History Main / OrpheanRescue

* A gender-swapped version from India: the princess Savitri followed Yama, the lord of death, when he took her husband Satyavan. Yama was so impressed with her wisdom and courage that he eventually let her take Satyavan back.

* In ''Westernanimation/TheLegendOfKorra'', when Korra and Jinora meditate into the spirit world, Jinora's soul is acquired by Unaloq with the aid of Wan Shi Tong to force Korra to open the Northern Spirit Portal. Tenzin, Kya, and Bumi have to go into the Fog of Lost Souls to retrieve her.

* In ''Westernanimation/{{Avatar the Legend of Korra}}'', when Korra and Jinora meditate into the spirit world, Jinora's soul is acquired by Unaloq with the aid of Wan Shi Tong to force Korra to open the Northern Spirit Portal. Tenzin, Kya, and Bumi have to go into the Fog of Lost Souls to retrieve her.

* In the ''PinkyAndTheBrain'' Halloween episode, Pinky sells his soul to the devil and the Brain has to go to Hades and challenge the devil to a gymnastics competition to get him back.

* The ''Series/DoctorWho'' two-parter "Silence in the Library" and "Forest of the Dead", where Donna is 'saved' into a virtual computer system world. The Doctor works to get her back and restore the rest of the planet's population, all the while fighting off the Vashta Nerada.

* ''VideoGame/SaintsRowTheThird'' sees the Boss delve into a [[{{Cyberspace}} virtual simulation of Steelport]] to fight his way through the [[IronicHell Ironic Hells]] of their crew, all trapped in [[LotusEaterMachine Lotus-Eater Machines]], to rescue them.

* The greek myth themed ''Theros'' cycle in ''MagicTheGathering'' has the black card "Recue from the Underworld", which involves one of the players creatures leaving play and returning next turn along with one that was in the discard pile, aka "Hades".

* This is Bayonetta's first (but not only) goal in the [[VideoGame/{{Bayonetta2}} second game]], after Jenne is [[DraggedOffToHell taken hostage by demons.]]

* This is Bayonetta's first (but not only) goal in the [[VideoGame/Bayonetta2 second game]], after Jenne is [[DraggedOffToHell taken hostage by demons.]]

* This is actually Arthur's goal in the second game of the ''Franchise/GhostsNGoblins'' series. (He's still trying to [[SaveThePrincess rescue his beloved Princess Prin-Prin]], but in this one, Satan kills her and captures her soul.)

* A variation appears in ''Fanfic/ShadowchasersPowerPrimordial''. After a dark curse traps Ember's soul in the Venomous Tarns, with her physical body being guarded by her kidnappers, Jetta the Bronze Hearted (a CosmicEntity whom Ember is supposed to sponsor) is the only ally who knows about it, but can't act herself. The solution is to communicate (through a vision) Ember's cousin and BigBrotherMentor to go there in spiritual form, and help muster up the willpower to break the curse on her own. (Not only does it work, but it sets up an important ChekovsGun for when Ember ''physically'' escapes her kidnappers later, and has to confront her ArchEnemy.)

* This is actually Arthur's goal in the second game of the ''Franchise/GhostNGoblins'' series. (He's still trying to [[SaveThePrincess rescue his beloved Princess Prin-Prin]], but in this one, Satan kills her and captures her soul.)

* TheIronKing is about a sister rescueing her kidnapped brother in Fairy land.

* In ''Literature/DeepSecrets'', Nick goes to Babylon in order to restore his [[spoiler: half-sister]] Maree after her soul is stripped from her. Babylon isn't the land of the dead ''exactly,'' but it's definitely "outside here or there." On the way back, Nick remembers the legend of Orpheus and refuses to look back even though he can hear Maree behind him, which was a very wise decision.

* ''Series/{{Charmed}}'': The final episode of Season 4 has Phoebe cast a spell on herself to enter the Wasteland - where demons go when vanquished when Cole contacts her through a medium. Subverted in that she has no interest in rescuing him, she wants him to let go and stop bothering her.