History Main / PeacefulInDeath

* ''Manga/CaseClosed: Evoked in ''Billionaire Birthday Blues''. Yone closed the deceased Reika's eyes to at least ease her pain. Girl may be a RichBitch but, a human being is still a human being.

* ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda'': Parodied. Shifu looks like he has died with a serene expression on his face and then he opens his eyes, saying that he's not dead ("You idiot"), he's at peace.

* In ''Film/AmericanBeauty'', the peaceful face of Lester in his moment of death is not only the result of his growth through the entire film, it also pretty much encapsulates the ''theme'' (the spiritual joy of finding "beauty" in the seemingly banal or even supposedly ugly products of everyday life).

* ''Manga/TomorrowsJoe'': After dying, Joe seems to be peaceful, knowing that his final fight was the best of his career. That scene has inspired countless homage, from the tearjerkingly straight such as [[Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann Kamina]] to the ones played for laughs such as [[Anime/LuckyStar Animate Tenchou]].

* Grimmer in ''Manga/{{Monster}}'', upon finally feeling emotion.

* ''Manga/OnePiece'' seems to say that anyone with the Will of D tend to go out like this. Look at Ace and his parents all smiling and at peace at their deaths.
** Roger died happy knowing that he lived a life filled with no regrets and that he wouldn't be forgotten. Rouge died happy knowing that her son would live and have a relatively safe childhood. Ace died happy knowing that he was able to protect Luffy, and that, despite having the blood of a "demon" in his veins, he was truly, honestly loved.
* Babel from ''Anime/SaintSeiya'', who aknowledged Saori as Athena before dying of the wounds Hyoga gave him and was holding on her hand as he passed on [[GoOutWithASmile with a smile on his lips.]] It even gets lampshaded:
-->"He died peacefully and while holding on a goddess' hand. How fortunate."

* In ''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry'', [[CreepyChild Maria]] is found this way in the fourth arc. Battler notes that the murderer apparently went out of their way to make her look that way, and it actually looks pretty squicky, since she's lying so peacefully in the lap of her mother, whose face was half-blown off, surrounded by adults whose faces were half-blown off.

* ''Anime/CodeGeass'' has a few characters go out this way...
** [[RoseHairedSweetie Euphemia li Britannia]] went out this way despite being [[GoneHorriblyWrong inadvertently]] [[BrainwashedAndCrazy brainwashed]] into killing the very people she was trying to help. After being [[ShootTheDog fatally shot]] by her half-brother Lelouch, she spends her last minutes alive with her LoveInterest, Suzaku, and dies trying to tell him how happy she was with him.
** [[DoggedNiceGirl Shirley Fenette]], after being shot in the gut, gives Lelouch a DyingDeclarationOfLove and dies in his arms with a smile. Her happy tone never changes even as Lelouch tries to use [[MagicalEye Geass]] to will her into surviving.
** [[TykeBomb Rolo Haliburton]], despite being the one who murdered Shirley out of [[{{Yandere}} jealousy]], also goes out peacefully when he proves that his love for Lelouch is more than an obsession, saving him from [[EtTuBrute the traitorous]] [[LaResistance Black Knights]] [[HeroicSacrifice at the cost]] [[DyingMomentOfAwesome of his own life]]. Lelouch even [[LetThemDieHappy let him die happy]] as he passed away from an ailing heart.
** Finally, at the ending, [[TheHeroDies Lelouch himself]] is this at the end [[ThanatosGambit since his death was part of his plan for world peace]], [[MyDeathIsOnlyTheBeginning and he went out of his way to make sure that it would work]]. A self-engineered HeroicSacrifice after [[TheChessmaster lots of planning]], [[FaceDeathWithDignity he met his death with resounding grace]], and [[AGoodWayToDie died happily]], his goals accomplished to the letter.
* Nuriko of ''Manga/FushigiYuugi'' dies smiling. Another Suzaku warrior even comments how peaceful and beautiful he looks in death.
* ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'':
** ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventurePhantomBlood Phantom Blood]]'': Jonathan Joestar is able to leave life peacefully after making sure that his bride Erina and the orphaned baby girl they rescued will survive. He dies hugging the (still alive) head of his friend/brother/mortal enemy Dio Brando. Like with most parts of Jonathan's life, Dio messes this up too by hijacking Jonathan's body and using it to wreck havoc in the future. Thankfully, Jonathan's sacrifice wasn't in vain, since [[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureStardustCrusaders Dio is ultimately wiped out for good by Jonathan's great-great-grandson]].
** Erina herself dies peacefully in her own bed of old age at the end of ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureBattleTendency Battle Tendency]]'', surrounded by her loved ones.
** Much later, in ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureGoldenWind Golden Wind]]'', death happens incredibly often. More than half the named characters die, and whenever a hero bites it, it's always at the hands of the Boss's Stand, King Crimson. Among those murdered by the Boss are Leone Abbacchio, Narancia Ghirga, and Bruno Bucciarati. Abbacchio, looking as though he is sleeping, reunites with his long-deceased police partner in his mind before departing for the next life. As he had switched with Giorno as he was killed, Narancia's body was left uninjured, and was left in the flowers of his hometown. Bruno technically dies in the middle of the story, but sticks around for a little longer before his spirit says his last goodbyes and ascends to heaven. In short, each time a hero dies, we see them go in peace, which turns out to be darkly ironic when the Boss seemingly [[KarmicDeath dies]], but is then revealed to have to face [[FateWorseThanDeath a torment]] [[AndIMustScream that will never end]].
* Light Yagami in the ''Manga/DeathNote'' anime, contrasted with his unceremonious - and rather horrible - deaths in the manga and films.

* Most of the girls (and some of the handlers) end up dying this way in ''Manga/GunslingerGirl'', with Angelica's body and conditioning finally breaking down and spending her last moments with her previously emotionally distant handler, Henrietta accidentally fatally injuring Jose in a gunfight and finally accepting her fate with him as they commit mutual suicide, and Claes, Rico and Petrushka at the very least getting to live peacefully at the end of the manga until the end of their extremely short lifespans (or until they succumb to their leukemia in Petrushka's case.)
* In ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'', the blacksmith Godo dies after finally succumbing to illness. He repairs Guts' equipment one last time before dying peacefully in his own home in the company of friends and family.

* ''Manga/AfterGod'': In his moment of sanity, Vollof regrets dismissing Orokapi and calling himself a god, and says his life has been nothing but pain. He then accepts "sleeping" inside Orokapi's mouth.

* ''ComicBook/{{Circles}}'': Douglas tells his friends that Paulie's death was very quiet for him.

* Parodied in ''Film/ScaryMovie3'': As two parents attend the funeral of their daughter: "My sweet sweet Brenda---She looks so peaceful..." (cut to Brenda with her face frozen in an expression of utter terror and her hands sticking out like claws)

* In ''Film/AmericanBeauty'', the peaceful face of Lester in his moment of death is not only the result of his growth through the entire film, it also pretty much encapsulates the ''theme'' (the spiritual joy of finding "beauty" in the seemingly banal or even supposedly ugly products of everyday life).
* In ''Film/TheStormRiders'', a martial artist uses magic to allow his dead girlfriend to rest peacefully.
* The justification for the midpoint plot in ''Film/{{Brainstorm}}''; seeing the peaceful expression on a just-deceased colleague's face inspires Creator/ChristopherWalken to find out why "Why do you have to die to let go?"

* The shooting script for ''Film/MoulinRouge'' signifies Satine's death by stating "Satine's [[DiesWideOpen eyes]] are peaceful now." Her bereaved lover Christian is decidedly [[InelegantBlubbering not peaceful]], though.

* Colt in ''Literature/TheZombieKnight'', because [[spoiler: Geoffry won't find his children]]. Not that he [[BackFromTheDead stays that way for long]].
* In Creator/JamesSwallow's ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'' novel ''[[Literature/BloodAngels Deus Sanguinius]]'', when Rafen goes to [[DueToTheDead pay his respects to]] his dead mentor (and engage in TalkingToTheDead), he is struck by how peaceful he looks, unlike the contortion racking him, as he died FightingFromTheInside to warn Rafen.
* ''Franchise/TolkiensLegendarium'':
** In the appendices of Creator/JRRTolkien's ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'', it is said that Aragorn's face upon succumbing to death struck all who saw it as peaceful and noble. Likewise with Boromir. But subverted with those in the Dead Marches.
** ''Literature/TheFallOfNumenor'': The early Númenoreans were given long lives and the option to lie down and pass away when they feel their time was done, and their faces reflected the peace of mind of someone who know their task is over and is looking over to the next life. As they become increasingly corrupted and greedy, though, the Númenoreans begin fearing death and clinging to life, wearing terrified and twisted expressions on their faces when they pass away.
* ''Literature/{{Deryni}}'': Lady Vivienne de Jourdanet of the Camberian Council dies peacefully of old age in the arms of her eldest son the morning after Liam's investiture in ''King Kelson's Bride''. Despite the wars, rebellions and persecutions, some Deryni manage to do that.
* In Creator/RobertAHeinlein's ''Literature/TheRoadsMustRoll'', a man is murdered while trying to negotiate with the striking workers. The main character is struck by the nobility of his expression, seeing him dead.
* ''Literature/TheOutsiders'': Discussed. The kid who dies "Didn't look peaceful. He just looked dead."
* ''Literature/TheSwordOfSaintFerdinand'': When King Ferdinand dies, his expression is serene, happy and contented.

* In ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'', Tywin Lannister appears to have a faint smile while lying in state, and his children note how inappropriate the expression seems on him.

* In ''Literature/AllQuietOnTheWesternFront'', when Paul is killed, his facial expression is described as "calm, as though almost glad the end had come."
* In Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's ''Literature/TheFirstCircle'', a character freezes to death in a cell, and when they took him out, he was smiling. (The readers know that he had come to the conclusion that he had done the right thing.)

* In Teresa Frohock's ''Literature/MiserereAnAutumnTale'', Rachael notes, on Catarina's death that the woman doesn't look peaceful.
* In Angie Sage's ''[[Literature/SeptimusHeap Physik]]'', after Alice takes a bullet for Jenna.

* Xan in ''Literature/TheGirlWhoDrankTheMoon'' knows that she will die soon after Luna achieves her full magical potential as Luna involuntarily drains Xan's magic away. Having lived for hundreds of years and satisfied that her granddaughter will be able to survive, Xan dies peacefully in bed.
* ''Literature/FireAndBlood:'' Aegon the Usurper's death from poisoning is so quick and so subtle that had it not been for the small trail of blood coming from his mouth, his Kingsguard (assuming [[WhoMurderedTheAsshole they weren't in on the plot]]) might've thought he was just asleep.

* Played for horror in "Literature/TheFallOfTheHouseOfUsher", where Madeleine's about-to-be-entombed corpse still wears a faint smile. It turns out to be a FauxDeath.

* ''Series/GameOfThrones'': Despite the horrific manner in which King Renly Baratheon is killed, his body looks remarkably at peace. The corpse is later dressed and positioned in a way to make him appear regal and dignified, and Margaery Tyrell (his widow) can't resist mentioning how handsome he was, with Littlefinger agreeing.
* ''Series/TheTwilightZone1959'': In "[[Recap/TheTwilightZone1959S5E25TheMasks The Masks]]", a dying Jason Foster has his family wear masks, grotesque caricatures of themselves and a deaths-head for himself. At midnight he dies and they all unmask, their faces assuming the forms of the masks, showing their inner selves. Having accomplished his goal, Mr. Foster's face is placid and serene.
-->'''Dr. Samuel Thorne''': This must be death. No horror, no fear. Nothing but peace.

* In ''Theatre/StreetScene'', Rose says of her mother: "She looks so quiet and natural. You'd think she was asleep."

* In the Japanese productions of ''Theatre/{{Elisabeth}}'', a weeping [[spoiler:Elisabeth]] comments "Now in death, you have found peace," at the funeral of [[spoiler:her son Rudolf]]. In RealLife, his sister Marie Valerie would also mention that the deceased Rudolf was no longer wearing his customary scornful expression, instead seemingly at peace.

* The Boss in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater''. Hell, she was at peace with the idea that Snake would kill her for weeks and even comments that their fight together should be the best ten minutes of their lives.

* In ''VideoGame/MassEffect1'', if you allow [[SoleSurvivor Corporal Toombs]] to go through with his RoaringRampageOfRevenge, he will kill himself once he's finished, and it's noted that he has a peaceful expression. On the other end of things, if you stop his rampage by killing him, his face will still be contorted with pain and grief in death.
* In ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsII'', the Forest of Fallen Giants contains several trees that used to be the corpses of giants slain in the war between the giants and Drangleic. Examining them will just say "Alas, nothing happened", until later in the game when you have a certain item that allows you to do something with them. However, there is one of these trees hidden away in a secluded area that the item will not work on. Examining it will instead say "A giant rests in peace". This tree also has a small chance of providing you with a useful item every time you get invaded.

* In ''VideoGame/AsurasWrath'', Asura spends the near entirety of the game consumed by UnstoppableRage. After defeating the GreaterScopeVillain, however, he finds himself at peace for the first time in a long time as the Mantra that powered his body vanishes and his life ebbs away.
-->''My wrath...is finally...gone.''
* ''VideoGame/LiveALive'': In the Imperial China chapter, the Shifu dies after telling his surviving disciple that they will be the new shifu of the Earthen Heart martial arts and having avenged the deaths of his other students, happy that the likes of Ou Di Wan Lee will never wreak havoc again and that his martial arts is in safe hands.

* ''WesternAnimation/BoJackHorseman'': Averted, when Bojack's mother Beatrice finally died, it was a stroke that finished her off, and Bojack even mentions they had to have a closed-casket funeral in spite of her wishes, because the coroner couldn't fix the rictus grimace of agony frozen on her face. He describes it as a "pissed-off toy dinosaur" (and even mimics it for the horrified audience, complete with a ScareChord).

* ''ComicBook/ThePunisherMAX'': Frank kills Bullseye while he's in a coma (right through his forehead target tattoo), which doesn't change his happy expression one bit. It only makes him that much creepier, considering how cheerful he always was when kidnapping families to have them executed so he could get into Frank's head (and succeeded). Bullseye even went ''into'' the coma peaceful and happy, as it was caused by the injuries and brain damage he gained during his final battle with Frank in Kingpin's tower, which he saw as his Magnum Opus. Frank didn't come out much better, having been broken both physically and mentally, because Bullseye had figured out the last thing Frank had told his wife right before she and their kids were murdered; [[spoiler: "I'm leaving"]].

* ''Series/TheTwilightZone1959'': In "[[Recap/TheTwilightZoneS5E145TheMasks The Masks]]", a dying Jason Foster has his family wear masks, grotesque caricatures of themselves and a deaths-head for himself. At midnight he dies and they all unmask, their faces assuming the forms of the masks, showing their inner selves. Having accomplished his goal, Mr. Foster's face is placid and serene.

* How the eponymous boxing legend dies in ''Manga/TomorrowsJoe''. He seems to be peaceful, knowing that his final fight was the best of his career.
** That scene has inspired countless homage, from the tearjerkingly straight such as [[Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann Kamina]] to the ones played for laughs such as [[Anime/LuckyStar Animate Tenchou]].
* Evoked in ''[[Manga/CaseClosed Billionaire Birthday Blues]]'', Yone closed the deceased Reika's eyes to at least ease her pain. Girl may be a RichBitch but, [[GreyAndGrayMorality a human being is still a human being]].

* [[MauveShirt Buccanneer]], [[AlasPoorVillain King]] [[DissonantSerenity Bradley]], and [[BigGood Hohenheim]] all go out like this as ''Manga/FullMetalAlchemist'' finally comes to a close. All three are smiling and lying on the ground very calmly and serenely.

* Togame in ''Literature/{{Katanagatari}}'' after her DyingDeclarationOfLove.

* In ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'', Chiyo's brother Ebizo laments that she's not pretending to be dead, but notes how peaceful she looks.

* Although we don't see his face, the first Dove (of the superhero duo Hawk And Dove) is at peace in death, to the point of being one of the few dead characters that were immune to being raised as a zombie by the dark-emotion-powered Black Rings in ComicBook/BlackestNight. Considering he was an avatar of peace, this is appropriate.

** Rei in the ''Fanfic/KiryuuinChronicles'' seems to have finally been at peace, considering all that had happened. Satsuki also noted that death was what had freed her, thus making her death symbolically an example of IDieFree.

* Having died acknowledging how poorly she treated her daughters and having made amends with them on deathbed, Ragyou's death of terminal illness in ''Fanfic/CellarSecrets'' is this. Despite being a bit antagonistic, it does come off as rather tragic.

* Parodied in ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda''. Shifu looks like he has died with a serene expression on his face and then he opens his eyes, saying that he's not dead ("You idiot"), he's at peace.

* In Creator/JamesSwallow's TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}} novel ''[[Literature/BloodAngels Deus Sanguinius]]'', when Rafen goes to [[DueToTheDead pay his respects to]] his dead mentor (and engage in TalkingToTheDead), he is struck by how peaceful he looks, unlike the contortion racking him, as he died FightingFromTheInside to warn Rafen.
* In the appendices of Creator/JRRTolkien's ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'', it is said that Aragorn's face upon succumbing to death struck all who saw it as peaceful and noble.
** Likewise with Boromir.
** But subverted with those in the Dead Marches.
* [[Literature/{{Deryni}} Lady Vivienne de Jourdanet]] of the Camberian Council dies peacefully of old age in the arms of her eldest son the morning after Liam's investiture in ''King Kelson's Bride''. Despite the wars, rebellions and persecutions, some Deryni manage to do that.

* DiscussedTrope in ''Literature/TheOutsiders''. The kid who dies "Didn't look peaceful. He just looked dead."

%%* ''Literature/TheLastDragonChronicles'': Henry Bacon died this way.
* Discussed in ''Literature/HisDarkMaterials'' after Lee Scoresby [[YouShallNotPass defeats a squad of Church soldiers]] to cover Lyra and Will's escape, then succumbs to his wounds. The person who finds his body observes that it does ''not'' look peaceful: it looks like he died painfully but satisfied in the knowledge that he'd won.
* In ''Literature/LittleWomen'', after Beth dies, her face is described as "a face so full of painless peace that those who loved it best smiled through their tears, and thanked God that Beth was well at last."

* In the ''Creator/AgathaChristie's Series/{{Poirot}}'' adaptation of ''Literature/{{Curtain}}'', after Barbara Franklin [[HoistByHisOwnPetard drinks the poisoned cup of coffee]] [[spoiler:meant for her husband John]], scene cuts to Barbara screaming in terrible, agonizing pain in her bedroom as the guests try in vain to help her. By morning, we next see her body lying in bed in an upright position with a peaceful expression on her face as though she were asleep, surrounded by flowers.

-->'''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyX Yuna]]:''' Chief. He looks so peaceful.
-->'''Pete:''' I ain't dead!!

* ''Anime/CodeGeass'': Shirley after giving Lelouch a DyingDeclarationOfLove and dying in his arms.
** Lelouch himself is this at the end [[ThanatosGambit since his death was part of his plan for world peace]], [[MyDeathIsOnlyTheBeginning and he went out of his way to make sure that it would work]].

* From the ''Fanfic/Gensokyo20XX'' series, we have Satori, when she passes away in her sleep, at having enjoyed herself during that day for the first time in a while after Koishi passed away. Earlier in the series, there's Eirin's suicide and she and passed away satisfied that she could die, with her death noted to be a "sweet release" and Sakuya's death of radiation sickness and it was noted that she looked as though she had fallen sleep, except she never woke up.

* Subverted in ''Webcomic/KillLaKillAU'', where, while she doesn't die, although she was mortally injured, this happens to Ryuuko after being hit by car. For once, in a long time, seemingly at peace, her last word before losing consciousness was ''"Sunshine"'', which, according to Mako, in ''Room 002108'', is one of the things that make her happy.
* Rei in the ''Fanfic/KiryuuinChronicles'' seems to have finally been at peace, considering all that had happened. Satsuki also noted that death was what had freed her, thus making her death symbolically an example of IDieFree.
* From ''Fanfic/FragileThread'', we have Mako's suicide.
* Satsuki's death of leukemia in [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11301117/1/Sunshine Sunshine]]. It was also mentioned that she died smiling.

* In ''Fanfic/WhyAmICrying'', the Cutie Mark Crusaders take notice of how peaceful their deceased nemesis Diamond Tiara at her funeral, especially her smile, which is calm and genuine rather than malicious as usual, and they consider this the "true" Diamond.

* Grimmer in ''Anime/{{Monster}}'', upon finally feeling emotion.

* The Boss in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3''. Hell, she was at peace with the idea that Snake would kill her for weeks and even comments that their fight together should be the best ten minutes of their lives.

* Togame in ''LightNovel/{{Katanagatari}}'' after her DyingDeclarationOfLove.

The mundane (or MaybeMagicMaybeMundane) equivalent of DiedHappilyEverAfter... and it certainly can be TruthInTelevision. Not to be confused with DropDeadGorgeous, where the female body remains a sex object even when it's dead.

* ''ComicBook/ThePunisherMAX'': Frank kills Bullseye as he's sleeping (right through his forehead target tattoo), which doesn't change his happy expression one bit. It only makes him that much creepier, considering how cheerful he always was when kidnapping families to have them executed so he could get into Frank's head (and succeeded).

* In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemEngage'', right before dying, Sombron is convinced to try and summon the Emblem Zero one last time. And after thousands of years of not being able to, Sombron manages to summon them even if only he can see them. The Fell Dragon then disappears, finally at peace.

'''As a DeathTrope, all spoilers will be unmarked ahead. Beware.'''

* [[spoiler: Rei]] in the ''Fanfic/KiryuuinChronicles'' seems to have finally been at peace, considering all that had happened. Satsuki also noted that death was what had freed her, thus making her death symbolically an example of IDieFree.
* From ''Fanfic/FragileThread'', we have [[spoiler: Mako's suicide]].

* ''Series/TheTwilightZone1959'': In "[[Recap/TheTwilightZoneS5E145TheMasks The Masks]]", a dying Jason Foster has his family wear masks, grotesque caricatures of themselves and a deaths-head for himself. At midnight he dies and they all unmask, [[spoiler: their faces assuming the forms of the masks, showing their inner selves.]] Having accomplished his goal, Mr. Foster's face is placid and serene.

* ''Series/DoctorWho'': [[spoiler: Clara Oswald]], after experiencing a rather horrific demise in "Face the Raven", finds peace afterward.

* In the Japanese productions of ''Theatre/{{Elisabeth}}'', a weeping [[spoiler:Elisabeth]] comments "Now in death, you have found peace," at the funeral of [[spoiler:her son Rudolf]]. In RealLife, his sister Marie Valerie would also mention that [[spoiler:the deceased Rudolf was no longer wearing his customary scornful expression, instead seemingly at peace.]]