History Main / WhyWontYouDie

* Usually happens when someone's playing a hard video game or tabletop game, usually accompanied by Angrish.

* Anti-hero [[TheDeterminator Guts]] and [[TheJuggernaut the monsters]] that he fights say this back and forth to each other in ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'', Guts due to the demons' supernatural toughness and endurance, and the demons due to Guts' MadeOfIron stature and sheer refusal to die.

* ''Anime/CowboyBebop''. Vicious (who is a [[AmoralNihilist Nihilist]]/SocialDarwinist[=/=]BloodKnight to his very core) shouts the phrase at Spike during their confrontation in the cathedral. Vicious is both amazed and furious that Spike and he are evenly matched and all of Vicious's efforts (past and present) to kill Spike have failed despite the fact that Spike no longer shares the bloodthirsty outlook that Vicious adheres to, and which Vicious sees as being the key to being strong.

-->'''Cell''': WHY CAN'T YOU PEOPLE JUST STAY DOOOOWN?!

* In ''LightNovel/FullMetalPanic'', Sousuke has a variant of this towards Gauron, most notably in TSR where [[spoiler:Sousuke pretty much cries out, "But you're supposed to be—" with Gauron finishing, "dead?"]].

* Koichiro Kase has this reaction towards the end of an episode of ''Anime/WeissKreuz'' after Ken returns unscathed from Kase's second attempt at killing him. Ken replies solemnly, "[[EscapedFromHell I don't like hell.]]"

--> Why won't he die? Why won't he die?!

* In ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex'', Accelerator screams this to Touma during their rematch in Volume 20, when Touma keeps surviving every attack Accelerator launches at him.

* ''LightNovel/FateApocrypha'': Assassin of Black's knives serve as a OneHitKill if she [[SituationalSword stabs a woman in a foggy night]]. Ruler survives getting stabbed because of her AntiMagic. Shocked, Assassin of Black asks, "Why didn't you die?"

* ''LightNovel/RebuildWorld'': Akira facing a FullConversionCyborg sometimes leads to this.

* Hardgore Alice from ''LightNovel/MagicalGirlRaisingProject'' has the ability to regenerate from any damage done to her, which frustrates Calamity Mary greatly as she blows apart Hardgore Alice and sets her on fire and then shoves her into a steel container and tosses her into the sea. Hardgore Alice still survives, [[LaughingMad destroying what little remained of Calamity Mary's restraint]].

* ''LightNovel/BanishedFromTheHerosParty'': When Red and Rit are sent hurtling down an elevator shaft in the ancient elf ruins, they survive by virtue of [[spoiler:Danan being at the bottom and using one of his techniques to send them flying back up]]. This inexplicable occurrence causes [[spoiler:Ares, who had attempted to kill Red to remove his influence over Ruti]], to wonder why Red can't just die already.

* ''Wiki/SCPFoundation'': SCP-682, the Hard-to-Destroy Reptile. The name is actually a misnomer, as it implies that it ''can'' be killed. The only thing they haven't tried yet is a 300 megaton nuke, and that's because the thought of a giant [[HealingFactor regenerating]] [[AdaptiveAbility adapts-to-whatever-you're-using-on-it]] lizard that can resist nukes is too horrible to bear. [[spoiler:The closest the Foundation has come to destroying it is the discovery of a [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-2935 parallel universe]] where it's death (and that of all other life) has occurred. Knowledge of this anomaly gave 682 [[ImmortalsFearDeath a panic attack]]]].

[[folder:Comic Strips]]
* In his first adventure, ''ComicStrip/{{Popeye}}'' was shot 16 times and still continued to fight.
[[/folder]]

* In the 2000 movie ''Film/{{Gladiator}}'', Emperor Commodus says a variant of this to Maximus, after the latter has just won a match that was blatantly rigged against him.

** Both the Tasen and Komato ask this about Iji, whether you play a PacifistRun or KillEmAll.

** [[spoiler:[[CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass Sans]] near the end of his boss fight on the [[KillEmAll No Mercy]] route tells you now would be a good time to die and nonverbally does it when he goes ''ballistic'' on you when you weather his final barrage of bones of lasers, slamming your [=SOUL=] into the border areas repeatedly while his eyes glow brightly. Considering that you [[ThatOneBoss probably did a lot of actual dying during the past dozen or so failures taking him on]], you're probably not so inclined to really care what he wants you to do.]]

** Perfect Cell, during his massive VillainousBreakdown at the climax of the Cell Games [[https://youtu.be/39qFVaBSmys?t=7713 screams]] a variation of this at the collective Z-Fighters aiding Gohan in the BeamOWar after [[{{Determinator}} they repeatedly keep getting up after he blasts them down with his ki]].
-->'''Cell''': WHY CAN'T YOU PEOPLE JUST STAY DOWN?!

* ''Series/TopGear'' once tried to destroy a Toyota Hilux by having it suffering a series of increasingly terrible accidents. Driving down stairs, driving into a tree, leaving it at the beach at low-tide, driving through a hut, dropping a caravan on it, and bashing it with a wrecking ball didn't kill it. So they set it on fire. That didn't work either. So they tried again in a later episode and cranked it UpToEleven. [[spoiler:It didn't work either.]]

** Taken Up to Eleven by the Archangel in 4 of its 6 variants (the other 2 mount heavy explosive components). It's 100 tons (as heavy as mechs get), and has max armor (307), so combined with internal structure it can feasibly absorb over 400 damage and keep fighting. If that wasn't enough, it's got a Compact Engine and Gyro, cutting the chance of engine or gyro hits in half, from 6/12 and 4/12 to 3/12 and 2/12. Oh, and it carries several Head and Center torso mounted weapons.

* In the first two books of the Literature/{{Silverwing}} series, [[TheHero Shade]] becomes very used to his nemesis Goth surviving seemingly [[NoOneCouldSurviveThat impossible situations.]] (Caliban: "Chances are he's dead..." Shade: "He doesn't die.") In the third book, he rages this trope inwardly [[spoiler:when he faces Goth in the bat underworld — not because Goth won't die, 'cause he had at that point, but that he won't do so in a way that would involve no longer plaguing Shade and his family]].

* [[EvilSorcerer Lord Nergal]] says this word-for-word in ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemElibe Fire Emblem: Blazing Sword]]'' after [[spoiler:Eliwood's father pulls a TakingYouWithMe and fatally stabs him before dying]].

* In ''VideoGame/CrusaderKings II'', if you're playing as a [[AChildShallLeadThem child character]], your [[RegentForLife regent]] will sometimes try to kill you in order to [[TheUsurper usurp]] your throne. Multiple times. If you survive all of the attempts (usually by dumb luck), they will eventually go insane and an [[http://www.abload.de/img/ck2-assassinationfailvgkd7.png event]] will pop up where they try to stab you to death in your sleep, all the while yelling the trope name word-for-word as he/she gets dragged away by your guards. Meanwhile, [[ChildrenAreInnocent you have no idea what's going on]].

** In the battle between [[WebComic/OnePunchMan Genos]] and [[ComicBook/IronMan War Machine]], Rhodey continues to NoSell Genos' Incinerator Attack, leading Genos to cry out "Come on! Die already!"

** Perfect Cell, during his massive VillainousBreakdown at the climax of the Cell Games [[https://youtu.be/jkOSTOaU4XU?t=36 screams]] a variation of this at the collective Z-Fighters aiding Gohan in the BeamOWar after [[{{Determinator}} they repeatedly keep getting up after he blasts them down with his ki]].

* In ''ComicBook/{{Infinity}}'', Promixa Midnight one of Thanos's EliteMooks [[https://retconpunchdotcom.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/ma2_cage.jpg utters this word for word]] while having a glorious VillainousBreakdown during her earthquaking fight with ComicBook/LukeCage in New York. In fairness to Midnight, prior to coming to Earth she had conqured thousands of worlds with Thanos and killed many powerful cosmic beings with him. So the idea of any non-immortal, let alone a puny Earthling like Luke, giving her so trouble and being able to NoSell her might understandably freaks her the hell out.

** Szayel Aporro says this to Mayuri during their fight. "Why?! I destroyed all of your organs and tendons! So why won't you die?!"

** [[spoiler:Similar to the Whitebeard example, in a FlashBack SmugSnake Shogun Orochi screams this verbatim after discovering that his nemesis Oden Kozuki was too badass to be die from being StewedAlive for a full hour]].

-->'''Necrophobe:''' Enough of this. Die!\\

--->'''Ethan:''' Do me a favor and ''stay dead''! [[note]](Jack surpringly enough survives this, however, albeit heavily mutated. And even the next encounter after that. It took his brother to finally kill him in the ''End of Zoe'' DLC.)[[/note]]

--->'''Claire:''' Why can't you just die?!

--->'''Leon:''' Uh... Is this a fucking joke?

-->'''Miranda:''' Why won't you die?!

** [[{{Troll}} Hazama]]/[[spoiler:[[BigBad Terumi]]]] also does this a lot, usually when a particularly stubborn character starts [[SpannerInTheWorks interfering with his plans]] and/or [[DefiantToTheEnd shows smug defiance]] despite his best efforts to [[BreakThemByTalking break]] [[MindRape them]].

--->'''Jafar:''' "How many times do I have to kill you, boy?!"

* Used in the movie version of ''Film/TheCrow'' where Funboy shoots the hero several times, only to watch in horror as the hero's HealingFactor kicks in and closes the wounds right before his eyes, leading him to cry "[[FunnyAneurysmMoment Don't you ever fuckin' die?]]"

* A rare non-lethal example happens in ''VisualNovel/AceAttorneyInvestigations'', with the [[MarathonBoss Marathon]] [[FinalBoss Final Culprit]] [[spoiler:Quercus Alba]]. Even as the evidence against him piles higher and higher and as Edgeworth tears through the contradictions in his testimony, [[spoiler:Alba]] just keeps twisting every [[LoopholeAbuse loophole]] and [[DiplomaticImmunity diplomatic convention]] he can find to get him out of the mess he's in, prompting several characters (and probably more than a few players) to call him out for not simply confessing and getting it over with.

* In DEEN's movie for the ''Unlimited Blade Works'' route of ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'', Lancer is [[spoiler: forced to commit suicide. He stabs himself in the heart and hits the ground, going still. It turns out [[NotQuiteDead he isn't dead yet]] as he kills Kirei, the one who forced him to commit suicide, a few second later. Kirei's corpse lands on Lancer and the latter groans before going still again.]] Shinji, who was in the room, takes this chance to try raping Rin, who's tied up and also in the room. But before Shinji can, Lancer gets up. Shinji says this trope word-for-word in English dub.

** In the second round of their fight, [[spoiler: [[TheStoic Katakuri]] actually starts getting ''angry'' when Luffy refuses to stay down despite getting pummeling and supposedly being unable to counterattack. Eventually, he comes to respect Luffy as a WorthyOpponent ''because'' he's survived this long, to the point where he won't let anyone else interfere with their fight, not even his siblings.]]
** [[spoiler: Similar to the Whitebeard example, in a FlashBack SmugSnake Shogun Orochi screams this verbatim after discovering that his nemesis Oden Kozuki was too badass to be die from being StewedAlive for a full hour]].

* ''Anime/NinjaScroll'': Jubei towards BigBad Gemma, especially since Jubei thought he had ''already killed him once!'' As Jubei finds out when Gemma resurfaces as the leader of the 8 Devils, Gemma has CompleteImmortality as his special power, he'll simply heal any injury he gets, including [[OffWithHisHead Jubei cutting off his head]] in the past, and even getting his head bashed in and getting cut in half during the climax. [[spoiler: He ends up getting encased in molten gold and sunk to the bottom of the ocean, trapping him forever in an undying golden Hell]]

* In the ''Fanfic/PonyPOVSeries'', during the FinalBattle of the [[BadFuture Dark World Series]], [[spoiler: [[TrueFinalBoss Nightmare Eclipse/Paradox]]]], beginning to suffer a VillainousBreakdown, asks this of [[EleventhHourRanger Minty Pie]] as the latter continually resists her efforts to kill her.
-->'''[[spoiler: Nightmare Paradox]]:''' WHAT PART OF LIE DOWN ON THE GROUND AND SLOWLY BLEED INTO DEATH WAS SO HARD TO UNDERSTAND?!

* During the FinalBattle in ''Film/MissionImpossibleFallout'', [[spoiler: Walker]] says this to Ethan: "Why won't you just die?!"

** Visser Four yells "Why don't you die?!" after the characters survive yet another should-have-been-fatal blow (see, their trip through time to follow him was part of a DealWithTheDevil - an evil SufficientlyAdvancedAlien said [[SomeoneHasToDie one dying was the price]]. The alien's rival and sometime ally of our heroes added the stipulation that ''only'' one could die on that trip, so the team discovers that they're suddenly NighInvulnerable, regenerating even fatal wounds instantly.)

* From ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive'', this is Odium's reaction when [[spoiler: Dalinar summons Honor's Perpindicularity]]

* ''Literature/{{Redwall}}'' book "Mossflower" Martin beats the Big Bad with some help from a [[spoiler: Badger Warrior Spirit]] by simply standing up and fighting after... five fatal wounds? (Someone get a count please)

* ''Series/GameOfThrones'': When the Clegane brothers finally face off in "The Bells", the now undead Gregor is easily able to shrug off everything Sandor throws at him, even what would be fatal wounds for normal people. Naturally, Sandor gets frustrated by this, eventually shouting "Fucking die!" [[spoiler: Then he [[DyingMomentOfAwesome tackles Gregor through a crumbling wall]], [[TakingYouWithMe sending them both falling to their death in an inferno below]].]]

* On ''Series/{{NCIS}}'', [[DaChief Leon Vance]] once survived a UriahGambit with help from [[BadassIsraeli Eli David]]. Years later, an assassination attempt sends him to the hospital. While there, he's visited by his twice-attempted killer--[[spoiler:Agent [=McCallister=]]], who decides to pull a SickbedSlaying while saying "Just for once, can't you just die right?" Fortunately, Gibbs had already slipped Vance a knife (Rule #9: Never go anywhere without a knife), which he puts to good use defending himself.

* ''Series/OneLifeToLive'': After local villain Carlo Hesser returns from the dead yet again, his archenemy Asa Buchanan explodes at him--"Damnit, Hesser! Can't you even stay dead?!"

** Alchemicals have a couple similar abilities - getting massive layers of armour installed and getting (a limited amount of times) after getting killed.

* ''Wiki/SCPFoundation'': SCP-682, the Hard-to-Destroy Reptile. The name is actually a misnomer, as it implies that it ''can'' be killed. The only thing they haven't tried yet is a 300 megaton nuke, and that's because the thought of a giant [[HealingFactor regenerating]] [[AdaptiveAbility adapts-to-whatever-you're-using-on-it]] lizard that can resist nukes is too horrible to bear. [[spoiler: The closest the Foundation has come to destroying it is the discovery of a [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-2935 parallel universe]] where it's death (and that of all other life) has occurred. Knowledge of this anomaly gave 682 [[ImmortalsFearDeath a panic attack]]]].

* In ''WesternAnimation/MegasXLR's'' series finale, [[spoiler: Evil Coop says this verbatim when he finds out his good counterpart not only survived Megas's destruction and returned to his own dimension, but did so with ''his'' copy of Megas in tow.]]

A related stock phrase is ImAlive.

* ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddy's'': William Afton has been killed twice and manages to come back both time, the first as Springtrap the second as Glitchtrap.