dane Vogel}} getting his slimy-ass shot just as he's trying to spin things to his favor.
{{quote|'''{{spoiler|Vogel}}:''' But you have to look at the positives! You're alive, they're dead, and you have the Saint's number one fan running Ul--}}
* Nobunaga does this to Hideyoshi in the end of his campaign in ''[[Sengoku Basara]] II''.
** Magoichi Saika does this to to Nobunaga himself in one of Magoichi's endings in Samurai Warriors.
* {{spoiler|Kung Lao's}} death in ''[[Mortal Kombat]] 9''.
* Partially subverted in ''[[Star Wars]]: [[Dark Forces Saga|Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast]]''. While the [[Mad Scientist]] is giving an insane speech about how the galaxy will tremble before him, [[Badass|Katarn]] casually throws his lightsaber into the ship's shield generator, leaving it wide open to attack. Followed by a cheesy [[Pre-Ass-Kicking One-Liner]].
* In ''[[Tales of the Abyss]]'', during the Oracle Knight's attack on the Dreadnought the captain of the ship calling for assistance [[Never Say "Die"|wasn't exactly able to finish...]]
* ''[[Team Fortress 2]]'' does this in Meet the Spy, where the Soldier shoots {{spoiler|the BLU spy}} in the head with his shotgun. "He could be you! He could be me! He could even be-" *BOOM*
** "What? [[Wrong Genre Savvy|It was obvious!]] He's the RED Spy!"
* The intro cutscene of ''[[Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds]]'' has a Martian commander blasted mid-sentence while reporting on the poor state of the invasion. The elders change plans accordingly.
* Happens quite regularly in games in the ''[[Wing Commander (video game)|Wing Commander]]'' series that have speech, with taunts being cut off by the speaker's ship becoming rapidly expanding ball of plasma, courtesy of your guns.
* In ''[[World of Warcraft]]'', this is how the leader of the freed slaves in the Pit of Saron bites it. After you've killed the final boss he gives a very flowery speech of gratitude to the players. Right behind him is Sindragosa, Arthas' pet dragon, [[Surprisingly-Sudden Death|who kills him and 3/4 of the freed slaves with an Iceball to the face!]]
* ''[[The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past]]'': "Zelda is your..."
* ''[[Mechwarrior]]'' 2: "It's got a lock on me! It's got a lock on..."
** [[Expansion Pack|Ghost Bear's Legacy]]: "Neg base, I need units ''now''! [[Curse Cut Short|Freebirth...!"]]
* [[Brothers in Arms|Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway]]'' "'''{{spoiler|Garnett}}:''' Guys, get the fu-"
* A genuinely funny moment from the [[Sega CD]] adaptation of ''[[Space Adventure Cobra]]'' occurs when Cobra discovers that {{spoiler|the Parrot Grass on his vessel is actually a spy impersonating the plant}}. When confronted, [[One-Winged Angel|it reveals its true form]] and says "My name is--" before getting blasted to smithereens by Cobra's [[Arm Cannon]].

== [[Web Animation]] ==
* In ''[[Homestar Runner]]'', Strong Bad receives an email from someone named Trevor, who says "I am a vampire and"—and his message ends right there. After mocking him for leaving his sentence unfinished, Strong Bad suddenly comes to the conclusion that Trevor couldn't because someone put a stake through his heart while he was writing.
* In ''[[The Demented Cartoon Movie]]'', at least one scene ends with a character being blown up in mid-sentence.

== [[Web Comics]] ==
* ''[[The Order of the Stick]]''
** When Belkar kills the Chimaera at the very beginning.
{{quote|'''[[Meaningful Name|Trigak]]:''' You may have won this round, Order of the Stick, but we swear our revenge on you! When you least expect--! GAK! GAK! GAK!}}
** Xykon does this to a group of [[Hired Guns|mercenary ogres]] who are complaining about not being paid ''very'' early in the comic's run, (and then he zombifies their corpses so he can still get some use out of them), perhaps giving the first hint that he's not a [[Harmless Villain|harmless]] [[Contractual Genre Blindness|cliché storm]] of a villain, despite appearances.
** This is also how {{spoiler|Roy Greenhilt}} dies, mid-pondering in freefall.
** And in Cliffport, "[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0360.html I'm getting too old for]--"
** Haley {{spoiler|gets [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0789.html petrified mid-sentence] by Zz'dtri}}.
* ''[[Dan and Mab's Furry Adventures]]'': Dark Pegasus has a [http://www.missmab.com/Comics/Vol_923.php personal way] of killing people mid-sentence.
* {{spoiler|Mike}} from ''[[Its Walky]]'', in the middle of a [[Facing the Bullets One-Liner]].
* ''[[Sluggy Freelance]]'' had [https://archives.sluggy.com/book.php?chapter=24#2001-08-21 Zorgon Gola] from Punyverse.
* Not killed, but Charles in ''[[PS238]]'' teleports people away mid-sentence.
* There are several ones in ''[[Goblins]]''. For example, the deaths of  {{spoiler|Seth Brainwrath, Young And Beautiful (the fortune teller) and Saral Caine}}.
* [http://darthsanddroids.net/episodes/0455.html Count Dooku] in ''[[Darths and Droids]]'': "Non! Wait! [[Luke, I Am Your Father|Anakin, Ah am your f]]--"
* ''[[Schlock Mercenary]]''
** [https://www.schlockmercenary.com/2004-07-19 A single Kreelie guard on foot] hailed by an armed troop transport 
{{quote|'''Ennesby''': You there on the ground. Drop your weapon or be ''fired upon''!
'''Guard''': I'll ''die'' before I [THOOOM]
'''Ennesby''': "...finish my sentence", I think he was saying.}}
** [https://www.schlockmercenary.com/2018-01-07 An Unioc investigator] who "discovered" the hard way what happened to a destroyed vessel.

== [[Web Original]] ==
* ''[[Red vs. Blue]]'':
** This happens to [[Chronic Backstabbing Disorder|South Dakota]] after being caught and held at gunpoint by Washington.
{{quote|'''South Dakota:''' Oh, come on, what are you going to do, shoo-- *Bang!*
'''Wash:''' Yes.}}
** Also, every time someone gets shot, it seems their last words are inevitably [[Curse Cut Short|"SON OF A--"]]
** This trope was also played with in the last episode of the ''Blood Gulch Chronicles'', when Captain Flowers deliberately delayed revealing an (apparently) important piece of information about the Reds to Tucker. When asked why he was doing this, he remarked that he [[Lampshade Hanging|seemed to be dramatically pausing]] for some- '''*BLAM* ''' Hrrrk... Blaaah...
* Has happened a few times in ''[[Survival of the Fittest]]'', most notably to Josh Goodman and Katleen Martin.
*  {{spoiler|Zombie Boy/Bonz}} gets shot in the head by Yami Bakura with an [[Family-Friendly Firearms|invisible]] [[Running Gag|gun]] in episode 37 of ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Abridged Series]]''.
* In ''[[Awesome Series|Awesome Gaiden]]'' the [[Guide Dang It|Strategy Guide]] bursts into the room to aid the player against the [[Nintendo Hard|insane challenge]] of '''the tutorial level''' of ''[[Ninja Gaiden]]'':
{{quote|'''Strategy Guide:''' Hey you bitch! I'm the Strategy Guide! You can't mess with me!
'''Player:''' Thank God you're here!
'''Strategy Guide:''' Don't worry, pal. I'll sa-- ''(stabbed)''
''(Ryu [[Death Glare|glares at player]])''
'''Player:''' [[Oh Crap|Oh God...]] }}
* Presenting a list of [http://everything2.com/title/Incomplete%2520two-word%2520sentences%2520with%2520which%2520to%2520end%2520your%2520life Incomplete two-word sentences with which to end your life].
* In ''[[The Gamers]]'', Newmoon tries to do this to the bandit king repeatedly, but is thwarted by the DM.
* From ''[[The Adventures of Duane and BrandO]]'', we have Bubble Man from their Mega Man 2 rap.
{{quote|Bubble Man: The name's Bubble Man and I got somethin' to say-
Mega Man (Duane): DEAD. I'm not fuckin' with you. }}
* ''[[Death Battle]]'': [[Transformers|Starscream]]. "You haven't won. I'm invincible! My Spark lives. You can never defeat Star--" '''GULP'''  {{spoiler|Spark eaten by [[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic|Rainbow Dash]]. Yes, a ''[[My Little Pony]]'' character just defeated a giant robot.}}
**  {{spoiler|He survived, though}}
* {{spoiler|Roman Torchwick}}, just barely, in V3E11 of ''[[RWBY]]'' -- he's killed as he utters the last syllable of the last word in his last line.

== [[Western Animation]] ==
* ''[[Korgoth of Barbaria]]'' does an hilarious [[There Is No Kill Like Overkill|overkill]] version of this to a [[Giant Mook]].
* ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]'': Katara does this to some poor Fire Nation soldier in the middle of bragging to his friends in "The Southern Raiders", though if he could swim it's doubtful he actually died.
* Parodied ''[[Family Guy]]''. In "The Fat Guy Strangler", Patrick tries to strangle Peter as he is saying "Nothing left to do but finish this sen-"
* ''[[The Simpsons (animation)|The Simpsons]]''
** Arnie Pie says "Tell my wife I love..." before his helicopter crashes.
** Also, in the episode "Homer's Enemy", Frank Grimes has finally gone nuts over no-one else calling Homer on his reckless behavior, He approaches electric wires and says, "I don't even need safety gloves, BECAUSE I'M HOMER SIMP--" Then he touches the wires and guess what happens.
* A [[Disney Death]] example from ''[[Phineas and Ferb]]'':
{{quote|'''Phineas''': All right, Candace! Way to-*''Crash''*}}

== [[Real Life|Real Li...]] ==
* Did ''not'' happen to [[Sedgwick Speech|General John Sedgwick]], but everyone likes to quote it that way because it would be funnier and/or more ironic. (Mind you, those ''were'' almost his [[Famous Last Words]] — he said only one more sentence before being shot.)
* The last words heard from the Space Shuttle ''Columbia'': "Roger, uh, bu--"
** Comparatively, the last transmission from ''Challenger'' was, apparently, "[[Oh Crap|Uh-oh.]]"
* Peter the Great of Russia had decided in advance to name his heir on his deathbed. Unfortunately, his last words were "I leave everything to..."
* [[wikipedia:Texas International Airlines Flight 655|Texas International Airlines Flight 655]] was cruising at around 2500 feet, at night in near zero visibility, when the copilot became concerned about terrain (they had diverted from their normal course in the hope of avoiding a storm). He consulted the charts, and was startled at what he saw. He started to tell the captain that "Minimum en route altitude here is forty-four hun--" when they hit a mountain.
* According to [https://web.archive.org/web/20120626135017/http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/notorious/bernardo/36.html Karla Homolka's] testimony, Paul Bernardo began strangling Kristen French while she was in the middle of a sentence.
* Kevin Cosgrove, while on the phone with 911 dispatchers, is cut off when the North Tower collapses, along with a scream.
* The last words from the American submarine USS Thresher, in communication with a surface ship just before sinking, were "...exceeding test depth...".
* Frederick III of Germany was dying of throat cancer and could not speak in his last days. He started writing, "Victoria, me, the children..." before lapsing into unconsciousness and dying.
* [[wikipedia:BOAC Flight 781|BOAC Flight 781]] broke up in flight while the captain was in the middle of a radio transmission.
* [[Titanic|SOS SOS CQD CQD SOS SOS CQD CQD SOS SOS DE MGY MG-]]

{{reflist}}
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
[[Category:Death Tropes]]
[[Category:Index of Exact Trope Titles]]
[[Category:Last Words]]
[[Category:Badass]]
[[Category:Self-Demonstrating Article]]