The official discord link if you wish to join the discord: https://discord.gg/j5RKwCvAFu
Check out the Despera fan project!
Support the wiki on our official Ko-Fi page or Patreon page!
Finishing Blow
Overview
A Finishing Blow is a broad concept in fiction referring to the final strike that defeats an opponent or ends a battle. Often portrayed with heightened drama, these moments serve as emotional or climactic punctuation marks in a fight — whether the finishing strike is a scripted cutscene, a mechanical prompt, or a conscious special move.
While many characters simply land their last hit in a regular attack, others possess defined finishing techniques, such as Fatalities in Mortal Kombat or the Ending Blow in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. In these cases, the Finishing Blow becomes a repeatable skill or ability with unique visual or narrative significance.
A defining trait of many finishing blows is that they often surpass the user's usual strength or capabilities. The attack may seem disproportionately powerful compared to their normal strikes — either due to channeling full power, exploiting an enemy's weakness, or delivering a blow with added intent or emotional force.
In gameplay, finishing blows often function as:
- Context-sensitive takedowns
- Execution moves or QTE finishers
- Final attacks with special animations
- Abilities that can only trigger under certain conditions (e.g., low HP, stunned enemy)
In narrative media, a finishing blow may be:
- A signature move used to end major fights
- A symbolic strike signifying revenge, mercy, or triumph
- A dramatic moment timed with music, dialogue, or inner monologue
As a Concept
Finishing blows serve several narrative and thematic roles:
- Emphasizing the finality of a confrontation.
- Signaling growth or resolve in the protagonist.
- Giving weight and spectacle to a climactic moment.
- Reinforcing the difference in strength or style between opponents.
They are often choreographed or framed differently from standard combat to ensure the moment lands with full dramatic effect — sometimes accompanied by silence, slow motion, or flashbacks. They fully follow the Rule of Cool trope.
As an Ability
Some characters possess finishing blows as dedicated combat techniques that may have names, effects, or mechanical triggers. These can range from special attacks that trigger under specific battle conditions to named ultimate techniques passed down through training or legacy.
Also Called
- Final Blow
- Finisher
- Coup de Grâce
- Deathblow
- Ultimate Technique
Possible Applications
- Delivering a decisive strike to end a battle
- Executing weakened or stunned enemies
- Performing signature or cinematic kills
- Bypassing normal durability or defenses (in execution-based finishers)
Practical Uses
- Can showcase a character’s ultimate power or skill.
- May allow the user to exceed their normal limits or output for one final attack.
Variations
- Signature Finishers: Named, reusable abilities like Fatalities, or Limit Breaks.
- Contextual Finishers: Triggered during specific states like enemy stun (e.g., Assassin’s Creed or Batman: Arkham).
- Scripted/Cinematic Finishers: Pre-defined moments that occur in cutscenes, not player-controlled.
- Environmental Finishers: Kills involving the environment (e.g., ledge knockoffs, stage hazards).
- Combo Finishers: Attacks that conclude a combo string with high damage.
- Execution Mechanics: Game systems where finishing an enemy is mandatory to kill them (e.g., Glory Kills in DOOM).
Possible Limitations
- May require special conditions to activate (enemy must be weakened, stunned, or at low HP)
- Some enemies may resist or survive them
- Not always guaranteed to succeed in gameplay
- In cutscenes, may only occur under scripted conditions
- Can be interrupted or countered in gameplay mechanics
Notable Users
- Scorpion [[Mortal Kombat]|(Mortal Kombat)]]: Uses Fatalities as iconic finishing techniques
- Cloud Strife (Final Fantasy VII): Performs Omnislash and similar Limit Breaks as final attacks
Examples in Media
- In Mortal Kombat, finishing blows are ritualized through Fatalities, unique animations that reward the victor with a final brutal statement.
- In Twilight Princess, Link learns the Ending Blow from the Hero’s Shade, teaching him how to permanently finish fallen enemies.
- In Kamen Rider, most battles ends with a stylized Rider attack or finisher, often named and sometimes exclusive to that series’ Rider.
- In Final Fantasy VII, Limit Breaks like Omnislash are not only strong attacks but frequently used to end major boss encounters with spectacle.
- In DOOM (2016 onward), Glory Kills are execution-style finishers used to both end combatants and restore health, making them mechanical and cinematic.
- In Kingdom Hearts, whenever Sora uses his finishing combo attack, it deals twice the damage his regular attacks deal.
