(I'm not very familiar with Gen 4-7 so I wanted to make sure I'm not missing something) Whether in the anime, games, or what have you, are there any attacks that are so powerful that the opponent could literally die or be in seriously bad shape if they don't find a way to heal themselves? This probably seems random, but I'm writing something and just need to know if this kind of move is a thing or not lol.
If we're talking realistically, there are tons that could kill a mon. In the context of the official series? Nope. Death through moves is not a part of it.
Death through moves don't seem to be part of the anime or games...however, the early Pokémon Adventures manga...yeah, maybe you should check that out.
I guess I'm thinking more in the sense of, like, if you get bitten by a zombie, you're in seriously bad shape unless you find some kind of remedy. Have there been any kind of moves like that in recent years, that are like poison in that way? I know this sort of thing never really existed in the earlier gens, but I was just curious if that changed at all over the years. People tell me Pokémon has gotten a lot darker in some ways lol.
If we look at it realistically pretty much any move that deals damage would be dangerous if not outright lethal. Poison Sting? Well you're poisoned now. Ember? Now you have painful burns. Bite? Depends on where the bite is delivered. Then there's the really big moves like Earthquake mentioned earlier oh boy we have seen what earthquakes do out in the real world. For obvious reasons they don't include that in the franchise since is mainly aimed at younger people.
There's been a few times in the anime where it seems implied that a Pokémon could die if it was mauled by wild Pokémon, and its trainer didn't get it medical attention in time (I think that was part of the plot of the "Squirtle Squad" episode, but I'd have to check...it's been a while since I've seen that episode). Then again, the anime seems to flip-flop on whether a Pokémon knocked out in battle needs to be rushed to a Pokémon Centre, or just needs to be returned to its ball with a quick "You did well, now take a rest.", depending on what's more convenient/dramatic. The anime also implies that Pokémon could die, or at least become seriously ill from untreated poisoning - although given that its a series aimed towards children, they never outright say Pokémon are in danger of death, just that they're "in serious trouble" or something like that. There's an episode where Brock is forced to take care of a bunch of baby Pokémon poisoned by a Tentacruel, where their condition looks bleak, and it seems like they could die without treatment...but there's also an episode where a Sharpedo is poisoned, is ill overnight, but has recovered by morning without any treatment being given.
Guillotine. I'm sure we can all guess what this move is meant to do, and the fact that it's a one-kit KO move doesn't help matters at all.