Becky: I'm gonna hit you.
Rei: Don't say that after you've hit her.
Rei: Don't say that after you've hit her.
In a reasonable world, when someone does something wrong, they would receive a warning about the consequences prior to those consequences being inflicted. And in some settings, that is the case.
However, there are some cases where someone is so fed up with another person that they respond with violence first, then warn them that violence might be impending, as if they hadn't done anything yet. The hidden implication is that their initial violent act wasn't violent from their point of view, so them becoming violent in their view would be something even more extreme than what they just did.
If this is a bad guy doing it, they'll likely be The Brute, and if they have to respond with violence again, it's more likely to get... murder-y.
If done by a heroic character, it is likely to be used against a Butt-Monkey, The Friend Nobody Likes, Pervert Alliance, Accidental Pervert, or The Load, often with a side of Black Comedy. They may also be an Anti-Hero with a Hair-Trigger Temper.
In some situations, it might fall on a third party to deliver the "Warning" part of the equation, The Dragon or a sidekick, having to explain to the recipient of a Megaton Punch just what their infraction was, e.g., "Boss doesn't like it when people do that."
May involve a Megaton Punch, Cranial Eruption, Pervert Revenge Mode, Indignant Slap, or any number of violence-related tropes.
Compare Make an Example of Them, when someone uses violence, often lethal, against one party to serve as a warning to others on what to expect should they cross someone.
Compare and contrast Why Did You Make Me Hit You?, for when someone blames their target for violence after it was dealt out.
Compare and contrast Post-Mortem One-Liner for when the act of violence resulted in someone's death prior to a comment being made.
Contrast Shame If Something Happened for instances where a veiled threat is issued prior to incidents of violence.
See also Simultaneous Warning and Action.
Examples:
open/close all folders
Anime & Manga
- Ben-To: Any time Yo Satou spends time with Hana Oshiroi, he is physically assaulted by Ume Shiraume, who will then "warn" him that she's on the verge of getting angry with him.
- Dragon Ball Z: In one of the movies, when Meta-Cooler is about to deliver a devastating blow to Goku, he's suddenly kicked away by Vegeta making a Big Damn Heroes entrance while making a speech about how he's not there to save "Kakarot", but to punish Meta-Cooler for daring to attack ''his'' prey.
- Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu: The series opens with Sousuke detonating a set of shoe lockers after finding that someone had placed something in his own. Kaname rushes in, slaps him with her Paper Fan of Doom, then chides him, "Exactly why are you blowing things up so early!? Explain yourself!"
- My-HiME: Done mutually by Shizuru and Haruka to each other in one scene.
- When Yukino accuses Shizuru of doing something to Natsuki in her sleep, Shizuru neither confirms nor denies, but instead accuses Yukino of voyeurism. Haruka delivers an Indignant Slap on Yukino's behalf.
Haruka: You have no right to accuse Yukino of anything. EVER!
- Immediately after, Haruka, who is no fan of Shizuru's, tells her that she feels relationships between women are disgusting (which, ironically, Shizuru agrees with) and says both Shizuru and Natsuki are filthy for it. Shizuru delivers her own Indignant Slap on Natsuki's behalf.
Shizuru: What happened was something that I did to her. I will not allow you to insult Natsuki.
- When Yukino accuses Shizuru of doing something to Natsuki in her sleep, Shizuru neither confirms nor denies, but instead accuses Yukino of voyeurism. Haruka delivers an Indignant Slap on Yukino's behalf.
- One Piece: Nami beats up the Monster Trio for giving all of Fishman Island treasure, to Big Mom, and then says that she will start beating them up now.
Nami: I’ll punch you out!Chopper: You did that already!
- Pani Poni Dash!: Becky is eating lunch with her students and is trying to concentrate on eating her hot bowl of ramen. Himeko is doing her usual Genki Girl antics, which annoys Becky enough to suddenly slap the back of her head.
Becky: I'm gonna hit you.
Rei: Don't say that after you've hit her. - Soul Eater: When Lord Death gets annoyed by Spirit Albarn wailing about his relationship with Maka, he hits him on the head with his Reaper Chop before warning him. Spirit even lampshades it.
Lord Death: If you don't shut up, I'm going to use my Reaper Chop to split your head open!
Spirit: It's more effective if you warn before you chop. - Urusei Yatsura: Lum, upon believing that she and Ataru were now "married", delivers a strong electric shock while she's hugging him, then tells him that cheating on her is a "no-no".
Comic Strips
- Calvin and Hobbes: In the strip for February 17, 1994, Hobbes hits Calvin with a snowball and yells "LOOK OUT!" after the snowball hits him. Hobbes then tells the irritated Calvin "My snowballs go faster than the speed of sound." Calvin calls him a liar.
- A 1920s Heinrich Zille
caricature has a burly-looking bouncer addressing a pile of roughed-up patrons that he's just unceremoniously dumped on the pavement outside the club:
"And next time, I'm gonna get unpleasant!"
Fan Works
- King Explosion Murder the Shield Hero: After Bakugo manages to have the bulk of Aultcray's soldiers beaten to the ground when they tried to arrest him and his party, he proceeds to slam Aultcray face-first into a wall before giving the corrupt consort a speech on why he does not own or have anything on Bakugo, who punches the king in the middle of the speech. Bakugo proceeds to take Aultcray's fallen crown as he warns him against trying anything awful on Bakugo himself, his party, or innocents Bakugo associates with before blowing the crown up with an explosion as he explains that Aultcray will find himself begging for death if he ever does such horrible things.
Films — Live-Action
- Deadpool & Wolverine: After having his leg stabbed, followed by getting chewed out to hell-and-back by Wolverine for lying to him about saving their universes from being erased by Paradox and the TVA, Deadpool can only uncharacteristically say that he's gonna fight Wolverine in a very calm voice.
- Rocketman (2019): Following Elton's freakout and near-desertion of a concert in favor of coming out to his mother (the thing John wanted him to do, just not then and there), John storms over and grabs him while cursing him out for jeopardizing the show. Elton, already distraught from his mother's callous remarks, shoves John off of him. John strikes him in the face, before telling him to never put a hand on him.
Literature
- INVADERS of the ROKUJYOUMA!?: Shizuka Kasagi, upon hearing a commotion in the titular apartment, for which she is the landlady, enters and finds scorch marks, a broken window, and several uninvited people. She proceeds to beat the utter snot out of everyone in the room, including an Alien Princess with advanced tech and her retainer, a "Cosplayer", a Subterranean Princess, and a non-corporeal Cute Ghost Girl. She then forces them all to sign a peace accord and informs them that if they ever damage the apartment again, she'll make them regret... that they're still alive.
- Kino's Journey: The guards in the Colliseum story arc constantly refer to Kino as "Little boy". Kino asks them several times not to do so. When they ignore her, she shoots the helmets off of the guards, then says, utterly deadpan, "I said 'Don't call me little boy'."
- Log Horizon: A Running Gag throughout the series is that anytime Naotsugu says something perverted, Akatsuki kicks him in the face and then asks Shiroe, "My lord, may I kick this perverted man in the face?" Naotsugu frequently lampshades it by complaining that she needs to ask that before kicking him.
- Slayers: This is almost a hallmark of the series' heroine, Lina Inverse, who is known for her Hair-Trigger Temper.
- In the first movie, when Naga is hired by a group of bandits to take on Lina, the buxom sorceress is making a speech to Lina about taking her down, while engaging in her Noblewoman's Laugh. Lina doesn't even let Naga finish before she hits her with a Fireball spell, then lectures her for working for Obviously Evil bad guys. Naga protests that you shouldn't judge people by appearances, which Lina grants is true, but concludes that the guys are bandits. Naga changes sides, dismissing the fact that Lina just literally roasted her.
- The fastest way to draw out Lina's rage, not that it's difficult, is to steal her food. She will constantly deliver a blow to the head to anyone who does so and then tell them that if they take her food, she'll get angry.
Live-Action TV
- Castle: In "Headhunters", after spending the episode shadowing Cowboy Cop Ethan Slaughter, Castle gets suckerpunched in the gut by the rogue detective, who then tells him he'd better not ever see a character based on him in one of Castle's books or "we're gonna have words."
- Game of Thrones: In "Walk Of Punishment", after capturing Sandor "The Hound" Clegane, the Brotherhood Without Banners put a hood over his head and march him into a wagon so he can be taken to their hideout without learning the route. On the way into the wagon, however, Anguy takes advantage of the Hound's height by smacking him headfirst into the wagon's roof. "Watch yer 'ead," he remarks cheerily as the Hound is dragged inside.
Video Games
- Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon: At the start of Chapter 3, the Planetary Closure Administration begins sweeping Rubicon with its Suppression Fleet, issuing warnings that everyone on the planet must surrender or die. You receive this warning after one of those warships (and its complement of Humongous Mecha) tried to kill you, unannounced.
- Final Fantasy XIV: In the "Seekers of Eternity" patch for Dawntrail, the Big Bad launches a sneak attack on the Warrior of Light... in the form of a massive lightning bolt drawn from an entire city's power source. While the Warrior survives the attack, it leaves them incapacitated for the rest of the scene. The villains then demand the return of the key to interdimensional fusion. The Warrior can lampshade the absurdity of attacking with intent to kill before asking them anything, to which one villain concedes that "the other way around may have been more appropriate".
- Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance: As he drives into Denver, Raiden suddenly gets shot at through his window by the police. Only after shooting do they tell him to pull over.
- Done to the player in Pico's School. The opening of the game only puts up its Content Warning after Cassandra has already blown the teacher's head off.
Your computer is unable to process the immense amount of blood flying around the screen at this time. The genocide will be over in just a moment. Thank you.
- Tales of Symphonia: A minor running gag in skits between Sheena and Zelos is for Zelos to say something insensitive or perverted, to which Sheena responds that she's going to smack him after she has already done so.
Sheena: I'll smack you!
Zelos: Don't say that after you've already smacked me!
Visual Novels
- Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony: At the end of Chapter 1, Kaito warns Shuichi to grit his teeth after he's already punched him in the face.
Web Animation
- DEATH BATTLE!: In the episode pitting Omni-Man VS Homelander, Nolan returns home to find Debbie dead and burnt to a crisp, with a cocky Homelander in his house, not so subtly letting on that he murdered his wife just to intimidate him. Nolan can only calmly tell him exactly what he plans to do to him for it...
Homelander: You know, Nolan... Homelander is more than just a superhero. It might be cynical to say this, but he's... a brand. And it's very important to me that that brand... means something. And if I'm playing second-fiddle to some goddamn alien... What's really the point, right? [...] So, do we have an understanding? Get the fuck out of my country.Omni-Man: [takes a deep breath] I am going to feed you your own heart.note
Western Animation
- Looney Tunes: There are numerous occasions where Bugs Bunny will trick an enemy into walking off of steep ledges, through doors leading to nowhere, or onto trap pits (often of the villain's own devising), and then call to them after they've fallen with a loud thud and/or clatter, "Watch that first step. It's a lulu."
- The Simpsons: In "Deep Space Homer", Homer, Bart, and Lisa watch an episode of The Itchy & Scratchy Show titled "Scar Trek: The Next Laceration", which involves Itchy cutting Scratchy in half with Saturn's rings, then making his head explode. Following the cartoon is a viewer advisory warning that says, "The preceding program contained scenes of extreme violence and should not have been viewed by young children."
