User blog comment:Godisme/relics/@comment-4126675-20121108002608/@comment-4515326-20121108202559

Decapitation is the only surefire way from a reader's perspective, other than exploding like Yamamoto. We see people stabbed al the time, but we never worry, because then they get up and fight like they're absolutely fine. Even cut in half we think that blood flows from the head to the heart or something, they can be fixed. But head cut off, its pretty hard to heal