History AnyoneCanDie / VideoGames

* ''VideoGame/{{Metroid}}'' does this at points, with the obvious exception of [[MikeNelsonDestroyerOfWorlds Samus]] [[EarthShatteringKaboom herself]]. [[TheDragon Ridley]] dies in nearly every game but always finds a way to [[WeCanRebuildHim come back]].

* In ''VideoGame/TheLastOfUs'' this can happen any time, anywhere, with little to no warning before it happens. [[spoiler: A perfect example is Joel's daughter, who is killed by a soldier very, very suddenly. [[UpToEleven In the first minutes of the game.]]]]

** ''VideoGame/XComTerrorFromTheDeep'': Turned UpToEleven. With more multi-phase missions and a hell of a lot of DemonicSpiders, your soldiers tend to have a survival rate measured in minutes. And at the end of the game, when they defeat the BigBad and stop the alien city of T'leth, it almost immediately explodes, so they die saving the world.

* ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' always had LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters, and not a few of them would die at some point -- often killed by the players after JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope -- while some would return after that, but the ''Legion'' ExpansionPack really stopped pulling punches. The Broken Shore introductory sequence has Tirion Fordring (not just ThePaladin but THE Paladin) die helplessly around the middle, and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NG6zWDmix5s the conclusion]] has Vol'jin (the leader of the Horde) being mortally wounded and King Varian (leader of the Alliance) making a HeroicSacrifice. So that's three {{Big Good}}s in just one scenario. Clearly, Gul'dan and [[TheLegionsOfHell the Burning Legion]] are [[HeroKiller not to be messed with]], this time. The story of the expansion continues with named characters dropping left and right.

*** It's not clear whether the player party survived or not, but ruling out everyone ''but'' Ramza and Alma with absolute certainty is quite conceited -- they may have lived but parted ways after the final battle. On that note, the reason only Ramza gains frequent conversations throughout the game is because the gameplay mechanic -- sort of similar to ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' -- means that deaths on the battlefield ''will'' stick if the characters aren't quickly revived. The only exceptions to this rule are the GuestStarPartyMember(s), and once any of them join your party they lose this immunity (and with it, their storyline roles). With this in mind, the trope is actually reinforced quite strongly in VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics.

** ''VideoGame/TelltalesGameOfThrones'' is ''worse than the show it's based off of''. By the end of Season 1, most of House Forrester (including two or three playable characters), along with dozens of recurring characters, are all dead.
* Just like the comics and TV shows, Telltale's ''VideoGame/TheWalkingDead'' has no qualms in killing off its characters. And unlike the TV show where you can generally guess which character is going to kick the bucket because it's based on the comics, almost all of the characters in the game are original.

** Mr. Davis, Mrs. Davis and Sarah Davis in ''Davis Family Vacation'' -- An innocent and happy family on a vacation at London, [[DeathOfAChild all three of them]] [[WhamEpisode were killed by an]] [[AdultFear exploding truck containing chemical gas.]]

* ''VideoGame/GodsEaterBurst'': Say hello and goodbye to Eric der Vogelweid. He gets eaten by an Ogretail just after introducing himself.

* ''VisualNovel/FullMetalDaemonMuramasa'' has an absolutely massive cast and that is just as well given just how high the mortality rate is in this story. By the end of each route, the number of characters left alive can be easily counted on one hand. This holds equally true for the main characters with most being either dead or dying by the end, some of which can die midway through with little warning depending on the route.

* Say hello and goodbye to [[VideoGame/GodsEaterBurst Eric der Vogelweid]]. He gets eaten by an Ogretail just after introducing himself.

* ''VideoGame/Mother3'', the very first chapter there is a fire in the Sunshine Forest north of Tazmilly caused by the Pigmask Army. After the fire is dealt with, Flint recieves a letter from his wife Hinawa telling him that she, along with Lucas and Claus would be heading home through the forest (that had been set ablaze with fire). After looking through the forest, finding Lucas and Claus, but not Hinawa, a villager comes and tells Flint of her fate. She had been killed by a Mecha-Drago, a normally kind type of creature that had been experimented on by the Pigmask Army, by having one of its fangs pierce her heart. All this happens in the first chapter, before the game even starts.
** Claus, Flint and Hinawa's son, and Lucas' brother was killed trying to avenge his mother's death by the same creature who killed her. The Pigmasks found him, resurrected him, and turned him into Porky's slave robot "The Masked Man". It's not revealed he is Claus until the final chapter, where Lucas fights him one-on-one. Claus regains him memories during the fight. With his last bit of humanity, he fires a bolt of lightning towards Lucas, but he's wearing a Franklin Badge, which reflects lightning, sending his own attack back at him. He later dies in his brother's arms, saying he'll be going to where Hinawa is.

* ''VideoGame/ChroniclesOfElyria'' was advertised as the only [[MassivelyMultiplayerOnlineRolePlayingGame MMORPG]] where any mortal character, player or [[NonPlayerCharacter otherwise]], could be killed. (Unfortunately, the project’s current status as '' Main/VaporWare'' shows that the game itself was the one to meet an untimely end.)

* ''VideoGame/ChroniclesOfElyria'' was advertised as the only [[MassivelyMultiplayerOnlineRolePlayingGame MMORPG]] where any mortal character, player or [[NonPlayerCharacter otherwise]], could be killed. (Unfortunately, the project’s current status as '' Trivia/VaporWare'' shows that the game itself was the one to meet an untimely end.)

* ''VideoGame/ChroniclesOfElyria'' will be the only [[MassivelyMultiplayerOnlineRolePlayingGame MMORPG]] where any mortal character, player or [[NonPlayerCharacter otherwise]], could be killed, even if the developers will have to find a way to steer the story back on track.

* ''VideoGame/AzureStrikerGunvolt'' is notorious having bosses (with few exceptions) die after they are introduced to their respective stages, including those who are sympathetic. [[In the first game, Gunvolt and Joule are killed by the BigBad which leads to an AlternateTimeline where even the protagonists aren't safe.]]

*** By the end of the trilogy, the only major characters to be confirmed alive is [[BadassBeard John Price]], [[ImprobablePilotingSkills Nikolai]], [[MemeticMutation Private James Ramirez]], Sergeant Foley, Corporal Dunn, Sergeant Marcus Burns, Derek "Frost" Westbrook, Baseplate (aka [=MacMillan=]), Viktor "Volk" Khristenko, the Vorshevskys and Wallcroft.

** Season 2 is no slouch either. To kick things off, [[BackForTheDead they offed a central character from the previous season,]] [[PluckyComicRelief Omid]], right in the very first five minutes. After that, pretty much every single group that protagonist [[BreakTheCutie Clementine]] (a 12 years old girl, no less) meet will die. The cabin survivors ([[CoolOldGuy Pete]], [[ArtisticLicenseGunSafety Nick]], [[BlackAndNerdy Alvin]], [[NiceGuy Luke]], [[PregnantBadass Rebecca]], [[OverprotectiveDad Carlos]], Sarah)? Dead. The lodge group ([[BadassBeard Kenny]], Sarita, [[ManlyGay Walter]], [[FriendlySniper Matthew]])? Dead. The Howe's Hardware group ([[TheSociopath Carver]], [[TheDragon Troy]], [[DisabledMeansHelpless Reggie]], [[ActionGirl Jane]])? Dead. And then there's the 400 Days [=DLC=] characters ([[PariahPrisoner Vince]], [[BigSisterInstinct Shel]], Becca, Russell, [[NerdActionHero Wyatt]], Tavia) [[NeverFoundTheBody that's probably dead as well.]]

%% This page has been alphabetized. Please add new examples in the correct order.

* ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamKnight'', as the last game in the series (at least as far as Rocksteady is concerned), they took liberty to start killing people. Joker, corporeally dead at the end of Batman: Arkham City now exists as a cerebral infection, manifesting in hallucinations, taking over Batman's mind until he's finally overcome and "killed" for good. Poison Ivy dies. Black Mask is killed by Red Hood. Nora and Victor Fries leave Gotham with only days left to live, and either Nyssa Raatko or Ra's Al Ghul will die depending on a choice you make (though Ra's won't die immediately). And finally, Batman as the world knows him dies — whether Bruce himself dies is open to interpretation (it's unlikely, but open-ended), but his days as Batman seem to be over. His legend, however, definitely lives on.

** Yasir Al-Fulani in ''The Coup'' - Shot on live television by Khaled Al-Asad. His name literally translated to "John Doe".
** Sgt. Paul Jackson in ''Shock And Awe'' - Died after getting hit by a nuclear explosion and being exposed to excessive radiation. First major death in the trilogy. Shocking to first time players because his death is a brutal subversion of NoOneGetsLeftBehind. Also killed Vasquez, Volker and Pelayo.
** Khaled Al-Asad in ''Safehouse'' - Received the JackBauerInterrogationTechnique by Captain Price and was promptly shot in the head.
** Victor Zakhaev in ''Sins Of The Father'' - [[BetterToDieThanBeKilled Shot himself in the head to prevent the SAS and Loyalists from capturing him.]]
** Gaz, Staff Sergeant Griggs and Imran Zakhaev in ''Game Over'' - Gaz was shot in the head when trying to drop Soap to safety. Griggs was executed by Zakhaev. Imran himself was shot by Soap while he was distracted.
** Private First Class Joseph Allen in ''No Russian'' - Shot by Vladimir Makarov in order to frame him for the attack on Zakhaev International Airport. His death pretty much sparked the plot in [=MW2=] and [=MW3=]. Lev and Kiril died as well.
** Royce and Meat in ''Takedown'' - Teamed up with Roach to find Alejandro Rojas but were eventually gunned down by the Brazilian Militia.
** The mysterious High Value Individual in ''Exodus'' - His cause of death was unknown, and was never mentioned again for the rest of the game.
** [[AndNowForSomeoneCompletelyDifferent [=Sat1=]]] in ''Second Sun'' - An astronaut, he was hit by a solar panel from the satellite that was destroyed by the ICBM (Intercontinental Ballistic Missile).

** General Shepherd in ''Endgame'' - Killed in the most satisfying way possible by having [[EyeScream Soap threw a knife at his left eye.]]
** Andrei Harkov in ''Turbulence'' - Shot twice by Makarov. Leonid Pudovskin was also executed by the latter.
** [[BackForTheDead Corporal Griffen]] in ''Mind The Gap'' - A returning character from the original MW, he was chasing a train using a truck, but was wounded and ended up colliding with the train. The truck was then slammed into a support beam.
** Mr. Davis, Mrs. Davis and Sarah Davis in ''Davis Family Vacation'' - An innocent and happy family on a vacation at London, [[DeathOfAChild all three of them]] [[WhamEpisode were killed by an]] [[AdultFear exploding truck containing chemical gas.]]
** Waraabe in ''Return To Sender'' - Just like Al-Asad, Waraabe received the same treatment by [[ILied Price and was shot in the head.]]

** Team Metal which comprises of Sandman, [[Creator/IdrisElba Truck]] and Grinch in ''Down The Rabbit Hole'' - All three made a HeroicSacrifice by staying in a collapsing mine so the rest of the team can escape.
** Yuri and Vladimir Makarov in ''Dust To Dust'' - Russian good guy Yuri was shot, Mozambique Drill style by Makarov. Immediately after this, Price tackled him down and punched him multiple times. He finally ended Makarov's life by wrapping a steel cord around his neck and breaking the glass they were fighting on, causing it to snap his neck and died by hanging.

** To recap: Keisuke can be incinerated by Pazuzu and Kaido, Midori can be slaughtered by a group of civilians, Mari can be killed by Kudlak and be found drained of all blood, Haru can commit suicide by cop, Gin can be killed by the Shomonkai, you'll have to kill Yuzu - the {{Tritagonist}} of the game - yourself on any of the Chaos routes (as well as Midori if she's survived up to that point) and in the worst endings of the game (Early Bad Ending and Desperate Escape) ''everyone does''. And this is only the first game! Meanwhile, [[VideoGame/DevilSurvivor2 the second game]] is almost infamous for combining this trope with [[CruelAndUnusualDeath grisly]] [[UndignifiedDeath visuals]].

** ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOriginsAwakening'' starts out by killing off MauveShirt Mhairi and only gets worse from there. The story can end with all the potential party members dead - either by being killed by the player or if the final battle goes badly enough.

*** It's not clear whether the player party survived or not, but ruling out everyone ''but'' Ramza and Alma with absolute certainty is quite conceited - they may have lived but parted ways after the final battle. On that note, the reason only Ramza gains frequent conversations throughout the game is because the gameplay mechanic - sort of similar to ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' - means that deaths on the battlefield ''will'' stick if the characters aren't quickly revived. The only exceptions to this rule are the GuestStarPartyMember(s), and once any of them join your party they lose this immunity (and with it, their storyline roles). With this in mind, the trope is actually reinforced quite strongly in VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics.
** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'': [[RedShirtArmy The Crusaders aside]], we have every summoner who has attempted to defeat Sin in the past (most turn back before doing it, and of those that tried, only ''five'' have succeeded in a whole millennium), Maesters Wen Kinoc, Kelk Ronso, Yo Mika and Seymour Guado (one was already undead, however, and the other ''you'' kill. [[FourIsDeath Four times]]). Nearly the whole population of Kilika, a very significant proportion of ''all'' the Ronso in the world, many people in the Al Bhed Home, and (probably, but it's never mentioned) a lot of people in Bevelle when Sin crashes into it. Also of note, Yuna is actually ''meant'' to die because of [[HeroicSacrifice the nature of her pilgrimage]], but that one's averted. Only for Tidus, the main character (who is only a dream, kept alive by the BigBad), and Auron (who was already undead - but in this game, [[OurGhostsAreDifferent dying while undead is basically the same as dying the first time around]]) to die at the end instead. "Spira is filled with death" indeed.

** ''VideoGame/MassEffect1'' makes its move in this direction on Virmire. It's possible to lose Wrex before the mission proper even begins, and it ends with you having to choose between Ashley Williams or Kaidan Alenko - the other ''will'' die. Plenty of [=NPCs=], villainous or not, can be killed off through your actions too.

* As the name implies, ''VisualNovel/YourTurnToDie -Death Game By Majority-'' has several fatalities -- and in certain cases, it's effectively up to the player [[SadisticChoice who gets to live past that point]].

** ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11'' ups the ante by killing off [[MascotFighter Hanzo Hasashi, aka Scorpion himself]]. From the very first game in the 90s, Scorpion has always been the mascot of the series (and creator Ed Boon's personal favorite character). So to off him halfway throughout the campaign is definitely shocking. Apart from Hanzo, [=MK11=] also killed off other big names: [[DownerBeginning Sonya Blade (in the very first freaking chapter, no less)]], and Kano (both his past and present selves).

* In the original ''VideoGame/{{Star Fox|1}}'' for SNES, Peppy, Falco, and Slippy will die for real if they are shot down, in contrast to the later games where they just retreat back to Great Fox. In ''VideoGame/StarFox2'' this is still in effect, but it [[{{Permadeath}} also applies to the pilot you're currently playing as,]] (your wingmate [[JustifiedExtraLives becomes your extra life]] if you get shot down) so [[TheHeroDies even Fox himself]] is as vulnerable as anyone else.

* In the original ''VideoGame/{{Star Fox|1}}'' for SNES, Peppy, Falco, and Slippy will die for real if they are shot down, in contrast to the later games where they just retreat back to Great Fox.

** ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'' had fun with this trope. By the end of the game, a large portion of the main cast had been killed off. Most of them return in one way or another in [[VideoGame/MortalKombatX the sequel]], however. As revenants (basically undead, corrupted version of themselves).
** ''X'' itself gets pretty trigger-happy, although not as much as ''9'' did. By the end big names like [[spoiler:Mileena (got her face completely digested to the skull by D'vorah's bugs), Baraka (have his brain and heart ripped off by D'vorah), and Quan Chi (decapitated by Scorpion) are all dead while some characters such as Smoke and Kabal continue to be resigned to the fates they were dealt at the end of ''9'']].

* The original ''VideoGame/{{Saints Row|1}}'' dabbled in this by having Lyn, a main character of the Westside Rollers arc, murdered by said gang's ManBehindTheMan. The sequel, however, breaks out this trope in full force. Aisha, a major character from the first game's Vice Kings arc, is decapitated in the Ronin arc, supporting character Carlos is brutally mutilated in the Brotherhood arc (which forces the Boss to MercyKill him). Oh, and a bonus mission reveals that Julius, the original leader of the Saints and Boss' mentor, had betrayed him by planting the boat bomb in the first game's ending. He is subsequently killed by Boss.

*** ''VideoGame/SaintsRowIV'' brings this trope to its natural conclusion by '''[[KillEmAll blowing up the earth, killing anyone the Zin had not abducted]]'''.

*** The best example, however, has to go to the [[AngryBlackMan character Conrad]]. Appearing from the very first episode, [[BlackDudeDiesFirst Conrad can be killed in episode 2, 3 and 4]] (he can either be shot by Javier, eaten by walkers or hit by a truck), the biggest possibilities to die for a character. However, it is still entirely possible for him to survive all three events and come out alive at the end.

* ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'' had fun with this trope. By the end of the game, a large portion of the main cast had been killed off. Most of them return in one way or another in [[VideoGame/MortalKombatX the sequel]], however.
** ''X'' itself gets pretty trigger-happy, although not as much as ''9'' did. By the end big names like [[spoiler:Mileena, Baraka, and Quan Chi are all dead while some characters such as Smoke and Kabal continue to be resigned to the fates they were dealt at the end of ''9'']].
** ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11'' ups the ante by killing off Hanzo Hasashi, aka Scorpion himself. From the very first game in the 90s, Scorpion has always been the mascot of the series (and creator Ed Boon's personal favorite character). So to off him halfway throughout the campaign is definitely shocking. Apart from Hanzo, [=MK11=] also killed off other big names: Sonya Blade (in the very first freaking chapter, no less), Kano and Shao Kahn.

** Victor Vance, the protagonist of ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoViceCityStories'', is killed off in one of the very first cutscenes of ''[[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoViceCity Vice City]]''. However, ''Vice City'' actually came first and ''Vice City Stories'' is a prequel.

* ''[[VideoGame/BattlefieldThree Battlefield 3]]'' averted this trope until the mission ''Old Comrades'' where one of Dimitri Mayakovsky's friend, Vladimir is hit by a large piece of shrapnel that impales him in the chest. Later, in the mission ''Fear No Evil'' [[WhamEpisode where Jonathan Miller got his throat slashed]] (''[[PlayerPunch while you play as him]]''). Two missions later in ''Rock And A Hard Place'', two members of Misfit squad, Christian Matkovic and Steve Campo were killed off as well. The next mission, ''Kaffarov'' ended with the player forced to kill their commanding officer, Cole. Finally, the final mission ''The Great Destroyer'' have Montes being shot in the head by the BigBad. In the end, there's only about three named characters still alive (and two of them unfortunately were offed in the sequel).

** ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOpsII'' carries on the series' tradition of having a high body count, although with this game, you have the option of preventing (or causing) the deaths of certain characters. Depending on what you do will determine whether or not only a few major characters die, or if the game ends with [[KillEmAll just about everyone in the grave]]. However, some characters, like Hudson and Farid, [[PlotlineDeath will die no matter what choices you make]].
** ''VideoGame/CallofDutyInfiniteWarfare'' takes this to the extreme. Most of the named characters, including the main protagonist, die by the end of the final mission. The only ones who survived are the TheLancer, a woman soldier named Salter, along with three other unknowns. To bring the trope home even further, each named character (except the protagonist) has a [[TearJerker final message]] they left to their loved ones, which you can listen to during the ending credits. And the protagonist's dead body can be seen floating through space during the end credits.

* This is the point in the ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' series. Its a series about criminals, mobsters, drug lords and gang-bangers in a EvilVersusEvil scenario, what did you expect? [[BlackAndGrayMorality White Morality is almost nonexistent here]], the only character with full PlotArmor is the main character in each game who can get injured as much as you let and just walks away from the hospital if his health bar is depleted.
** ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIV'' deserves special recognition, as over ''half'' the missions in the game are about Niko being hired to kill someone or a group of people. Ironically, some of Niko's victims end up being the very same people he was working for just a few missions ago. By the end of the game, roughly two-thirds of the people Niko works for end up dead or in jail. [[SadisticChoice And depending on the player's choice]], Roman or Kate (the only two characters in the whole game who aren't even ''remotely'' evil) '''WILL''' die at the end. [[PlayerPunch There's nothing you can do to change that.]]
** ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV'' also has this in effect, especially with [[spoiler: Trevor stomping in Johnny Klebitz's head after turning him into a meth head, then just to make damn sure, he kills Clay, Terry, and any other Lost who get in his way, or just for shits and giggles.]] Or how about the ending, where [[spoiler: you must choose whether or not to kill one of the other protagonists, or reunite them and [[TakeAThirdOption kill all the antagonists you've been helping throughout the game]].]]
** In some sort of aversion of the immunity of the main character, in one of the initial cutscenes of ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoViceCity'', a character is killed, and some missions later he is revealed [[spoiler: to be the brother of Lance Vance]], when the game got a prequel, ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoViceCityStories'', that character is the main character, called [[spoiler: Victor Vance]].