History DyingMomentOfAwesome / WesternAnimation

!!'''As a DeathTrope, all spoilers will be unmarked ahead. Beware.'''

* From ''WesternAnimation/ThePrincessAndTheFrog'', Ray's big YouShallNotPass moment against the shadow demons Dr. Facilier has summoned. He heroically fends them off before Dr. Facilier crushes him.

* ''WesternAnimation/AtlantisTheLostEmpire'': "Nothing [[LastBreathBullet personal]]!!!"

* ''WesternAnimation/TheIronGiant''. [[spoiler:The titular character saves a town full of innocent people from an ICBM by ''flying straight into it''. {{Subverted}} later when it shows that the Giant is NotQuiteDead.]]
-->[[spoiler:'''The Giant''':]] [[ItMakesSenseInContext "Superman..."]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower'', [[TheDragon Shadow Weaver]] of all people sacrifices herself in a MutualKill to stop a humongous creature that came close to killing both Adora and Catra. The resulting explosion is definitely awesome.

** The animated Turpin is an expy of creator/JackKirby, the character's original creator - who also created Darkseid as a representation of the horrors he witnessed as a Jewish soldier who fought in the Second World War. Kirby was famous for recounting how much he loved killing Nazis, and stories attest that he was willing to throw hands with them well into his dotage. When Kirby passed away in 1994, the show's creators decided they would send him off by having him spit in fascism's face one last time - Turpin leads the charge against the forces of Apokolips, before Darkseid kills him with a blast of his Omega Beams. Several of the mourners at Turpin's funeral are recognizable as Kirby's other creations - including ''Marvel'' characters such as Nick Fury. Marvel never said a word.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'': General Triester, knowing there's nothing that can be done for him on Earth, decides there's one thing to do: He shoots himself out of a cannon into space, wearing an American Flag as a toga while saluting, and with a note pinned to himself saying, "fix it" to whatever aliens might find him.

** Also in the same episode, Rhinox takes down the Nemesis by piloting a ship in kamikaze attack while declaring "For everything that ever was". However, it was averted in that he survived, as the ship manages to bullet through the Nemesis' walls and take Megatron with it.

** His evil clone Dinobot II has a sudden HeelFaceTurn in the GrandFinale, destroying the control panels of the ''Nemesis'' and going down the ship to a (second, sorta) death. In the same episode is Tigerhawk, who tries to take on the entire firepower of the ''Nemesis'' by himself. At first he holds his own pretty well, but Megatron turns the firepower of the ship up a notch, which ultimately destroys Tigerhawk. This actually helps lead to Dinobot II's HeroicSacrifice because he accosted Megatron for using the entire firepower of the ship on a single Cybertronian, but Megatron ignored him.

** His evil clone Dinobot II has a sudden HeelFaceTurn in the GrandFinale, destroying the control panels of the ''Nemesis'' and going down the ship to a (second, sorta) death. In the same episode is Tigerhawk, who tries to take on the entire firepower of the ''Nemesis'' by himself. At first he holds his own pretty well, but Megatron turns the firepower of the ship UpToEleven, which ultimately destroys Tigerhawk. This actually helps lead to Dinobot II's HeroicSacrifice because he accosted Megatron for using the entire firepower of the ship on a single Cybertronian, but Megatron ignored him.

* WesternAnimation/StarWarsRebels Commander Sato went down by ramming his ship into a interdiction cruiser to buy Ezra a chance to get help. Props also have to be given to the two crewmen who immediately realized his plan and stayed with him to help him.

* We don't actually see it, but in ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' it certainly seems Aang's mentor Gyatso went out with a bang; his body is discovered surrounded by the corpses of quite a few Fire Nation soldiers. Especially considering he's an Airbender -- a discipline which WordOfGod has stated is bereft of fatal finishing moves -- and his death occurred during the passing of Sozin's Comet, which boosted each and every one of those firebending soldiers' powers to ridiculous levels. In order words, ''he took out the multiple number of troops that killed him, whilst they were at their absolute most powerful, using the least aggressive form of bending''. Ask him again why he's a ''Master'' airbender.

** As for the guy who had the doomsday weapon installed, Hro Talak, commander of the Thanagarian forces who invaded Earth. Say what you want about the guy, but don't call him a coward. After the defeat of the Thanagarians on Earth, the Gordanians had entered Thanagarian space, but Hro Talak decided to make a LastStand and wiped out ''twelve'' Gordanian battleships almost single-handedly, and when his command ship was on its last legs, he had his crew escape on a small pilot ship while he rams his dying ship into the charged cannon of the Gordanian flagship, destroying it and several Gordanian ships in the process. Unfortunately, as awesome as it was, it was a PyrrhicVictory- Thanagar had already lost the war.

* Shows up in ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'', surprisingly enough. In Season 5, while trapped on the Gem Homeworld, Steven (a half-alien superpowered warrior) and Lars (a normal human teenager) face a bunch of {{Killer Robot}}s. Most get destroyed by Steven. Lars has finally found his courage in standing up for his friends, so he picks up a spike of rock and jumps on the last one, rides it around for a minute, then jams the spike directly into the thing's eyeball. It explodes- and hurls Lars into a pillar with a nasty crack, and he falls to the ground. Steven goes over to him, and [[TearJerker can't find a heartbeat.]] [[spoiler: Thanks to a miracle of Steven's healing powers, he gets better.]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower'', [[TheDragon Shadow Weaver]] of all people sacrifices herself in a MutualKill to stop a humongous creature that came close to killing both Adora and Catra. The resulting explosion is definitely awesome.
* Shows up in ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'', surprisingly enough. In season 5, while trapped on the Gem Homeworld, Steven (a half-alien superpowered warrior) and Lars (a normal human teenager) face a bunch of {{Killer Robot}}s. Most get destroyed by Steven. Lars has finally found his courage in standing up for his friends, so he picks up a spike of rock and jumps on the last one, rides it around for a minute, then jams the spike directly into the thing's eyeball. It explodes- and hurls Lars into a pillar with a nasty crack, and he falls to the ground. Steven goes over to him, and [[TearJerker can't find a heartbeat.]] [[spoiler: Thanks to a miracle of Steven's healing powers, he gets better.]]

* Captain Marcus from ''WesternAnimation/ExoSquad'', diving the disintegrating [=ExoCarrier=] ''Resolute'' into the heart of the enemy fleets to take as many of them with him as he could, and give a chance for what was left of the [=ExoFleet=] to escape. Never mind the whole situation was his fault for [[IdiotBall blatantly walking into a trap]].
** "Go back and tell Winfield to watch! Tell him Matthew Marcus knew how to die."
* We don't actually see it, but in ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' it certainly seems Aang's mentor Gyatso went out with a bang; his body is discovered surrounded by the corpses of quite a few Fire Nation soldiers. Especially considering he's an Airbender--a discipline which WordOfGod has stated is bereft of fatal finishing moves--and his death occurred during the passing of Sozin's Comet, which boosted each and every one of those firebending soldiers' powers to ridiculous levels. In order words, ''he took out the multiple number of troops that killed him, whilst they were at their absolute most powerful, using the least aggressive form of bending''. Ask him again why he's a ''Master'' airbender.
* In the sequel series, ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'', [[spoiler:Lin Beifong]] performs this, although in a nonfatal example. [[spoiler:[[YouShallNotPass She singlehandedly tears down one Equalist airship]] [[HeroicSacrifice to help Tenzin and his family escape,]] and she was about to rip the other one apart until she got captured. True to her nature, [[DefiantToTheEnd she refuses to tell Amon anything]] and graciously accepts her defeat as Amon removes her bending.]] However, before doing so, she made it clear that she was putting her life on the line, risking everything to help [[spoiler:Tenzin and his family escape.]]
--> [[spoiler:'''Lin Beifong''']]: Whatever happens to me... Don't turn back!
** Likewise with [[spoiler:Hiroshi Sato]]. After several years in prison for his crimes in Book 1, [[spoiler:he gets a chance [[TheAtoner to reconcile with his daughter and help her bring down]] Kuvira's HumongousMecha by co-piloting a Hummingbird suit.]] While everyone else distracts Kuvira, the Hummingbirds attempt to cut through the mech's armor with plasma torches, but the process takes too long and Kuvira is able to swat them away and disable one of them. It isn't until Korra freezes the mech with a river that they have enough time to cut through. [[spoiler:But Kuvira manages to free one of the arms before the cutting is finished, so Hiroshi fires Asami's ejector seat and finishes cutting just before the giant metal hand crushes him.]] His sacrifice opens a hole in the armor for the others to take the mech down from the inside.

* PlayedForLaughs in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'', when Fry gets carried off by a mechanical pteranodon. Subverted in that he lives.
-->'''Fry''': "This a cool way to diiiiiiee!"
* In ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries'', Superman has been beaten by [[PhysicalGod Darkseid]] and is paraded through Metropolis. Surely, the mere mortals the Last Son of Krypton had defended would gaze upon this and tremble before the might of the ruler of Apokolips, right? ''Wrong.'' Dan Turpin stood up to an alien menace that pummeled ''Superman'', and just in time for the [[TheCavalry New Gods]] to arrive. But before he leaves, Darkseid reminds the Man of Steel that "every victory has its price", and vaporizes Turpin with a smile on his face.
-->'''Superman''': (at Turpin's grave) "In the end, the world didn't need a ''super'' man. [[TearJerker Just a brave one]].
* ''WesternAnimation/AtlantisTheLostEmpire'': "Nothing [[LastBreathBullet personal]]!!!"
* ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'' gives us Terra, who breaks free of [[BigBad Slade's]] control and turns herself to stone to prevent him using her to destroy the whole city.
* ''[[WesternAnimation/LegionOfSuperHeroes Legion Of Super-Heroes]]'': In another nod to the comics, [[spoiler:Ferro Lad]]'s death is incredible in its [[HeroicSacrifice sacrifice]] and dignity.
-->[[spoiler:'''Ferro Lad''']]: Long live the Legion... *'''COSMIC LEVEL BOOM'''*
* Ripcord's sacrifice in the first episode of WesternAnimation/GIJoeRenegades certainly counts. [[spoiler:It was later revealed [[SubvertedTrope he survived]], but that was long after it seemed his death had become permanent.]]
* Flint Marco AKA Sandman in ''WesternAnimation/TheSpectacularSpiderMan''. He tries to heist an oil tanker, but in the ensuing fight with Spider Man oil starts spilling and then catches fire. Being a decent bloke in heart, Marco helps Spider Man rescue the crew, then throws Spidie himself away from the ship and, as it's about to detonate, forms a protective bubble with his own sand-body around the tanker. The explosion seemingly glassifies him. [[spoiler: However, he was revealed to have survived the explosion shortly after Spider Man left. He wasn't seen again in the series. One has to wonder what his role would've been if the series hadn't been cancelled]].
* Kenny from ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' has a few of these, what with him [[TheyKilledKennyAgain being Kenny and all]]. "Cartman's Mom is Still a Dirty Slut", "Mysterion Rises" and [[WesternAnimation/SouthParkBiggerLongerAndUncut the movie]] are just some examples.
* WesternAnimation/StarWarsRebels Commander Sato went down by ramming his ship into a interdiction cruiser to buy Ezra a chance to get help. Props also have to be given to the two crewmen who immediately realized his plan and stayed with him to help him.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheIronGiant''. [[spoiler:The titular character saves a town full of innocent people from an ICBM by ''flying straight into it''. {{Subverted}} later when it shows that the Giant is NotQuiteDead.]]
-->[[spoiler:'''The Giant''':]] [[ItMakesSenseInContext "Superman..."]]
* In Season 5 of ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'', [[spoiler: the Scotsman, now a [[HandicappedBadass wheelchair-bound]] geriatric well past his prime (yet still armed with a [[GatlingGood Minigun]] [[LegCannon peg-leg]]), has the brazen audacity to stall Aku himself from hunting down and annihilating his daughters like he did to the Scotsman's RedshirtArmy. Showing absolutely no fear nor respect for the world-conquering dark lord of formless evil, the Scotsman spends a solid 45 uninterrupted seconds berating and insulting Aku to get a rise out him before ''laughing in his face''. Aku vaporizes him with his EyeBeams seconds later, but the Scotsman still wins a moral victory by undoing Aku's progress and sending him back into the same depressive slump he's been in all season. Not that his death actually takes... [[BackFromTheDead the Scotsman's return as a Celtic-magic empowered ghost]] means [[CameBackStrong he's back in his prime]] and ready to go out, find Jack, and finally stick it to the "big baby," as he calls Aku.]]
* Although things take a turn for the worst in the BadFuture timeline shown in ''Future Shock'' before it was averted, ''WesternAnimation/GodzillaTheSeries'' gives one, albeit offscreen, to Godzilla himself, who goes out swinging against the Dragmas and takes a couple with him, all to save the last of humanity from them. Despite how heartbreaking it is to see his memorial statue, it's also a case of ItHasBeenAnHonor, as he defended humanity of his own accord without coaxing. It was also a middle finger to the Dragmas and their creator. Despite their best efforts to wipe out Humankind, Godzilla ''succeeded'' in saving enough of the populace that mankind endures, and are slowly developing tech that allows them to fight back. Even better, Godzilla saved Mendel Craven, who was able to give all the details on how to find and stop the Dragmas to the rest of his friends when they were flung forward in time, allowing them to prevent that timeline from ''existing'' by destroying the Dragmas before they could become the menace they would have otherwise become.
* In ''WesternAnimation/StarTrekLowerDecks'', Lieutenant Shaxs is able to transport Ensign Rutherford to upload a virus into the Pakleds' super ship. However, before the upload is complete, [[AIIsACrapshoot Badgey]] decides to ruin their fun by trying to get Rutherford killed, activating the ship's self-destruct. Shaxs ends up ripping off Rutherford's implant, shoving him into their shuttle and pushing him out, staying behind to fight off the Pakleds as the ship is destroyed. And Shaxs was still winning when it went up.

---> ''Megatron:'' I am your creator!
---> ''Dinobot II:'' And I... have my honor!

---> '''Depth Charge:''' ''"Raw Energon! Right through your [[OurSoulsAreDifferent twisted spark!]] TAKE IT! Take it straight to the Pit, YOU SICKENING PIECE OF SLAG!"''

* From ''Disney/ThePrincessAndTheFrog'', Ray's big YouShallNotPass moment against the shadow demons Dr. Facilier has summoned. He heroically fends them off before Dr. Facilier crushes him.

* ''Disney/AtlantisTheLostEmpire'': "Nothing [[LastBreathBullet personal]]!!!"

* Dinobot from ''WesternAnimation/BeastWars'', whose death is considered one of the best moments in the entire franchise. He even quotes Shakespeare.
-->"[[BeAllMySinsRemembered Tell my tale to those who ask.]] [[WartsAndAll Tell it truly, the ill deeds, along with the good, and let me be judged accordingly.]] The rest... is silence..."

* Kenny from ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' has a few of these, what with him [[TheyKilledKennyAgain being Kenny and all]]. "Cartman's Mom is Still a Dirty Slut", "Mysterion Rises" and [[WesternAnimation/BiggerLongerAndUncut the movie]] are just some examples.

* Although things take a turn for the worst in the BadFuture timeline shown in ''Future Shock'' before it was averted, ''WesternAnimation/GodzillaTheSeries'' gives one, albeit offscreen, to Godzilla himself, who goes out swinging against the Dragmas and takes a couple with him, all to save the last of humanity from them. Despite how heartbreaking it is to see his memorial statue, it's also a case of ItHasBeenAnHonor, as he defended humanity of his own accord without coaxing. It was also a middle finger to the Dragmas and their creator. Despite their best efforts to wipe out Humankind, Godzilla ''succeeded'' in saving enough of the populace that mankind endures, and are slowly developing tech that allows them to fight back. Even better, Godzilla saved Mendel Craven, who was able to give all the details on how to find and stop the Dragmas to the rest of his friends when they were flung forward in time, allowing them to prevent that timeline from ''existing'' by destroying the Dragmas before they could become the menace they would have otherwise become.