Best and Worst Death Scenes in Wuxia

[sniffles]

I've been reading a couple of threads on another forum about the best and worst death scenes in science-fiction, and it sparked a desire to discuss a similar topic for wuxia.

So, let's talk about what we think are the best and worst death scenes in wuxia fiction and drama. We might as well include tv and movies along with the books.

I know some folks are going to vote for Ren Woxing's death in XAJH as one of the worst, because he doesn't die under the hands of another master martial artist. But I think his death is a good one because it's so laden with irony.

I also like Gongsun Zhi's death scene in ROCH, for similar reasons. It's completely ridiculous logistically - how did Qiu Qianchi have time to catch him with her scarf of belt or whatever while she was plummeting into the underground cave? But it's so deliciously ironic and full of well-deserved retribution.

Yang Kang's death in LOCH, however, is rather weak because the explanation is so convoluted. While he's dying he also vacillates between behaving as if he's gone mad and being perfectly lucid, which is rather annoying.

[PJ]

I pretty much -hate- the by-the-book death of every girl. They always do the same thing:

-smile and say I'm sorry

-(optional) ask the hero to take care of another girl

-then, start whispering about how good it would be if they could retire to the farm

-mind wanders away

-drop her head

[JamesG]

Best deaths.....Hong Qigong and Ouyang Feng.

Chp 11
"The two white haired men hugged each other and laughed. After a bout of laughter, the voices became quieter, then suddenly stopped, and the two of them lay motionless.

Yang Guo was shocked and kept on calling out, “Father, Senior!” neither replied. Yang Guo pulled Hong Qigong’s arm, but as soon as he did so the arm hung limp, he was dead. Yang Guo was startled and bent over to take a look at Ouyang Feng; he too had all lost signs of being alive. Though the two’s laughter has ended, their faces still held a smile, and the valley quietly echoed back the sounds of two people laughing. Northern Beggar and Western Poison had been adversaries for many years and they hated each other. And now they ended up dead together on Mount Hua. The two of them were enemies when they were alive, but just before they died they were hugging each other and laughing. All the feuds and arguments that they have had over the years were ended with a laugh!"

[jhudsui]

Yang Kang's death in LOCH, however, is rather weak because the explanation is so convoluted. While he's dying he also vacillates between behaving as if he's gone mad and being perfectly lucid, which is rather annoying.

I love that scene. The actual explanation for the poisoning is kind of weak but the lead up to it as Huang Rong slowly draws the story out of Shagu and the tension climbs and he tries to brainstorm some way out of Ouyang Feng killing him and fails is great, and I thought it was good drama for that to end with him becoming so desperate he snaps and does something that causes his own undoing.

[Ren Wo Xing]

Best deaths.....Hong Qigong and Ouyang Feng.

Chp 11
"The two white haired men hugged each other and laughed. After a bout of laughter, the voices became quieter, then suddenly stopped, and the two of them lay motionless.

Yang Guo was shocked and kept on calling out, “Father, Senior!” neither replied. Yang Guo pulled Hong Qigong’s arm, but as soon as he did so the arm hung limp, he was dead. Yang Guo was startled and bent over to take a look at Ouyang Feng; he too had all lost signs of being alive. Though the two’s laughter has ended, their faces still held a smile, and the valley quietly echoed back the sounds of two people laughing. Northern Beggar and Western Poison had been adversaries for many years and they hated each other. And now they ended up dead together on Mount Hua. The two of them were enemies when they were alive, but just before they died they were hugging each other and laughing. All the feuds and arguments that they have had over the years were ended with a laugh!"

I absolutely agree. This was actually my favorite scene in ROCH.

Bar none the most silly/laughable death is of a certain 'fast sabre' in DGSD...

[sniffles]

I absolutely agree. This was actually my favorite scene in ROCH.

Yes, I like that scene, too.

For a bad death scene that's not based on JY, I vote for the death of Empress Wan (Zhang Ziyi) in the movie The Banquet / Legend of the Black Scorpion / Ye Yan. She's mysteriously killed by some unknown person. I didn't mind the killer being unseen, but since every character who might have been likely to kill her was already dead by then, it was a bit disconcerting.

[JamesG]

Yes, I like that scene, too.

I remember feeling a bit choked-up when I was editing that chapter.

[CC]

Best deaths.....Hong Qigong and Ouyang Feng.

..... All the feuds and arguments that they have had over the years were ended with a laugh!"

JY plagarised himself on that scene when he did the same stunt for Li Qiushui and Tonglao in DGSD.

Too bad YG didnt get stuck between H7G and OYF. We wouldnt need to argue GJ vs YG then.

[kyss of the sword]

[QUOTE=sniffles;841467]
I also like Gongsun Zhi's death scene in ROCH, for similar reasons. It's completely ridiculous logistically - how did Qiu Qianchi have time to catch him with her scarf of belt or whatever while she was plummeting into the underground cave? But it's so deliciously ironic and full of well-deserved retribution.

[QUOTE]

actually, qiu qianchi tricked gongsun zhi into rushing at her to kill her and he fell down the hole she had covered up, when he was falling, he used the cloth he had to catch the leg of her chair and she was pulled down the hole with him and they plummelted to their death.

[flamer]

The "death" of MRB and XYS. Classic.

[sniffles]

I also like Gongsun Zhi's death scene in ROCH, for similar reasons. It's completely ridiculous logistically - how did Qiu Qianchi have time to catch him with her scarf of belt or whatever while she was plummeting into the underground cave? But it's so deliciously ironic and full of well-deserved retribution.

actually, qiu qianchi tricked gongsun zhi into rushing at her to kill her and he fell down the hole she had covered up, when he was falling, he used the cloth he had to catch the leg of her chair and she was pulled down the hole with him and they plummelted to their death.

Whoops! I did get that backward, didn't I. Well, either way, a highly improbable sequence of events.

[Guo Fu ):]

worst death scenes are all in XAJH:

third place. twin swords of dian cang, sword qi piercing the sky.

twin swords ran past xiang wen tian, not seeing him due to the fog, xiang wentian gave them a push and they fell down the cliff....


second place: Yue bu qun getting stabbed by Yi lin, that was just ridiculous.






FIRST PLACE. ren wo xing felling down a cliff.

[Extremer88]

Qi Fang.

She went back to save her hubby but got stabbed in return. Di Yun was unable to save her and can only watch her drift away.

[PJ]

JY plagarised himself on that scene when he did the same stunt for Li Qiushui and Tonglao in DGSD.

Yes, and it was their final laugh which later led to the exposing of SWORD GOD Zhuo Bufan, for which we're forever grateful.

Too bad YG didnt get stuck between H7G and OYF. We wouldnt need to argue GJ vs YG then.

Well, Daerba's disciples did, and look what happened to them.

[sniffles]

I was thinking about ROCH again today, and Zhao Zhijing being stung to death by bees has got to fall into the "worst" category. A well-deserved and ironic death, but just plain lame.

Come to think of it, Ni Moxing being killed by a hairpin to the skull is kind of lame, too, though the thought of the internal energy it would take to drive a hairpin into someone's skull is entertaining.

JY plagarised himself on that scene when he did the same stunt for Li Qiushui and Tonglao in DGSD.

He did it again in XAJH, too, with Liu Zhengfeng and Qu Yang, but they weren't enemies.

[pannonian]

Come to think of it, Ni Moxing being killed by a hairpin to the skull is kind of lame, too, though the thought of the internal energy it would take to drive a hairpin into someone's skull is entertaining.

It was especially impressive considering the hairpin had to go through both of Ni Moxing's palms before entering his skull, and the force wasn't even directly applied as is normally the case with the divine finger flick, but delvered from a distance to propel an already thrown hairpin. Before that, a couple of bangles, which are as unwieldy as projectile weapons go, were embedded deep in Ni Moxing's crutches as if they were originally made as such. It beggars belief how Yang Guo managed to pluck them off Guo Xiang's wrist and send them into Ni Moxing's crutches with such force and yet did not hurt Guo Xiang in any way. For the combination of power and finesse, this was arguably the most impressive feat of the divine finger flick in LOCH or ROCH.

[sniffles]

It was especially impressive considering the hairpin had to go through both of Ni Moxing's palms before entering his skull, and the force wasn't even directly applied as is normally the case with the divine finger flick, but delvered from a distance to propel an already thrown hairpin. Before that, a couple of bangles, which are as unwieldy as projectile weapons go, were embedded deep in Ni Moxing's crutches as if they were originally made as such. It beggars belief how Yang Guo managed to pluck them off Guo Xiang's wrist and send them into Ni Moxing's crutches with such force and yet did not hurt Guo Xiang in any way. For the combination of power and finesse, this was arguably the most impressive feat of the divine finger flick in LOCH or ROCH.

I'd forgotten all those details! Comes from watching the '06 tv series too much, where they leave out all that other stuff and just focus on the hairpin to the forehead.

Okay, this officially qualifies as an embarrassing demise for Ni Moxing, but an incredibly cool scene for Yang Guo.

[flamer]

It just makes me think. Yang Guo is awesome. But other Greats should be able to manage that too.

[Ken Cheng]

Ah Chu is a candidate for both best and worst death scene.

"Best" because it was dramatic and tragic, but "worst" because it's improbable that she could last a whole night after taking a direct, full-force Hong Lung 28 Palms strike from an enraged Kiu Fung.