History Main / AlwaysSaveTheGirl

--->"Ike… Please live… Even if all the cities burn, and the seas swallow Tellius… You mustn’t die… Not you…"

** In ''VideoGame/TheForceUnleashedII'', Starkiller is called out several times by Rahm Kota about how he doesn't care about the war between the Empire and the Rebel Alliance and just wants to rescue Juno.
* ''VideoGame/GoldenSun1'' gives us Felix's big EstablishingCharacterMoment at Venus Lighthouse: standing up to the endbosses over Sheba (''at Level 5!''), then ''jumping off the top of the Lighthouse'' to save her when she falls off, endangering himself [[spoiler: and the mission to restore Alchemy to the world]] twice for the sake of some girl he implicitly just met.

** A villainous example in "Deep Freeze"; [[Characters/BatmanRoguesGalleryPart2 Mr. Freeze]] encounters a crazed mogul, Grant Walker, who wants to use his technology to freeze the entire planet, killing everyone except those on his island. In exchange for his cooperation, Walker offers to revive Freeze's wife. Freeze is willing to go along with the plan until Batman points out that Nora would be waking up to a cold, dead world (and would blame Freeze for it), whereupon Freeze releases Batman and Robin and helps them defeat Walker.

* In the final issue of ''ComicBook/{{Wolverines}}'', it turns out that this was the secret plan of [[spoiler:[[Characters/MarvelComicsMystique Mystique]]]]. [[spoiler:When she learns that her girlfriend Destiny had actually manipulated her, and that she was supposed to revive Characters/{{Wolverine|JamesLoganHowlett}} instead, she is ''livid'' and destroys the MacGuffin needed to draw Logan's soul back from the void, declaring that [[WhileRomeBurns she would rather watch the universe die than bring Logan back]], if that means she can't have her girlfriend back.]]

* In ''VideoGame/SpiderManWebOfShadows'', [[Characters/SpiderManPeterParker Spider-Man]] is given the choice of either turning Characters/{{Black Cat|MarvelComics}} over to ComicBook/{{SHIELD}} after she's badly injured following her second boss fight, or bonding her with a symbiote to heal her.

* ''Film/TheMatrix'':

* ''Fanfic/ThousandShinji'': [[HeroesWantRedheads His girlfriend Asuka]], Rei and Misato were the three persons more precious to Shinji. When [[spoiler:Asuka and Misato got killed]] and [[spoiler:Rei]] showed up to grant him his deepest wish he asked her bringing them back, not matter the cost. The cost was [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt Third Impact]].

-->'''Bellamy:''' ''(reveals he was disguising himself as one of the Sanctum guards)''
-->'''Octavia:''' Bellamy!
-->'''Josephine:''' ''(snotty)'' Because ''of course'' it is.

* A well known {{aver|tedTrope}}sion in ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' is in "[[Recap/StarTrekS1E28TheCityOnTheEdgeOfForever The City on the Edge of Forever]]" wherein after a doped up [=McCoy=] [[ForWantOfANAil destroys the Federation by saving one woman.]] Kirk and Spock go back to find [=McCoy=] and realize that the woman who has become a love interest for Kirk is the very one that MUST die for the timeline to be restored. Ultimately, Kirk decides he must let her die, but it was a difficult decision.

* As ''Manga/SeraphOfTheEnd'' goes on, it becomes abundantly clear that Yu will always prioritize Mika's survival, even when everything else objects to it or his survival itself is part of the plans of higher beings. [[spoiler:When presented with the choice to either revive all of his and his teammates' families or bring back Mika, Yu at first pretends to go with his friends but ultimately decides he's not giving up on Mika (at least noting that he's going to try and find some way to get everyone their happy ending along the way).]]

* Parodied in ''Webcomic/BoyMeetsBoy''. Cy, while having a TuxedoAndMartini-flavored dream, is given the choice to either save his "obligatory {{Love Interest|s}}" from a DeathTrap or stop the villain's doomsday device. Since he knows that it's AllJustADream, he decides to go with the {{Love Interest|s}}, figuring that he can at least [[EroticDream get some action]] before the world ends. [[spoiler: Unfortunately for him, he soon learns that his dream [[HomoEroticDream has cast Skids as the Love Interest.]]]]

* In ''Film/RaidersOfTheLostArk'', Indy offers to let the Nazis keep the Ark in exchange for Marion, threatening to destroy the Ark if they don't comply. Belloq calls his bluff (as an archaeologist, Indy can't bring himself to destroy the Ark, even to keep it out of the Nazis' hands) and Indy gets captured.

** The Joker is ''[[BatmanGambit counting]]'' [[BatmanGambit on this]] in ''Film/TheDarkKnight'', as he [[spoiler:tells Batman the two hostages' locations backwards to ensure that he saves Dent even though he wanted to save the girl]].

* ''VideoGame/TheDig''. When [[spoiler:Maggie Robbins dies]] towards the end of the game, Boston Low can [[spoiler:resurrect her using a life crystal]], going against good sense and breaking his promise to her (since [[spoiler:they've already seen Brink [[FantasticDrug regress into violent paranoia from using them]]]]). If he chooses to do this, she will [[spoiler:commit suicide by throwing herself off a cliff so you can't resurrect her again]]. At the end of the game, the [[spoiler:Cocytans will resurrect her and Brink]], and her attitude towards you will depend on your choice - if you [[spoiler:kept Boston's promise]], she's happy to see him and hugs him, while if you [[spoiler:resurrected her]], she's furious [[WhatTheHellHero and immediately decks him]].

* ''VideoGame/DotHackGU'' has this as a central theme in the story. AntiHero Haseo makes it clear right [[EstablishingCharacterMoment from the beginning]] that he intends to revive his comatose girlfriend Shino and doesn't care what he has to destroy in the process. [[NiceJobBreakingItHero This causes a LOT of problems]], though [[WhatTheHellHero Haseo mostly doesn't care]]... [[CharacterDevelopment at first]]. Haseo's own character arc is, briefly put, his learning that although [[{{Reconstruction}} saving Shino is still important]] his friends and the other players matter too. [[spoiler: [[AllLoveIsUnrequited Ironically, not only did Shino]] [[SheIsNotMyGirlfriend see him as]] JustFriends, [[MultipleEndings he probably doesn't even end up with her anyway]].]]

** Sadistically subverted and deconstructed several times: ComicBook/TheVision, whose existence partially relies on the [[MacGuffin Mind Stone]] which is what [[Characters/MarvelComicsThanos Thanos]] and the Black Order is after, is told point blank by his {{Love Interest|s}} the Characters/ScarletWitch and his [[TrueCompanions teammates]] that they will not allow him to sacrifice himself by destroying the stone and attempt to TakeAThirdOption by safely removing the Mind Stone and then destroying it before Thanos can get his hands on it. [[spoiler:In the end, it's AllForNothing. The Black Order's army prevents the safe removal of the Mind Stone and Thanos arrives, forcing the Scarlet Witch to destroy the Mind Stone and the Vision with it. [[ShootTheShaggyDog And then Thanos reverses her sacrifice using the Time Stone]], kills Vision in front of her, and completes the Infinity Gauntlet, thus ending half of all life in the universe.]]
** Earlier, Characters/StarLord's {{Love Interest|s}} [[Characters/GuardiansOfTheGalaxyModern Gamora]] makes him promise to kill her should Thanos capture her. Peter is naturally reluctant[[spoiler:, but when the moment comes he manages to bring himself to shoot her, only for Thanos to use the Reality Stone to render his gun useless and takes Gamora with him. Gamora's survival is also temporary as Thanos later [[EquivalentExchange sacrifices her to obtain the Soul Stone]]]].

* Film/FearStreet has Deena Johnson spend the entire trilogy trying to save her girlfriend, Sam Fraser, from the horrors of Shadyside that is inflicted on the latter. She ultimately succeeds, but at the cost of so many of their friends' lives.

** Played with at the climax of the film: [[spoiler:Sonny is about to inject nanites into [[BigBad VIKI]] to destroy her, when Spooner order him to save Dr. Calvin, who's falling to her death. He even yells "Save her! Save the girl!", just to make the parallel with the above scene obvious. Sonny complies... but tosses the nanites to Spooner so he can finish off VIKI himself, thus saving the girl without sacrificing their main objective.]]

** Clarke also inspires this in Bellamy, which becomes a major plot point in seasons 5 and 6. In season 5, it actually comes up multiple times, leading to a breakdown of his relationships with his friends, his sister, and Clarke because of the methods he chooses to accomplish this. In an interesting twist on the trope, Clarke isn’t his LoveInterest. Or at least, [[PlatonicWritingRomanticReading she’s not supposed]] [[FanPreferredCouple to be]]. It doesn’t stop other characters from lampshading the hell out of it:

* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': In "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS5E22TheGift The Gift]]", Buffy is willing to let the entire world die in torment to save Dawn. Notably, Dawn thinks this is crazy, and insists that Buffy let her die. [[spoiler:[[TakeAThirdOption She takes a third option.]]]] It doesn't fit on the surface, but WordOfGod says that Dawn was intended to fill the dramatic role of {{Love Interest|s}} from Season 5 on out.

* ''VideoGame/SlyCooper'':

* ''Film/AustinPowers The Spy Who Shagged Me'' is playing with a trope. First it is averted when Austin decides to save the world and let the GirlOfTheWeek die, [[spoiler:but later he goes back in time with Evil's [[TimeTravel time machine]] so that he can save the girl while his past self saves the world]].

** In ''The Force Unleashed II'', Starkiller is called out several times by Rahm Kota about how he doesn't care about the war between the Empire and the Rebel Alliance and just wants to rescue Juno.

* In the final issue of ''ComicBook/{{Wolverines}}'', it turns out that this was the secret plan of [[spoiler:Characters/{{Mystique}}]]. [[spoiler:When she learns that her girlfriend Destiny had actually manipulated her, and that she was supposed to revive Characters/{{Wolverine|JamesLoganHowlett}} instead, she is ''livid'' and destroys the MacGuffin needed to draw Logan's soul back from the void, declaring that [[WhileRomeBurns she would rather watch the universe die than bring Logan back]], if that means she can't have her girlfriend back.]]

** Lampshaded in season 2 when it is revealed that [[DudeInDistress Aziraphale]] consciously [[TheTease plays it up]] to make Crowley happy:

** Crowley ''always'' [[RescueRomance rescues]] his [[BestFriend best friend]] Aziraphale. [[OurAngelsAreDifferent Angels]] and [[OurDemonsAreDifferent demons]] don't have a gender, though.
** Lampshaded in season 2 it is revealed that [[DudeInDistress Aziraphale]] consciously plays it up [[OneTrueLove to make Crowley happy]]:

--->'''Aziraphale:''' Crowley will be back in a moment. He will have a plan.
--->'''Nina:''' Why don't you stand up for yourself? Make your own plans.
--->'''Aziraphale:''' I am. But rescuing me makes him ''so happy''.

-->'''Bellamy:''' How about I give you 283? That's how many of your people are gonna die if you and I can't make a deal.
-->'''Diyoza:''' That's far enough. 283 lives for one. She must be pretty important to you.
-->'''Bellamy:''' She is.

-->'''Bellamy:''' How about I give you 283? That's how many of your people are gonna die if you and I can't make a deal.\\
'''Diyoza:''' That's far enough. 283 lives for one. She must be pretty important to you.\\
'''Bellamy:''' She is. \\

'''Bellamy:''' She is.

** Played with again in "Ceremonies of Light and Dark" -- when Delenn is [[spoiler:stabbed in the back]], Sheridan is visibly torn between staying by her side and [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown chasing down]] the person responsible until his [[PlatonicLifePartners best friend]] and second-in-command, Susan Ivanova, shouts out "I've got her! Go!" Now aware that the love of his life is safely in the hands of the one other person in the universe he trusts unconditionally, he has no hesitation in going after and pummelling the crap out of the perpetrator.

* Given a few twists in ''Series/BabylonFive'' episode "Comes the Inquisitor". [[spoiler: The Vorlons send the Inquisitor to see if Delenn has the right stuff to be one of {{the Chosen One}}s in the fight against the [[BigBad Shadows]].]] At the end of the episode the Inquisitor [[spoiler:puts the life of her love interest on the line]], saying [[spoiler:that she can only save Captain Sheridan]] by giving up her fight against the Shadows. She chooses [[spoiler:to save Sheridan]]... and it turns out this is ''exactly'' what the Vorlons were looking for: [[spoiler:"How do you know the chosen ones? No greater love hath a man than he lay down his life for his brother. Not for millions. Not for glory, not for fame... For one person."]]