History Main / ThisIsNotMyLifeToTake

* In an episode of ''Series/{{Grimm}}'', Nick and Co. manage to lure and trap the [[MagmaMan Volcanalis]], freezing it with liquid nitrogen. Nick then hands a sledgehammer to a Wesen whose wife was killed by one of these creatures.

* Can be played straight or averted with ''VideoGame/MassEffect2''. Pretty much every loyalty mission that comes with a distinct "Kill this person" ending, can have the player's Shepard kill the target, have Shepard convince their team-mate to kill the target, or not kill the target at all.

* In ''VideoGame/AlphaProtocol'', Mike has the option [[spoiler: to leave Surkov to Brayko if discover Surkov betrayed you, leave Brayko alive, and then take the final mission and chase Surkov all the way to the helipad]]. In this case, it's an intentional case of sadism, as his death will become infinitely much more painful than if Mike just puts a bullet through his head -- how sadistic? Mike has the option to watch and ''enjoy'' seeing what Brayko does.
* In ''VideoGame/Fallout4'' there's a side quest to hunt down and kill a notorious gangster with one of your companions. You earn more karma by sitting back and letting that companion have their revenge.

* In ''Webcomic/EscapeFromTerra'', a family is killed by invaders, leaving one survivor (a teenage girl), and the man who gave the order captured. When he taunts the man in charge about whether he has the balls to kill him and face the consequences from his superiors, the man explains that it's not up to him and gives his gun to the girl.

** In ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows'', Harry gives Gryffindor's magical sword to his best friend Ron to destroy a plot-important locket, which has part of the soul of the BigBad inside of it, because Ron had suffered the most from the locket's emotional manipulation.

The villain is at the hero's mercy, but taunts him for being too cowardly to take his life and the hero's response is along the lines of: "It's not mine to take", as he sheathes his weapon (or hands it to another character). The motive is usually TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou (because the speaker recognizes they are not the "Only One"), though {{Anti Hero}}es may be prone to ThrowEmToTheWolves instead. Expect this to be said during a SwordOverHead moment.

* In the 2008 ''Film/TheChroniclesOfNarnia: Film/PrinceCaspian'', Miraz, Caspian's uncle, who murdered Caspian's father, and was planning to do the same to Caspian...is defeated in a duel by Peter. Miraz wonders why Peter won't kill him, Peter nearly saying the trope word for word, before handing his sword to Caspian.

** In ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows'', Harry gives Gryffindor's magical sword to his best friend Ron to destroy a plot important locket, which has part of the soul of the BigBad inside of it, because Ron had suffered the most from the locket's emotional manipulation.

* A variation in ''Series/{{Supernatural}}''. A hunter couple walks into a bar which turns out to be full of demons. One of them possesses the husband and forces him to drink something that melts his insides. Later, Sam and Dean work with the wife. They capture one of the demons. After he tells them what they need to know, Dean hands the book with the exorcism spell to the wife to perform the ceremony. She does it gladly. While this doesn't actually kill the demon, it sends it back to Hell (and no, they don't like it there).

** Upon defeating [[spoiler:Loghain]] in single combat at the Landsmeet, you have the option to either kill or spare him. If you choose to kill him, you can choose to do it yourself, or hand it off to [[spoiler:Alistair]] on the grounds that ItsPersonal for him.
** Similarily, at the end of the ''Leliana's Song'' DLC, Leliana may refrain from killing Harwen Raleigh, leader of the Hard Line mercenaries. Instead, she can allow her comrade Silas, who was tortured for several months in Raleigh's dungeons, to finish him off.

* In ''VideoGame/AlphaProtocol'', Mike has the option [[spoiler:to leave Surkov to Brayko if discover Surkov betrayed you, leave Brayko alive, and then take the final mission and chase Surkov all the way to the helipad]]. In this case it's an intentional case of sadism, as his death will become infinitely much more painful than if Mike just puts a bullet through his head -- how sadistic? Mike has the option to watch and ''enjoy'' seeing what Brayko does.

** Iroh makes a similar decision when he chooses not to fight the Fire Lord, because history would see it as a brother killing a brother to grab power. The Avatar is the only one who can end the war peacefully.

Alice, the villain, will be taunting Bob, the hero for being too cowardly to take her life and Bob's response is along the lines of: "It's not mine to take", as he sheathes his weapon (or hands it to another character). The motive is usually TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou (because the speaker recognizes he/she is not the aforementioned "Only One"), though {{Anti Hero}}es may be prone to ThrowEmToTheWolves instead. Expect this to be said during a SwordOverHead moment.

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--> '''Miraz''': What's the matter boy? Too cowardly to take a life?
--> '''Peter''': ''It's not mine to take''.

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** In ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows'', Harry gives Gryffindor's magical sword to his best friend Ron to destroy a plot important locket, which has part of the soul of the BigBad inside of it.

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* Can be played straight in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'', too. At the Landsmeet, [[spoiler: upon defeating Loghain in single combat, you have the option to either kill or spare him. If you choose to kill him, you can then finish the blow yourself, or hand it off to Alistair on the grounds that, for him, ItsPersonal]].

** And in ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'', the protagonist leaves Admiral Karath to Carth, since ItsPersonal, and may or may not (depending on morality) encourage Juhani to take revenge on the man who bought her as [[SexSlave a 'pet']].... Let's just say Bioware loves this trope.

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* In ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'', Belkar, [[ComedicSociopath of all people]], after he has the realization that he has to fake CharacterDevelopment to stay alive, doesn't kill two people so someone else can kill them. You can see it [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0612.html here]] and [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0616.html here]].
--> '''Belkar:''' I'm not kill-stealing today.

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* Inverted in an episode of ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'': the life of his enemy's son may be Worf's to take, but that means it's also his to ''spare''.

* In ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'', Belkar, of all people, does this [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0612.html here]] and [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0616.html here]].

* In ''VideoGame/AlphaProtocol'', Mike has the option [[spoiler:to leave Surkov to Brayko if discover Surkov betrayed you, leave Brayko alive, and then take the final mission and chase Surkov all the way to the helipad]]. In this case it's an intentional case of sadism, as his death will become infinitely much more painful than if Mike just puts a bullet through his head.