History Main / IWantThemAlive

* In volume 4 of ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'', [[BigBad Salem]] orders her subordinate [[AxCrazy Tyrian]] to track down Ruby Rose. As he starts to [[LaughingMad giggle to himself]] over the hunt, Salem adds that he is to bring Ruby to her, causing him to visibly pout over the fact that he won't be allowed to kill her.

* Justified in ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'', where killing Aang would just lead to some other Avatar being reincarnated and the hunt having to start all over again unless the attackers are lucky enough to trigger the Avatar State and kill him while he's defenseless, but even accomplishing that isn't easy. However, the series is big on {{Fight Scene}}s so this often led to [[CouldHaveBeenMessy jarring circumstances]] where Aang is nearly killed by the same people who explicitly stated that they wanted him alive moments beforehand. This up and down went on until season 3 where the notion is dropped altogether. Even if he does reincarnate that still buys them probably a decade without worrying about him, and the Fire Nation could probably conquer the rest of the world then (especially after [[spoiler:taking down the Earth Kingdom]]).

-->'''Xin Fu:''' She's wanted -- dead or alive.\\

* In ''Series/{{Farscape}}'', John Crichton knows his buried knowledge is invaluable to his enemies, uses it, and ''abuses'' it to the point of [[StopOrIShootMyself strapping himself with a bomb]] to blow up an enemy base and getting away with it. Twice.
** Scorpius himself, who was at the wrong end of this prior to his more-or-less HeelFaceTurn, acknowledged the tactical genius of this move before ordering the evacuation of his doomed base.
** Not to mention also facing down heavily armed troops once using this: after being captured by Scorpius' right-hand man Braca, Crichton is subjected to a bit of gloating by radio from Scorpy, who in the process mentions that Crichton's wormhole physics knowledge is possibly unique in the universe. This leads Crichton to realize that Braca's threat to shoot him, even in a non-vital limb, is a bluff since the human tendency to bleed out (something Sebaceans don't share) would make it impossible for Braca to seriously harm him without endangering the information he carries. Crichton has no such reservations about hurting Braca, though.

* In the seventh episode of season one of ''Series/GameOfThrones'', Jaime Lannister, in ordering the City Watch to arrest Ned, curtly orders, "Take him alive. Kill his men." Ned Stark's wife is holding Jaime's brother prisoner, but Jaime knows that the death of a few soldiers can be brushed under the carpet (and is by the King, [[AFatherToHisMen despite Ned's objections]]).

* ''FanFic/DeadOrAlive4TheDevilFactor'': As [[spoiler:Ayame]] knows where one of the [[ArtifactOfDoom Jewels of]] [[MacGuffin the Forsaken]] that he's looking for is, Vergil is adamant to his minions that they capture her alive.

* In ''Film/TheHobbit'' fic ''[[Fanfic/TheHeartTrilogy Heart of Fire]]'', the Necromancer of Dol Guldur (who is really Sauron in disguise) orders Azog the Defiler's son Bolg to find and bring him Kathryn alive for two reasons; her powers as a {{Seer|s}} would be an advantage, and because [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes she's important]] to [[VillainProtagonist Smaug]], she can be used as a bargaining chip to force the dragon into the Dark Lord's service after Smaug rejected his first offer.
** The same chapter has a non-villainous example; when King Thranduil is informed that a woman with purple eyes (a trademark of a Seer) and a dragon scale is traveling through Mirkwood, he remembers that the Orc he just interrogated spoke about Smaug seeking someone out. Desiring answers, he orders Kathryn to be brought to him alive.
* ''Fanfic/ThisBites'': The WantedPoster for [[spoiler: Princess Vivi of Alabasta]] specifies that the bounty is "Only Alive", rather than the traditional "Dead or Alive". This is a particularly horrifying example because it means that they would be in the hands of [[AristocratsAreEvil the Celestial Dragons]] who are doubtlessly planning any number of [[AFateWorseThanDeath horrific tortures and fates]] to subject them to personally.

* A more reasonable variant in a 1950s or '60s newspaper comic, when the villain told his troops to take Franchise/{{Tarzan}} "alive if you can -- dead if you must!" The same line was [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_xmen98p13_7585.jpg used]] in ''Comicbook/XMen''.

* In ''ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}'' story ''ComicBook/RedDaughterOfKrypton'', the Diasporan king wants his soldiers to bring the Girl of Steel alive and unharmed before him, so he can take over her body.

* ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'': [[BigBad Father]] and the [[OurHomunculiAreDifferent Homunculi]] want Ed, Al, Roy, Hohenheim, and Izumi alive, so [[spoiler:they can be used as sacrifices, of course.]] Ed gets the most profit out of this, followed by Roy. If ''anyone'' else had walked into the middle of the AncientConspiracy the way he did, they would have been quietly offed.
* In ''Manga/OnePiece'':

* A heroic variant occurs in ''Manga/{{Karneval}}'': When [[BadassCrew Circus]] storms Smoky Mansion in order to [[spoiler:rescue Karoku]], [[ActionGirl Eva and Tsukumo]] take on [[TheDragon Uro]] and only wound him without causing any serious damage. When he mocks them for their failure to kill him, Eva reveals that they were ordered to capture him alive and even comments on how hard it was to hold back against him. [[spoiler:He manages to escape before Circus can take him into custody, however.]]
* In the ''Anime/CowboyBebop'' universe, bounty hunters are, as a general rule, supposed to bring fugitives alive and without any unnecessary roughness in order to collect their reward.
-->'''Spike:''' I blow the bounty if I blow you away.
* In ''Manga/DGrayMan'', we find out why the Millennium Earl and the Noah family are so intent on capturing protagonist Allen Walker. [[spoiler: He didn't have the 14th's memories. Allen '''is''' the 14th.]] The Earl makes it clear because of that fact, he wants Allen over to his side.
* In ''Literature/LegendOfTheGalacticHeroes'' Imperial admiral Wahlen orders his guards to capture alive his would-be assassin for interrogation on the defences of the Terraist stronghold. In a variation, [[TheMenFirst he shot the assassin in the arm at the cost of a poisoned knife in his own arm to make sure his men wouldn't risk being harmed]].

* In ''Webcomic/{{Dreamkeepers}}'', BigBad Nabonidus wants to capture Mace alive for reasons related to his undisclosed Power. Not all of his minions care: One is seen putting [[RevengeBeforeReason revenge over orders]] by summoning a hitdemon and sending it with explicit orders to kill Mace.

* ''Fanfic/PropertyOf'': The Decepticons have started a successful business of kidnapping humans from Earth and selling them on Cybertron as [[HumanPet pets]] (after convincing the Autobots that the humans are non-sentient animals). Because humans are most valuable when they're uninjured and healthy, any human injured during capture is [[VillainousMedicalCare given medical treatment]] and they're given food that [[NastyNondescriptNutritious looks odd but perfectly fits their dietary needs]]. Once a human is sold, though, the Decepticons don't care what happens to it, nor do they care if humans other than their targets are killed during their hunts.

** Played straight with [[spoiler: Sanji]], who the World Government explicitly wants alive ''only'', the bounty not valid otherwise. The most likely reason is, [[spoiler: his family, the Vinsmokes, are world-renowned assassins and not people you want to get on their bad side by executing one of their estranged children.]]
** [[spoiler: After the events of the Whole Cake Island arc, the "Dead" part of "Dead or Alive" has reappeared on his wanted poster.]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/ThePrincessAndTheFrog'', Dr. Facilier contacts his friends on the other side to find and capture the escaped Prince Naveen. Since his blood was necessary for his scheme, Facilier told them that Naveen needed to be brought back alive... for the moment, anyway.
* ''WesternAnimation/PocahontasIIJourneyToANewWorld'' starts with [[BigBad Radcliffe]] sending John Smith falling to his death, and then lying to King James and saying that he had tried to ''save'' Smith. The king is not pleased, saying "I wanted him ''alive''!" [[spoiler:And then it turns out that Smith isn't really dead.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Wakfu}}'': [[Characters/{{Wakfu}} Nox]] instructs [[RightHandAttackDog Igôle]] to bring Adamaï to him without damaging the young dragon ''too'' much. This is partially because Adamaï could be useful in luring him to [[spoiler:Grougaloragon's Dofus after the dragon [[HeroicSacrifice blew himself up]] and his spirit is now returning to his Dofus to be [[BornAgainImmortality reborn]]]], and partially because Adamaï wouldn't be a bad source of [[LifeEnergy wakfu]] to [[PoweredByAForsakenChild drain to replenish what he lost in the previous huge battle]].

* ''Literature/DragonBones'': The villain wants the hero alive to make a deal with him. However, his underling, who is given this task, ''still'' tries to kill the hero, because of a personal enmity. Doesn't succeed, though, and then seems content with taking the hero captive, as per the original order.

For extra sadism, he might instead ask for only the protagonist to be taken alive and [[AndYourLittleDogToo everyone else to be killed]].

* ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'': The episode "A Better World" has a surprisingly sad example. The Justice Lords' StartOfDarkness happened because Lex Luthor killed their Flash. [[VillainousFriendship They clearly value each other's safety more as a result of this]]. So it's no surprise when, after they trap the [[DoppelgangerGetsSameSentiment Justice League]], they go to great lengths to contain them without killing them (even getting the League's Hawkgirl medical treatment when she's injured in the fight). This is why Flash's SickCaptiveScam works so well on Lord Batman.

* ''Literature/DrFranklinsIsland'': The titular doctor turns animals and people into strange hybrids, some of which survive in very twisted forms. It's stated early on that he doesn't like to have any of them deliberately killed. So when there's a jailbreak, his security has a hard time.

* ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'': The episode "A Better World" has a surprisingly sad example. The Justice Lords' StartOfDarkness happened because Lex Luthor killed their Flash. [[VillainousFriendship They clearly value each other's safety more as a result of this]]. So it's no surprise when, after they trap the [[DopplegangerGetsSameSentiment Justice League]], they go to great lengths to contain them without killing them (even getting the League's Hawkgirl medical treatment when she's injured in the fight). This is why Flash's SickCaptiveScam works so well on Lord Batman.