History Main / AlmostDeadGuy

* ''TableopGame/Pathfinder'': One mission in the ''Zeitgeist'' adventure path involves a seer on the verge of dying of old age, using the last of his strength to deliver his final prophecies. [[spoiler:If the heroes foil the assassination attempt on him, he successfully says the prophecies and dies immediately afterwards.]]

* ''Fanfic/EchoesOfEternity'' uses the UnreliableNarrator version[[note]]Maria getting shot then making a speech, not Maria getting shot ''after'' the speech[[/note]] of Maria's death from ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog''. As a result, she gets shot several times in the back, gets back up after a period, and delivers a speech to Shadow. Mind you, Maria is a terminally ill 12-year-old. She was just ''[[{{Determinator}} that]]'' determined.

See also FinalSpeech. If no one is nearby to hear the message when the guy "graduates" from the "almost" part, there's an option of leaving behind a DeadManWriting. See WringEveryLastDropOutOfHim for when the death is less useful.

* In the original ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}'' movie, ''Film/{{Gojira}}'', some shipwrecked mariners are found. They say that they were attacked by a monster, and then die almost immediately after of radiation burns. This was actually subverted. The guy who washes up on shore near the beginning of the movie survives and moves back in his with family in the village. Of course, the brutal irony here is when he's eventually killed by Godzilla ''anyway'' when the monster tramples the village during the night, as he's the same guy who throws open the door during the storm and screams as he meets Godzilla face-to-face. The commentary on the Classic Media two-disc set talks about this misconception in great detail, and you can blame it somewhat on the American version's choppy editing and translating.

* The ''Anime/MegaManNTWarrior'' anime does this unusually often with Glyde. When Colorman/[=Wackoman=] takes him down, he tells Mega Man, "beware the...ball..." and similarly, when taken down by a plant-themed Navi he whispers, "beware...the vines..." -- this guy pretty much IS this trope personified.

* In ''Manga/NausicaaOfTheValleyOfTheWind'', the princess of Pejite, after an airship crash, survives just long enough to identify herself to Nausicaa and tell her to "burn the cargo" (destroy the God Warrior).

* ''Manga/OnePiece'',

* ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'':
** In "[[Recap/StarTrekS1E14BalanceOfTerror Balance of Terror]]", the AlmostDeadGuy is Commander Hanson of Asteroid Outpost 4 on the edge of the Neutral Zone between Federation & Romulan space. He lives long enough to describe the attack that devastated his outpost and two others, before the Romulan ship returns and vaporizes his outpost.
** Subverted in "[[Recap/StarTrekS2E13Obsession Obsession]]" when Captain Kirk interrogates a dying RedShirt about the MonsterOfTheWeek which attacked him, believing it's a creature he's encountered before. As the redshirt is drugged and semi-conscious, and he's just responding to questions that Kirk is demanding of him, Bones points out that he could just be saying what he thinks the captain wants to hear.
* ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'': Somewhat subverted in the final episode. Actor Casey Biggs didn't want Damar to go out without some last words, so Damar says "Keep..." just before he dies. Biggs later admitted he had no idea what would have come after "keep."
* ''Series/StarTrekPicard'': In "Nepenthe", after receiving a fatal wound, Hugh survives just long enough to provide Elnor with vital information about the queencell, persuade the Qowat Milat disciple to TakeUpMySword because it's a lost cause, and utter a few touching final words. Hugh then conveniently expires right after he's finished.

* In ''[[Literature/WarriorCats Warriors]]'', this happens with Bluestar (who gets to say goodbye to her kits), Yellowfang (thanking Fireheart), and Hawkfrost (sneering at Brambleclaw). There are more. Also Downplayed, as Ravenpaw (who announces Redtail's death) falls.. but he's just unconscious.

* Gauron from ''Literature/FullMetalPanic''loses all of his limbs from sharks eating them, loses an eye, and half of the skin on his face (on the same side as his lost eye) had become keloidal. Of course, the guy ends up being able to hold on like that for ''six months'', and it's implied that the only thing that sustained him was [[StalkerWithACrush his desire to see Sousuke again]]. He's shown to be ''insanely'' happy to see Sousuke again, and although most of his last words to Sousuke only seem to piss Sousuke off, he ''does'' end up giving Sousuke an important clue ("Badham") that was necessary for a future mission. The rest of his last words were mostly for his own self satisfaction, [[MindRape screwing with Sousuke's mind]] because he's [[AxCrazy crazy that way]]. Interestingly enough, he does manage to say all that he wants to say, and the person who ends up cutting him off and killing him is Sousuke (which is [[ManipulativeBastard exactly what the guy wanted]]).

->'''{{Mook}}:''' You're too late. Hapsburg has Plan B in ... in ...\\

* Adolf Junkers in ''Anime/{{Monster}}'', who has the honor of reuniting his murderer with the good doctor who saved him.

Pretty much the opposite of the ImpededMessenger. Also contrast with NotQuiteDead, and with OnlyMostlyDead, in which proximity to death is the same, but the implication is that the patient can be saved. Compare with HisNameIs where he dies just before he can give out the information. If it's a MacGuffin or another PlotDevice that's bequeathed rather than information, it's ImDyingPleaseTakeMyMacGuffin.

* ''WesternAnimation/CaptainPlanetAndThePlaneteers'': Downplayed in "[[Recap/CaptainPlanetAndThePlaneteersS2E23HateCanal Hate Canal]]". Ma-Ti, very sick after being bitten by one of Skumm's mutated rats, manages to use his Heart power just long enough to give local pathologist Risa an idea how to fix the problem. After delivering the message, he falls unconscious again, but the proposed antidote keeps him and the other victims from actually dying.

* Gauron from ''LightNovel/FullMetalPanic'' -- namely in ''The Second Raid''. He pretty much lost all of his limbs from sharks eating them, lost an eye, and half of the skin on his face (on the same side as his lost eye) had become keloidal. Of course, the guy ends up being able to hold on like that for ''six months'', and it's implied that the only thing that sustained him was [[StalkerWithACrush his desire to see Sousuke again]]. He's shown to be ''insanely'' happy to see Sousuke again, and although most of his last words to Sousuke only seem to piss Sousuke off, he ''does'' end up giving Sousuke an important clue ("Badham") that was necessary for a future mission. The rest of his last words were mostly for his own self satisfaction, [[MindRape screwing with Sousuke's mind]] because he's [[AxCrazy crazy that way]]. Interestingly enough, he does manage to say all that he wants to say, and the person who ends up cutting him off and killing him is Sousuke (which is [[ManipulativeBastard exactly what the guy wanted]]).

* A nameless knight gets this honor in ''LightNovel/TheSacredBlacksmith'' in the first episode, to inform our heroes that they were ambushed. Whether he lived or not isn't mentioned.

** In "Balance of Terror", the AlmostDeadGuy is Commander Hanson of Asteroid Outpost 4 on the edge of the Neutral Zone between Federation & Romulan space. He lives long enough to describe the attack that devastated his outpost and two others, before the Romulan ship returns and vaporizes his outpost.
** Subverted in "Obsession" when Captain Kirk interrogates a dying RedShirt about the MonsterOfTheWeek which attacked him, believing it's a creature he's encountered before. As the redshirt is drugged and semi-conscious, and he's just responding to questions that Kirk is demanding of him, Bones points out that he could just be saying what he thinks the captain wants to hear.

-->'''Max:''' He told me to get my knee off his chest.

* Lampshaded in an episode of ''Series/GetSmart'': The guy who reveals the name starts by simply stating it. He then says "I did it! You know, usually when someone is revealing a name, they'll say 'his name is...' and then get shot!" Max retorts with "So what was his name again?" "His name is--" BANG. Dead.
** Also parodied with the "What did he say?"/"He told me to get my knee off his chest" joke.
** Or "Afraid... I shan't live long enough... to tell you... pity." ...after already "waking up" twice and wasting all of each time informing Max that he's dying.
** In one episode, a man in a cowboy outfit reached Max's apartment and alternated between appearing to die (several times), giving him clues to why he was killed, and disappearing. He turned out to be a KAOS agent who was part of a plan to damage Max's credibility as a witness in an important case.

** Ulysses Dies at Dawn: After the titular Ulysses is hit by three plasma bullets, they manage to live long enough to get, input the code, and crawl their way inside before the door shuts, finally able to die in peace next to their wife and dog and forever escape the [[AndIMustScream Acheron]].

** [[IllGirl Violetta]] in the third act of Verdi's ''Theatre/LaTraviata''.
** [[IllGirl Mimì]] in the fourth act of Puccini's ''Theatre/LaBoheme''.

* Subverted in ''Film/TheDeathOfStalin''. After his massive stroke, the titular dictator Joseph Stalin spends most of his final hours comatose, but briefly regains consciousness towards the end. However, thanks to said massive stroke, he's completely incapable of coherent communication, barely has any higher cognitive functions left, and in practical terms can't really do anything except wave his arm around at various people and things in the room and croak unintelligibly before losing consciousness again. His cabinet do spend a few minutes making a valiant but hopelessly confused attempt at divining some kind of inspiring patriotic final message from a painting he happens to vaguely gesture towards, but eventually give up and don't think about it any further.