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1%% Image: "Witness my act and seal" (1878) by Edmund Blair Leighton
2[[quoteright:309:[[Creator/EdmundBlairLeighton https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/BlairWitnessMyActAndSeal.JPG]]]]
3%%
4->''There is one who remembers the way to your door:\
5Life you may evade, but Death you shall not.\
6You shall not deny the Stranger. ''
7-->--'''Creator/TSEliot''', ''Choruses From The Rock''
8
9CharacterDeath is a [[DeathIsDramatic major event]] in stories. No, no... it is a really big deal. Really. [[DeathIsCheap Except when it isn't]].
10
11Obviously, this trope will lead to Spoiler Central, so, due to the nature of these tropes, [[Administrivia/HandlingSpoilers the spoilers are unmarked]] to avoid having to highlight them constantly.
12
13This is the [[InvertedTrope inverse]] of BirthTropes. Also see {{Indexitis}}, InjuryTropes, BreakingAndDestructionTropes. This index is often (though not always) related to ViolenceTropes, which has quite a bit of overlap.
14----
15!!Tropes
16[[index]]
17[[foldercontrol]]
18
19[[folder:'''Subcategories and Trope Indexes''']]
20+ AfterlifeTropes: Tropes about what happens to people after they die.
21++ MistakenForAfterlife: Someone thinks they have died and gone to an afterlife.
22++ RebirthAndReincarnationTropes: Tropes about reincarnation (the endless cycle of being born into, living and dying in one life after another).
23++ ResurrectionTropes: Tropes about dying and then returning back to full life.
24++ TropesOfTheSoul: Tropes about the soul or spirit that is believed to continue existing after the death of one's physical body, thus allowing entrance to the afterlife.
25++ UndeadIndex: Beings that have died and are supposed to stay dead, but now they're (poorly) trying to act like they're alive again.
26+ BigTropeHunting: Tropes about chasing down and killing other living creatures, whether for food or sport.
27+ ChoosingDeath: Tropes about suicide, the act of killing oneself.
28+ DeadBodyIndex: Tropes about decaying, rotting corpses.
29++ DisposingOfABody: Hiding a corpse, especially as a means of covering up a murder.
30++ SkeletalTropes: Bones are always an iconic symbol of death.
31+ DisasterTropes: Tropes about major catastrophes (both natural and artificial) that can result in a lot of deaths.
32++ ApocalypticIndex: Whenever the world as we know it is ending, by necessity this means that (almost) everyone on the planet will die.
33+ FuneralTropes: Tropes about giving proper respect for the deceased.
34++ StatuesMonumentsAndMemorials: Anything built or created to memorialize someone or something that's gone now.
35+ GriefTropes: Tropes about mourning losses, usually of people who have died, but not necessarily.
36+ LastWords: There are many ways to express your final thoughts at the end of life.
37+ MeatOfTheIndex: The flesh of dead animals, especially when eaten as food.
38++ ImAHumanitarian: Cannibalism, especially (but not limited to) the consumption of dead human beings.
39+ MurderTropes: Tropes about homicide, which is when people (intentionally) kill other people.
40++ [[PublicExecution Execution Tropes]]: Tropes about killing captive people (especially, but not limited to, capital punishment for condemned criminals in prison).
41++ GenocideTropes: Tropes about the systematic, targeted mass murder of large groups of people.
42++ MurderInTheFamily: Tropes about the act of killing one's own kin.
43+ ThisIndexIsExpendable: Various types of StockCharacters who have a high chance of dying in the story.
44+ ThisIndexWillKillYou: Various things that are able to cause death.
45+ ThisIndexWillLiveForever: Cheating death so that one may live forever (or at least indefinitely).
46++ {{Immortality}}: Various ways that a character is unaffected by death.
47+ WillAndInheritanceTropes: Private property that dead people have left behind for their living heirs to claim.
48[[/folder]]
49
50[[folder:Tropes A-C]]
51* AccidentalChildKillerBackstory: A character who unintentionally caused a child's death in the past carries the burden into the present.
52* AccidentalMurder: When someone unintentionally kills another person.
53* AccidentalSuicide: Unintentionally killing yourself.
54* AccidentNotMurder: Circumstances cause a freak accident to appear to be a murder.
55* AcquittedTooLate: A person wrongly convicted of a crime is sentenced to death and is killed before their name is cleared.
56* ActorLeavesCharacterDies: Character is killed off because of the actor playing them leaving.
57* TheAfterafterlife: You go from life to afterlife, but what comes after that?
58* AfterlifeAntechamber: The afterlife shown on-screen is actually a pathway to the real afterlife, which isn't shown.
59* AfterlifeExpress: Dead souls are taken into the afterlife by a vehicle, usually a train.
60* AfterlifeWelcome: Someone is greeted on their deathbed by those already in the afterlife.
61* AgonizingStomachWound: A stomach wound leads to a long, painful death.
62* AlasPoorScrappy: A character's detractors feel sorry for the character after they are killed off.
63* AlasPoorVillain: A villain's demise is portrayed as sympathetic.
64* AlasPoorYorick: Lamenting the deceased while holding their skull.
65* AllAreEqualInDeath: Everyone is treated or shown as equal in death, regardless of how they were in life.
66* AllDeathsFinal: A setting where not even science or magic can bring back the dead.
67* AlmostDeadGuy: Characters get information from a dying person just before they pass away.
68* AmmunitionConservation: Characters use as little ammunition as possible when dispatching enemies.
69* AncestorVeneration: The veneration, exaltation, and/or outright worship of one's deceased ancestors.
70* AndShowItToYou: Killing someone by removing their heart and showing it to them.
71* AndThereWasMuchRejoicing: Everyone's glad that this person has died.
72* AngstySurvivingTwin: A twin dies and their surviving sibling grieves their passing.
73* AnotherMansTerror: Having a better understanding of another person's death by experiencing the circumstances of their demise firsthand.
74* AntagonistInMourning: The bad guy feels sorry for the hero's death.
75* AnkleDrag: A character is dragged to their unfortunate end by their ankles.
76* AnyLastWords: A character about to be killed is asked if they have any last words. They use the opportunity to turn the tables on the person who was about to kill them.
77* AnyoneCanDie: A story shows that death can happen to anyone, no matter how powerful or important that character is.
78* ArtifactOfDeath: A magical ArtifactOfDoom that is capable of killing people.
79* AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence: A character dies without actually dying, often becoming a spirit.
80* AsLongAsThereIsEvil: The villain can't really be killed because he'll keep coming back as long as evil exists.
81* AssassinationAttempt: An attempt is made at taking an important person's life.
82* AssassinOutclassin: An assassination attempt is thwarted.
83* AssholeVictim: A person who got killed had it coming because they were very unpleasant and unsympathetic, even though that's not actually the reason they were killed.
84* AteHisGun: Someone commits suicide by firing a gun after putting it in their mouth.
85* AttackOnTheHeart: Someone kills someone else by shooting, stabbing, or otherwise injuring them in the heart.
86* AttendingYourOwnFuneral: A living character attends their own funeral, whether they've been faking their demise or were simply mistaken for being deceased.
87* BackForTheDead: A character who hasn't been seen in a while returns only to get killed.
88* BackFromTheDead: A deceased character is resurrected back into the world of the living.
89* BackupFromOtherworld: The dead assist the living during a fight.
90* BackupTwin: A deceased character is replaced by revealing that they have a surviving twin.
91* BalancingDeathsBooks: Saving someone's life by offering Death your own in exchange.
92* BarefootSuicide: A character removes their shoes before killing themselves.
93* BarredFromTheAfterlife: A deceased person who can't enter Heaven or Hell.
94* BathSuicide: A person kills themselves while bathing. Can overlap with DeadlyBath.
95* BequeathedPower: A person gives their powers to a chosen successor before they die.
96* BestedByTheInexperienced: A person is killed by someone less experienced in combat than they are.
97* BetterIfNotBornPlot: [[ItsAWonderfulPlot A suicidal person is shown what life would be like if they didn't exist...]] only for everyone to be doing just fine or better without their presence.
98* BetterManhandleTheMurderWeapon: An innocent person is incriminated because they started holding the murder weapon right after the victim's death.
99* BetterToDieThanBeKilled: A person commits suicide so the enemy can't hurt them on their own terms.
100* BigGuyFatalitySyndrome: The strongest of the group gives their life to the cause.
101* BigSleep: Someone dies with their eyes closed.
102* BirthDeathJuxtaposition: A new life is born or introduced shortly before or after another person dies.
103* BitterAlmonds: Cyanide poisoning results in the victim smelling like bitter almonds.
104* BlackCapOfDeath: The judge wears a black hat to show they intend to give a death sentence.
105* BlackComedyPetDeath: The death of a pet is played for BlackComedy.
106* TheBlackDeath: The bubonic plague and its horrifying presence in 14th century Europe.
107* BlackDudeDiesFirst: In a work of the horror genre, the first victim is a black man.
108* BlackSpot: It is indicated that a person is marked for death by a mundane or cryptic thing.
109* BleedEmAndWeep: Someone cries after killing someone.
110* BloodFromEveryOrifice: Someone bleeds from their eyes, nose, mouth, and/or ears.
111* BloodFromTheMouth: A character is indicated to be dying because they're bleeding from the mouth.
112* BloodyHallucinationsOfGuilt: Guilt over another's death has a character seeing blood where there isn't any.
113* BloodyHorror: Horror works revolve around bloody and violent deaths.
114* BludgeonedToDeath: A person smashes someone else on the head over and over until they die.
115* BoardToDeath: Villain kills people at a meeting.
116* BodyguardBetrayal: A person is betrayed by the person who is supposed to protect them.
117* BodyOfTheWeek: Every episode of a show involves studying a corpse and/or figuring out how the person died.
118* BolivianArmyCliffhanger: A show's season ends on a cliffhanger where it's hard to tell who survived and who didn't.
119* BolivianArmyEnding: The story ends with a character at the mercy of several people ready to kill them.
120* BondingOverMissingParents: Two characters bond over the fact that they both have missing relatives.
121* BondOneLiner: A character taunts their victim after killing them.
122* BoomHeadshot: Killing an enemy by shooting them in the head.
123* BornFromADeadWoman: A child is born after the mother has already died.
124* BorrowinSamedi: An {{expy}} of Baron Samedi, the {{UsefulNotes/Voudou|n}} god of death.
125* BrokenFaceplate: Someone's death is emphasized by having their helmet or mask shattered.
126* BucketList: A person puts together a list of things to do before they die.
127* BungledSuicide: A person tries to commit suicide, but fails.
128* BurialAtSea: A dead body is disposed by being tossed into the ocean.
129* BurialInSpace: A dead body is disposed by launching it into the vacuum of outer space.
130* BuriedAlive: A living person, usually unconscious and mistaken for dead, gets dumped into a grave. Should they fail to escape in time, they'll die of asphyxiation and become real corpses.
131* BuriedInAPileOfCorpses: Someone hides beneath a bunch of dead bodies.
132* BurnTheWitch: A person accused of witchcraft gets burned at the stake.
133* BurpOfFinality: If a person is eaten, the creature who ate them burping means they're dead.
134* BuryMeNotOnTheLonePrairie: Someone has difficulty in honoring the deceased's last requests.
135* BuryYourGays: When the token gay characters end up getting killed.
136* BusCrash: A character who was [[PutOnABus phased out of a show]] is killed off before they have a chance to return.
137* ButterflyOfDeathAndRebirth: Butterflies used to symbolize death and/or rebirth.
138* CainAndAbel: A sibling becomes dead set on killing the other.
139* CameBackStrong: A resurrected person is more powerful than they were before they died.
140* CameBackWrong: A resurrection goes wrong, causing the revived person to have a nasty side effect to come with their rebirth.
141* TheCanKickedHim: Someone is killed in a bathroom.
142* CarCushion: Someone lands on a car after falling from a great height.
143* CarpeDiem: The reasoning that the brevity of life means you have the right to do whatever you want as long as you're alive.
144* CarpetRolledCorpse: Hiding a corpse by rolling it up in a carpet.
145* CartwrightCurse: The character's love interests always get killed.
146* CasualtyInTheRing: Professional fighter dies in the ring.
147* CeilingCorpse: Someone finds a corpse on the ceiling.
148* CelebrityCasualty: A still-living RealLife person is killed off in a work of fiction.
149* CelestialBureaucracy: There's a spiritual bureaucracy dedicated to sorting out where the souls of the deceased are supposed to go.
150* CementShoes: Drowning someone by casting their feet into cement.
151* CensoredChildDeath: Children are killed offscreen, or the camera obscured this when it happened.
152* CessationOfExistence: The idea that there is no afterlife and once you die, that's it.
153* ChalkOutline: The crime scene has the silhouette of a dead body drawn on the ground.
154* CharacterDeath: A character dies.
155* TheCharacterDiedWithHim: A character is killed off after their actor passed away in real life.
156* CharacterOutlivesActor: A character is established to still be alive, though no longer given major appearances, after their actor has passed away.
157* CharactersDroppingLikeFlies: Lots of named characters die throughout the course of the series.
158* CheatedDeathDiedAnyway: A character survives a near death experience, only to die in different but equal cruel and unusual circumstances a short time later.
159* ChessWithDeath: Challenging the Grim Reaper in a game or contest so that you may have a chance of cheating death.
160* ChronicallyKilledActor: An actor always plays characters who get killed.
161* ChunkySalsaRule: When video games go for realism by having certain injuries befalling the player character be as fatal as it is in real life.
162* ElCidPloy: A deception where people are convinced that a dead person is still alive, commonly by having someone else impersonate the deceased.
163* CirclingVultures: Vultures surround someone when they're about to die.
164* CivilizationDestroyer: A being powerful enough to wipe out entire civilizations.
165* ClimacticBattleResurrection: Someone comes back from the dead in time for the final battle.
166* CListFodder: Casualties are established by killing off minor characters.
167* CoinsForTheDead: Coins are left for the dead so they can use them to pay in the afterlife.
168* ColdEquation: Choosing to kill someone so that others may live.
169* CollateralDamage: Often a [[DeadlyEuphemism euphemistic term]] referring to (allegedly unintentional) civilian casualties of war.
170* ComfortTheDying: A character dies with someone else soothing them.
171* ComingAndGoing: Sex and death are shown in the same story with no direct correlation.
172* CompetingWithACorpse: A LoveTriangle in which one of the love rivals is already deceased.
173* ConspicuouslyPublicAssassination: When the assassination is done in view of many witnesses.
174* ContractualImmortality: A character can't die as long as their actor is still obligated to play them.
175* ConvenientTerminalIllness: Someone makes the decision to sacrifice themselves on the grounds that they're dying anyway.
176* ConversationCasualty: Killing someone while talking to them.
177* CookedToDeath: Death by cooking device.
178* CopKiller: Someone who has murdered a police officer.
179* CopKillerManhunt: If you kill a cop, expect the rest of the police to be chasing after you with a vengeance.
180* TheCoronerDothProtestTooMuch: A murder is dubiously covered up by claiming that the death happened because of accident, suicide, or natural causes.
181* TheCorpseStopsHere: Someone is accused of murder just for being near the body.
182* CoupDeGrace: The final blow that kills, often done to finish off a defeated opponent at the end of a fight.
183* CradleOfLoneliness: Cradling a keepsake of the person you're mourning.
184* CradleToGraveCharacter: The story is about a character's entire life from birth to death.
185* CradlingYourKill: The corpse is cradled by the killer.
186* CreepyMortician: Morticians are portrayed as being disturbing or strange.
187* CruelAndUnusualDeath: Dying in a way that's very painful, undignified, or unpleasant.
188* CrusadingWidow: The death of their spouse motivates a vengeful character.
189* CryonicsFailure: A [[HumanPopsicle cryogenically frozen person]] dies because the freezing process didn't work properly.
190* CuriosityKilledTheCast: Character dooms themselves by messing with what they really should've known better than to mess with.
191* CutTheSafetyRope: A character sacrifices themselves by disconnecting what could've carried them to safety.
192[[/folder]]
193
194[[folder:Tropes D]]
195* DamagedSoul: The resurrected has gone insane as a side effect of their revival.
196* DangerThinIce: Walking on thin ice brings risk of falling in and drowning or freezing to death.
197* DarkLordOnLifeSupport: The villain needs a machine to stay alive.
198* TheDarknessBeforeDeath: A dying character's vision fails.
199* DatelessGrave: Tombstones do not show dates of birth or death. Often used for minor characters or to avoid possible continuity errors.
200* DeagedInDeath: A person's soul looks young even though the person in question died at an older age.
201* DeadAllAlong: A character is revealed to have been dead since the story's beginning.
202* DeadAlternateCounterpart: Character visits an alternate reality where their counterpart has died.
203* DeadAnimalWarning: Showing someone you mean business by delivering them dead animals.
204* DeadArtistsAreBetter: When an artist dies, their death increases the value and uniqueness of their work.
205* DeaderThanDead: A character known to cheat death is killed in a way that it's now impossible for them to ever be resurrected again.
206* DeadFootLeadfoot: A driver gets killed and their foot is still pressing on the pedal somehow. Usually caused by falling asleep at the wheel.
207* TheDeadGuyDidIt: The dead person is responsible for some or all of a mystery.
208* DeadGuyJunior: Someone is named after a person who died before their birth.
209* DeadGuyOnDisplay: Displaying the corpse of someone you killed.
210* DeadGuyPuppet: Working a person's corpse like a puppet.
211* DeadHandShot: Showing a shot of a dead person's hand to show that they've died.
212* DeadHatShot: Showing that a person has died by showing a shot of their discarded hat.
213* TheDeadHaveNames: The dead are named to show their significance.
214* DeadlineNews: A news anchor dies on the air, commonly killed by whatever disaster they're reporting.
215* DeadlyBath: Someone dies while taking a bath. Can overlap with BathSuicide.
216* DeadlyClosingCredits: The scene cuts to black/closing credits immediately after a life-threatening situation, leaving the viewers to come to their own conclusions as to whether the character(s) really died or not.
217* DeadlyDeferredConversation: Someone promises to tell someone else about something, only for one or both of them to die later.
218* DeadlyDistantFinale: The work ends with a flash forward to the main character's later years where they die.
219* DeadlyEuphemism: Using a better phrase and/or term to refer to death, dying, or killing someone.
220* DeadlyGame: A game in which losers are killed.
221* DeadlyGas: A gas that has lethal effects due to either toxicity or suffocation.
222* DeadlyHazing: Hazing results in death.
223* DeadlyHug: A hug turns out to be fatal, usually causing strangulation, decapitation, or MarshmallowHell.
224* DeadlyNosebleed: A character bleeds from their nose to show they're dying. Not as common as BloodFromTheMouth.
225* DeadlyPrank: A seemingly harmless prank goes fatally wrong.
226* DeadlyRoadTrip: Ending up in peril while on vacation.
227* DeadlyRotaryFan: A rotary fan kills someone.
228* DeadlyScratch: A seemingly-minor injury proves unexpectedly dangerous, possibly even fatal.
229* DeadManHonking: A dead driver's corpse falls forward and honks the car horn.
230* DeadMansTriggerFinger: Someone armed with a gun involuntarily fires once they're killed.
231* DeadMansSwitch: Character arranges it so their death causes bad things to happen. May or may not be a supernatural being.
232* DeadManWriting: Someone leaves a posthumous message.
233* DeadMansChest: Hiding a body by stuffing it in a trunk.
234* DeadPartner: Someone has a partner die in the line of duty.
235* DeadPersonConversation: Communicating with the deceased. Usually a witch or psychic.
236* DeadPersonImpersonation: Using the identity of a deceased person as an alias.
237* DeadSerious: Someone proves they're not fucking around anymore by killing someone important.
238* DeadSidekick: Hero is haunted by the death of their ward.
239* DeadStarWalking: Character is killed after being set up as the protagonist.
240* DeadToBeginWith: Story starts with the main character already dead and goes on in the afterlife.
241* DeathlyUnmasking: A DramaticUnmask that occurs just before or after death.
242* DeathActivatedSuperpower: A person gains powers after dying.
243* DeathAmnesia: The resurrected have no memory of their death.
244* DeathAndTheMaiden: The Grim Reaper falls in love.
245* DeathAsComedy: Someone's death is played for BlackComedy.
246* DeathAsGameMechanic: When dying is used as a mechanic in the game that does more than just end or restart the game.
247* DeathbedPromotion: A soldier at or near the point of death is honored by being formally elevated in rank.
248* DeathByAdaptation: A character still alive in the original work is killed off in the adaptation, or a character who dies later in the original work is killed off sooner in the adaptation.
249* DeathByAmbulance: Someone is killed by an ambulance.
250* DeathByCameo: An actor makes a cameo appearance where they're killed or seen as a corpse.
251* DeathByChildbirth: A woman dies giving birth.
252* DeathByDeaging: [[FountainOfYouth Becoming younger and younger]] until it kills/erases them.
253* DeathByDepower: Losing powers means losing what's keeping someone alive.
254* DeathByDespair: Depression exacerbates illness to the point of fatality.
255* DeathByDisfigurement: A beautiful person dies shortly after being deformed in some way.
256* DeathByFallingOver: Someone dies after losing their balance.
257* DeathByFlashback: We learn a character's backstory just before they die.
258* DeathByGenreSavviness: Someone's knowledge of how things happen in works of fiction similar to their present situation fails to keep them from danger.
259* DeathByGluttony: Someone dies from overeating.
260* DeathByIrony: The cause of death is ironic.
261* DeathByLookingUp: Character about to be squashed looks upward long enough to react to what's about to crush them.
262* DeathByMaterialism: Someone dies because they're too greedy to leave alone the item of value that they covet.
263* DeathByMocking: A person is killed in retaliation for mocking their killer.
264* DeathByMusicVideo: A music video where the band members are killed, sometimes to tell a story or make a point.
265* DeathByNewberyMedal: A work aimed at children has someone die for the sake of pathos.
266* DeathByOriginStory: The hero's backstory involves someone close to them dying. In the case of undead heroes, their own death.
267* DeathByPragmatism: Character dies in spite of making the sensible and logical decision in solving the problem.
268* DeathByRacism: A racist gets killed for being racist.
269* DeathByRecognition: Someone gets killed immediately after recognizing their killer.
270* DeathBySecretIdentity: A person who's found out the superhero's secret identity gets killed before he can do anything with the knowledge.
271* DeathByTransceiver: Someone hears or sees another person's death through a communications system, such as a phone or school PA system.
272* DeathByWomanScorned: Killing an adulterous spouse is treated as okay.
273* DeathEqualsEmotion: An emotionless person shows emotion when they die.
274* DeathEqualsRedemption: A villain is forgiven for their misdeeds after their death.
275* DeathFakedForYou: A person has their death faked by someone else.
276* DeathFlight: Someone is executed by being dropped from above.
277* DeathInTheClouds: A murder happens on an airplane.
278* ADeathInTheLimelight: A minor character dies at the end of their focus episode.
279* DeathIsALoser: The Grim Reaper is a loser.
280* DeathIsASadThing: Children learn about death for the first time and are saddened by it.
281* DeathIsASlapOnTheWrist: Video games where it's possible to keep dying and respawning indefinitely as long as the player doesn't call it quits.
282* DeathIsCheap: Certain media, particularly superhero comics, have a tendency to resurrect characters after killing them off, often due to popular demand, a writer seizing the opportunity to bring the character back to life because they felt it was a bad idea to kill them off in the first place or the character simply being too important for their death to be permanent.
283* DeathIsDramatic: Important characters get dramatic deaths.
284* DeathIsGray: Fading to gray upon death.
285* DeathIsNotPermanent: A video game gives an in-universe reason for the player character to respawn every time they die.
286* DeathIsSuchAnOddThing: A character expresses their confused feelings on someone they disliked suddenly passing away.
287* DeathIsTheOnlyOption: A situation where the only way to win is to let yourself get killed.
288* DeathMarch: Prisoners are forced to walk in fatal conditions, with death often the intended outcome.
289* DeathMeansHumanity: A non-human being has its personhood recognized upon death.
290* DeathMontage: A montage of a character being repeatedly killed.
291* DeathNotification: Breaking the bad news of a person's death to that person's bereaved ones. Usually done by a cop, hospital worker, or a relative.
292* DeathOfAChild: When fiction openly depicts children dying.
293* TheDeathOfDeath: The one dying is [[{{Irony}} Death itself]].
294* DeathOfPersonality: A living person is regarded as dead just because they've lost their self.
295* DeathOfTheHypotenuse: A person has two love interests and one of them dies.
296* DeathOfTheOldGods: The idea that the gods of ancient mythology aren't around anymore because they're dead.
297* DeathRow: Prisoners who are selected to eventually be executed.
298* DeathSeeker: Character actually wants to get killed.
299* DeathsHourglass: A physical or personal manifestation of a person's remaining lifespan.
300* DeathSong: Someone sings before they die.
301* DeathTakesAHoliday: The Grim Reaper stops making people die for whatever reason.
302* DeathWail: Reacting to a loved one's death by screaming.
303* DeathlyDiesIrae: Musical motif signifying the presence of death.
304* DecapitatedArmy: The underlings will see no reason to continue fighting if you've killed their leader.
305* DecapitationPresentation: Holding up a dead person's head to prove you've killed them. Common with serial killers, Vikings, executioners, and headhunters.
306* DecapitationRequired: Cutting off the enemy's head is the only way to kill it. Commonly seen in zombie fiction.
307* DecapitationStrike: A planned attempt to kill or incapacitate multiple leaders at once.
308* DeceasedFallGuyGambit: Pinning the blame on a dead person.
309* DeceasedParentsAreTheBest: The only good parents in the work are deceased ones. Common in Disney films.
310* DepartureMeansDeath: It's impossible for someone to leave a certain area without dying.
311* DefiantToTheEnd: Prisoner fearlessly shows contempt and ridicule toward their captors even when they're about to be killed.
312* DenyingTheDeadParentsSins: Someone refuses to believe that their dead parents had a dark past.
313* DesecratingTheDead: Defiling a corpse.
314* DesertSkull: An animal's skull found in the desert, usually a bovine.
315* DestinationHostUnreachable: The resurrected for some reason cannot be with their loved ones anymore.
316* DevouredByTheHorde: A character is EatenAlive and/or torn apart by multiple parties.
317* DiceRollDeath: Death caused by bad luck or random chance.
318* DidNotDieThatWay: Discovering that you've been lied to about how a loved one died.
319* DidYouDie: Someone is asked whether or not they survived a dangerous event even though it's obvious they lived if they're around to tell the story. Small children often ask this.
320* DiedDuringProduction: When the real-life death of a creator results in the cancellation or postponement of their work, or otherwise causes serious complications with its development.
321* DiedHappilyEverAfter: A dead character is seen as happy right as they drift off to the heavens.
322* DiedInIgnorance: A character dies without ever finding out a massive truth that completely alters their situation, usually TheReveal.
323* DiedInYourArmsTonight: Someone (usually a family member or a love interest) cradles a person in their arms as they die.
324* DiedOnTheirBirthday: A character dies on their own birthday.
325* DiedStandingUp: A person still stands after they've been killed.
326* DieLaughing: Someone literally laughs themselves to death. This has happened in real life, as well.
327* DiesDifferentlyInAdaptation: A character that dies one way in original work ends up dying a different way in an alternate continuity.
328* DiesWideOpen: Someone dies with their eyes open.
329* DigYourOwnGrave: Before being killed, the victim is forced to dig their own grave.
330* DisappearsIntoLight: When a character dies, they turn into light.
331* DisconnectedByDeath: Someone is killed while trying to make an important phone call.
332* DiscoveringYourOwnDeadBody: Whether through time travel, visiting an alternate reality where they died, or returning from the afterlife as a ghost, a character comes across their own corpse.
333* TheDisembodied: Losing your body without actually dying.
334* DisintegrationChamber: A science fiction method of executing people by putting them in some kind of chamber where they are zapped into nonexistence.
335* DismemberingTheBody: A character chops up pieces of a body to make it easier to dispose.
336* DisneyDeath: A character turns out to still be alive after initially appearing to die.
337* DisneyVillainDeath: Villain ends up falling to their death.
338* DisposableIntern: The purpose of an intern is for the company to have someone they can risk losing.
339* DisposablePilot: Passengers of a vehicle are imperiled when the driver gets killed. Especially bad when no one else has a license or is otherwise unable to drive.
340* DisposableSexWorker: Audience sympathy for a casualty victim is ruled out by making the victim a prostitute.
341* DisposingOfABody: The killer tries to avoid getting in trouble by getting rid of their victim's corpse.
342* DistractedFromDeath: One character dies while the other is distracted, the other not yet noticing their friend is dead.
343* DivineMisfile: Oops, wrong afterlife!
344* DivorceRequiresDeath: A person (usually the bride) ends their marriage by killing their spouse.
345* TheDogBitesBack: Someone gets killed by a person they had been abusing and tormenting.
346* DogGotSentToAFarm: Spot didn't die, we just sent him to a wonderful farm where he'll be very happy.
347* DontFearTheReaper: The Grim Reaper is not such a bad guy.
348* DoomAsTestPrize: A competition where the winner's reward is to be killed.
349* DoomedAppointment: Someone is killed before someone they asked to meet with them is able to do so.
350* DoomedByCanon: The prequel can't prevent a character's death without contradicting the events of the series' other installments.
351* DoomedContrarian: The one person who disagrees gets killed.
352* DoomedHurtGuy: Someone is injured and attempts are made to help them, but they die anyway.
353* DoomedPredecessor: Finding the corpse of a previous adventurer in a cave.
354* DoomMagnet: A person who always brings death and disaster to other people.
355* DoWithHimAsYouWill: The hero leaves the villain at the mercy of the people the villain has wronged.
356* DraggedOffToHell: A person is carried off to Hell against their wishes.
357* DramaticSpineInjury
358* DressingToDie: A person wants to look their best when they die, so they dress before facing their end.
359* DrivenToSuicide: A person ends up committing suicide.
360* DropDeadGorgeous: Titillating the audience with nude corpses. Vampires are a common theme.
361* DropInNemesis: An enemy that kills you with little to no warning if you make a mistake.
362* DroppedABridgeOnHim: A major character is killed in a sudden and contrived manner.
363* DrowningUnwantedPets: A person drowns pets, usually puppies or kittens, that they can't take care of.
364* DueToTheDead: Burying the dead is considered respectful, while desecrating the remains is disgraceful.
365* DuelToTheDeath: Two opponents are chosen to fight each other until one has killed the other.
366* DwindlingParty: The cast lowers in numbers because of deaths.
367* DyingAlone: Dying with no one else to mourn your passing is sad.
368* DyingAsYourself: A person dies shortly after being freed of the corruption that took over them.
369* DyingCandle: Death indicated by a candle going out.
370* DyingCurse: A person's last words is to vow that harm will befall the people they loathe.
371* DyingDealUpgrade: A dying character is given new powers and allowed to continue living in exchange for servitude.
372* DyingDeclarationOfHate: A character confesses their hatred of the person near them as they die.
373* DyingDeclarationOfLove: A character confesses their love to someone as they die.
374* DyingDream: It's revealed that the story's events were all a hallucination the protagonist is experiencing as they die.
375* DyingForSymbolism: Dying is used for symbolism.
376* DyingMomentOfAwesome: A character ensures that they die doing something cool.
377* DyingRace: A species nearing extinction.
378* DyingReconciliation: Someone who is dying tries to bury the hatchet.
379* DyingSmirk: A person who is about to die scoffs and smirks, grins, smiles spitefully or laughs ironically, showing off to their opponents that they still have the upper hand somehow.
380* DyingToBeReplaced: A character is killed off so someone else can take their place.
381* DyingToWakeUp: Dying in a dream instantly wakes you up.
382* DyingTruce: Enemies decide to stop fighting when one of them is near death.
383* DyingVocalChange: A character's voice transforms as they die.
384* TheDyingWalk: Someone walks away from whatever they were doing before they die.
385[[/folder]]
386
387[[folder:Tropes E-K]]
388* EatenAlive: A person is killed by being devoured.
389* EatingTheEnemy: Defeating the enemy by eating them.
390* ElectrifiedBathtub: Someone is killed when they get immersed in water that is then electrified.
391* EmpathyDollShot: A shot of a child's toy on the ground is shown to indicate that children have died in the area.
392* EmptyChairMemorial: Honoring someone's memory by leaving the chair they used to sit in empty.
393* EmptyBedroomGrieving: A person's death and/or disappearance is magnified by their abandoned bedroom.
394* EmptyPilesOfClothing: A person is killed in a way that their clothes are all that's left.
395* EndingMemorialService: The story ends with a funeral.
396* EnemiesWithDeath: A person is hated by the Grim Reaper.
397* EnemyToAllLivingThings: This character's powers/aura hurt everything that breathes.
398* EverybodyDiesEnding: The story ends with everyone dead.
399* EverybodyHatesHades: Nobody likes the god of death.
400* EverybodyLives: The story ends with no one dying.
401* EverybodysDeadDave: An entire group dies except one survivor.
402* EverythingFades: Video game enemies disappear after they're defeated.
403* ExcessiveMourning: Someone mourns another person's death to the point that they become a problem.
404* ExitPursuedByABear: A person is last seen being chased by a creature that will probably kill them.
405* ExplosiveDecompression: A sudden shift in pressure makes you blow up.
406* ExplosiveStupidity: Someone blows themselves up by mishandling explosives.
407* EyeRemember: The dead's memories can be harvested from their eyes.
408* FaceDeathWithDespair: A character dreads imminent death.
409* FaceDeathWithDignity: A character chooses to remain calm and collected upon learning they're going to die.
410* FacepalmOfDoom: Grabbing someone by the face and blasting/crushing them at point-blank range.
411* FadingAway: A character dies by fading away.
412* FakeAssassination: Pretending to have someone murdered.
413* FakeKillScare: Freaking people out by pretending to kill someone else.
414* FakingTheDead: A person only pretends to be dead.
415* FalseWidow: Lying about having a spouse by claiming they're dead.
416* FamilyUnfriendlyDeath: When children's media shows someone dying in an unexpectedly gruesome way. Often combined with FamilyUnfriendlyViolence.
417* TheFamine: Mass deaths by starvation resulting from a severe food shortage, often caused by drought-induced crop failures.
418* FastKillingRadiation: Nuclear radiation killing people faster than what is possible in real life.
419* FatalFamilyPhoto: Death happens after showing photo of relatives.
420* FatalForcedMarch: Death by unavoidable foot-journey.
421* FatalMacGuffin: A MacGuffin object which kills anyone who dares to touch or use it.
422* FatalMethodActing: A performer dies suddenly during their performance.
423* FatalReward: A person's promised reward for doing as they've been asked turns out to be death.
424* FauxDeath: A person goes through a death-like state to recover.
425* FedToPigs: Bodies are eliminated by feeding them to pigs.
426* FictionalizedDeathAccount: A work of fiction changes how a real person died.
427* FieldOfBlades: Swords stuck in the ground to represent the casualties of a war.
428* FinalExchange: Replying to another person's last words before they die.
429* FinalGirl: A woman who survives the events of the story while everyone else dies.
430* FinallyFoundTheBody: After it's assumed for a long time that a person may have survived their apparent death, it's discovered that they really did die after all.
431* FinalSolution: Genocidal massacres committed in an attempt to exterminate an entire group of people.
432* FingerInTheMail: Sending someone dismembered body parts of their loved one to show you've killed them.
433* FinishHim: A fighter is forced to kill their opponent.
434* FirstEpisodeResurrection: The story begins with the main character being brought back to life.
435* FirstLawOfResurrection: A character that's been killed off will come back as long as the writer intends to bring them back.
436* FirstPersonDyingPerspective: A character dies. The last moments are seen from their POV.
437* {{Flatline}}: Monitor line going flat means the patient is done for.
438* FlatlinePlotline: Temporary death caused by slowing down heart rate.
439* FoldSpindleMutilation: Killing someone by forcing them through an opening they can't fit in.
440* FondMemoriesThatCouldHaveBeen: Mourning someone because you could've had a great life with them.
441* ForcedMiscarriage: A pregnant character is forced to miscarry without their consent.
442* ForeseeingMyDeath: Someone foresees their own demise.
443* ForgotToFeedTheMonster: The villain attempts to summon minions or a beast, only to find that they died because he neglected to feed them.
444* FossilRevival: Dead creatures are revived by reanimating their fossils.
445* FriendlyTarget: Those close to the hero end up targeted by the villain.
446* FrightDeathtrap: Literally scaring the victim to death.
447* TheFunInFuneral: Wacky antics happen during a person's funeral.
448* FuneralBanishment: Someone is banned from attending a deceased person's funeral, either by a relative or tje dead person themselves prior to their passing.
449* FuneralCut: The scene cuts to a funeral or something tied to one in order to set the gravity or what's happened or to make a BlackComedy gag.
450* GameOfChicken: Two vehicles drive toward each other and the first to turn away from the ensuing collision loses.
451* GasChamber: A sealed room where poison gas is sprayed to kill anyone inside.
452* GasolineDousing: Someone gets gasoline poured on them before being set ablaze.
453* GayGuyDiesFirst: A gay man is the first murder victim.
454* GayngstInducedSuicide: A gay person commits suicide over feeling ashamed of their sexual orientation.
455* GetItOverWith: A person dares their killer to get on with killing them.
456* GhostlyDeathReveal: An offscreen death is revealed by the character's appearance as a ghost later on.
457* GhostReunionEnding: The dead return in the ending as ghosts.
458* GiantCorpseWorld: The setting takes place in a giant dead body.
459* GloriousDeath: A character has a favorite way to die.
460* GoIntoTheLight: While dying, there will be a light to walk into in order to enter the afterlife.
461* GoodNightSweetPrince: Saying "Goodnight, sweet prince" in response to a man dying.
462* AGoodWayToDie: Character dies the way they wanted to die.
463* GoOutWithASmile: A person dies smiling.
464* GoryDiscretionShot: When a person gets killed in a gruesome manner, the gory details aren't shown on-screen.
465* GraveHumor: Tombstones with humorous inscriptions.
466* GraveMarkingScene: Visiting the grave of a loved one.
467* GraveRobbing: Stealing things from dead people.
468* GreatWayToGo: Commenting that a cause of death is how you would like to die.
469* GriefInducedSplit: A couple breaks up after a tragedy, usually a death.
470* GriefSong: A musical piece about someone mourning the death of a loved one.
471* TheGrimReaper: Death is personified in many Western cultures as a skeleton wearing a black hooded cloak and armed with a scythe, "reaping" the souls of the dead.
472* GroundByGears: Getting killed by gears crushing you.
473* GuttedLikeAFish: Killing someone by cutting their stomach open.
474* HalfTheManHeUsedToBe: Killing someone by cutting the victim in half.
475* HammerHilt: Killing someone with the hilt of a sword or similar bladed weapon.
476* HandshakeOfDoom: A handshake that means death.
477* HandSlidingDownTheGlass: A dying person's hand slides down a window pane.
478* HangingAround: Suspending someone by their neck with a noose to the point of death.
479* HangingUpOnTheGrimReaper: When the Grim Reaper shows up to claim someone, the person persuades Death to let them live just a little bit longer.
480* HappierHomeMovie: Watching home movies of or having pleasant dreams about the departed to reflect on the good times you had with them.
481* HappilyFailedSuicide: A failed attempt to commit suicide causes the character to rekindle their will to live.
482* HatsOffToTheDead: Respecting the dead by removing your hat.
483* HaveANiceDeath: When the player character dies, the video games plays their demise for laughs.
484* HeadCrushing: Killing someone by crushing their head.
485* HeadgearHeadstone: A character's Nicehat is used to mark their final resting place.
486* HeHadAName: Villain dismisses someone they killed as an inconsequential casualty. Hero emphasizes their anger by pointing out that their fallen friend had a name.
487* HeKnowsTooMuch: Killing someone because they've learned about something they can't be allowed to make public knowledge.
488* HellishCopter: Helicopter goes crashing down.
489* HelplessKicking: Someone kicking their legs as they're being EatenAlive killed or carried off to their doom.
490* HelplessWindowDeath: Someone dies behind a window while the protagonist can do nothing but watch.
491* HereditarySuicide: Suicide runs in families.
492* HerHeartWillGoOn: When a person's love interest dies, they don't let their death keep them from finding someone else to love.
493* TheHeroDies: The work's hero dies.
494* TheHeroDoesntKillTheVillainess: Female villains aren't killed by the hero, either because they survive, the hero spares them or someone else kills them. Their male counterparts aren't so lucky.
495* HeroKiller: The villain has successfully killed at least one hero who attempted to defeat them.
496* HeroicSacrifice: Someone allows themselves to get killed in order to save others.
497* HesitantSacrifice: When having to give their own life for the greater good, the person in question gets emotional about having to die.
498* HesDeadJim: There are easy signs to determine whether or not a person is dead.
499* HesJustHiding: Fans refuse to accept that a character is dead.
500* HighVoltageDeath: Death by electrocution.
501* HisNameIs: A character dies before they can reveal crucial information.
502* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Someone is killed by what was supposed to be helping them.
503* HollywoodHeartAttack: Media portrays heart attack-induced deaths as dramatic.
504* HonorableWarriorsDeath: A warrior attempts to die in battle or by using some method considered worthy of a warrior in their culture.
505* HorrorHatesARulebreaker: The moment you break unspoken rules, the supernatural will kill you.
506* HospitalSurprise: Character finds out they're in a hospital after going through a life-threatening situation.
507* HowDareYouDieOnMe: Character gets angry about a person dying because they didn't want them to die.
508* HowWouldYouLikeToDie: Character is offered multiple choices on how they will die.
509* HumanHeadOnTheWall: Mounting the head of someone you killed on the wall.
510* HumanitysWake: The story takes place after humanity has gone extinct.
511* HuntingAccident: Bringing someone on a hunting trip and getting away with killing them by claiming they were mistaken for the animal being hunted.
512* ICannotSelfTerminate: A suicidal person begs others to kill them because they can't do it themselves.
513* IdentifyingTheBody: A relative is asked to identify a body as confirmation of the deceased's identity.
514* IDidntMeanToKillHim: When the guilty party claims (honestly or not) that their killing was accidental.
515* IDieFree: Someone is content with dying because in death, they're no longer enslaved.
516* IfICantHaveYou: Killing someone you're attracted to just because they refuse to return your affections or have gone with someone else.
517* IfWeGetThroughThis: Characters agree to do something if they survive their current predicament.
518* IfYouDieICallYourStuff: People claiming other people's stuff in the event that the person might die.
519* ILetGwenStacyDie: Hero blames themselves for not being able to prevent a loved one's death.
520* ImColdSoCold: Character comments that they feel cold as they're dying.
521* ImDyingPleaseTakeMyMacGuffin: A dying person gives an important object to someone else before they die.
522* ImMelting: Character dies by melting.
523* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: Death by being impaled upon something.
524* ImmortalHero: The heroes rarely die.
525* ImpliedDeathThreat: Making an indirect threat to kill someone.
526* ImprobableInfantSurvival: Showing older people dying is okay, but the work completely avoids having children get killed.
527* IncurableCoughOfDeath: When a person is constantly coughing, it means they're about to die.
528* InertialImpalement: Victim is stabbed by moving into a stationary blade.
529* InferredSurvival: A character's death is deliberately left ambiguous so that the writers can later establish that the character somehow survived.
530* InformalEulogy: Only having a brief sentence to say about the deceased.
531* InhumanHuman: The resurrected's soul is fine, but the body is not human.
532* InMemoriam: The work features a dedication to someone who died before the work was released.
533* InspirationalMartyr: By dying, a person rallies more to their cause.
534* InstantDeathBullet: Shooting one bullet is enough to kill someone.
535* InstantDeathStab: Being struck with a bladed weapon will kill someone instantly.
536* InstantFishKill: Large amounts of fish immediately die when something happens to the water around them.
537* InstantGravestone: When someone dies, they turn into a tombstone on the spot.
538* InternalDeathSquad: A position or unit within a larger organization tasked with tracking down and executing its own rogue or unreliable members.
539* InterrogatingTheDead: Getting information by interrogating dead people.
540* InterruptedSuicide: A character is prevented from committing suicide.
541* InTheBack: Stabbing or shooting someone from behind.
542* InverseDialogueDeathRule: A dying, important character gets several lines of {{dialogue}} before kicking it.
543* InvoluntaryBattleToTheDeath: Two friends are forced into a fight to the death.
544* InvoluntarySuicideMechanism: A person is wired so that they die when someone tries to get them to reveal confidential information.
545* IronicLastWords: The last thing a person says carries some form of irony.
546* ItAlwaysRainsAtFunerals: It rains during a funeral service.
547* ItIsNotYourTime: A dead person is allowed to come to life again because the afterlife isn't ready for them yet.
548* ItsAlwaysSunnyAtFunerals: Funeral takes place during incongruously pleasant weather.
549* IWillOnlySlowYouDown: A person insists to be left to die on the grounds that the person trying to save them would only be hindered in doing so.
550* IWishedYouWereDead: A character who wishes for another to die feels guilty for their wish when the death actually happens.
551* JacobMarleyApparel: The ghost's wardrobe matches what they wore when they died.
552* JoggersFindDeath: Joggers are guaranteed to find corpses or become corpses themselves.
553* JoinOrDie: If you don't agree to join this person's side, they'll kill you.
554* JokerImmunity: The villain always comes back to fight the hero again, even when they were killed in the last fight.
555* JudgementOfTheDead: A judge appears to evaluate the dead person's life before deciding their ultimate fate.
556* JumpingOnAGrenade: Person sacrifices themselves by deliberately jumping onto a grenade.
557* JustDesserts: Villain gets their comeuppance by being eaten alive.
558* KarmicDeath: A bad person dies in a way that serves as a [[LaserGuidedKarma fitting punishment for their wrongdoings]].
559* KillAndReplace: Killing someone to impersonate them.
560* KilledByRequest: An actor asks for the character they play to be killed off so they don't have to play the role anymore.
561* KilledMidSentence: Someone is killed before they can finish their sentence.
562* KilledOffForReal: A character is permanently killed off in a setting where resurrections are possible.
563* KilledOffScreen: A character is established as having been killed after the last time they were shown on-screen.
564* KilledToUpholdTheMasquerade: Someone is killed to prevent them from exposing the existence of supernatural beings.
565* TheKillerBecomesTheKilled: A murderer is killed by someone else.
566* KillerFinale: The final installment of a work kills off at least one main character.
567* KillerOutfit: Someone is killed by their own wardrobe.
568* KillHimAlready: Hero's ally demands he kill the villain already.
569* KillingInSelfDefense: It's okay to kill someone if they were going to kill you first.
570* KillItThroughItsStomach: Getting out of a creature that swallowed you whole by stabbing your way out of their stomach.
571* KillItWithFire: Death by fire or burning heat.
572* KillItWithIce: Death by ice or freezing cold.
573* KillOneOthersGetStronger: Killing one member of a group makes the surviving members more powerful.
574* KillOnSight: Orders are given for a person or group to be killed the instant they're spotted.
575* KillSteal: Killing something just when somebody else was going to do the same.
576* KillTheCutie: A sweet, lovable character is killed off.
577* KillTheOnesYouLove: Someone is put in a situation where they have to kill someone near and dear to them.
578* KillTheParentRaiseTheChild: A character looks after the child of someone they killed.
579* KillThePoor: Attempting to eliminate poverty by killing the destitute.
580* KillUsBoth: Hero trying to keep the villain down insists that the only way is for both him and the villain to be killed.
581* KingInTheMountain: A legendary figure is believed to be in hibernation rather than dead.
582* KingOnHisDeathbed: Story begins with a ruler dying.
583* TheKingslayer: Someone who kills a king or other person in position of leadership.
584* KissOfDeath: A kiss that causes death.
585* KlingonPromotion: Someone gains a position or title by killing the last person who possessed it.
586* KneeFoldFallOfDefeat: Fatally wounded character falls to his knees then dies landing face first on the ground.
587[[/folder]]
588
589[[folder:Tropes L-O]]
590* LastBreathBullet: Villain thought killed turns out to have enough life left in them to do one bad deed before dying for real.
591* LastDayToLive: Character is informed they don't have much time left, but in reality they're in perfect health.
592* TheLastDance: Character decides that if they're going to die, they may as well go down fighting.
593* LastDisrespects: A funeral service where the attendees aren't very respectful to the deceased.
594* LastGraspAtLife: Dying person reaches out in an attempt to grab something to save them.
595* LastKiss: Lovers exchange one more kiss before one or both of them die.
596* LastOfHisKind: The last surviving member of a near-extinct species.
597* LastRequest: Dying person asks for one last request before they die.
598* LastStand: Someone kills as many enemies as they can before they die.
599* LastSurvivorSuicide: Someone kills themselves over being upset at being the last one left alive.
600* LastWishMarriage: A dying character opts to get married while they still live.
601* LeaveBehindAPistol: Leaving a pistol in hopes that the person left with it will use it to commit suicide.
602* LeaveNoSurvivors: The killer refuses to leave anyone in their path alive.
603* LeaveNoWitnesses: Avoiding getting caught for a crime by murdering everyone who's seen you do it.
604* LeftForDead: A person turns out to be alive after it was assumed they were left to die.
605* LegacyImmortality: A hero thought killed continues living by way of other people taking up the identity after the previous person meets their end.
606* LegallyDead: Someone is legally declared deceased on the basis that they've gone missing and no one's heard from them in a long time.
607* LeitmotifUponDeath: A character's death triggers their {{Leitmotif}} being played to make their death sadder.
608* LetThemDieHappy: Lying to a dying loved one so that they're happy in their final moments.
609* LibationForTheDead: Pouring a drink on the ground to honor the deceased.
610* LifeDeathJuxtaposition: A life motif is juxtaposed against a death motif in some way.
611* LifeWillKillYou: Dying in a non-dramatic way.
612* LightsOffSomebodyDies: Someone is found dead after the lights go off and come back on.
613* LikeYouWereDying: A character radically changes their behavior because they're dying.
614* LikeYouWouldReallyDoIt: Because of the character's importance, the audience refuses to believe that the character will actually die, which ruins the suspense of teasing that they might die.
615* LiterallyShatteredLives: A person frozen solid or TakenForGranite is killed when they break into pieces.
616* LittleDeadRidingHood: Girl clad in red is at risk of dying.
617* TheLivingDead: A living person pretends to be a corpse.
618* LivingOnBorrowedTime: Character uses artificial means to prolong their life.
619* LoadBearingHero: Hero has to hold up a weight to prevent it from crushing them and others to death.
620* LonelyFuneral: Very few people attend the deceased's funeral.
621* LongDeadBadass: Characters talk about an awesome warrior or hero who is long dead.
622* LookBothWays: Someone gets killed by crossing the street without looking both ways.
623* LosingTheTeamSpirit: Team falls into depression over someone's death.
624* LosingYourHead: Non-fatal decapitations.
625* LostPetGrievance: A character feels upset about the death of their beloved pet.
626* LudicrousGibs: Someone explodes into bloody giblets everywhere when they die.
627* LunaticLoophole: Only crazy people survive.
628* MadeOfPlasticine: Someone is ridiculously easy to kill by tearing apart.
629* MainCharacterFinalBoss: The main protagonist also plays the role of final boss and in some cases ends up dead as a result.
630* MakeItLookLikeAnAccident: A murder is made to look like an accidental death.
631* MakeSureHesDead: When there's a chance that someone may have survived their apparent death, the villain decides to make sure their victim is dead for sure.
632* MakeThemRot: A person's touch causes decay.
633* ManInTheMachine: A cyborg whose mechanical parts may as well be glorified life support systems.
634* MarkedToDie: Someone has a marking on them to indicate that they'll get killed.
635* MaternalDeathBlameTheChild: If a woman dies giving birth, the child will be blamed for causing the mother's death.
636* MatterOfLifeAndDeath: Trying to reason with those obstructing you on the grounds that they'll be indirectly responsible for lives being lost if they don't get out of your way.
637* MauveShirt: A character who's expected to be another expendable soldier becomes significant enough that they're safe form getting killed.
638* MeaningfulFuneral: Character's funeral brings out things about them and their mourners that wouldn't have come up otherwise.
639* MemorialCharacter: A character in a work is based on or named for a real person who died, as a way of immortalizing that person.
640* MemorialForTheAntagonist: Offering a funeral service for the deceased villain out of respect or honor, despite their atrocities.
641* MemorialPhoto: The deceased has a photo of them when they were alive shown during the funeral service.
642* MenAreTheExpendableGender: The work portrays male death and suffering as less important than female death and suffering.
643* MentorOccupationalHazard: Being the hero's mentor means that you're going to die.
644* MercyKill: Killing someone because the alternative would be to let them suffer.
645* MicrowaveTheDog: A pet is killed in the microwave.
646* MilesToGoBeforeISleep: Character refuses to die until they've accomplished their important mission.
647* AMillionIsAStatistic: The death of a single identified person is treated as more important than those of countless unidentified people.
648* MindReformatDeath: When a character, AI or human, dies because of an electronic plot device erasing, replacing, changing, or overwriting their minds.
649* MisplacedSorrow: Character is upset about someone dying for selfish reasons.
650* MissingManFormation: A ceremonial incomplete formation done to honor a dead teammate.
651* MistakenDeathConfirmation: A character's death is confirmed by examination of the body or sure-fire evidence, but this turns out to be wrong.
652* MistakenForAfterlife: Someone thinks they have died and gone to an afterlife.
653* MistakenForDying: Someone is thought to be dying when they're in perfect health or only suffering from a minor ailment.
654* MockingTheMourner: A character uses another character's loss as a means to deride or harangue them.
655* AMoltenDateWithDeath: Death by submergence or exposure to lava.
656* MomentOfSilence: Scene becomes quiet when a character dies.
657* MonoNoAware: Nothing good can last forever.
658* MonsterFromBeyondTheVeil: The resurrected becomes a monster, usually a zombie.
659* MonsterMisogyny: Movie monsters tend to only kill female victims.
660* MonsterMunch: Character only exists to be killed by the MonsterOfTheWeek.
661* TheMourningAfter: After the love interest dies, the surviving member of the couple refuses to find a new love because they consider it disrespectful to their deceased lover.
662* MourningADeadRobot: A robot dies or is destroyed, and is mourned by its organic counterparts.
663* MourningAnObject: An inanimate object is destroyed, goes missing, or stops working, and is treated by the characters as though it has died.
664* TheMoralityMortalityEquation: Whether or not your loved ones die depends on how evil or good you are.
665* MoreExpendableThanYou: In a situation where a member of the group must give their life to the cause, it's agreed that one of them is too important to sacrifice.
666* MoreHeroThanThou: Characters argue over which of them is worthy of doing the HeroicSacrifice.
667* MortalityGreyArea: A character is considered to be neither alive nor dead, or both at once.
668* MortalityPhobia: Fear of death motivates them to go to crazy extremes to prevent it.
669* MortalWoundReveal: Someone dies after it turns out they've been mortally wounded.
670* MovingBeyondBereavement: A character arc in which the death of a loved one must eventually be accepted.
671* MultipleGunshotDeath: Someone is killed from getting shot multiple times.
672* MurderDotCom: A video of someone getting killed is uploaded on the Internet.
673* MurderByInaction: Killing someone indirectly by refusing to save their life.
674* MurderByCremation: Killing someone by burning them inside an oven.
675* MurderByMistake: When someone ends up killing the ''wrong'' person, ''instead'' of their intended victim.
676* MurderBySuicide: Killing someone indirectly by forcing them to kill themselves.
677* MurderousMask: A mask that kills the wearer.
678* MurderSuicide: Someone kills another person before killing themselves.
679* MutualKill: Two opponents kill each other at the same time.
680* MyDeathIsJustTheBeginning: Villain lets themselves die so their plan may continue.
681* MyLifeFlashedBeforeMyEyes: While dying or almost dying, a person sees flashbacks of their entire life.
682* NearDeathExperience: Character recovers from almost dying.
683* NeckSnap: Killing someone by twisting and breaking their neck hard enough to sever their spinal cord.
684* NecroCam: A FlashbackMontageRealization about how a character died.
685* NecroNonSequitur: Character dies suddenly for no logical reason.
686* NegateYourOwnSacrifice: You can risk sacrificing yourself if you can't really get killed.
687* NeverFoundTheBody: A supposedly dead person is speculated to have survived their apparent death because their corpse was never found.
688* NeverGotToSayGoodbye: Character is upset about a loved one's death because they never had the change to say goodbye before their demise.
689* NeverOneMurder: If there's a murder mystery to solve, it's rare for there to only be one victim.
690* NeverSayDie: The work avoids directly mentioning death.
691* NeverSayGoodbye: Refusing to let another person say goodbye to keep departing from being more painful than it already is.
692* NeverSpeakIllOfTheDead: Person never stoops to saying negative things about the deceased.
693* NeverSuicide: Covering up a murder by forging evidence the death was a suicide.
694* NightSwimEqualsDeath: Character swimming at night gets killed.
695* NobodyCanDie: No matter the stakes, no one in this work will ever be killed off.
696* NoBodyLeftBehind: Dying without leaving a corpse.
697* NoDeadBodyPoops: When fiction glosses over people soiling themselves when they die.
698* NoLongerWithUs: A common euphemism for death turns out to be meant literally.
699* NoOneCouldSurviveThat: Character is shown to survive an event immediately after doubts are cast on their survival.
700* NooseCatch: A villain dies by falling and snagging onto something that breaks their neck.
701* NoPartyLikeADonnerParty: Resorting to cannibalism to prevent starvation.
702* NostalgiaHeaven: The afterlife is a place that meant something special to the dead.
703* NotAfraidToDie: Character is okay with dying, but not necessarily because they ''want'' to die.
704* NotEnoughToBury: All that's left of the person who got killed are bits and pieces.
705* NotNowWereTooBusyCryingOverYou: Person mourning someone they thought died unknowingly interrupts the person without realizing they're actually alive.
706* NotQuiteDead: Character thought to have died turns out to have managed to survive their fatal injuries.
707* NotQuiteSavedEnough: Right when the hero thinks they've won, something happens from out of the blue to render their efforts pointless.
708* NotSoInvincibleAfterAll: Someone thought to be invincible is killed when it turns out they actually are quite vulnerable.
709* NotTheIllnessThatKilledThem: A terminally ill person dies from something else.
710* NotTooDeadToSaveTheDay: "Dead" person comes back to save the day.
711* TheNothingAfterDeath: The afterlife is shown to be nothing but an empty void.
712* NothingLeftToDoButDie: Immortal character kills themselves out of boredom.
713* ObfuscatingPostmortemWounds: Additional wounds are inflicted on a corpse to mask the true cause of death.
714* ObituaryMontage: A {{montage|s}} featuring recently-deceased people.
715* ObiWanMoment: Veteran character embraces their imminent end gracefully.
716* OfCorpseHesAlive: Trying to convince people that a corpse is still alive by moving it about.
717* OffingTheMouth: Killing someone for making snarky comments.
718* OffingTheOffspring: Killing your own children.
719* OffWithHisHead: Killing someone by decapitation.
720* OhAndXDies: The author or narrator informs the audience that a character will die.
721* OminouslyCutTether: A character's safety line is found, without them attached anymore.
722* OminousHairLoss: Encroaching baldness is a sign of approaching death... or worse.
723* OneLastSmoke: Character smokes one last time before death.
724* OneLastSong: This song is the last thing you'll hear before you die.
725* OneTwinMustDie: The older members of a family want to kill one of a pair of twins to prevent a curse.
726* OneWayTrip: Character goes through with a plan even though it's likely doing so will kill them.
727* OnlyEvilCanDie: No one dies except the antagonists/bad guys/villains.
728* OnlyKillableAtHome: You can die anywhere, but unless you die in your home, you'll be back.
729* TheOneWhereEveryoneDies: Episode of an ongoing series where all or most of the characters have died by the end, but the deaths are then undone.
730* OnlyMostlyDead: Hero is thought to be dead, but turns out to have gone into a death-like state to recover.
731* OpeningACanOfClones: It's difficult to take a story seriously if everyone's been replaced by an expendable duplicate at some point.
732* OrderedToDie: A person in authority commands their underling to kill themselves.
733* OurHeroIsDead: Work ends on a cliffhanger where the protagonist appears to die.
734* OutOfContinues: Character who has died repeatedly ends up dying permanently.
735* OutlivingOnesOffspring: Someone outlives their children.
736* OutWithABang: Someone dies after having sex.
737[[/folder]]
738
739[[folder:Tropes P-S]]
740* PainlessDeathForAPrice: Someone on death's doorstep is offered a MercyKill in exchange for something valuable.
741* PartingWordsRegret: Someone feels guilty about the last things they said to a loved one before they died.
742* PartlyCloudyWithAChanceOfDeath: The weather gets gloomy when someone dies.
743* PassedInTheirSleep: Person dies in their sleep.
744* PeacefulInDeath: Dead person is shown to be at peace.
745* {{Permadeath}}: In some video games, the death of the PlayerCharacter is permanent; when they die once, it's an instant GameOver with no retries.
746* PersonalEffectsReveal: Finding out more about a person by going through their belongings after they die.
747* PhoneCallFromTheDead: Receiving a phone call from a dead person.
748* PietaPlagiarism: A pose where a dead person is carried in the arms of someone grieving them.
749* PlayerDeathIsDramatic: When the PlayerCharacter in a video game gets killed, the GameOver screen makes a big spectacle out of it.
750* PlayerPunch: Killing someone to make the audience feel upset or angered.
751* PlayingPossum: Someone temporarily fakes being a dead body, usually to escape a pursuing enemy or predator.
752* PleaOfPersonalNecessity: A villain pleads for the hero not to kill them because they still need them.
753* PleaseDontLeaveMe: Dying character begs a loved one not to leave them.
754* PleaseKillMeIfItSatisfiesYou: Character gives a person they wronged the offer to kill them so they can be satisfied.
755* PleaseWakeUp: Someone believes a dead person to merely be sleeping.
756* PlotlineDeath: Characters in a video game die permanently if the death happens in a cutscene.
757* ThePlotReaper: Character dies so they won't stand in the way of the story.
758* PlotTriggeringDeath: The character dying in the beginning is the reason the story's events happen at all.
759* PokingDeadThingsWithAStick: Finding a dead body or creature and poking it with a stick.
760* PopGoesTheHuman: Person dies from swelling up until they explode into a grisly mess.
761* PopulationXAndCounting: A sign of the town's population has the number of people go down as soon as someone dies.
762* PosthumousCharacter: A character has already died when the audience first hears of them.
763* PosthumousCollaboration: The creator dies before their work could be finished, but other people do their best to complete the work using whatever material the creator managed to make before they died.
764* PosthumousCredit: The work credits someone involved with production who died before the work was released.
765* PosthumousNarration: Story is narrated by a character who has already died.
766* PosthumousSibling: A character's older sibling died before they were born.
767* PosthumousVillainVictory: Even after the villain dies their goal is ultimately achieved.
768* PostMortemComeback: Villain turns out to have prepared a duplicate of themselves to take their place in the event that they die.
769* PostMortemConversion: Claiming that a dead person is on your side.
770* ThePowerOfLegacy: Lying about a dead person so that people will remember them fondly.
771* PrecautionaryCorpseDisposal: A setting or situation where anyone who dies will become a monster, or otherwise dangerous.
772* PrematureEulogy: A eulogy is given for a person who is still alive.
773* PrematurelyMarkedGrave: A grave is prepared for someone in anticipation that they'll get killed.
774* PreMortemCatchphrase: A character dies saying their catchphrase.
775* PreMortemOneLiner: A character taunts their victim before killing them.
776* PreSacrificeFinalGoodbye: Before making their big sacrifice, the hero bids farewell to his loved ones.
777* PrettySpryForADeadGuy: Someone thinks a dead person has come back. They're actually hallucinating or being deceived by an imposter.
778* PreserveYourGays: Gay characters repeatedly almost dying.
779* PrestigePeril: Gaining a lofty position has the downside that any screw-up means you'll get killed.
780* PrimalFear: Death is one thing often regarded as something everyone fears.
781* PrisonersLastMeal: The last meal a prisoner on DeathRow eats before their execution.
782* TheProblemWithFightingDeath: Screw over the Grim Reaper, and he'll ensure that you suffer for it.
783* PsychicAssistedSuicide: Mind control is used to make a person kill themselves.
784* PsychicGlimpseOfDeath: Reading a dying person's mind causes you to experience their death.
785* {{Psychopomp}}: A [[AnthropomorphicPersonification deity or spirit]] whose job is to cause the death of all mortal beings, and/or to help bring their souls over to the afterlife when their time comes.
786* PuffOfLogic: Tell something why they shouldn't be able to live, and they instantly die on the spot (or fade from existence).
787* PullYourselfDownTheSpear: Pulling yourself down what you're impaled on to attack the one wielding the weapon used to impale you.
788* PummelingTheCorpse: Killer continues beating up the corpse after they're already dead.
789* QuietingTheUnquietDead: Helping TheUndead pass on.
790* RapidAging: Someone keeps rapidly getting older. In some cases, it results in the person dying because they've become so old.
791* RasputinianDeath: Character survives multiple fatal events before finally dying.
792* ReallyDeadMontage: A montage is shown to prove that a killed off character isn't coming back.
793* RedemptionEqualsDeath: Villain dies after reforming.
794* RedShirt: The character who exists only to get killed so that there can be a casualty without killing off any of the important characters.
795* RedShirtArmy: An entire army of nameless characters get killed.
796* RedSpiderLiliesOfMourning: A flower commonly associated with death and loss.
797* ReducedToDust: After death, dust is all that remains of a person.
798* RefusingParadise: Dead person chooses resurrection over going to a peaceful afterlife.
799* RegularlyScheduledEvil: Monster or villain always shows up to kill people at a specific time.
800* ReleasedToElsewhere: Someone's death is covered up by claiming that they've simply been relocated or moved to another place.
801* RelievingTheReaper: Someone temporarily takes over Death's job.
802* RememberTheDead: You only exist in the afterlife so long as there are people who remember you.
803* ReportsOfMyDeathWereGreatlyExaggerated: Everyone thinks a person has died, and the person has to make it clear that they're still living.
804* ReroutedFromHeaven: Character who was supposed to go to Heaven instead ends up in Hell.
805* RescuedFromTheUnderworld: Entering the afterlife to bring a dead person back.
806* ResetButtonSuicideMission: Sacrificing yourself while aware that it will be undone.
807* RespawnPoint: Killed person always revives in one specific place.
808* RestrainedRevenge: A person knows they can't kill the person who's wronged them, so they simply deliver a less severe punishment rather than forgive them.
809* ResurrectedMurderer: Somebody who caused deaths doesn't stay dead.
810* ResurrectionDeathLoop: A character is doomed to die, be brought back from the death and die all over again - repeatedly.
811* ResurrectionGambit: Someone plans their own death and subsequent resurrection.
812* ResurrectionSickness: Person suffers ailments upon being brought back to life.
813* {{Retirony}}: Someone dies when they were close to retiring from their career.
814* RevivalLoophole: Death is foretold, but not the dead person's immediate resurrection.
815* RewardedAsATraitorDeserves: A traitor gets killed as reward for their treason.
816* RiseFromYourGrave: Undead person claws their way out of their grave.
817* RocksFallEveryoneDies: The game master of an RPG gets fed up and kills everyone in the game.
818* RobbingTheDead: Stealing valuables from a dead person.
819* RubeGoldbergHatesYourGuts: A RubeGoldbergDevice is used to kill someone.
820* SacrificialLamb: The seriousness of death is shown by killing off a minor character.
821* SacrificialLion: The stakes are shown by killing off an important character.
822* SayYourPrayers: Someone prays when realizing they're about to get killed.
823* ScammingTheBereaved: A type of [[TheCon con]] where the hustler sells something to a person in mourning, claiming their deceased loved one started the purchase for them but died before they could complete it.
824* TheScourgeOfGod: Monster starts by killing guiltier victims first.
825* SecondLawOfMetafictionalThermodynamics: Works are likely to have more deaths if the author is less emotionally stable.
826* SecretlyDying: A person's days are numbered, but no one finds out until after they die.
827* SeekingTheMissingFindingTheDead: The search for a missing person ends with the discovery that the person in question has died.
828* SeenItAllSuicide: Character commits suicide because they think they've experienced everything they can.
829* SelfDestructiveCharge: Character moves to attack even while they're dying.
830* SelfDisposingVillain: Villain gets themselves killed after the hero thwarts their plan.
831* SelfMadeOrphan: A person who has killed their own parents.
832* SelfSacrificeScheme: A character plans to sacrifice themselves.
833* SenselessSacrifice: The HeroicSacrifice does jack squat.
834* SerendipitousSurvival: Avoiding death because of random chance.
835* SerialKillerKiller: Someone who murders killers and only killers.
836* SeveredHeadSports: Playing a ball game with a severed head being used for the ball.
837* SexSignalsDeath: Characters having sex is an indication that they'll die. Usually leads to a heart attack or hyperventilating due to increased stress on the body.
838* ShapeShifterSwanSong: Shape-shifter takes on various forms as they die.
839* SharedFateUltimatum: A threat that if one person dies, then someone will die with them.
840* SharedLifeEnergy: Someone is saved from dying when another person shares their life energy with them.
841* {{Shinigami}}: A [[{{Youkai}} Japanese spirit]] that personifies death.
842* ShootHimHeHasAWallet: Someone is shot for holding a mundane object mistaken for a weapon.
843* ShootTheBuilder: Kill someone so they cannot recreate their work for someone else.
844* ShootTheMessenger: Villain reacts to bad news by killing the messenger.
845* ShootTheShaggyDog: Story ends with the protagonist getting killed and their efforts turning out to be pointless.
846* ShotAtDawn: Executing someone with a firing squad.
847* ShrineToTheFallen: Creating a shrine to honor the deceased.
848* SiblingMurder: The successful killing of one's brother or sister.
849* SickbedSlaying: Killing someone while they're sick in bed.
850* SilentCredits: End credits of a sad episode (which may be sad because of a death happening in it) have no music.
851* SilentScapegoat: Character voluntarily takes the blame without telling anyone to save others.
852* SinisterDeerSkull: A creepy looking deer skull is a great indicator of malevolence.
853* SlainInTheirSleep: Killing someone while they're sleeping.
854* SlashedThroat: Killing someone by slashing their throat.
855* SlashersPreferBlondes: Blonde characters tend to get killed off in horror genre works.
856* SketchySuccessor: After the leader dies, their replacement fails to live up to their legacy.
857* SmellsOfDeath: Dying or recently deceased characters give off a particular smell.
858* SmokestackDrop: Falling to your death down a smokestack or chimney.
859* SmolderingShoes: A person's shoes are all that remain after they're obliterated.
860* SnipingTheCockpit: Stopping a vehicle by killing the driver.
861* SnowMeansDeath: Dying in the snow.
862* SnuffFilm: A recorded film of someone being murdered.
863* SoleSurvivingScientist: In an apocalyptic setting, there's one scientist left who is holed up somewhere and trying to help humanity recover from the end of civilization.
864* SoleSurvivor: A person is the only one who survived an event where others were killed.
865* SomeoneHasToDie: It's mandatory for someone to die so others may live.
866* SomeoneToRememberHimBy: A dead man's widow or bereaved girlfriend turns out to be pregnant with his child.
867* SorrowfulStutter: A grieving character is unable to speak about their departed loved one without getting choked up.
868* SorryThatImDying: Apologizing for your own death.
869* SortingAlgorithmOfDeadness: The odds of a dead character coming back to life.
870* SortingAlgorithmOfMortality: The odds of a character getting killed off.
871* SoullessShell: The body is revived, [[TheSoulless but the soul is gone]]. May or may not be a zombie.
872* SoundOnlyDeath: We only hear the violence.
873* SparedByTheAdaptation: A character who died in the original work remains alive in the adaptation.
874* SpeakIllOfTheDead: Person is so tactless that they'll insult the deceased.
875* SpecialAesopVictim: A character dies as part of the lesson of the VerySpecialEpisode.
876* SpitefulSuicide: A character, usually a villain, commits suicide to spite others.
877* SpitefulWill: A dead person's will allows them to posthumously insult their hated peers.
878* SpitOutAShoe: A character eaten alive has one of their belongings spat out to signify that they are done for.
879* SpontaneousHumanCombustion: A person dies by bursting into flames or blowing up for no explained reason.
880* SquashedFlat: Character is flattened after being crushed by something. Doesn't necessarily have to be fatal.
881* StakingTheLovedOne: Having to kill a loved one after they're turned into a monster.
882* StarsAreSouls: The appearance or disappearance of a star represents the death of a character.
883* StartsWithASuicide: Story starts with a character committing or attempting suicide.
884* StartsWithTheirFuneral: Work begins with a funeral before explaining how the person died.
885* StayingAlive: Character keeps coming back no matter how many times they get killed.
886* StayWithMeUntilIDie: Dying person requests a loved one to stay with them in their final moments.
887* {{Stellification}}: A character becomes a star or constellation after death.
888* StrippedToTheBone: Person is killed in a way that their skeleton is all that's left.
889* StupidSacrifice: Character sacrifices themselves even though they didn't have to.
890* SuddenSequelDeathSyndrome: Surviving the first installment means the character will end up dead in the sequel.
891* SuicidalLemmings: Lemmings off themselves by way of jumping off of cliffs.
892* SuicidalSadisticChoice: A SadisticChoice where one of the options is death.
893* SuicideAsComedy: When someone killing themselves is used for dark humor.
894* SuicideAttack: Someone simultaneously kills themselves and other people at once.
895* SuicideByAssassin: Hiring someone to kill you.
896* SuicideByCop: Committing suicide by provoking someone into killing you.
897* SuicideByPills: A character intentionally overdosing on medication in pill form to kill themselves.
898* SuicideBySea: Committing suicide by walking into a body of water and deliberately drowning.
899* SuicideDare: Telling people to commit suicide.
900* SuicideForOthersHappiness: Someone kills themselves to make someone they care about happy.
901* SuicideIsPainless: A person commits suicide happily.
902* SuicideIsShameful: Suicide is regarded as cowardly and dishonorable.
903* SuicideNotAccident: A suicide is arranged to look like an accident.
904* SuicideNotMurder: A suicide is initially mistaken for murder.
905* SuicidePact: Two or more characters agree to kill themselves.
906* SuperDrowningSkills: A character drowns the instant they hit the water.
907* SuperheroMovieVillainsDie: Film adaptations of comic books have a villain subjected to DeathByAdaptation.
908* SupernaturallyMarkedGrave: After someone dies, they disappear and the ground where their corpse was changes to signify their death.
909* SuperPowerMeltdown: Over-exterting one's super powers result in exploding.
910* SurprisinglySuddenDeath: Someone dies unexpectedly.
911* SurvivorGuilt: The one person left alive feels bad that they didn't die with the others who were killed or that the others weren't the ones who survived.
912* SuspectExistenceFailure: A person suspected of being responsible for a murder ends up becoming another victim of the real culprit.
913* SymbolicCastFadeout: A cast list that fade out or marks whenever a cast member dies.
914* SymbolicSereneSubmersion: A dead body is shown floating beneath the water, in a symbolic kind of way.
915[[/folder]]
916
917[[folder:Tropes T-Z]]
918* TagTeamSuicide: Two people kill themselves because a failure to communicate causes them both to think the other has died.
919* TakeAMomentToCatchYourDeath: Character dies right when they think they're in the clear.
920* TakeCareOfTheKids: Dying person asks someone to look after their children.
921* TakenForGranite: Someone dies by being turned to stone.
922* TakenOffLifeSupport: Someone is taken off life support when it's determined that they can't recover from their injuries.
923* TakingTheBullet: Shielding someone with your own body.
924* TakingYouWithMe: Someone about to be killed makes it so that their killer dies with them.
925* TalkingDownTheSuicidal: Talking a character out of killing themselves.
926* TalkingTheMonsterToDeath: Defeating the enemy simply by talking to them.
927* TalkingToTheDead: Talking to the dead while visiting their graves.
928* TargetedToHurtTheHero: A character who is hurt or killed off to torment another character who cares about them.
929* TearsOfBlood: A person's death is signified by crying tears of blood.
930* TechnicolorDeath: A character's death has them become a light show.
931* TeenageDeathSongs: A song about dead or dying teenagers.
932* TerminalTransformation: A transformation that directly results in the transformee's death.
933* TerminallyIllCriminal: A character commits a serious crime after learning they have a fatal disease.
934* ThanatosGambit: A character's scheme involves their own death.
935* ThatPoorPlant: A plant withers and shrivels after a toxic substance is poured into it.
936* ThatWasTheLastEntry: A diary stops abruptly to indicate the author has died.
937* TheWorldsExpertOnGettingKilled: The seriousness of a threat is established by having someone who knows how to deal with it getting killed by it.
938* TheseHandsHaveKilled: Someone feels terrible about having to take a life.
939* TheyDiedBecauseOfYou: Hero is grief-stricken by the realization that they are indirectly responsible for a person's death.
940* TheyKilledKennyAgain: A character repeatedly dies and [[BackFromTheDead gets resurrected]] [[DeathIsCheap multiple times]] to the point of absurdity.
941* TheyKnewTheRisks: There's no need to be sad about this person's death. They knew there was a chance they'd get killed when they took the job.
942* ThisBearWasFramed: Framing an intimidating predator for the murder.
943* ThisIsNotMyLifeToTake: Refusing to kill someone because another person is more deserving of ending their life.
944* ThisWasHisTrueForm: A shape-shifter reverts to their true form upon death.
945* ThreadsOfFate: Powerful and supernatural threads that can represent or influence fate and destiny, cutting one often directly ends a person's life.
946* ThrowEmToTheWolves: Hero kills villain by leaving them at the mercy of someone more ruthless.
947* ThrownOutTheAirlock: Someone is killed by being thrown out of a spaceship's airlock.
948* TimeDelayedDeath: Injured character ends up inexplicably dying a bit after the accident.
949* ToAbsentFriends: Heroes propose a toast to their fallen friend(s).
950* TogetherInDeath: Two lovers may have died, but at least now they'll be together for eternity in the afterlife.
951* TonightSomeoneDies: Show announces that a major character will be killed off.
952* {{Tontine}}: A group of people reach an agreement that a collection of valuables will go to the last surviving member of them.
953* TooCoolToLive: Character dies because they're more awesome than the hero.
954* TooDumbToLive: Character's stupidity causes them to get themselves killed.
955* TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth: A kindhearted, innocent character dies in a CrapsackWorld.
956* TooHappyToLive: Story having a happy beginning means that an unfortunate death is guaranteed to happen later.
957* TooInjuredToSave: A character whose wounds are too serious to recover from and does not have much time left.
958* TooPowerfulToLive: A villain who is too powerful is killed as soon as they show up to maintain the story's conflict.
959* TornApartByTheMob: Death at the hands (feet, etc.) of an angry mob.
960* TorsoWithAView: Someone is killed by having a hole shot through their chest.
961* TouchOfDeath: A single touch causes death.
962* TragicAidsStory: Someone dies tragically from [=AIDS=].
963* TragicBromance: Two heroes are friends. One dies.
964* TragicKeepsake: A bereaved person holds onto an item that's all they have to remember their dead loved one.
965* TragicOneShotCharacter: A one-shot character is killed and their death affects the main character.
966* TragicStillbirth: Parents are saddened by their child being stillborn.
967* {{Transflormation}}: A person dies by being turned into a plant.
968* TraumaticCSection: Pregnant woman has the fetus crudely cut or ripped out of her womb.
969* TrialByFriendlyFire: The only way to kill the enemy is by shooting through your friend.
970* TrickedToDeath: A lie or trick that results in death.
971* TurbineBlender: Someone is cut to pieces by a jet engine or propeller.
972* {{Tyrannicide}}
973* UncertainDoom: A character is last seen in a situation where they might have been killed, but it's not clear whether or not they survived.
974* UndignifiedDeath: Character's death is ridiculous and embarrassing.
975* UnexpectedInheritance: Someone is surprised to learn they got an inheritance from someone they never met in person.
976* UnexpectedSuccessor: After a person dies, their legacy is continued by someone who wasn't expected to be deemed worthy.
977* UnexplainedRecovery: A character comes back alive with no explanation for their survival even though it was clear that they got killed the last time they appeared.
978* UnintentionalFinalMessage: A living character receives a message that a dead character composed before they knew they were about to die
979* UnwantedRevival: A resurrected person isn't happy that they've been brought back to life.
980* VasquezAlwaysDies: When [[TomboyAndGirlyGirl a masculine female and a more feminine female]] are the heroines, the masculine female ends up killed while the girly female lives.
981* VerticalKidnapping: Someone is killed when their killer scoops them up while hanging from the ceiling.
982* VideoWills: Someone leaves a final video message before they die.
983* VigilanteExecution
984* VikingFuneral: A dead person is cast away in a boat with their possessions while it is set on fire.
985* VillainsDyingGrace: Dying villain decides to help the hero before they die.
986* VillainKiller: A character who successfully kills a significant number of villains over the course of the story.
987* VorpalPillow: Killing someone by smothering them with a pillow.
988* WakingUpAtTheMorgue: A person who has died or been mistaken for dead after passing out finds themselves in a place where dead bodies are kept after they resurrect or regain consciousness.
989* WalkingWasteland: A character who spreads death and destruction everywhere they go.
990* WallSlump: A killed person hits against the wall before their corpse slinks down.
991* WaxMuseumMorgue: The "statues" at a wax museum are actually preserved corpses.
992* WeAllDieSomeday: Casually pointing out that everyone dies eventually.
993* WeHardlyKnewYe: Character is killed off not long after the audience is introduced to them.
994* WeWillHaveEuthanasiaInTheFuture: In a futuristic setting, it is considered okay to kill people if they are suffering from an illness.
995* WeaponTombstone: Someone's grave is marked by a weapon.
996* WeddingDeathJuxtaposition: The happiness of a wedding in close narrative proximity to the sadness of a death.
997* WentToTheGreatXInTheSky: A common euphemism referring to death is to say that the dead person has gone to "the great (insert afterlife place appropriate to the deceased's personality, interests, or habits) in the sky".
998* WhatADrag: Torturing or killing someone by dragging them around.
999* WhatASenselessWasteOfHumanLife: Characters express sorrow at lives wasted, particularly those of their enemies.
1000* WhatIsOneMansLifeInComparison: Someone is asked to give their life for the greater good.
1001* WhereTheresAWillTheresAStickyNote: Character who fears that their death is imminent writes their will on whatever they can find.
1002* WhiteShirtOfDeath: Person dressed in white dies a very gory death.
1003* WhodunnitToMe: Someone who survives or is resurrected after an attempt to do them in tries to figure out who their murderer or would-be murderer was.
1004* WhoMurderedTheAsshole: An unsympathetic person has been murdered, but identifying the culprit is difficult because everyone who knew the victim hated them enough to want to kill them.
1005* WhyCouldntYouSaveThem: Someone is angry at the hero because they were unable to save a loved one.
1006* WhyDontYouJustShootHim: When trying to get rid of their enemies, the villain never takes the easy way out.
1007* WhyWontYouDie: Someone exasperatedly asks why the person they're trying to kill keeps surviving every attempt at their life.
1008* WidowedAtTheWedding: The bride or groom is killed immediately after the wedding.
1009* WidowMistreatment: Someone is treated poorly following the death of their spouse.
1010* WidowsWeeds: Woman wears certain clothes when they are in mourning.
1011* TheWildHunt: Otherwordly beings show up to hunt the living or punish hunters.
1012* WindsAreGhosts: Wind associated with the spirits of the deceased.
1013* WingedSoulFliesOffAtDeath: After a character dies, their soul flies off as an angel.
1014* WinterOfStarvation: Characters become desperate for food during the winter, and may end up dying from cold or hunger.
1015* WithMyDyingBreathISummonYou: When the villain dies, their last words are to summon a last opponent for the hero.
1016* WringEveryLastDropOutOfHim: A character is on the brink of death, but takes a while to actually die.
1017* WoodChipperOfDoom: A running wood chipper or a similar machine is used as a method of murder and/or gory body disposal.
1018* YetAnotherStupidDeath: A video game features game over screens where the player is chastised for dying because of a dumb decision.
1019* YouAreWorthHell: Estranged lovers are reunited in Hell.
1020* YouAreAlreadyDead: A character suffers a lethal blow but there's a noticeable delay in their death.
1021* YouHaveFailedMe: Villain kills minion as punishment for screwing up royally or too often.
1022* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Villain kills minions after they've done what he ordered them to do.
1023* YouKillItYouBoughtIt: When you kill someone, you have to take up their title or responsibility.
1024* YourDaysAreNumbered: Character is going to die and they know it.
1025* YourHeadASplode: A person is killed when their head explodes.
1026* YouSeeImDying: Character reveals that they are dying.
1027* YouShallNotPass: Sacrificing yourself to hold back an enemy.
1028* YouShouldHaveDiedInstead: A person who's loved one has died wishes that it was a person they hated who died instead.
1029* ZippingUpTheBodybag: A character is proven to be dead for real by showing their corpse being zipped up in a body bag.
1030[[/folder]]
1031[[/index]]
1032

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