History Main / Seppuku

Time to send a message. Those ''gaijin'' may say it with flowers, but samurai say it with bowels. Their own bowels to be precise. For a true Samurai WarriorPoet, this is the ''only'' [[TakeAThirdOption third option]] you can take to [[HonorBeforeReason preserve your honor]].

* Parodied in ''{{Wulffmorgenthaler}}'': apparently, seppuku is the reason [[http://wulffmorgenthaler.com/2010/01/21/ samurais are banned from all quiz shows]].

** In another episode, after [[ButtMonkey Butters]] is sold off to Paris Hilton to be her pet, he finds out that her previous pets have all committed suicide over not standing her any longer in increasingly ridiculous ways, ending with Cuddles, a spaniel who committed ''ritual seppuku'', white clothes and Japanese characters hanging from the walls included.
** In the episode “Ginger Cow,” a variety of newscasters commit suicide around the world upon reporting the incidence of the aforementioned bovine. All of them shoot themselves with the exception of the Japanese newscaster, who draws a katana and begins to commit seppuku as he delivers his news. His partner then comes in and decapitates him after he collapses on the desk before drawing a pistol and shooting himself in the head like everyone else.

* ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'': The Samurai Hero, Edgeshot, calls a press conference for this purpose. [[spoiler:His "seppuku" is ''retiring''. Everyone calls him out for being a DramaQueen over it, not least because the country is in a state of emergency at the moment and retiring right now is seen as an act of cowardice]].

* Kenshin Himura of ''Manga/RurouniKenshin'' fame has said outright that he began his life as a wanderer as an alternative to suicide and encourages others to follow his path of atonement. His reasoning is simply that killing himself helps no one and he can do much more good alive. A similar {{Aesop}} pops up in ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'': all life has value, and death solves nothing.

** Towards the end of the Ganryu Takeda mini-arc, [[spoiler:Megumi was about to commit ''jigai'' with a dagger that Aoshi had given her, thinking the Kenshin-gumi had perished at the hands of the Oniwabashu. Sanosuke gives her a GetAHoldOfYourselfMan to stop her]].

* ''Manga/TimeStopBrave'': The hero Kuzuno Sekai stumbles upon a Japanese village that is invaded by vampires. He finds that several people committed seppuku [[BetterToDieThanBeKilled to avoid being fed on]].

* In ''TabletopGame/BattleTech'', the Draconis Combine brings back Seppuku, particularly among its mechwarriors. The "Total Warfare" rulebook contains a passage about a Draconis Commander who very nearly commits suicide after successfully withdrawing his forces from a Lyran blitzkrieg. The crime is having withdrawn without permission. The reprieve is that the attack was part of a larger conflict, and the Combine would need every commander and Mechwarrior it had. When Theodore Kurita assumed leadership of the Draconis Combine during the Clan Invasion, one of his first acts was to try to put an end to the practice or at least greatly tone down the circumstances that required it, in order to save the state's warriors so they could continue fighting the Clans. Theodore's father, Tadakashi, committed seppuku himself after being convinced that his challenging the mercenary Jaime Wolf to a duel to the death to settle their old grudge had put the Combine in danger, with Theodore acting as his kaishakunin. He was officially listed as having died in his sleep to avoid awkward questions over the incident. About ten years later, Theodore's wife Tomoe Sakade would also commit seppuku after being named Warlord of the Pesht Military District during the First Combine-Ghost Bear War- some of her subordinates rankled at the idea of [[StayInTheKitchen being commanded by a woman]] and disobeyed orders, resulting in many of the operations she ordered during the war failing. Choosing to die in proper samurai fashion showed her detractors were wrong and many of them were promptly [[MedalOfDishonor awarded the Honor of the Wakizashi]] and committed seppuku themselves.

* In ''VideoGame/SwordOfTheStars'', whenever a [[TheReptilian Tarka]] player has research that goes overbudget, the notification icon shows a Tarka scientist (or project manager) falling on his own sword for failing to deliver the tech on time.

* In ''Videogame/XCOM2'''s ''War of the Chosen'' ExpansionPack, the Chosen Assassin [[GracefulLoser will wish you luck]] in overthrowing her masters and then commit seppuku upon defeat.

* In ''[[VideoGame/GundamVsSeries Gundam Extreme Vs.]]'', the [[Anime/MobileSuitGundam00 Susanoo]] has a ''seppuku'' move much like [[VideoGame/{{Tekken}} Yoshimitsu's]] (above), where the machine turns around and stabs itself with its swords. It does big damage if an enemy is right behind, but whether or not it connects the Susanoo takes damage. Despite the fact that its pilot is American, he's also a huge Japanese culture {{Otaku}}, justifying the existence of this move.

* ''VideoGame/SoulCaliburIV'' modeled Yoshimitsu's Critical Finish attack after seppuku, with Yoshi playing the role of the ''kaishakunin''.
** Additionally, several of his unblockable attacks come in the form of stabbing himself in the stomach. One is done from a stance where he would have his back turned to his enemy, and thus would be able to [[AttackingThroughYourself hit his opponent with the sword coming out of the other side]]. Another is done from the typical sitting stance one would associate with seppuku but can be followed up with him ripping his sword out of him and delivering a quick unblockable attack to his opponent. Needless to say, Yoshimitsu is one of the few characters with ways to heal himself, if only because he's also one of the few characters that can do so much damage to themselves.
** And his ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}''-entering descendant Yoshimitsu continues the tradition with the standing suicide (which can be followed up by spinning like a spinning blade at your opponent--hits do 2 damage to both of you, while the actual stab does ''60'' to whoever's hit--especially you), and the Turning Suicide (dash in, turn, gut yourself for 100 points of damage)..and the Double Stab (after taking the earlier 100, take another--and you have 140 hit points to play with, at most).

* In ''VideoGame/Tekken2'', the character Yoshimitsu can do this as an ''[[AttackingThroughYourself attack]]''. The attack in question will not kill the user, but hurts them in exchange for doing a lot more damage, ''[[ViolationOfCommonSense somehow]]''.

* ''VideoGame/WarcraftIII'': When the Night Elf Demon Hunter hero is killed he kneels and stabs himself with his blade.

* In ''Videogame/XCOM2'''s ''War Of The Chosen'' ExpansionPack, the Chosen Assassin [[GracefulLoser will wish you luck]] in overthrowing her masters and then commit seppuku upon defeat.

* In 1912, General [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nogi_Maresuke Maresuke Nogi]] committed ''seppuku'' along with his wife. Nogi was a key figure in the First Sino-Japanese war responsible for the Siege of Port Arthur, but he [[MyGreatestFailure was disgusted by how many lives were lost]] under his command and petitioned Emperor Meiji for permission to commit ''seppuku''. Emperor Meiji refused permission and told him, "If you insist on killing yourself, let it be after I have departed from the world." Nogi and his wife committed ''seppuku'' shortly after the Emperor's funeral entourage left the palace.

* The Sotoha in ''TabletopGame/VampireTheRequiem'' are a vampire Bloodline founded by a 16[[superscript:th]]-century Japanese nobleman based on the code of Bushido. Public seppuku in protest against a Sotoha Lord's conduct is the only way for a vassal to sever their MyMasterRightOrWrong obligations and free them from service -- though, being a vampire, it only leaves them comatose for a while. In the most extreme case, a vassal can condemn themself to final death to release their Lord's other subjects from their oaths of loyalty.

[[folder:Film]]

* ''Franchise/MortalKombat: [[VideoGame/MortalKombatDeception Deception]]'' has the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exB9itI7gO4 "Hara-Kiri"]] as a companion to the Fatality. During the typical "FINISH HIM/HER!" moment where the winner can perform a Fatality, the loser can input a special button combination and do a Hara-Kiri instead, essentially committing suicide in various ways before the opponent can finish them off. (The most common methods involve doing... all kinds of unpleasant things to the character's own head. [[OffWithHisHead Beheading]] is just the ''beginning''.)
** Of the above, however, [[VideoGame/MortalKombatDeadlyAlliance Kenshi Takeda]] is the only character who actually performs seppuku. (Though he only goes through the first cut and has no ''kaishakunnin'', obviously.) It makes sense: Kenshi likely comes closer to fitting the description of a Samurai more than any other character in the franchise does.
*** In ''Videogame/MortalKombatX'', [[spoiler: Hanzo aka Scorpion seriously considers this in his Arcade ending when he realises how his desire for revenge on Quan Chi nearly caused Shinnok's victory, as well as condemning Liu Kang and the others to an eternity as revenants. Dark Raiden stops him, then punishes him by making him the guardian of the Jinsei instead.]]

And ''seppuku'' still happens in modern Japan, although it's not as common as it once was. Japan is known to have a much more permissive attitude to suicide than other developed countries (ranking ninth in World Health Organization rankings -- for comparison, the U.S. is 45th and the U.K. is 60th), and some of that can be traced to rituals like ''seppuku''. Disgraced officials, politicians, and other authority figures might kill themselves as an apology for screwing up, albeit usually not according to ritual. Celebrities occasionally do this as well, and dedicated fans will often follow suit when this happens.

* In ''LightNovel/{{Kampfer}}'', there's a line of [[CreepyDoll very creepy-looking stuffed animals]] that look like they committed {{seppuku}}, with their intestines sticking out and all; two of their names translate to ''Suicide Tiger'' and ''Suicide Black Rabbit''. One of the girls in Natsuru's UnwantedHarem has a room ''full'' of them, and Natsuru once has to spend the night there.

* In the TV adaptation of ''Series/TheManInTheHighCastle'', seppuku is still used in Imperial Japan and its territories in the former US. An Imperial Guard officer is seen committing public seppuku after [[spoiler:the crown prince's attempted assassination]], and Kido is expected to do so if he can't find the would-be assassin.

* An American admiral stationed in Japan commits suicide in the ''Series/{{JAG}}'' episode "Innocence" for what he perceived to be a failure on his part. The characters can't help but comment on how Japanese it all was.
* In the Japanese series ''Series/{{Oshin}}'', one of the many pains that Shin ''"Oshin"'' Tanekura goes through is [[spoiler: her husband Ryuuzou's suicide around the end of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. It counts at this because he does so out of grief after the death of his and Oshin's eldest son Yuu in the war and the definitive ruin of his government-sponsored business, [[DespairEventHorizon so he feels that he has failed his wife in an absolutely unforgivable way]].]]
* On ''Series/GoodEats'', after having been called out for giving Alton erroneous information, the owner of the [[spoiler:simulated]] Asian market attempts this. Alton stops him.
** Alton himself does this while dressed as a sunflower, in order to explain the concept of plant starch.
* In ''Series/{{MASH}}'', the episode "Goodbye, Cruel World" featured a guilt-ridden Asian-American soldier who, despite being sent home a war hero, kept trying to commit suicide. In the words of the psychiatrist, Major Freedman, he had to kill Asians "to be a good American," but then had to kill himself "[[InterchangeableAsianCultures to be a good Asian.]]"
* In the ''Series/{{Haven}}'' episode "Burned", a man named Lance kills himself this way when [[CompellingVoice Ginger]] tells him, "I hate your guts!"
* ''Series/GoodNewsWeek'': Paul [=McDermott=] on the subject of the Japanese Prime Minister's resignation:
--> "I think the resignation took a lot of guts... but not as much guts as a ''traditional'' Japanese resignation!"
* Mentioned in an episode of ''Series/LegendsOfTomorrow'', when the team accidentally ends up in Edo-period Japan. An old man named Ichiro explains that his son Oda used to be a great samurai. Unfortunately, his popularity among the troops made the Shogun jealous, so he ordered Oda to take his own life. Being a loyal samurai, Oda obliged. The Shogun even went on to demand that Ichiro destroy Oda's sword, which Ichiro forged himself, but Ichiro hid the weapon instead.
* In ''Series/CriminalMindsBeyondBorders'' episode "Whispering Death", the [[MonsterOfTheWeek Criminal of the Week]] was a {{hikikomori}} whose parents were DrivenToSuicide after their sushi shop was closed down shortly after being acquired by an American company. He then targeted the people he blamed the death of his parents for and staged the crime scenes as suicides to make them atone for what they'd done. Two murders, an American woman who planned to move to the department subleased by the criminal's father and a former employee of the shop, were made to resemble seppuku rituals (''Jigai'' and ''Seppuku'' proper respectively).

* The Sotoha in ''TabletopGame/VampireTheRequiem'' are a vampire Bloodline founded by a 16[[superscript:th]]-century Japanese nobleman based on the code of Bushido. Public seppuku in protest against a Sotoha Lord's conduct is the only way for a vassal to sever their MyMasterRightOrWrong obligations and free them from service -- though, being a vampire, it only leaves them comatose for a while. In the most extreme case, a vassal can condemn themself to final death to release their Lord's other subjects from their oaths of loyalty.

* The opening credits of ''VideoGame/KabukiZ'' sees a monk committing ''hara-kiri'', and your character then finishes him off by removing his head, with his blood writing the "Z" on the title screen.

* ''VideoGame/TheSimpsonsGame'': The FlyingFace guide of the ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}-esque'' level suddenly commits seppuku once the HubWorld starts to fall apart, with a sword floating in mid-air as he drops to the ground.

* In the backstory prior to ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidPeaceWalker'', Kazuhira Miller completely flips the idea of an honorable death when, upon being soundly defeated by Big Boss, he asks him to be his kaishakunin. Except this was actually a ploy to get Big Boss to walk close enough for Kaz [[TakingYouWithMe to blow both of them up with a grenade]]. It doesn't work, but needless to say, the fact that Kaz was willing to kick honor to the curb just to go out in a blaze of glory really makes an impression on Snake.

* In the old Commodore 64 game of ''ComicBook/UsagiYojimbo'', if the eponymous {{ronin}}'s honor got below a certain point, he would commit suicide right there.

* In the original ''VideoGame/{{Tenchu}}'', one of the missions involves executing a corrupt minister, but if the player is using Rikimaru, he will plead in a cinematic with the minister to take the honourable route and perform seppuku, which he will and Rikimaru will assist by decapitating him. If the player chooses Ayame however, she will insult and agitate the minister until he lashes out, resulting in a boss battle.

* Due to the high number of {{Mythology Gag}}s present, ''VideoGame/FistOfTheNorthStarTwinBlueStarsOfJudgment'' has the character [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8zx9qxCSvM Shin able to perform a self-inflicted Fatal KO]], as a nod to the series on him [[BetterToDieThanBeKilled opting to commit suicide rather than die by protagonist Kenshiro's techniques]].
* An offscreen version happened in ''VideoGame/FlashOfTheBlade'' when the previous wielder of the [[EvilWeapon Soulstealer]], realizing the weapon's powers is too much for him to control, then kills himself via disembowelment. You come across his corpse in the final level, Soulstealer still in his guts, but as it turns out the Soulstealer actually re-animates him to pull the blade out, and continue fighting.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Boppin}}'', player 1 would commit seppuku every time he lost a life, and player 2 would [[AteHisGun shot himself in the mouth]]. It's all an {{anvilicious}} commentary about violence in video games... No, really.
* In ''VideoGame/MarkOfTheNinja'', the past members of the clan who inherited the ink's mark have committed seppuku before having their mind [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity consumed by the mark's toxins]]. [[spoiler:In the final level, The Ninja [[MultipleEndings must decide]] to either kill Azai to live and be consumed by the mark or commit seppuku to spare the clan.]]
* In ''VideoGame/ShadowWarrior1997'', the mutant ninja enemies sometimes point an uzi to their heads. The manual states that enemies will commit seppuku if "dishonored."
* ''VideoGame/SwordOfTheSamurai'' had this as an option if the player character was ever caught doing something horribly dishonorable, like attempting to assassinate a rival or plant false evidence against them. It would remove the stain on the PC's family's honor, giving the PC's son (and next PC) a better chance. The player is free to ignore the order, [[ButThouMust but this causes instant defeat]] as the player's entire family is eradicated.
* In ''[[VideoGame/GundamVsSeries Gundam Extreme Vs.]]'', the [[Anime/MobileSuitGundam00 Susanoo]] has a ''seppuku'' move much like [[VideoGame/{{Tekken}} Yoshimitsu's]] (above), where the machine turns around and stabs itself with its swords. It does big damage if an enemy is right behind, but whether or not it connects the Susanoo takes damage. Despite the fact that its pilot is American, he's also a huge Japanese culture {{Otaku}}, justifying the existence of this move.
* Seppuku is treated as a fact of life in ''VideoGame/{{Hakuouki}}'', given that it's a VisualNovel about UsefulNotes/TheShinsengumi. Harada Sanosuke has a scar across his abdomen from a failed attempt at it, and following the Choshu assault on the Imperial Palace, Hijikata takes a number of men in pursuit of the escaping leaders of the rebellion specifically with the intention of arresting them before they commit seppuku. And when the main characters learn that [[spoiler:Kondou]] was beheaded rather than being allowed to commit seppuku, they're deeply distressed over it.
* In the first ''VideoGame/SamuraiShodown'' game, after [[spoiler: failing to rescue his son Shinzo (whom Amakusa performed a GrandTheftMe on)]], [[{{Ninja}} Hanzo]] [[http://www.vgmuseum.com/end/neogeo/c/sshohan.htm gets ready to commit seppuku.]] A group of ninja trainees [[InterruptedSuicide stop him]] and then beg him to become their sensei.
* In ''The Last Ninja'', some guards will perform seppuku on the spot if you run past them.
* Samurai in ''VideoGame/BattleRealms'' commit seppuku as their death animation, meaning they [[HeroicSpirit essentially kill themselves rather than be defeated when they run out of HP]] (they still count as the enemy's kill). This lengthy death animation serves to warn the opponent of the samurai's death, as they [[TakingYouWithMe unleash area-of-effect damage when they die]] as their unconquered spirits lash back at their aggressors on their way to the afterlife.
* In ''VideoGame/Fallout3'''s {{expansion pack}} ''Operation Anchorage'', [[BigBad General Jingwei]] can be convinced to fall on his sword with a high Speech skill, [[SkippableBoss bypassing]] [[MarathonBoss a rather long boss fight]]. A possible in-universe research failure as Jingwei is Chinese.
* In ''VideoGame/SplinterCellChaosTheory'', [[InsaneAdmiral Admiral]] Otomo turns out to be a Japanese Nationalist, and the plot of the game mostly centers around his attempt to make Japan an Imperial power again. So it is no surprise that when his plans go up in smoke, he attempts to commit seppuku. Sam manages to save his life (and shows quite a bit of respect towards the ritual while doing so, for that matter).
* In ''VideoGame/DeadRising2'', in the DualBoss battle against Amber and Crystal Bailey, once you kill one of them, the other will curse you and then run herself through with a katana to join her sister in death.
* A tanto appears in ''VideoGame/{{Nioh}}'' as the game's answer to the [[VideoGame/DarkSouls Darksign]] or [[VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}} Hunter's Mark]]; that is to say, an item that will warp the player back to the last shrine checkpoint they visited at the cost of all the Amrita they're holding. Not something the player would use all that often, but handy on the off-chance they get hopelessly lost or [[GameBreakingBug stuck in the scenery]].

* In ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsII'', if the player defeats Sir Alonne under a set amount of time and without taking any damage, a short cutscene will play where Alonne stabs himself in the gut rather than simply falling over dead without a cutscene like normal. However, it's not clear if he did so out of shame at getting so thoroughly beaten, or if his EvilWeapon compelled him to do it to satisfy its hunger for blood since it wasn't able to have any of yours. The fact that using his sword yourself allows you to stab yourself in the gut to buff it seems to point towards the latter case.
* ''VideoGame/EldenRing'': Seppuku is one of the many Ashes of War (weapon skills) in the game. It can be equipped to most swords and polearms, and has you stabbing yourself in the gut to coat the weapon in your blood, temporarily increasing its damage and adding bleed buildup (or increasing the amount of Bleed buildup if it has some already). Due to [[GameBreaker/EldenRing how powerful bleed is as a status effect]], one of the most popular builds is to {{dual wield|ing}} either two weapons with innate bleed and an Occult affinity or two weapons without innate bleed and a Blood affinity, give both of them this Ash of War, buff them both with it, and go to town. The self-damage from Seppuku also counts as a bleed proc on yourself, and as such will trigger the effects of the talisman and headgear that both give you a damage buff whenever a bleed proc occurs in your vicinity.
* In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'', [[spoiler:Ryoma chooses to stab himself to death after his fight with the Avatar in the ''Conquest'' route]]. It counts as seppuku, never mind the lack of ''kaishakunnin''[[note]]Likely because, at that point, he's the only one on his side left alive.[[/note]] and rituals, because [[spoiler:Ryoma (a {{samurai}} who comes from the land of Hoshido which is modeled after [[{{Wutai}} Medieval Japan]]) not only stabs himself through the stomach while sitting in the ''seiza'' position]], but does so to [[spoiler:keep the Avatar from having to make the choice of killing him with his/her own hands, and possibly getting killed by [[BigBad Garon]] [[IfYoureSoEvilEatThiskitten for refusing]]. His last words even lampshade the trope, as he claims that he will die to preserve his samurai honor.]] In fact, even the ''name'' of the cutscene is "Samurai's Duty".
-->[[spoiler:'''Ryoma''': I cannot fall into the hands of an enemy. So I... fulfill a samurai's... final duty! I'm counting on you...]]
* In ''VideoGame/AgeOfEmpiresII'', the death animation of the samurai units is to stab themselves with their swords.

* In ''VideoGame/Tekken2'', the character Yoshimitsu can do this as an ''[[AttackingThroughYourself attack]]''. The attack in question will not kill the user, but hurts them in exchange for doing a lot more damage, ''[[ViolationOfCommonSense somehow]]''.
* The Last Nyanmurai from ''VideoGame/YokaiWatch'' is a samurai cat yokai. He's obsessed with being in last place and committing seppuku when he fails (which doesn't do much because he's ''already'' dead).
* In ''VideoGame/SonicAndTheBlackKnight'', Sir Gawain is so disgraced after being beaten by Sonic that he tries to do this. Sonic calls him out and stops him.
* In ''VideoGame/{{The Punisher|THQ}}'', one of the late-game targets is the leader of a yakuza syndicate. When Frank finally shoots his way into his office, the yakuza boss informs him that he has been usurped by a different villain. He wishes to commit seppuku to atone for this and asks Frank to be his kaishakunin. Choosing to accept saves the player from a short firefight with his bodyguards afterwards.
* ''VideoGame/SekiroShadowsDieTwice'' has a variant of this when you get the final Deathblow on final boss [[spoiler:Sword Saint Isshin]] except without the stabbing. He falls to his knees and [[FaceDeathWithDignity tells Sekiro to finish it]]; Sekiro, standing behind him as a ''kaishakunin'' with his sword raised, expertly slices through the back of [[spoiler: Isshin's]] neck and finishes him off.
* In ''VideoGame/EnsembleStars'', the extremely dutiful and highly emotional Souma regularly offers to commit seppuku in apology for what is usually a very minor mistake, due to acting in every way like a 16th-century samurai somehow walking around in modern-day Japan. This is played [[SuicideAsComedy entirely for laughs]], and Keito and Kanata (the most common recipients) usually just responding by tiredly chastising him for losing his head (so to speak).
* In ''Videogame/ForHonor'', the Samurai have a special [[FinishingMove execution]] added in Year Four named Ware Shinaba, in which the Samurai gives their defeated opponent a knife, which they gut themselves with. The Samurai hero will then chop off their head and bow respectfully to their slain foe.
* ''VideoGame/Yakuza6''; [[spoiler: Someya does this at the end of his final boss fight, gutting himself in a desperate attempt to appease [[BigBad Iwami]] and save his ex-wife Kiyomi from being executed. It seemingly fails and Iwami's [[TheDragon Dragon]] Koshimizu cuts the video feed just as he puts a gun to Kiyomi's head, and Someya dies not knowing Koshimizu loaded blanks into his gun.]]
* ''VideoGame/SakunaOfRiceAndRuin'': Tauemon references this after being responsible for a great failure in the beginning:
-->'''Tauemon:''' Oooh, I've brought dishonor upon myself! To make amends, I shall slice open my belly and...\\
[[spoiler:'''Sakuna:''' Th-Tat is quite unnecessary!]]
* ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'': A Sith apprentice whom the Sith Warrior PC defeats in a duel on Nar Shaddaa does something very similar to {{seppuku}} with his lightsaber (obscured by a GoryDiscretionShot) if the PC doesn't deliver a CoupDeGrace in the following cutscene.
* In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask'', the Garo Master, upon losing to Link, offers up some advice as a sign of good faith and then detonates a bomb in his hand. His clones, however, do this as a last-ditch effort to kill Link.
* In ''VideoGame/SwordOfTheStars'', whenever a [[TheReptilian Tarka]] player has research that goes overbudget, the notification icon shows a Tarka scientist (or project manager) falling on his own sword for failing to deliver the tech on time.
* ''VideoGame/EpicBattleFantasy5'': Dropping [[OptionalBoss Telperion's]] health low enough will trigger a quote that parodies and implies this:
-->*cats can be heard committing sudoku*

[[folder:Visual Novels]]
* In ''VisualNovel/Danganronpa2GoodbyeDespair'', Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu attempts this in chapter three, when trying to make amends for his behavior in the previous chapter. His classmates are horrified and drag him to the hospital, where his wounds are seen to.
* Parodied in ''VisualNovel/TheGreatAceAttorney''. At the end of the first trial of ''Resolve'', [[spoiler:Prosecutor Taketsuchi Auchi]] composes a death poem for himself, holds up a knife, and it really looks like he's going to do it... [[spoiler:Then he [[StabTheSalad cuts off a tuft of his hair]].]]
[[/folder]]

* After the [[TraumaCongaLine Nidraa'chal War]] one member of the Dutan'vir clan named Fel'kir in ''{{Webcomic/Drowtales}}'' [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?sid=5506 picked this]] after his clan was destroyed and disgraced. [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?sid=10304 Later]] in the story a member of the same clan, [[spoiler:Lulianne]], does the same thing [[spoiler:in an attempted TakingYouWithMe after she realizes she's been possessed by the FaceStealer Khaless and briefly overpowers her to avoid having to kill her clanmate]].
* Attempted by the Running Gag in ''Webcomic/OneOverZero'' when Andy dies, but it can't quite jump high enough to impale itself successfully. It runs off into the distance instead. Later in the comic, Junior.
* In the [[http://nedroid.com/2011/01/memories-of-youth/ "Memories of Youth"]] strip (January 13th, 2011) of the online comic ''Webcomic/{{Nedroid}}'', Reginald is about to commit {{Seppuku}} when Beartato stops him. Reginald explains, "...I just remembered all the embarrassing things I did as a teenager." Beartato tells him to move on from the past, but a thought balloon pops up in Reginald's mind wherein he remembers himself as a teenager at his crush's locker, about to give her a {{Mixtape Of Love}}. Present Reginald then [[spoiler:attempts to drink poison]].

* Parodied in ''Literature/RealUltimatePower'', where seppuku consists of bending a lubricated Frisbee in half and swallowing it after "getting ''really'' [[UnstoppableRage super pissed]]".

* In an episode of ''{{WesternAnimation/Futurama}}'', Zoidberg is ridden with guilt after he breaks Professor Farnsworth's bottled ship and blames Fry (and he's forced to pay the exorbitant price of ''ten dollars'' to replace it). Ashamed, he confesses the whole thing and, since he won't be able to pay Fry back, he attempts to kill himself by stabbing his chest with a katana but he just ends up bending it on his hard exoskeleton. The owner of the sword angrily tells him how much that sword was worth. Zoidberg [[AesopAmnesia yells that Fry did it and runs away]].
* In the French series ''WesternAnimation/{{Clementine}}'', the titular protagonist travels to MedievalJapan and befriends [[Myth/JapaneseMythology Momotarou and his companions]]. During this adventure, a {{samurai}} commits ''seppuku'' [[FamilyUnfriendlyViolence on-screen.]]
* In the [[DarkerAndEdgier fifth Season]] of ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'', while hiding from [[KnightOfCerebus the Daughters of Aku]], Jack [[TalkingToThemself begins to argue]] with [[SanitySlippage his own subconscious]] over whether or not he should simply kill himself while he still has his dignity, as his situation seems totally hopeless. [[spoiler: He almost goes through with it in Episode 6, but Ashi talks him down and is able to renew his HeroicSpirit.]]

* At the end of the ''Franchise/{{Tintin}}'' story ''[[Recap/TintinTheBlueLotus The Blue Lotus]]'', it's stated that BigBad Mitsuhirato committed hara-kiri (as it was usually known in the West at the time).

* Appears regularly in ''ComicBook/UsagiYojimbo'', since the series is based on historical Japan. A unique case is Usagi finding a town haunted by the ghost of a general who was killed before he could complete the ceremony. Usagi waits for the ghost to make his nightly arrival, respectfully saying they both served the same lord and "I would be honored to be your second." As the ghost makes the belly cuts, Usagi uses his sword (blessed in holy water) to "behead" the spirit and finally let the general be at peace.
* In an issue of ''Comicbook/{{Daredevil}}'' (set just before Shadowland), DD is the head of The Hand, a cult of ninjas. One of his lieutenants is getting too ambitious and would rather be the head, so some of DD's other lieutenants kill him, and later claim he committed seppuku since he failed to become leader of The Hand.

* In one ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'' strip, Calvin asks Hobbes if this would be the appropriate response to breaking his father's prized binoculars, or if running away from home would be sufficient. Hobbes suggests both.
* In ''ComicBook/{{Noob}}'', most of comic 9 consists of a battle in which each side's commander is randomly chosen among participants. The randomly chosen commander for the Empire is ManipulativeBitch and DirtyCoward Gaea, whose strategy inevitably includes WeHaveReserves. At the end of the battle, the protagonists decide to participate in another battle, and Omega Zell, who hates Gaea, [[TemptingFate comments that there's no way the next commander of their side can be any worse than her]]. Cut to the last panel of the comic showing the Empire commander being chosen for the next battle: it's Sparadrap, everyone's favorite StupidGood KindheartedSimpleton, and Omega Zell is seen in the background pointing a dagger towards his own stomach.
* In "Vow of the Samurai" in ''ComicBook/JonahHex'' #39 (original series), a samurai commits hara-kiri after he discovers that his daughter has had a child with an outlaw. He forces Jonah to fulfill an oath he made earlier by acting as kaishakunin and cutting his head off.

* In a flashback in Episode 74 of ''FanFic/SonicXDarkChaos'', Cosmo's mother Hertia committed seppuku with a plasma knife after Maledict devolved her to her original form. It's actually a case of BetterToDieThanBeKilled - Maledict explicitly gave her the choice between suicide or a FateWorseThanDeath. And in an interesting case of ShownTheirWork, Maledict ends her suffering by decapitating her as well.
* Discussed (semi-jokingly) by Shinji in ''Fanfic/DoingItRightThisTime'', as he is rather sore about being essentially press-ganged into being Kaworu's ''kaishakunin'', and avows that if they end up going through the whole "ICannotSelfTerminate" thing again [[PeggySue this time around]] he's going to make him observe the proper ceremonies first.
* Parodied in the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' of Creator/AAPessimal. The Prospectus issued as a guide to prospective parents and students of the Assassins' guild School devotes [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10383608/3/The-Prospectus a proud chapter]] to its brand-new Agatean Studies Department. Set texts are issued to students explaining the purpose and philosophy underlying seppuku. however, titles like ''Today is a Good Day for '''Somebody Else''' to Commit Seppuku'' suggest the particular slant the assassins put on the practice. Assisted seppuku for others, most certainly...
* Itachi Kunata does this in ''Fanfic/FracturedFates'' using a hunting knife, sabotaging his own execution in an attempt to [[MustMakeAmends atone]] for killing a classmate and to [[DidYouJustFlipOffCthulhu defy Monokuma.]]
* ''Fanfic/LostToDust'': When Yagyuu Munenori is defeated, he commits seppuku to avoid interrogation.

* In ''Film/RikiOhTheStoryOfRicky'' an evil minion commits seppuku and then ''tries to strangle the hero with his intestines.'' The rest of the movie has the same {{Gorn}} vibe.
** It becomes [[{{Narm}} absolutely hilarious]] when the assistant warden in the dub shouts:
--->"Alright, you got a lotta guts, Oscar!!"

* In ''Film/{{Machete}}'', when Machete mortally wounds [[BigBad Torrez]], Torrez scornfully finishes himself off this way, to deny Machete the glory of killing him. Torrez has to pause, saying it hurts more than he thought it would, before pulling the blade all the way through.
* ''Film/MerryChristmasMrLawrence'' sees Kanemoto, one of the guards at the Japanese POW camp, be forced to commit seppuku as punishment for raping de Jong, with the rest of the inmates being ForcedToWatch as a warning. De Jong kills himself too during the ceremony by biting off and swallowing his tongue, which enrages the other prisoners and results in Cpt. Yonoi forcing them all to fast as punishment for insubordination.
* In ''Film/ShowdownInLittleTokyo'', the DamselInDistress Minako attempts to commit this after the BigBad is strongly implied to have raped her.
* ''Film/KinjiteForbiddenSubjects'' ends [[{{DownerEnding}} on a dark note]] because [[{{BreakTheCutie}} the little Japanese girl]] that [[{{CowboyCop}} Charles Bronson's character]] had saved from child prostitution uses this method of expiating her shame at [[{{DefiledForever}} having been raped]].
* Obviously, this takes place in ''Film/FortySevenRonin'' (a very, ''very'' fictionalised version of the story). [[spoiler: Kai, the half-MightyWhitey protagonist, goes through it with the ronin themselves.]]
* Ditto ''Film/The47Ronin'', the 1941 Japanese version of the story. Asano is forced to commit seppuku at the beginning of the story. The 47 ronin are forced to commit it at the end, after finally getting revenge for their master and killing Lord Kira.
* After the remaining villain Yamashita is defeated in a duel in ''Film/SamuraiCop'', he performs seppuku in accordance with his samurai code.
* Done by the Japanese commanders at Okinawa at the end of ''Film/HacksawRidge'' to demonstrate that the Japanese have finally lost the battle and aren't about to commit another suicidal charge against the Americans.
* In the 1928 silent movie ''Film/{{Spies}}'', Matsumoto sends out three couriers to take a treaty back to Japan. All three of them are killed by the villain, who gets all three of their diplomatic parcels—which contain shredded newspaper. Matsumoto, who has kept the treaty in his office while sending out three decoys, then winds up letting the HoneyPot that's been living with him steal the treaty. Filled with guilt and after hallucinating the ghosts of the three couriers, Matsumoto kills himself Seppuku-style.
* One of the participants in the season finale of ''Film/ThisIsYourDeath'' kills himself by committing harakiri.
* ''Film/WhenTheLastSwordIsDrawn'':
** Yoshimura first shows his true skills when he acts as ''kaishakunin'' for another Shinsengumi who had been ordered to commit seppuku as a punishment for an unspecified offense. The man chickens out and tries to run, but Yoshimura catches him with a sword blow to the spine, then cuts his head off.
** [[spoiler:Yoshimura's lord orders him to kill himself when he returns home after the final battle, but he succumbs to multiple gunshot wounds from his battle with the Imperial Army before he can carry it out.]]
* The possessed ninja doll in ''WesternAnimation/CheckeredNinja'' commits seppuku [[spoiler: so that he can be filled with cocaine and frame the villain for drug smuggling]].
** This is also part of his backstory. [[spoiler: He was a ninja warrior who committed seppuku when he failed to protect a group of children, and became a vengeful spirit who punishes child abuse.]]

* In ''Literature/TheManchurianCandidate'', the death of [[spoiler: Raymond]] has undertones of this. After [[spoiler: breaking out of his mind control at the last minute and shooting the Soviet conspirators, he explains himself to his commanding officer before shooting himself in the head. Said officer, Marco, actually orders him to commit suicide rather than go on trial for the murders he did not willingly commit.]]
* A similar ritual is observed in ''Tsurannuanni,'' the Oriental FantasyCounterpartCulture in ''Literature/TheRiftwarCycle''. For example, in ''Daughter of the Empire'', Papewaio asks permission to fall on his sword for entering the family's sacred grove (the alternative being a decidedly less honorable hanging).
* Several characters in Jessica Amanda Salmonson's ''Tomoe Gozen Saga''[[spoiler:, including the title character's husband]].

* As seen in a textbook example of the act in the novel ''Warrior: Coupe'' (and occasionally brought up in later ones), the tradition is alive and well in the 31st century in the Draconis Combine of the ''TabletopGame/BattleTech'' universe.
** A stronger dramatic example would be in the novel ''Wolves On The Border'', with the seppuku at the end [[ChekhovsGun an inevitable consequence]] of an act of kindness at the very beginning. Notable for deviating from the absolute tradition of the act (the second does not have a sword, using a more modern weapon) as well as effectively ''causing an entire war'' unto itself, with repercussions all the way into the novel ''Wolf Pack'' and beyond.
** This happens again in ''Wolf Pack'', except that it's happening to the Coordinator of the Draconis Combine, who put himself into a situation that would have weakened his nation and the entire Inner Sphere no matter how it ended...[[TakeAThirdOption unless he died before this no-win scenario played out]].
** A woman's version of the event, as described above, is set up in ''Grave Covenant'', broadcast live across the entire capital planet of the Draconis Combine. Unusual in that she is given a second, in the person of the man who saved her life from assassins. While it's stated the broadcast is more for political show than an actual instance of the act (the woman involved was never meant to take her own life), the people involved go from playing their parts to living them and are interrupted ''very'' dramatically before the act can take place.
* As anyone would expect, seppuku is a Very SeriousBusiness Indeed in ''Literature/{{Shogun}}'':
** Early in the novel, at the end of a battle a small group of samurai found themselves surrounded by the victors, and having no chance to escape or even cause meaningful damage. Thus, they quickly paired off and began performing a hasty form of seppuku, with the survivors then pairing off until only one remained. At that point, one of the victorious samurai stepped forward and helped the last maintain his honor. The victors treated this with full respect and the bodies were treated with full honor for their act.
** [[spoiler: John "Anjin" Blackthorne]]'s attempt at seppuku is a life-changing event that wins him the respect of the other samurai, specially since he did it to save a whole village from mass execution and to prove a point to said samurai.
** Now Hatamoto (a trusted advisor) and head of a household, Blackthorne catches and guts a pheasant, intending to have a Western-style feast and leaving it out to ripen. Trouble is, with events unfolding with Toranaga, Omi, Mariko, and Yabu, he forgets all about it and it starts to rot and attract flies - a cardinal sin in Japan as it upsets the village's harmony. As Blackthorne has given orders no one touches it bar him, one old gardener volunteers to dispose of it, knowing full well he must then commit {{seppuku}} for disobeying Blackthorne's instructions. Blackthorne is aghast and wracked with guilt and rage when he finds out, but Toranaga makes clear that not only was the old gardener in immense pain from arthritis and [[FaceDeathWithDignity proud to serve Blackthorne to the point of death]], he even dispatched one of his own samurai [[AGoodWayToDie to make the death as swift and honourable as possible]].
** Toranaga's entire BatmanGambit in Osaka hangs or falls on [[spoiler:Mariko]]'s seppuku. [[spoiler: Mariko ultimately goes through, openly stating that her death shall be seen as seppuku before throwing herself in a fire, so Toranaga wins.]]
** Towards the end, [[spoiler: [[SmugSnake Yabu]] has [[TheStarscream his treachery]] revealed at a time [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness when he has also ceased to be useful]], and is ordered to do this by Toranaga. For all his many faults, everyone who attended the suicide said [[FaceDeathWithDignity his was the most dignified and graceful they had ever seen]].]]
* ''Literature/TalesOfTheOtori'': A fantasy set in a world based on Sengoku period Japan, also plays this as SeriousBusiness.
* In Creator/GeorgeMacDonaldFraser's wartime autobiography ''Quartered Safe Out Here'', the author notes that Japanese soldiers forced into rout and retreating from the British appeared to find ''being eaten by crocodiles'' in a raging river in Burma was preferable to the shame of surrender. [[note]]He also notes the reluctance of many soldiers in the British 14th Army - especially the Indians - to taking any prisoners ''at all''[[/note]]. As the Burmese campaign comes to an end and British anger and fury is spent, however, he and his mates do note a hitherto unknown phenomenon - Japanese soldiers so tired, hungry, exhausted and demoralised that they surrender without hesitation.
* In the Creator/MichaelCrichton thriller ''Literature/RisingSun'', the amoral Japanese executive who was behind all the murder and cover-ups of the story asks for a moment alone to collect himself after indisputable evidence of his guilt is presented. When he is left alone, he jumps off the very tall balcony he's on and into wet cement, killing himself. Interestingly, the protagonists (who are LA police officers) knew exactly what he was about to do, and let him do it on purpose (the evidence they had likely wouldn't have held up in trial, due to experimental techniques).
* ''Literature/QuidditchThroughTheAges'', a [[{{Defictionalization}} defictionalized]] ''Literature/HarryPotter'' book, has a non-fatal version: Apparently Japanese [[FictionalSport Quidditch]] players tend to destroy their brooms should they lose a match. Costly, yes, but not fatal. The international Quidditch community considers it a waste of good wood.
* The CorruptCorporateExecutive who instigated a war between the United States and Japan in Creator/TomClancy's ''[[Literature/JackRyan Debt of Honor]]'', when captured, asks for a few moments alone to prepare himself for capture. His request is refused, however, and the general capturing even says that he is not allowed to have that particular escape.
* In ''Literature/TheBible'', King Saul fell on his sword to avoid being captured by the Philistines.
* In the Literature/FightingFantasy gamebook ''Sword of the Samurai'', where the Player Character is -- what else? -- a Samurai -- you do this automatically if your Honor Score drops to 0 (which means, naturally, you lose).

* A CultureClash example occurs in ''Literature/{{Temeraire}}''. Lawrence is facing execution in Japan for trespassing; however, his host offers to let him commit Seppuku in order to preserve his honor (and the host's honor). Lawrence is aghast at the suggestion since as a devout Christian and an OfficerAndAGentleman he regards suicide as a cowardly act and (more importantly) a mortal sin.
* In ''Literature/InterestingTimes'', the Agatean Empire's equivalent to Cut-Me-Own-Throat Dibbler is named Disembowel-Myself-Honorably Dhibala in reference to this. Nobody actually performs seppuku in the book, though, the more common method of suicide being telling Cohen the Barbarian [[ExactWords you would rather die than betray your Emperor.]]
* The main villain of the ''Literature/JamesBond'' novel ''Literature/TheManWithTheRedTattoo'' has dedicated himself to following the old Samurai ethics, and in the climax, he follows his failure to defeat Bond in a duel with seppuku.

* ''Literature/KrisLongknife'' has a close variant: the Iteeche are a FantasyCounterpartCulture to ancient Japan, and people who rebel against or are perceived to have embarrassed the empire are usually required to "make a most sincere apology to the [[GodEmperor Emperor]]" by drinking a poison that causes an extremely painful death.
* In ''Literature/TheMachineriesOfEmpire'', there's a particularly inventive form of suicide as political protest known as "corpse calligraphy", which involves tattooing yourself with political slogans in poisonous ink that kills you.

* In ''Manga/LoveHina'', at one point Motoko offers to help with the ritualized suicides of the {{Ronin}} who have not managed to get into Tokyo University. After a failed attempt at femininity, she also misinterprets one of Keitaro's comments as suggesting that she kill herself, and she asks Su to be her second. Thankfully she soon reverts to her normal self.
** [[SuicideAsComedy Something that makes]] [[GallowsHumor this dramatic scene hilarious]] is that Motoko is holding a sharpened knife near her abdomen: a "proper" woman would commit suicide by cutting open her jugular, as stated in the paragraphs above... so if she actually went through with it, [[FemininityFailure she would've failed at femininity]] ''[[FemininityFailure again]]''.
* Ranma's mother Nodoka in ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'' is charged with carrying around the sword to be used by her as the ''kaishakunin'' [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/RM36-111sepp.gif should her son or husband disgrace themselves.]] Luckily for them, she's not very good with the sword. Unluckily for them, she's ''dead serious'' about her duty. What pushes this into HonorBeforeReason territory (and would push Nodoka into AbusiveParents territory in any series that [[ComedicSociopathy took itself more seriously]]) is that the contract she is so dedicated to following literally consists of a verbal vow from Genma that "I will make Ranma a [[IWantToBeARealMan man among men]]", and a written contract consisting of "I will commit seppuku", signed with Genma's thumb-print and baby-Ranma's handprint.
** In the end, [[spoiler:she accepts Ranma's [[GenderBender female side]] (and it's implied that she forgives the whole "Ranko" deception) on the grounds that, regardless of what Ranma looks like, he's a man through and through. Unmanly ''behavior'' can still make her reach for her sword, though...]]
* ''Manga/LoneWolfAndCub'''s Ogami Itto was the head ''kaishakunin'' of the Shogun before they killed his wife and he became a {{Ronin}}, and in the story, several characters are threatened with (and commit) Seppuku should they fail to capture Itto and Daigoro.
* ''Manga/OnePiece''
** Kumadori frequently claims responsibility for failures that aren't his fault in the first place, and proceeds to attempt seppuku -- only to always subconsciously [[InstantArmor harden his body]] and thus survive.
-->'''Kumadori''': I...I'm still alive!\\
'''Jabura''': [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments And that's not good news!]]
** At the start of the Wano arc, set in the Japan-themed country of the same name, Zoro is falsely convicted of murder and sentenced to commit seppuku, with a second nearby prepared to cut his head off. Instead, Zoro takes the knife and uses it as a weapon.

* This is a common threat from Hijikata of ''Manga/{{Gintama}}''.
* [[{{Ronin}} Hatz]] and [[TheTrickster Khun]] bicker about the others culture in ''Webcomic/TowerOfGod'', Khun asks if Hatz's people still perform ''Halbok'', the Korean equivalent to ''seppuku''. Whereas Khun thinks it is a barbaric, idiotic rite, Hatz believes it is one of the manliest things one can do. He then proceeds to call Khun a sissy for wearing ear-rings.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Utawarerumono}}'' the heroes surround and overwhelm a cruel lord's castle. The lord's general, Benawi, realizes that they have lost and he urges his master to "die with honor" and offers to assist him. The lord doesn't dare, so Benawi kills him himself. Then he unceremoniously tries to cut off his own head. The hero stops him and he asks if he should live in shame. [[GilliganCut Next scene he's feasting happily with the victorious army.]]
* Likely due to changing social mores and Japan's ludicrous suicide rate, it's becoming increasingly common in various Japanese media to deconstruct this. ''Film/TheTwilightSamurai'' (''Tasogare Seibei'' in Japan) features a samurai ordered to kill himself when his master is dishonored; he refuses, and is given a death sentence to be carried out by the title character. Seibei does not particularly hold it against the man that he refuses to kill himself: he simply has been ordered to do something, and he has children and an ailing mother to care for.
* Likewise, Kenshin Himura of ''Manga/RurouniKenshin'' fame has said outright that he began his life as a wanderer as an alternative to suicide and encourages others to follow his path of atonement. His reasoning is simply that killing himself helps no one and he can do much more good alive. A similar {{Aesop}} pops up in ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'': all life has value, and death solves nothing.
** After losing his last bout to Kenshin, his long sword, and the use of his right arm, Udo Jin-e spitefully throws himself on his wakizashi rather than get taken alive.
** Towards the end of the Ganryu Takeda mini-arc, [[spoiler:Megumi was about to commit ''jigai'' with a dagger that Aoshi had given her, thinking the Kenshin-gumi had perished at the hands of the Oniwabashu. Sanosuke gives her a GetAHoldOfYourselfMan to stop her]].
** Also, [[spoiler:VillainousCrossdresser Kamatari]] tries to kill himself through ''jigai'' after losing to [[spoiler:Kaoru and Misao]]. The latter has to knock him out to keep him from taking his own life. Later on, his former comrade Chou lies to him about Shishio's last wish so he won't try to kill himself again, now that his master and one-sided crush is dead.
** Shishio's right-hand man Houji ends up killing himself in prison after he realizes that he won't be granted a fair trial where he could defend the ideals of his late master. [[DyingMomentOfAwesome He slit his throat and as he was dying he wrote "This world is dead to me now. I go to follow my master to hell." to the wall of his prison cell. With his own blood.]]
** Spoofed on the "About the Author" page of volume four of the manga. Creator/NobuhiroWatsuki draws himself doing this as punishment for failing to live up to a promise he made in volume two. With Kenshin as ''kaishakunin''.
* Early in ''Manga/NuraRiseOfTheYokaiClan'', Gyuuki tries to do this after revealing why he plotted to kill Rikuo, in order to preserve the honor of the Nura clan. However, Rikuo (in his Nurarihyon form) stops him by breaking the blade off his sword, understanding his reasons for doing so.
* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'':
** Kakashi's father Sakumo commits seppuku, having failed a mission as a result of going to save his friends, and being ostracized for his failure, ''even by those he saved''. The act is not witnessed, but a young Kakashi finds his father's body after the deed is done.
** In a filler episode, Koumei is ordered to commit seppuku as the sentence for being behind the cursed warrior incidents [[spoiler:despite being innocent]]. Later in the arc, in a flashback [[spoiler:Toki, seeing her brother dying, contemplates committing seppuku, but his spirit inspires her to keep on living]]. The whole arc was in fact full of this - when Shishima is unable to convince the Hokage to accept his mission, he pulls out a knife and [[spoiler: stabs himself in the... moneybags? They were tied to his stomach, and the reactions of Tsunade and Shizune are [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments truly priceless.]]]]
* Kiku Honda aka the MoeAnthropomorphism of ''Japan'' tries to kill himself through seppuku in the second strip of ''Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers'', thinking it's the standard way to reply when captured. He's ''shocked'' when his partners, Germany and Italy, react differently.
* In ''Manga/UruseiYatsura'', There are a couple of manga chapters/TV episodes that end with Shuutaro Mendou threatening to commit suicide out of shame, though he never follows through for various reasons (mostly concerning a cloud of girls who physically restrain him from doing so).

* Then there is Kai Suwabara from ''Manga/YakitateJapan'', who wanted to commit seppuku because of his inability to win against Azuma, after several tries. He is only stopped because his girlfriend says that she is pregnant and it would bring greater shame to leave her as an alone mother. [[spoiler:She isn't. They have, after all, just hugged each other.]]

* In ''Harakiri'', a one-shot by Shintaro Kago, is about girls performing seppuku, although it's more of a form of self-mutilation than anything.

* ''Anime/CodeGeass'':
** This is the cause of Japanese Prime Minister Genbu Kururugi's death after he fails to stop the invasion of Britannia. [[spoiler:Officially, anyway. Actually, he was stabbed to death by [[SelfMadeOrphan his pre-teen son Suzaku]], in the middle of a heated discussion where the kid tried to dissuade his dad from [[HonorBeforeReason destroying Japan itself]] by leading a last desperate attack on the enemy.]]
** Invoked by a racist commander in ''Anime/CodeGeassAkitoTheExiled'', who justifies sending Japanese soldiers on suicide missions because "Elevens ''love'' to kill themselves".
* ''Anime/ValvraveTheLiberator'', by the same writer as Geass, has the titular HumongousMecha's special weapon - the ''harakiri blade''. The robot plunges its sword through its midsection and withdraws it with a force powerful enough to take out a fleet of battleships. It sounds just plain ridiculous until you realize that these are the secret hidden weapons that save JIOR, which is really just Japan under a different name... and it might just be CrossingTheLineTwice into a critique of the whole cultural-suicide-fixation thing. JIOR was also developing them in secret while telling the rest of the world they were completely pacifist and neutral.
* The hentai manga ''Graduation and Beheading Ceremony'' features something similar, only the kids in question die by ripping each other's hearts out (having been trained for whatever reason to look forward to their impending deaths). [[GallowsHumor That death is but one of many]], [[SerialEscalation and it is not the most memorable]].
** And in ''Applicant for Death'' by the same artist, [[spoiler: a girl commits ''seppuku'' while having sex with her brother's decapitated corpse while his head watches.]]

* Performed at the beginning of the first issue of ''Mai-Chan's Daily Life'' as an exhibition piece. [[spoiler:Since the main character has a HealingFactor, she survives the experience, but earns the mockery and abuse of her handler for failing to complete the ritual and chop off her own head before fainting from blood loss, [[EstablishingSeriesMoment setting the tone for one hell of a sadistic series]]]].
* In ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar'', Ryuga commits kagebara before his battle with Kenshiro. Knowing defeat was inevitable especially against the adopted younger brother of Toki (who he had killed only days earlier), Ryuga felt it was better to FaceDeathWithDignity.

* In ''Manga/BladeOfTheImmortal'', [[spoiler:Kensui]] commits sepukku after being ordered to betray [[spoiler:Anotsu]], who acts as his second. Later [[spoiler:Hisoka]] follows by cutting her throat.
** Hibaki is given a month before he is obligated to commit seppuku after failing to prevent an attack on the castle. He uses it to hunt down the remaining Itto-ryu. [[spoiler:During this time, his wife and son kill themselves so they won't be used as hostages.]]
* BoysLoveGenre ShowWithinAShow ''Anime/WinterCicada'' [[spoiler:ends with Akizuki committing seppuku and Kusaka doing the same after finding his body.]]
* In episode 4 of ''Anime/SamuraiChamploo'', a noble {{Yakuza}} leader does this as an act of defiance/taking a third option between his son being killed and losing his territory. At the end of the episode, one of his former lieutenants who had joined his unpleasant rival redeems himself by committing [[SuicideByCop Suicide by Mugen]].
* In ''Manga/OokuTheInnerChambers'', a number of retainers follow Shogun Iemitsu into death. UsefulNotes/The47Ronin also make an appearance later.
* Parodied in ''Manga/CodenameSailorV'': [[MalaProper Sailor V]], pissed at the MonsterOfTheWeek, sentences him to this, and then [[HalfTheManheUsedToBe cuts him in two]], with Artemis pointing out that's not how it's done.

* In ''Anime/YuGiOh5Ds'', Mizoguchi with his Samurai deck has a card called "Resolve of the Lord and Retainer". The illustration has a man about to commit seppuku, and it inflicts damage to both players by making a blade appear in their hands with which they stab themselves.
* In the anime adaptation of ''Manga/DeathNote'', [[spoiler:Mikami gives himself an ImpromptuTracheotomy ''with a pen'' after Light Yagami reveals his true nature, the former losing faith after the latter's [[VillainousBreakdown spectacular breakdown]]]].
* Attempted by Ira Gamagoori in ''Anime/KillLaKill'', after he loses to Ryuko. [[PetTheDog Satsuki, however]], [[InterruptedSuicide stops him]].
* In ''LightNovel/{{Kampfer}}'', there's a line of [[CreepyDoll very creepy-looking stuffed animals]] that look like they committed {{seppuku}}, with their intestines sticking out and all; two of their names translate to ''Suicide Tiger'' and ''Suicide Black Rabbit''. One of the girls in Natsuru's UnwantedHarem has a room ''full'' of them, and Natsuru once has to spend the night there.
* In ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'', [[spoiler: Giselle Gewelle]] uses [[BloodMagic her]] [[PeoplePuppets powers]] to [[PsychicAssistedSuicide force a bunch of guys to kill themselves]] like this.
-->[[spoiler: '''Giselle''']]: "Okay, everyone! Seppuku~"
* In the Manga/{{X 1999}} TV series, [[spoiler: Hinoto performs ''jigai'' in the Dream Scape to kill both herself ''and'' [[TakingYouWithMe her]] [[SuperpoweredEvilSide Dark Self]]. As a bonus, Hinoto's body appears mortally wounded in the Real World - quite the feat, considering she's crippled, deaf and blind in here.]]
* ''Anime/YukiYunaIsAHero'':
** [[spoiler:Mimori Togo]] attempted to commit ''jigai'' but failed [[spoiler: because her FairyCompanion got in the way.]] She tried suicide in other manners but [[spoiler:her fairy always prevented her.]] When she reveals the AwfulTruth to two of her friends, she does it by attempting ''jigai'' again to show them.
** PlayedForLaughs in the second season. Togo threatens ''jigai'' to atone for preventing Fu from studying for her exams.
* In a ''Manga/CaseClosed'' case, a female culprit grabs a ''katana'' that belongs to her husband [[spoiler: and victim]] and points it at her neck as if she's about to commit ''jigai'' with it. Then [[VillainousBreakdown she changes her mind]] and [[UnstoppableRage starts to madly swing it around]], but [[YamatoNadeshiko another woman]] [[LadyOfWar who is a kendo expert]] manages to stop her. [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome Using only]] [[PaperFanOfDoom a paper fan]]. Then, [[NervesOfSteel she gives the culprit]] a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech and dissuades her from trying to kill herself again. [[spoiler: The second woman is Shizuka Hattori (nèe Ikenami), Heiji's AlmightyMom.]]
* In ''Manga/{{Basilisk}}'', the deaths of [[spoiler: the StarCrossedLovers Oboro and Gennosuke]] don't follow the rituals ([[spoiler: she stabs herself in the chest and he later does the same]]) but count as this since [[spoiler: Oboro killed 'self to not have to kill Gennosuke in a fixed duel ''and'' to free herself from Lady Ofuku's plans]] and [[spoiler: Gennosuke committed suicide after Oboro's death, having lost literally ''everything'' in this CrapsackWorld despite being the SoleSurvivor.]]
* The hilariously infamous [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vhOjmwlB2g "POTATO-DONO!"]] [[LetsMeetTheMeat scene]] from ''Anime/MagicalWitchPuniechan'' is a rather... epic parody of this. "Potato-dono" (Mr. Potato) speaks like an old-school samurai, is seen sitting in ''seiza'' in front of a peeler in a way that mirrors a samurai preparing to go through seppuku (white blanket included!), peels himself rather epically to encourage the other talking veggies and ultimately is thrown into the curry pot by a carrot (as a sort-of ''kaishakunin''). He even gets to GoOutWithASmile as he falls, saluting his fellow vegetables before "dying".
* Seppuku is referenced in ''Manga/{{Drifters}}''. Shimazu Toyohisa convinces a group of Orte soldiers to surrender after he has their backs to the wall. Although Toyohisa promised to spare the surrendering soldiers, he intended for the Orte commander to commit seppuku with himself acting as his kaishakunin. Being from the Sengoku era, Toyohisa offered this so that the commander and his forces would keep their honor after the defeat, [[ValuesDissonance but the soldier was horrified that Toyohisa would demand such a barbaric thing from him]]. Shimazu decides then that the Orte are honorless and simply beheads the commander, but stops Yoichi from hunting down his fleeing men.
* In ''Manga/MedakaBox'', Zenkichi has to turn down his classmate Emukae's long-standing LoveConfession and chooses to do so in possibly the most manly and over-the-top fashion ever: to repay the emotional pain she's suffered from his indecision, he inflicts equal physical pain upon himself by committing ''seppuku'' right then and there, all while reassuring her that she's a wonderful person who deserves all the love in the world, but he can't be the one to give it because already in love with Medaka. However, he doesn't die because their teammate Kumagawa can "heal" him by [[RetGone erasing the injuries from existence]].
* ''Manga/DemonSlayerKimetsuNoYaiba'':
** Early on in the series, Tanjiro's teacher, Urokodaki, tells him that if his younger sister Nezuko, who's turned into a demon, attacks a human, Tanjiro must kill her and then slit his belly open. Later on, [[spoiler:Urokodaki and his other student, Giyu Tomioka of the Hashira, also promise to commit seppuku if Nezuko attacks a human, which helps convince the head of the Demon Slayer Corps to accept Nezuko.]]
** In the final arc, [[spoiler:Zenitsu]] gets a major boost in motivation after he finds out that [[spoiler:his sensei (who was like a grandfather to him)]] committed seppuku in shame after finding out that [[spoiler:his other student Kaigaku betrayed the Demon Slayer Corps to become a demon]]. When confronting [[spoiler:Kaigaku, Zenitsu]] angrily reveals that [[spoiler:their master]] didn't even have a ''kaishakunin'', meaning he died in immense pain.
* ''Anime/IrresponsibleCaptainTylor'': PlayedForLaughs. Admiral Mifune always carries a katana around and has to be physically restrained from committing seppuku after every setback.
* ''Manga/{{Shigurui}}'' features a gruesome example of the ''kagebara'' variant; a samurai slits his stomach open offscreen, bandages himself up, and then dramatically ''pulls his entrails out'', in protest of the use of real swords in a tournament.
* ''Manga/TimeStopBrave'': The hero Kuzuno Sekai stumbles upon a Japanese village that is invaded by vampires. He finds that several people committed seppuku [[BetterToDieThanBeKilled to avoid being fed on]].

* Minamoto no Yoshitsune committed seppuku to avoid the disgrace of capture or falling to an unworthy foe. His vastly outnumbered followers, because of their dedication, were able to hold off the ZergRush of his brother's soldiers, who were inferior not in training but in dedication, and buy him the time for this. (Although Yoshitsune is a historical figure, the accounts of his death are mostly legendary.)

* PlayedForLaughs in ''Film/ScaryMovie 4'': The Japanese UN delegate runs himself through after the President accidentally uses an alien weapon to remove his clothes.