History Main / NooneGetsLeftBehind

** This is viciously [[{{Deconstruction}} deconstructed]] in the second sequel, ''VisualNovel/ZeroTimeDilemma'': [[spoiler:Diana's refusal to kill a radical-6 infected Phi causes a pandemic that kills 75% of the human population, setting the events of [[VisualNovel/VirtuesLastReward the second game]] into motion]].

* In ''Film/StarTrekIVTheVoyageHome'', Chekov is critically injured while fleeing TheGreatPoliticsMessUp in the form of American aircraft carrier personnel and sent to a hospital where, in the hands of 20th-century medicine, he is not expected to survive. With the clock ticking on their ability to rescue the whales they need to save the future, Bones insists on going to save him. Spock immediately agrees. Kirk asks if it's the logical thing to do, and Spock (who had questioned their decision to save ''him'' at the cost of so much) that it's not, but it ''is'' the human thing to do.

->''"''ʻOhana'' means family. Family means nobody gets left behind — or forgotten."''
-->-- The motto of the Pelekai ''ʻohana'', ''WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitch''

* Averted in ''Film/ResidentEvil''. When Kaplan is trapped by zombies he tells the rest of the party to leave him behind. Alice refuses, but Kaplan insists, and they do so.

* ''VideoGame/WolfensteinTheNewOrder'' had a BittersweetEnding as [[spoiler: B.J. lay crippled after Deathshead [[TakingYouWithMe tried to kill them both with a grenade]]]], giving the order to fire a nuclear missile on his own position. The sound of a helicopter during the end credits teased that they came back for him before it happened, with [[VideoGame/WolfensteinIITheNewColossus the sequel]] outright confirming it.

* This is basically the plot of ''Film/BlackHawkDown'' (the film's tagline is downright "Leave no man behind"), based on the Battle of Mogadishu. In the analysis in the book, the commanding general's decision to not leave a man (or body) behind is examined, with the idea that the general, not wanting to leave a body for the Somalis to desecrate, ended up giving them an overwhelming opportunity to inflict casualties on the American forces, and also [[spoiler: gave them a prisoner]], resulting in a significantly worse overall outcome than if he had just left the bodies behind.

* Given how the '''Nonary Game''' is played out, it's only natural for it to occur in ''VisualNovel/NineHoursNinePersonsNineDoors'':
** [[spoiler: Ace defies this trope, offering to stay behind to let the group continue. When the group refuses, he injects himself with anesthetic to force everyone to leave him behind. Down the road, it turns out he had less than altruistic reasons for doing so, as staying behind kept the group from going through the number 3 door without leaving more people behind, as Ace had shoved Snake (or at least someone he ''thought'' was Snake, through the door when no one else was looking in order to kill him.]]
** [[spoiler: Lotus offers to stay behind in the incinerator. They refuse, [[AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther specifically Seven.]]]]
** [[spoiler: Seven and Snake both do this (with the same reactions as the above) in the Chapel. Snake is forced to stay behind, but has a trump card anyway.]]
* This is viciously [[{{Deconstruction}} deconstructed]] in the second sequel, ''VisualNovel/ZeroTimeDilemma'': [[spoiler:Diana's refusal to kill a radical-6 infected Phi causes a pandemic that kills 75% of the human population, setting the events of [[VisualNovel/VirtuesLastReward the second game]] into motion]].

** Owen gets taken prisoner when the teams infiltrate Area 52 in "[[Recap/TotalDramaTheExFiles The Ex-Files]]". Alejandro and Duncan couldn't care less, but Tyler ditches the challenge to save Owen. He locates Owen's cell and tries to bash through the door with his bare hands to the rhythm of [[PunctuatedForEmphasis Never! Leave! A Man! Behind!]]"
** Throughout the nighttime challenge in "[[Recap/TotalDramaFindersCreepers Finders Creepers]]", Brick tries to live up to the moral code of never leaving a soldier behind. He is one of the few contestants to escape the giant spider hunting the campers and at first refuses to continue the challenge without first saving his team. Team captain Jo, however, orders him to move on. This costs the Mutant Maggots the challenge, because one requirement nobody paid attention to was that it didn't matter who solved the treasure hunt first, but which team had the most campers left upon solving it. By coincidence, rather than be voluntarily eliminated, Brick is moved to the Toxic Rats. Grateful for the second chance, he vows never to leave anyone behind again, which fails to impress Chris and comes back to bite him [[Recap/TotalDramaAMineIsATerribleThingToWaste three episodes later]].
** The Toxic Rats can make a clean escape with the statue they had to retrieve in "[[Recap/TotalDramaAMineIsATerribleThingToWaste A Mine Is a Terrible Thing to Waste]]" when Brick notices that the Mutant Maggots, his former team, are under attack by a mutant gopher and unlikely to escape the mine timely. Having vowed never to leave anyone behind again [[Recap/TotalDramaFindersCreepers three episodes earlier]], Brick goes back to rescue them and sacrifices his team's statue in the process. While he saves the Maggots, it costs the Rats their victory. It takes a bit for Brick to accept that doing the right thing doesn't automatically lead to a just outcome, but he takes solace when the Maggots come to see him off.

** Geoff injures his leg during a challenge on Boney Island in "[[Recap/TotalDramaUpTheCreek Up the Creek]]". He tells the Killer Bass to go on without him and without another word, Courtney takes him up on it. However, DJ stops her and resolutely tells her that he won't allow anyone to be left behind.

** The Toxic Rats can make a clean escape with the statue they had to retrieve in "[[Recap/TotalDramaAMineIsATerribleThingToWaste A Mine Is a Terrible Thing to Waste]]" when Brick notices that the Mutant Maggots, his former team, are under attack by a mutant gopher and unlikely to escape the mine timely. Having vowed never to leave anyone behind again [[Recap/TotalDramaFindersCreepers three episodes earlier]], Brick goes back to save them and sacrifices his team's statue in the process. While he saves the Maggots, it costs the Rats their victory. It takes a bit for Brick to accept that doing the right thing doesn't automatically lead to a just outcome, but he takes solace when the Maggots come to see him off.

* Averted in the ''Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean'' movies. Part of the pirates' code is "Whoever falls behind is left behind." Many of the characters, both good and bad, follow this. On one occasion they do subvert it, the crew handwave it by [[RunningGag saying]] they viewed that part of the code as "more guidelines than actual rules".

* Parodied in ''Film/LittleMissSunshine'': Frank says this line after Olive is left at a gas station.

* ''Film/SavingPrivateRyan'':
** When Captain Miller and his squad are ordered to venture deep into German-occupied France to recover a lost soldier who may already be dead, he and his squad are naturally not too thrilled about this. The rest of the movie then shows their struggle between deciding whether to find Ryan or just leave him behind.
** The villain version of this trope is used as well. A German sniper purposely shoots and incapacitates an American soldier, hoping that it will draw out other soldiers into the open in an attempt to help the downed man.
* Subversion: In ''Film/CanadianBacon'', the [[TheSpartanWay Omega Force]] sent to locate the protagonist is running along the Canadian wilderness when one of them falls down and clutches his foot. Another one approaches, and the guy on the ground says "It's just my toe." [[YouHaveFailedMe Boom]].
* This is basically the plot of ''Film/BlackHawkDown'' (the film's tagline is downright "Leave no man behind"), based on the Battle of Mogadishu. In the analysis in the book, the commanding general's decision to not leave a man (or body) behind is examined, with the idea that the general, not wanting to leave a body for the Somalis to desecrate, ended up giving them an overwhelming opportunity to inflict casualties on the American forces, and also [[spoiler: gave them a prisoner]], resulting in a significantly worse overall outcome than if he had just left the bodies behind.
* Subverted with a VerbalBackspace in ''Film/MuppetsFromSpace''.
-->'''Kermit''': We will never leave one of our own behind!\\
'''Fozzie''': Hey, we left Bunsen and Beaker back at the gas station!\\
'''Kermit''': ''* pause* '' From this point on, we will not leave anyone behind!
* ''Film/TheRock'':
** Averted with dastardly repercussions in the BackStory. [[TheBrigadier General Hummell's]] request to send in troops to extract at least 15 marines on a Black Operation from the combat zone are denied by his superiors, forcing him to leave them to die.
--->'''Marine''': ''They're not coming for us, are they, sir?''
** The last straw is when the government refuses to pay the families of the dead soldiers due to plausible deniability, which drives Hummell to go rogue.

* Subverted in ''Film/CourageUnderFire'', where a character is first shown yelling at a trainee never to leave his wounded comrades behind. It later turns out [[spoiler:that he'd done just that to his wounded commanding officer after she'd threatened to court-martial him.]]
* ''Film/{{Supervolcano}}'' (2005). The protagonist is trapped in an abandoned Air Force base. The only airman there says they have to walk out, as no-one is coming to save them. The protagonist asks what happened to "Leave no man behind", and is informed that's the Army's slogan.
* Averted in ''Film/ResidentEvil''. When Kaplan is trapped by zombies he tells the rest of the party to leave him behind. Alice refuses, but Kaplan insists, and they do so.

* Notably averted in ''Film/WhenTrumpetsFade'': the film opens with Private David Manning trying to carry his badly wounded friend Bobby through the woods to safety, but he has to stop to rest. Bobby tells him that he can't even stand to be carried any further, and begs Manning to stay with him so that he doesn't have to [[DyingAlone die alone]]. Not only does Manning refuse to stay, [[ShootTheDog he shoots Bobby]]. In a later scene, now-Sergeant Manning specifically orders one of the soldiers under his command to drop the body of a fallen comrade saying simply "Leave him! He's dead!" The film ends with [[BookEnds Manning himself badly wounded and being carried to safety by Sanderson]] before dying from blood loss, Sanderson still carrying his lifeless body.
* In ''Film/TheSmurfs'', after [[spoiler:Papa Smurf]] gets captured, the rest of the party goes back to rescue him, against his orders.

* The firefighters in ''Film/{{Backdraft}}'' have this as part of their code of honor. "You go, we go."
* In ''Film/{{Aliens}}'', after the Colonial Marines learn that some of the ones left behind in the escape are still alive, Vasquez says "Then we go back in there and get them. We don't leave our people behind." They end up not trying to do so after Ripley points out "You can't help them! You can't. Right now they're being cocooned just like the others."
* Averted early on in ''Film/{{Stalingrad 1993}}''. During an assault on a factory, one of the [[UsefulNotes/NazisWithGnarlyWeapons Heer]] soldiers breaks down in fear and huddles in a foxhole. Wölk briefly attempts to pull him out, but Corporal Rohleder commands him to grab the man's dog tags and leave him. The straggler is promptly killed by artillery.
* In ''Film/StarTrekIVTheVoyageHome'', Chekov is critically injured while fleeing TheGreatPoliticsMessUp in the form of American aircraft carrier personnel and sent to a hospital where, in the hands of 20th-century medicine, he is not expected to survive. With the clock ticking on their ability to rescue the whales they need to save the future, Bones insists on going to save him. Spock immediately agrees. Kirk asks if it's the logical thing to do, and Spock (who had questioned their decision to save ''him'' at the cost of so much) that it's not, but it ''is'' the human thing to do.
* A variation occurs in ''Film/StarTrekIntoDarkness''. Bones and Carol are on a planet examining [[spoiler: a torpedo]] when something goes wrong and [[spoiler: it closes, trapping Bones' hand inside.]] Since attempting to beam Bones up will result in [[spoiler: the torpedo]] coming too, Bones tells them to just beam Carol out instead. She flat-out refuses, telling them that if she leaves, he'll die. [[spoiler:At the last second she simply [[CuttingTheKnot rips the controls out]], stopping the detonation and saving them both.]]
* Averted in the opening of ''Film/{{Skyfall}}'' when Bond has to leave a fellow agent to bleed to death, in favour of pursuing the man who shot him and stole a microchip containing the identities of NATO undercover agents. The BigBad turns out to be another SIS agent who was abandoned after he [[RogueAgent went rogue]].

* Only two people involved in ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger'': Steve has just pulled his childhood friend Bucky out of a Hydra lab, and they're attempting to escape as the building self-destructs. Bucky crosses an impossible-to-jump pit of fire on an improvised bridge that collapses behind him. Steve tells him to get out; Bucky yells back "No, not without you!" Of course, since it's Steve, he makes the jump.
** Steve's entire rescue mission is this since he goes in despite his CO expressly stating that there would be no way to complete the rescue mission without getting the prisoners and the rescuing soldiers killed. Steve refuses to accept this, goes behind enemy lines ALONE, rallies the prisoners, and comes back with everyone who didn't die during the escape, and their were only a few on-screen casualties. If the lab hadn't exploded and incinerated everything, he probably would've brought the bodies back, too. After that, there was no doubt amid the soldiers that they were truly in the presence of Captain America!
** Steve does this again in [[spoiler: Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar when he breaks into The Raft to free his entire team. And he does this without any shield or gear. Super-Soldier indeed!]]
* Film/IronMan strongly believes in this, while even Cap above will lament "we can't save everyone", Tony, on the other hand, will do everything in his power to make sure '''nobody''' is left to die. For example in ''Film/IronMan3'' when Air Force One has it's hull blown open by TheDragon and thirteen people are falling to their deaths, Tony (despite being only able to carry four) makes a ChainOfPeople and uses his thrusters to make sure they all land safely in the water.
** Also in ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron'' while most civilians are shepherded off Sokavia, Tony detects a family in one of the buildings and flies in there to save them, even though the building itself is collapsing.
* In ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVol2'' Drax even says so himself when Peter is in trouble: '...we're family. we leave no one behind.'[[note]]"except Nebula"[[/note]]
* ''Film/TheFinestHours'': Bernie refuses to head pack to port until everyone is off the ''Pendleton''.
* Averted in the 1982 Australian/Taiwanese movie ''Attack Force Z''. A member of a UsefulNotes/WorldWarII commando force is wounded while landing on a Japanese-occupied island. After exchanging overly casual banter [[OneLastSmoke and a cigarette]] the commander shoots him, so he won't be captured and give away the mission under torture.

* ''Film/TheDogsOfWar''. In the ActionPrologue, the mercenaries are escaping a Central American country on the last plane out. They insist on bringing everyone, even after it's pointed out that one of the mercenaries is dead.
-->'''Official:''' This man's dead! Get him out!\\
''(mercenary removes the pin from a grenade and wraps the dead man's fingers around it.)''\\
'''Mercenary:''' He's live, you pimp!\\
''(fingers loosen slightly on grenade -- official backs off)''\\
'''Mercenary commander:''' Everybody who comes with me, goes home.
* Subverted in ''Film/KongSkullIsland''. This appears to be Lieutenant Colonel Packard's motive for going to rescue a soldier in a crashed helicopter, but it becomes apparent that his main reason is to get hold of the munitions the helicopter was carrying so he can kill Kong, an obsession which puts the lives of all his men in danger.
* This is Sam's attitude in ''Film/HighPlainsInvaders''. He is insistent that all of the survivors get of town alive. When Rose suggests that they might be able to crawl out past the Bugs, Sam rejects it because Serena's broken leg means that she cannot crawl.

* Thoroughly justified in ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' by [[DeathIsCheap resurrection magic]].

* Notably averted in ''Film/WhenTrumpetsFade'': the film opens with Private David Manning trying to carry his badly wounded friend Bobby through the woods to safety, but he has to stop to rest. Bobby tells him that he can't even stand to be carried any further, and begs Manning to stay with him so that he doesn't have to [[DyingAlone die alone]]. Not only does Manning refuse to stay, [[ShootTheDog he shoots Bobby]]. In a later scene, now-Sergeant Manning specifically orders one of the soldiers under his command to drop the body of a fallen comrade saying simply "Leave him! He's dead!" The film ends with [[BookEnds Manning himself badly wounded and being carried to safety by Sanderson before dying from blood loss, Sanderson still carrying his lifeless body]].

* Notably averted in ''Film/WhenTrumpetsFade'': the film opens with Private David Manning trying to carry his badly wounded friend Bobby through the woods to safety, but he has to stop to rest. Bobby tells him that he can't even stand to be carried any further, and begs Manning to stay with him so that he doesn't have to [[DyingAlone die alone]]. Not only does Manning refuse to stay, [[ShootTheDog he shoots Bobby]]. In a later scene, now-Sergeant Manning specifically orders one of the soldiers under his command to drop the body of a fallen comrade saying simply "Leave him! He's dead!" The film ends with [[BookEnds Manning himself badly wounded and being carried to safety by Sanderson]].

* This is basically the plot of ''Film/BlackHawkDown'', based on the Battle of Mogadishu. In the analysis in the book, the commanding general's decision to not leave a man (or body) behind is examined, with the idea that the general, not wanting to leave a body for the Somalis to desecrate, ended up giving them an overwhelming opportunity to inflict casualties on the American forces, and also [[spoiler: gave them a prisoner]], resulting in a significantly worse overall outcome than if he had just left the bodies behind.

** [[spoiler: Ace defies this trope, offering to stay behind to let the group continue. When the group refuses, he injects himself with anasthetic to force everyone to leave him behind. Down the road, it turns out he had less than altruistic reasons for doing so, as staying behind kept the group from going through the number 3 door without leaving more people behind, as Ace had shoved Snake (or at least someone he ''thought'' was Snake, through the door when no one else was looking in order to kill him.]]

** Guess who shows up to repay the favour and save the SAS from militia [[spoiler: when your team is stranded in Brazil?]] Shows that it is a good idea to take care of your friends.
** Subverted in the mission entitled "Of Their Own Accord". Radio chatter repeatedly makes it clear that there are ''not'' enough transports to evacuate everyone, and that people ''are'' being left behind. At one point - right after the player boards the evac chopper - a fellow soldier will shoot down an attacking enemy helicopter and saves the player's life. But the evac chopper immediately departs afterwards, leaving the lone soldier behind to face the onrushing Russian troops. [[VideoGameCaringPotential You can, however, use the minigun you take control of to waste the first wave of Russian troops that make it onto the roof before you leave, though.]]

* Played straight in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'': while fleeing from Bevelle, the party is beset by Seymour. Kimahri urges them to run on ahead while he holds Seymour back, and they do --right up to the moment when they decide it's not right, and run right back to help him.
* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI''
** With the FloatingContinent crumbling away from beneath their feet, and Shadow holding Kefka back with the Three Statues, the party must make it to the airship and [[TimedMission escape before it's too late]]. Typically, [[GuideDangit one would jump onto the airship at the first opportunity]], but by waiting until the last possible second, Shadow will catch up and join the party. The game helpfully gives a countdown so the rest of the party knows when "the last possible second" is, but only if you actively choose to wait around the first time since the options then are "Jump!" and "Wait!". The second time, the options are "Jump to the airship!" and "Gotta wait for Shadow...".
** Strago also tries to get Relm to go on without him during the final escape from Kefka's Tower, but she will have none of it. Good thing too, because, later on, she wouldn't have reached the airship without his help.

* In the car chase scene at the beginning of Ed, Edd n Eddy's Big Picture Show, Ed is grabbed by Rolf by the latter's teeth when he begins pulling Ed out of the car. Ed tells Edd and Eddy [[IWillOnlySlowYouDown to save themselves and not to forget him]] as he is dragged out of the car. However, his friends are having none of it, and promptly drag him back into the car and save him from Rolf's grasp.
Rolf: CURSE YOU ED-BOYS!

* In their first few appearances on ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'', the Borg would collect pieces of their fallen comrades who had been killed, like picking up a black box, and allow the rest of the body to self-destruct.

-->'''[[TheSpock Tuvok]]''': I am injured. Logic dictates that you take the mask and proceed to engineering.\\

** And when strained relationships between Ankh-Morpork and Klatch spill over into what was afterwards called "a regrettable misunderstanding", a {{Pegasus}} and three Air Watch members are believed to have been shot down by a surprise attack over a remote part of the Klatchian continent. Lieutenant Irena Politek is boling with rage and sets up a rescue mission to retrieve two Air Witches and a Feegle. This will carry maximum firepower, just to make the point to the Klatchian Air Force.
* ''Fanfic/RocketshipVoyager''. Captain Janeway hands herself over to the Caretaker as a [[MarsNeedsWomen specimen for his private archive]] in exchange for Voyager using the PortalNetwork to get back to Earth. But that means renegade officer Chakotay is now in command, and [[ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight he has no problem]] ordering Voyager to return and rescue her. When Janeway [[WhatTheHellHero rips into her senior officers]] over the [[RedShirt eight crewmen who died as a result]], Chakotay cites a comment she made earlier about one of the rules of being TheCaptain is "never abandon a member of your crew".

* ''Fanfic/RocketshipVoyager''. Captain Janeway hands herself over to the Caretaker as a [[MarsNeedsWomen specimen for his private archive]] in exchange for Voyager using the PortalNetwork to get back to Earth. But that means renegade officer Chakotay is now in command, and [[ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight he has no problem]] ordering Voyager to return and rescue her. When Janeway [[WhatTheHellHero rips into her senior officers]] for treating her like a DamselInDistress, Chakotay cites her rule about "never abandon a member of your crew", to Janeway's annoyance.

* ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'': In "The Haunting of Deck 12", Neelix says this to Tuvok.

* ''Manga/UchiNoMusumeNiTeODasuNa'': Seen in chapter 5, when Point Blank ambushes [[BridgeBunnies Risa, Kisara, and Jun]] by shooting down their patrol chopper. Then guns them down as they're trying to get each other to safety. Clara tries to come to their rescue, creating a brief HopeSpot but ends up being gunned down with them. Point Blank continues to fire on her even after she falls unconscious. [[spoiler: It takes [[MamaBear Athena's intervention]] to finally make him stop]]. All four are later seen in the infirmary.

* This is a strict rule for the titular HeroesRUs organization in ''Literature/TheMouseWatch''. {{Lampshaded}} when rookie Bernie Skampersky volunteers to be left behind because IWillOnlySlowYouDown, but one of her teammates to set her straight.