Line #136 Main/DiedStandingUp


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7	[[quoteright:350:[[Manga/OnePiece https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/whitebeards_death_in_the_anime.png]]]]
8	[[caption-width-right:350:"Even in death... his body refuses to yield."]]
9
10	->''"To each of us falls a task. All the Emperor asks of us guardsmen, is that we hold the line and die fighting. It's what we do best: we die standing."''
11	-->-- '''General Sturnn''', ''VideoGame/DawnOfWar: Winter Assault''
12
13	He's dead. His body is just twitching a bit. And yet, he doesn't fall, his muscles so perfectly conditioned they can continue to function without any signals from his brain. So he just stands there like a morbid practice dummy. He's died standing up.
14
15	This is a device used when a character is so utterly badass that even in death they refuse to accept utter defeat. The body continues to strive for victory even when its driving will has been extinguished. This goes hand in hand with a BadassNormal or any other absurdly strong character, especially one with a CharlesAtlasSuperpower. It may be mixed with TakenForGranite, when a villain's magical body has NoOntologicalInertia and turns to stone at the moment of death. Despite the description above, this can happen to both heroic and villainous characters. In addition, this trope for some reason often tends to be paired with OffWithHisHead, and scenes where the body waves its arms around looking for the head, or walks around for a while before collapsing are common.
16
17	This is technically possible in RealLife (especially with the help of rigor mortis, but see Real Life, below), though absurdly unlikely, and in any case a corpse's lack of balance control will cause it to topple sooner or later. The realms of fiction simply contrive to end the scene before this happens.
18
19	In deference to gravity, falling to one's knees also counts, so long as the final plunge into a prone state doesn't follow. Taking another step forward despite being clearly dead also counts. Related to YouAreAlreadyDead. Compare to FellAsleepStandingUp.
20
21	!!As this is a {{Death Trope\|s}}, [[Administrivia/SpoilersOff unmarked spoilers abound]]. [[Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned Beware]].
22	----
23	!!Examples:
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25	[[foldercontrol]]
26
27	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
28	* In ''Manga/{{Basilisk}}'', the ninja duel between Muroga Hyouma and Chikuma Koshirou ends with the former dying while standing up, though he was leaning on his sword.
29	* Jashugan, the Emperor of Motorball, from ''Manga/BattleAngelAlita'' manages to defeat the title character after taking a fatal blow and stays standing. A couple other characters also die standing up. Alita herself does the "knocked out and still moving" variation at one point.
30	* In ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'''s hellish Eclipse arc, Guts runs up to resident badass Pippin, thinking he's still alive. The next panel reveals his corpse has actually been hollowed out from the back.
31	* Happens in a ''Manga/BlackJack'' story. A young doctor who has lost his entire family to cancer and is now dying of it himself vows to treat one cancer patient before he dies. He completes the operation, but when the other doctors go to congratulate him, they find he has died on his feet. Weirder still, a post-mortem reveals that his heart had already stopped a few minutes into the operation. Just another example of determination overcoming the laws of biology.
32	* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'':
33	** [[spoiler:Captain-Commander Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, though only his legs and about half his torso stay standing. The rest is sliced to pieces by Juhabach.]]
34	** Before [[spoiler:Yamamoto]], [[spoiler: Nnoitra]] invoked this trope by dying as his knees reached the ground, [[DeathSeeker more or less exactly as he wanted]].
35	** [[spoiler:Nianzol Weizol]] remained standing after being fatally impaled. His corpse collapsed on a pool of his own blood shortly afterwards, however.
36	* In an episode of ''Manga/CaseClosed'', the victim had just finished an exacting workout and her muscles were tense enough to throw off her time of death after being murdered. Conan recognizes this after seeing a statue of a legendary Japanese warrior who had died on their feet in a battle. (See Benkei, below) However, [[ItsPersonal since the people involved were old friends of Kogoro]], Conan allowed Kogoro time to figure it out for himself with the help of his subtle hints--[[BewareTheSillyOnes and in a rare for the time occurrence,]] ''[[BewareTheSillyOnes he did]]''.
37	* In ''Manga/DemonSlayerKimetsuNoYaiba'', the series legendary slayer [[spoiler:Yoriichi Tsugikuni]] was a samurai whose skills seemed to be divine even though he remained human while his twin older brother became a demon in fear of death, [[spoiler:Yoriichi]] kept slaying demons throughout his whole life till he grew to be 80 years old, he could no longer let his brother shaming himself by living as a demon, they battled to the death, as old as [[spoiler:Yoriichi]] was he still seemed to be an otherworldly swordsman who his demon brother could not accept, a human who could be this strong was like the living proof that he became a demon out of fear, but [[spoiler:Yoriichi's]] life couldn't go for any longer, he died standing up with his sword in the ready, before it could decapitate the demon.
38	* ''Manga/FairyTail'':
39	** [[spoiler:Makarov]] remains standing in place after performing a HeroicSacrifice for the sake of his allies, by [[spoiler:casting Fairy Law, a spell that is CastFromLifespan, against an enormous enemy army--since Makarov was already a very old man and the cost varied based on how many targets were affected, he used up the rest of his life and died]].
40	** In ''Manga/FairyTail100YearsQuest'', a non-fatal version occurs in the Moon Dragon God arc when Lucy's opponent, [[AmazonianBeauty Mimi]], refuses to keel over and actually manages to stand up after taking Lucy's [[FantasticNuke Urano Metria]], which gives Lucy a shock at first because she was about ready to collapse herself by that point, until she realizes Mimi ''passed out'' in the process of standing and stayed ram-rod straight up. Not for nothing is Mimi called "[[RedBaron The Immovable]]".
41	* Tung Fu Rue in the ''VideoGame/FatalFury'' OAV dies after showing Terry his ultimate attack, still in his fighting stance.
42	* Several times in ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar'', being an epic manga, many characters receive an epic death where their body keep standing:
43	** The most iconic death in the manga and the TropeCodifier in the manga industry: [[spoiler:Raoh's]] corpse stays frozen, his fist gloriously clenched upwards, after he literally sends his soul to Heaven to bring Light and Hope to The World. This scene is so iconic that any instance of this trope played in a manga afterward is very likely a reference to his death scene.
44	** As well, [[spoiler:Toki dies this way after Kenshiro's fight with Ryuga, through a combination of radiation poisoning and sacrificing himself so that Kenshiro will use the sorrow from his death to unlock the ability of [[IntangibleMan Muso Tensei]].]]
45	** And then [[spoiler: Juuza, immediately after falling gets back on his feet and keeps fighting Raoh for another minute and a half, '''despite being already dead''', being able to wound a shocked Raoh with one last punch before falling down and bleeding out. This after having previously bashed heads with Raoh the day before. Raoh is so humbled by this that he immediately orders his men to give Juza a respectable funeral, out of respect for his fallen adversary. Considering the hellacious beating Juuza takes leading to his death and post-mortem fight, this might qualify as a RasputinianDeath as well.]]
46	** [[spoiler:The giant twins Raiga and Fuga]] meet this end as they are killed while [[spoiler:holding up a massive block of stone that threatened to seal the exit out of the then-crumbling Cassandra prison.]] Also a DyingMomentOfAwesome given that [[spoiler:they struggled to hold it up while alive, yet even while ''dead'' they continued to hold it up.]]
47	** Even [[spoiler:Kokuoh, Raoh's (and later Kenshiro's) massive horse]] dies in this way towards the end of the series, dying a peaceful death in the middle of a thunderstorm.
48	** At the end of the final battle of the Anime, [[spoiler:Kaioh]] and [[spoiler:Hyoh]], [[spoiler: Raoh and Kenshiro's brothers, respectively]], die this way, courtesy of a jet of lava erupting from the ground, solidifying the both of them into a statue in which the former is cradling the latter.
49	* [[spoiler:[[BadassNormal Akise Aru]]]] of ''Manga/FutureDiary'' shows how much of a {{Determinator}} he is when, even after [[spoiler:[[OffWithHisHead he's decapitated]]]], he keeps walking towards Yukiteru with his final message about the truth of his murderer. He remains standing the for the short remainder of the episode and outlasts the concrete that [[GoryDiscretionShot obscures above his chest, the screen going black as it finally collapses]].
50	* In ''Anime/GingaDensetsuWeed'', [[spoiler:Tobē]], who has been fatally injured, refuses to fall down and die. He was about to fall, but three other dogs who showed up at the last moment stood around him and propped him up until his body froze solid in a standing position, guaranteeing it would stay that way without support. The series, and its precursor, had a few examples of this.
51	* Parodied in ''Manga/HeavensLostProperty'' during the [[BlatantLies Sumo Wrestling Tournament]]. Tomoki takes numerous [[MegatonPunch Karate chops]] while being [[ShockAndAwe held against an electric fence]]. He stands back up, but the reffere holds up [[strike:Sohara]] [[PaperThinDisguise Masker Wrestler's]] hand in victory announcing that Tomoki [[YouAreAlreadyDead is already dead.]] [[spoiler:Later played straight with Yoshitsune.]]
52	* ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'':
53	** ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureDiamondIsUnbreakable Diamond is Unbreakable]]'': Subverted with Akira Otoishi when his Red Hot Chili Pepper got almost destroyed upon falling into water, he lived through all that even if he seemed like he died standing.
54	** ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureStoneOcean Stone Ocean]]'': [[spoiler:Jotaro]] in the final battle is instantly killed when his face is split in half, causing him to stand dead right where he was before his body falls over.
55	** ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureJoJolion JoJolion]]'': [[spoiler:Kei]] receives a fatal EyeScream in the last fight, managing to pass a phone to Josuke before she died standing and slumps.
56	* ''Manga/JujutsuKaisen'': [[spoiler:[[MageKiller Toji Fushiguro]]]] met his end after Satoru Gojo blew half of his torso with Hollow Purple. After imparting his last words, he passed away firmly standing on his feet.
57	* [[spoiler:Ususama Myo-oh Mayuri]] in ''Manga/LegendOfHeavenlySphereShurato''. Actually a JustifiedTrope: [[spoiler:not ''only'' he was turned into a HumanPincushion, but he was ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice and the lance to the gut that he had taken "supported" the dying Mayuri on his feet]].
58	%% Needs Context * [[spoiler:George H.W. Bush]] in ''Manga/TheLegendOfKoizumi''. Yes, you read that correctly.
59	* In ''Manga/LoneWolfAndCub'', [[spoiler:the hero dies this way, and apparently the BigBad as well]].
60	* In ''Literature/LordMarksmanAndVanadis'', Roland is murdered when he is trapped in a room with a swarm of bees. Later, after clearing the bees away, his killers comment on how Roland's body didn't fall over.
61	* A HumongousMecha variation occurs in ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamIronBloodedOrphans'': [[spoiler:In the final episode, Mikazuki takes major damage (to his Gundam and himself) while fighting Gjallarhorn. Finally, charges Julietta's Reginlaze and she does everything she can to stop him before he gets to her; when he gets within melee range, her sword rips off the Barbatos' cockpit hatch...and she realizes he passed out from blood loss mid-charge, and dies soon after.]]
62	* A non-fatal villainous variant occurs in ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia''. Stain, heavily injured after his fight against Izuku, Shoto, and Iida, escapes his bonds and rescues a heavily-injured Izuku from a noumu. He proceeds to turn to the assembled pro heroes, which includes Endeavor, and takes a few steps while releasing a KillingIntent so strong it freezes all of them in place. He then stands still, and it takes them several nervous seconds to realize that's because he passed out standing up.
63	* Another non-fatal version occurs in ''Manga/{{Naruto}}''. During the preliminary exams, [[BadassNormal Rock]] [[TheDeterminator Lee]] seeks to prove that, despite his lack of ninjutsu and genjutsu, he has become a splendid ninja through hard work alone. Unfortunately, his opponent is [[AxCrazy Gaara of]] [[TheAce the Desert]]. After a long and grueling fight, Gaara breaks Lee's left arm and left leg, crippling Lee. However, before Gaara can be declared the winner, Lee suddenly stands up and enters a fighting position. Initally, everyone assumes he is still conscious, but it's only when Lee's teacher, Might Guy, looks closer that everyone realizes that Lee is out cold, his body standing up through sheer willpower alone.
64	* ''Manga/OnePiece'':
65	** [[WorldsStrongestMan Whitebeard]] dies standing, [[http://img13.deviantart.net/390e/i/2010/065/6/8/one_piece__death_of_whitebeard_by_sprky2008.jpg after going through a downright insane]] RasputinianDeath and proclaiming to the entire world that the One Piece exists (and thus giving a gigantic middle finger to the World Government). Considering how he was probably the most badass character to ever ''exist'' in ''One Piece'', he clearly could not have died any other way. As a kicker, his BadassLongcoat falls off immediately after, revealing that despite being shot, stabbed, slashed, and blown to hell pretty much everywhere else, his back didn't have so much as a scar;[[note]]Minus one that was the result of a sword coming from the front THROUGH his back[[/note]] in his ''entire life'', he ''never retreated from an enemy, not even'' '''[[TheJuggernaut One. Single. Time.]]''' Additionally, Whitebeard's death, including how much punishment he took before dying, seems to be based on Benkei's death (see below), right down to still holding his weapon (bonus points on Whitebeard also wielding a polearm/spear-type weapon). This event serves as the page image for this very trope.
66	** While not actually a death, [[spoiler:Zoro]] definitely tried to invoke this, and came damn near close to dying, when he let Kuma transfer all of the pain and fatigue Luffy suffered during his fights on Thriller Bark to him. Keep in mind that Luffy is able to withstand more damage than a normal human can (and he's a Rubber Man to boot, raising his damage tolerance). The next morning, [[spoiler:Zoro]] is standing perfectly still, saying that "he's fine" [[OverdrawnAtTheBloodBank while both he and the ground around him are covered in his blood]]. It is this very event that is now the trope image for MadeOfIron.
67	* ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'':
68	** Barry's Empoleon faints standing up [[spoiler:after a brutal Thunder attack by Paul's Electivire during the Sinnoh League]]. It gives a pretty creepy [[KubrickStare glare]] while being attacked.
69	** Ash's [[spoiler:Incineroar]] ends up fainting this way after having a hard-fought battle against its rival and then evolving right after. It is declared unable to battle while it was frozen in its post-evolution roar.
70	** A wild Galarian Farfetch'd faints this way after a grueling battle with Ash's Riolu. Ash doesn't take this chance to catch it...but it voluntarily joins his team anyway.
71	** The same Farfetch'd, evolved into Sirfetch'd, has another moment like this after a SingleStrokeBattle with [[spoiler:Cynthia's Garchomp]].
72	* ''Manga/RecordOfRagnarok'':
73	** At the end of the battle between Adam and Zeus, [[spoiler:it's revealed that Adam died in the climax of the battle, yet [[BeyondTheImpossible still continued to trade blows with Zeus]]. By the time everyone realizes what happened, Adam's body continues to stand]].
74	** The battle between Raiden Tameemon and Shiva. [[spoiler:''Not once'' does Raiden ever fall during the entire battle, and when Shiva finally kills him with a ''[[RoundhouseKick Deva Loka]]'' [[OffWithHisHead to the head]], Raiden's body continues to stand straight]].
75	* In ''Manga/RurouniKenshin'', TheBigGuy of Shinomori Aoshi's first QuirkyMinibossSquad [[TakingTheBullet takes a fusillade]] of [[GatlingGood Gatling gun]] fire for his boss, falls to his knees, and dies balanced there, still shielding Aoshi in death.
76	* [[spoiler:Aldebaran Taurus]] in ''Manga/SaintSeiya''.
77	* Diaz Ragu of ''Anime/ShadowSkill''. [[spoiler:He took on the avatar of Death itself, tore his body apart from superhuman battle techniques, and was still standing when he actually managed to get it to concede the fight.]]
78	* Munsu, the protagonist of ''Manwha/ShinAngyoOnshi'', dies standing at the climatic final fight of the manga.
79	** His death is also the main cause of the BigBad's own one, by standing on his cape.
80	* In ''Anime/SpaceBattleshipYamato'', this is how [[spoiler:Hajime Saitou]] dies. His friends even call out to the guy as they see him on his feet, believing he's still alive, and then he falls on his back...
81	* "Unconscious" variation in the ''VideoGame/StreetFighterAlpha'' manga, ''Sakura Ganbaru!'' After a glorious two-on-one match against Cammy and Sakura, a defeated Zangief staggers on the edge of consciousness, but, having dedicated his skills and his body to proud Mother Russia, he ''cannot'' afford to let it fall, much less in view of his beloved comrades. So he wills himself back up, into his victory pose, and stays that way even after blacking out. Cammy, Sakura, and all spectators acknowledge his defeat, but they are awed by his devotion even more, making it a symbolic victory.
82	* In ''Anime/SwordOfTheStranger'', [[spoiler:Luo-Lang dies kneeling]].
83	* When [[spoiler:Lordgenome]] was killed in ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'', he was able to stay standing for a time, and even talk for a bit. Impressive, since the hole in his chest was big enough that he wouldn't have had lungs, let alone a functional spine. Meh [[HandWave spiral energy]].
84	* Wolfwood barely managed a variant of this in the ''Anime/{{Trigun}}'' anime. He knelt in front of an altar to beg forgiveness and died in that position, propped up by his cross.
85	* The first Battle Wolf in ''Manga/{{Toriko}}''. After giving birth to her child, dispatched a serpent rumoured to be its competitor in ancient days effortlessly, and being shot through by a laser, she still died on her feet, a proud image of the Battle Wolf it was cloned from; a Battle Wolf that had averted global extinction in ancient times.
86	* In ''Literature/VampireHunterD: Bloodlust'', [[spoiler:Nolt Marcus of the Marcus Brothers]] does one of these after Benge the Shadow Manipulator kills him. He doesn't fall to his knees though. He's standing upright, perfectly still, blood dripping down his torso from his mouth and his chest. His death is made even more of a Tearjerker when he uses the last bit of strength he has to try and kill his murderer and warn [[spoiler:his brothers to "Watch out... for the shadow"]].
87	* In ''Manga/VinlandSaga'', Thors remains standing up even as he's shot repeatedly with arrows and killed, and remains in a standing position afterwards.
88	* [[spoiler:Gin Minowa]] from ''Literature/WashioSumiIsAHero'' was found standing up dead in the middle of a road after driving back three Vertex by herself.
89	* In ''Anime/ZombielandSaga'', Ai Mizuno died when she was struck by lightning during one of her concerts. She's shown standing upright immediately afterwards, burnt to a crisp and still pointing straight up at the sky.
90	[[/folder]]
91
92	[[folder:Comic Books]]
93	* In Creator/LarryHama's continuation of ''ComicBook/GIJoeARealAmericanHeroMarvel'', Duke comes to Snake-Eyes' Mountain cabin to warn them about Cobra's reappearance, only to find Scarlett under attack by Red Ninjas. After helping her out, they enter the burning cabin to find three ninjas just standing there on fire. Scarlett remarks that it must have been recent, as they don't realize they're dead yet.
94	* ''ComicBook/{{Hound\|2014}}'': Cú Cullan dies tying himself to a stone with a blanket given by his uncle.
95	* ''ComicBook/ThePunisherMAX'' has a crazy mobster henchman who, after having one of his eyes pulled out, getting cut, beaten, shot, impaled on an iron spiked fence and having Frank blow his head in half with a shotgun, still takes two more steps, making even Frank panic a little.
96	* ''ComicBook/TheSandman1989'': The story "Facade" features Urania Blackwell, a.k.a. "Element Girl", who wants to die but can't. When she finally asks the sun god Ra to take away her "gift", her body is temporarily left as a standing, human-shaped figure of dust.
97	* ''ComicBook/WhateverHappenedToTheManOfTomorrow'': Lex Luthor, controlled by Braniac's head on his cranium, [[FightingFromTheInside fights from inside]] when he begs a superpowered Lana Lang to kill him. It doesn't do his body much good: Braniac controls his corpse like a macabre puppet. The Braniac-cap himself exhibits this trait once rigor mortis sets in -- detaching himself and crawling on the ground, "[[ThePowerOfHate powered only by malice]]", swearing to kill Superman even as he dies.
98	[[/folder]]
99
100	[[folder:Fan Works]]
101	* ''Fanfic/BrutalSeries'': [[spoiler:Shiran]] struggles to get back to his feet despite having an arrow jutting out of his leg specifically because [[InvokedTrope he wants to go out in this fashion]]. [[spoiler:He ultimately survives.]]
102	* ''Fanfic/DanganronpaKommSusserTod'': The culprit of Chapter 4, [[spoiler:Tetsuo Garcia]], dies on his feet after [[LastStand fending off a horde of robotic assailants]].
103	* ''Fanfic/FateOfTheClans'': At the end of Cú Chulainn's first life, he tied himself to a rock using his own intestines in order to ensure that he'd die on his feet, killing any enemies that got too close. Even after he died, he still cut the hand of the one who'd fatally injured him.
104	* ''Fanfic/TheHeroesOfLegend'': [[spoiler:King Dorephan]] pulls a one-man YouShallNotPass on the monsters coming from Hyrule Castle to attack the Hyrulean army from behind, and dies only after holding them off long enough for [[spoiler:Purah to regain control of the Guardians]]. He falls to his knees upon dying, but no further. Raphael notes that no one will ever be able to say [[spoiler:Dorephan]] wasn't a man among men.
105	* ''[[Fanfic/CatchYourBreath Ocean Stars Falling]]'': After witnessing Ace getting injured by Akainu's magma, Yugito loses control and descends upon the admiral in a hybrid jinchuuriki form. By the time she finishes ripping him to shreds, Kei suspects that her opponent is already dead.
106	* ''Fanfic/WarOfTheBiju'': [[spoiler:Onoki]] goes out this way, earning them the respect of Edo Madara in the process.
107	[[/folder]]
108
109	[[folder:Film]]
110	* ''Film/SevenManArmy'', a film depicting the Sino-Japanese war, have one of the titular seven Chinese soldiers getting shot to raise the Chinese flag, and in his dying moments, uses his upright body to prop the flag and prevent it from collapsing.
111	* ''Film/TheEightDiagramPoleFighter'': Both loyalist General Yeung Yip and one of his 7 sons dies on their feet--the former after killing himself with a blow to the head, the latter when he is filled so full of arrows by Liao Dynasty archers that he is killed on the spot, but doesn't fall over.
112	* A variation happens near the end of ''Film/TheThirteenthWarrior'' where after barely defeating the enemy, Buliwyf is seen to plunge his sword into the ground and sit down on a log at the base of the defensive wall, watching their retreat. Moments later the other men realize that he has finally died of the poison he was inflicted with earlier and is sitting there, staring into the distance.
113	* In the 1973 Yugoslav war movie ''Battle of Sutjeska'', Partisan Colonel Sava Kovačević is fatally shot while leading a charge against the Germans, but his body remains standing, propped up by a tree behind him.
114	* Happens to [[spoiler: Margaret White]] in ''Film/Carrie1976'' after she is [[spoiler: stabbed several times by Carrie]].
115	* The beginning of the film-noir parody ''Film/TheCheapDetective'' has the detective inspecting several corpses that are frozen in upright positions, [[InsaneTrollLogic killed so fast that they didn't have time to react]].
116	* A [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy Furyan]] character in ''Film/TheChroniclesOfRiddick2004'' commits suicide by walking into a storm of solar radiation, and is shown still walking even as his body gets incinerated.
117	* A subversion in the comedy western ''Film/CitySlickers'': Curly the leather-tough cowboy dies upright.. while peacefully smoking a cigarette.
118	* The ''wuxia'' film ''Film/TheDeadlyDuo'' have this happening to TheLancer, Hsiao Pin-fu, who upon realizing he's been mortally wounded and SecretlyDying, pulls a YouShallNotPass on a bridge , fighting off wave after wave of enemy soldiers while the rest of his allies can escape via boat. At the end of the film he died standing upright on a pier littered with dead enemies, and plenty more corpses floating in the waters around him, to the extent that the enemy general ends up ordering his soldiers to retreat as a sign of respect.
119	* The titular character of the 1955 propaganda movie, ''Dong Cun-rui'', dies in this manner, propping a bundle of explosives under a bridge to blow up a platoon of enemy soldiers after failing to find a ledge to install the explosives, saving hundreds of lives of his own comrades in the process. The movie is VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory, [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dong_Cunrui by the way]].
120	* "Old Wen" from ''Film/EatDrinkManWoman'', who gets winded after returning to his kitchen, sits down, and dies.
121	* ''Film/EdwardScissorhands'': The Inventor died of a heart attack while still standing up to present Edward with his new hands. Zigzagged since while he did technically die while standing up, his body fell over afterward.
122	* In ''Film/FinalDestination1'', Billy gets his head taken off in mid-rant by a piece of shrapnel kicked up by the passing train that just took out Carter's car, and he stays on his feet for a {{beat}} before keeling over.
123	* In ''Film/{{Glory}}'', when Trip grasps the Union flag to rally the regiment after Col. Shaw is killed, he too is fatally shot. He slumps forward, but uses the flagpole to keep himself erect, dying while still up as his comrades finally surge forward. The moment is foreshadowed the night before when the regiment is prepping themselves spiritually for the battle.
124	--> '''Rawlins:''' "Heavenly Father, to ask your blessings on all of us. So that if tomorrow is the great getting-up morning, if that tomorrow we have to meet the Judgement Day, O Heavenly Father, we want you to let our folks know that we died facing the enemy! We want 'em to know that we went down ''standing up''!"
125	* ''Film/GoldenSwallow'': Silver Roc's fate, succumbing to his injuries after fighting an entire legion of enemies. His corpse stood upright in the middle of a valley littered with more than 60 of his dead enemies.
126	* In the first ''Film/HarryPotter'' movie, Professor Quirrell stumbles a few steps before finally crumbing to ash.
127	* After the final cut in their duel in ''Film/{{Highlander}}'', The Kurgan smiles and reaches out before his head falls off, then his body makes a salute with his sword before falling.
128	* ''Film/TheHeroicOnes'' have this as the fate of Shih Ching-tsu after fighting wave after wave of enemies, killing a handful of EliteMooks (suffering an AgonizingStomachWound in the process, which he remedies by ''shoving his shirt into his stomach hole and continue fighting''), before dying upright with [[DiesWideOpen both eyes still open]].
129	* ''Film/HotFuzz'': [[spoiler:Tim Messenger]] has his head and the upper half of his torso smashed in by a chunk of stone, but still takes a few steps towards Nick before falling to the ground.
130	* In the movie ''Film/TheIceHarvest'', Vic (Billy Bob Thorton) shoots a thug and states "You're dead, don't just stand there pretending you're not"
131	* ''Film/JamesBond'':
132	** ''Film/YouOnlyLiveTwice''. A British intelligence contact in Japan is standing by a wall telling Bond what he knows about missing Russian and American space missions when he just suddenly stops talking. Bond grabs him, to find him stabbed in the back through the thin Japanese paper wall. It was like the knife through the wall was holding his dead body up. Counts also as DiesWideOpen, since it looks like he was just turned off.
133	** Similarly in ''Film/TheManWithTheGoldenGun'', Bond has a rendevous at a Thai boxing match with Scaramanga's girlfriend so she can hand over the McGuffin that she stole from him. He sits down next to her and starts talking, only to realise she's staring straight ahead and not responding. Then he notices the bullethole over her heart. Scaramanga then appears and says it was a particularly difficult shot even for him; as well as the ConspicuouslyPublicAssassination, perhaps he also meant the need to inflict spinal damage to keep her body in that position.
134	* One of the teenage victims in ''Film/JeepersCreepers2'' goes out this way. A tense moment after a wing of the [[PlayingPossum seemingly dead]] Creeper falls limp, the one sent to investigate finds himself trapped in the wing, struggling to free himself. When the wing retracts, the [[OffWithHisHead headless body]] continues flailing around for a hot second before dropping to the ground.
135	* K. Roth from ''Film/TheLivingWake'' dies standing up in his already-prepared coffin. Mid-musical number.
136	* ''Film/MrWu'': Wu, who has been stabbed, dies holding a large scimitar that props him up when his body crumples. Mr. Muir the tutor then strolls in, slaps Wu on the back, and is shocked to see Wu tumble to the ground.
137	* Wang from the martial arts movie, ''Film/ShaolinMartialArts'', actually name-drops this trope. Moments before he succumbs to internal injuries, as a few of his friends tried carrying him aside to sit down, he explicitly said aloud, "Hold back... I'll die standing up."
138	* This is a staple of Shaw Brothers ''Wuxia'' films, in which a hero (or villain) is so determined to complete his final duty that he refuses to fall even in death. This ''invariably'' earns the respect, admiration and maybe even ManlyTears of the enemies who slew him.
139	* Custer in ''Film/SonOfTheMorningStar'' tries to invoke this when he realizes all is lost at the Battle of Little Bighorn. Already gravely wounded, he defiantly rises up from cover, fully exposing himself while firing several shots from his revolver, before being shot dead.
140	* In ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay'', this happens to Sarah Connor. Soon after a giant atomic bomb drops nearby, the power of the flames tears the skin and muscle off her bones as she grasps onto a chain-link fence. Fortunately for her, [[AllJustADream this is all just a nightmare]].
141	* In ''Film/XMenFirstClass'', Darwin stays standing after being killed by Sebastian Shaw.
142	[[/folder]]
143
144	[[folder:Literature]]
145	* In ''Literature/TheBartimaeusTrilogy'', [[ImplacableMan Verroq the Mercenary]] has ''[[StrippedToTheBone all of his flesh eaten off]]'' and continues to walk.
146	-->"Bones in black clothes."
147	* ''Literature/EgilsSaga'': The morning after he has sunk his money into a swamp, Skallagrim is found dead sitting upright on the edge of his bed. The people of the farm are creeped out, and their behavior shows they are afraid that Skallagrim may turn a revenant.
148	-->''[Skallagrim] was dead and so stiff that no-one could get him raised or straightened, though everything was tried.''
149	* [[spoiler:Chris]], right after he is shot by [[spoiler:Sarah]] in ''Literature/EndgameTrilogy''.
150	* Enjolras in ''Literature/LesMiserables'', although he had a wall behind him and Grantaire at his feet, which could logically prop him up.
151	* A non-badass version in ''Literature/LetsGoPlayAtTheAdams''. The only reason [[spoiler:Barbara does this is because of how she is tied up when she dies]].
152	* The appendices to ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' include the story of Helm Hammerhand, an ancient King of Rohan who was besieged in the Hornburg during a very bad winter by the Dunlendings and their allies. A soothsayer gave Helm the omen that if he never killed anyone by using a weapon, he himself could never be killed by a weapon: thus he took to leading night-time sorties against the besiegers, killing men with his bare hands. Keep in mind that Helm was large and strong enough that this whole war started when he killed a half-Dunlending lord with a single mighty punch. Helm worked up such a kill count than the enemy feared him as if he were a snow troll stalking through their camps. Then one night during a particularly bad blizzard he didn't return, and that morning the enemy found him outside standing upright, but dead and frozen: no ''weapon'' killed him.
153	* In the Damon Knight short story "Not With A Bang," the last male survivor of a nuclear/biological war, a victim of the plague agent, suffers a final attack that leaves him frozen, "balanced by a trick of motion, upright but helpless." The prim and proper last female survivor will not be coming to his rescue, because he's on the wrong side of the men's room door.
154	* In ''The Nun's Story'', Sister Aurelie gets clubbed in the head by an AxeCrazy guy. She turns around and walks toward him, smiling, because her last thought is to exemplify how Jesus would have loved and forgiven him. There's also something of a MamaBear element, since she was attacked in a ward full of patients, and her advance toward her attacker prompted him to back out, away from the patients in her care. She was dead when she turned around. The nuns who care for her body discover that her tight-fitting cap is the only thing that held her skull together.
155	* In Stephen Crane's American Civil War novel ''The Red Badge of Courage'', the protagonist's friend, Jim Conklin, is mortally wounded and leaves his marching regiment rather than fall and be run over by artillery. He dies standing in a nearby field.
156	* ''Literature/TheSagaOfTheFaroeIslanders'': As Sigurd Thorlaksson tries to get away from the ambush on Skufoy, Leif Ossurson reaches him and gives him a wound in the vitals, yet Sigurd jumps into the boat and escapes. Thord asks Sigurd whether his wound is serious, but Sigurd does not give a clear answer. When they reach Streymoy, Sigurd leans against the boatshed wall and keeps standing there while his companions clear the boat. When they are finished, they notice that Sigurd is dead and stiff, still leaning against the boatshed wall.
157	* ''Literature/TheSagaOfThePeopleOfLaxardal'': At the marriage feast of her grandson Olaf, the old Unn the Deep-Minded transfers ownership of her farm to Olaf, then retires to her chamber. The next day, Olaf finds Unn dead sitting upright on her bed. This is met with admiration.
158	-->''Everyone was impressed at how well Unn had kept her dignity to her dying day.''
159	* In one ''Literature/TheThreeInvestigators'' book, the boys wind up exploring a cave that was the hideout of a famous outlaw, and which he disappeared into after being wounded in a robbery, never to be found or seen again afterward. They eventually find a secret area and the outlaw's body leaning against a cave wall, gun pointed at the only entrance in, apparently having died in the middle of waiting to make a LastStand that never happened.
160	* In H.P. Lovecraft's ''Literature/TheLurkingFear'', two men are trapped in a cabin by a thunderstorm. When they hear lightning strike nearby, one of them leans out the window to assess the damage, and dies without a sound when something ''chews his face off''.
161	[[/folder]]
162
163	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
164	* Happens a lot in ''Series/TheExpanse'', since people typically wear magnetic boots in zero-g. So when someone is shot, they look like they're about to float away, but the boots keep them firmly rooted to the floor.
165	* ''Franchise/SuperSentai'': In ''Series/UchuSentaiKyuranger'', one of original 88 warriors who fought the antagonist, [[BigBad Don Armage]], alongside [[SixthRanger Houou Solider/Ohtori Tsurigi]] several centuries ago was the legendary Orion. When the Kyurangers travel to the past to find out how Don Armage managed to survive, they meet and fight alongside Orion against Don Armage and his forces. During the climactic battle, Orion succumbs to the fatal wound he received previously and died while kneeling with his weapon still in hand.
166	[[/folder]]
167
168	[[folder:Religion, Mythology and History]]
169	* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benkei Saito no]] UsefulNotes/MusashiboBenkei is said to have died this way, [[UrExample in the 12th Century]]. After fighting to buy time for [[UsefulNotes/MinamotoNoYoshitsune his lord]] [[BetterToDieThanBeKilled to commit]] {{Seppuku}}, none of the enemy wanted to test his wrath, believing him to be ''a demon from hell''. Medically speaking, it's believed that the lactic acid his muscles produced from the fighting caused a sudden onset of rigor mortis, causing his body to "lock up" while still standing [[RuleOfCool and holding his spear]]. The event gained notoriety as the "Standing Death of Benkei". He has a small shrine today where this happened--see ''Manga/CaseClosed'' above, where it becomes a plot point, and ''many'' characters in Japanese media [[FountainOfExpies have deaths based on his death]].
170	** Benkei guarded the bridge to his master's keep and is said to have killed over 300 trained soldiers that attempted to cross the bridge. Because of their fear of him, they shot arrows to try and fell him, but he held his position riddled with those arrows. The only reason they approached was because they realized he had stopped moving for far to long.
171	* Rumor claimed that [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackbeard#Death Blackbeard]]'s headless body, after being thrown overboard, swam between 2 and 7 times around the Adventure before sinking.
172	* In [[Myth/IrishMythology Irish legend]] Cúchulainn tied himself to a stone after being fatally wounded by a magical spear so as to appear to still be standing up, and it was only when a raven landed on his shoulder that his enemies knew he had died. And he was such a badass that he ''still'' managed to get the last laugh on his foe Lugaid when he came up to take Cúchulainn's head as a trophy and the sword clutched in his dead hand fell and took off Lugaid's hand.
173	* When the German medieval pirate Klaus Störtebeker was captured and finally to be executed along with his crew of 72 men, the mayor of the city [[ThePromise promised him]] to pardon the men that he could walk past ''after being beheaded''. The legend has it that Störtebeker, after being decapitated, actually got up and walked past eleven of his men before the executioner tripped him by throwing his block in front of him (some sources also claim that he stuck his foot out in front of him). The mayor then [[TheOathBreaker had the entirety of the crew decollated anyway]].
174	* In Islamic legend, it is said that Prophet Sulaiman (better known as King Solomon) died like this, propped against a staff, while overseeing the djinns under his command building a castle. He finally toppled down after termites ate his staff.
175	* In the historical fiction tale, ''Literature/RomanceOfTheThreeKingdoms'', it's said that this is how Cao Cao's bodyguard, Dian Wei, died, blocking a gate so that the assassins sent to kill his lord couldn't go after him. His valor terrified the assassins, and made Cao Cao's other enemies begin to revere the man. Also counts as a DyingMomentOfAwesome.
176	* Invoked by Roman emperor Vespasian, who felt "An emperor ought to die standing". Subverted in the end though, because he was still struggling to get on his feet when he died in the arms of those who tried to help him.
177	[[/folder]]
178
179	[[folder:Theater]]
180	''Theatre/LaTraviata''. Violetta suddenly feels better (a common sign of imminent death in tuberculosis), thinks she's ''getting'' better, says ''O gioia!'' (Oh joy) and drops dead. Callas would rise from her chair and belt out ''[[KilledMidSentence O gioi --]]'' and freeze, still standing, [[DiesWideOpen eyes wide open]] and [[NightmareFuel staring straight into the audience]].
181	* In the musical ''Purlie'', "Old Captain" dies this way (upon learning that his evil plan is foiled).
182	-->'''Gitlow''': That's the first man I ever seen drop dead standing up!
183	* Greek vocal actress Maria Callas used to shock audiences with this for the death of Violetta in the {{Opera}}
184	* In ''Theatre/PurlieVictorious'', the shock of hearing that his son [[spoiler: bought the Big Bethel church in Purlie's name]] causes Ol' Cap'n Cotchipee to die on his feet.
185	[[/folder]]
186
187	[[folder:Video Games]]
188	* ''VideoGame/ANNOMutationem'': Subverted when [[AnimalisticAbomination The Varanus]] possesses the inability to be killed. Even after [[ActionGirl Ann]] impales it through the head, it remains in place standing before regaining consciousness and tries to move while stuck.
189	* ''VideoGame/{{Arknights}}'':
190	** Patriot is TheJuggernaut among the Reunion leaders, and is unbelievably durable and stubborn. He withstands a massive amount of damage from the best Operators that Rhodes Island can throw at him, and when his armor is finally breached and he suffers fatal wounds, he still pushes on until the last moment. When he finally dies, he remains standing, as unshakable in death as he was in life.
191	** During ''Stultifera Navis'', [[spoiler: High Inquisitor Dario]] gives his life protecting the last [[LighthousePoint Eye of Iberia]] from an endless horde of [[SeaMonster Sea Terrors]]. When Kal'tsit and Saint Carmen discover his body, they find him surrounded by the burning remains of thousands of Sea Terrors, still on his feet and with his {{sword plant}}ed firmly into the ground.
192	* In ''VideoGame/AsurasWrath'', this is [[spoiler:how Yasha dies]]. This trope gets subverted in Lost Episode 2, however, as when Asura and Akuma fought each other, they eventually turned into stone. The subversion is that they Start moving again and fight once more, still looking like stone statues!
193	* [[spoiler:Ben]] dies this way when you defeat him in ''VideoGame/BraveFencerMusashi'', after some [[ItHasBeenAnHonor final words]].
194	%%* The Nue in ''VideoGame/BreathOfFireIII''.
195	* ''Videogame/CityOfHeroes'' will occasionally forget to animate the "[[NeverSayDie defeat]]" of enemies who are beaten too quickly. Given the amount of damage necessary--a OneHitKill on a completely unaware enemy--and the infrequency of the occurence, it can be [[PlayedForLaughs comedic]] or epic.
196	* In ''VideoGame/DawnOfWar'':
197	** Some units, when killed, don't go into their "dead" animation, instead remaining standing. Especially annoying when you run into these and think you're about to be attacked.
198	** Invoked by [[FourStarBadass General Sturnn]] in ''Winter Assault'' in the closing stages of the Imperial Guard Missions. See above quote.
199	* Several of Connor's deaths in ''[[VideoGame/DetroitBecomeHuman Detroit: Become Human]]'' involve him being shot while standing up, causing him to fall to his knees as the camera lingers on him. Justfied in that he's an android, not a human.
200	* ''VideoGame/DragonBallLegends'': In Part 7, Book 6, Chapter 5: "''The Bonds of Friendship''", after being defeated by Bardock, Super Saiyan 3 Shallot, & Super Saiyan 2 Gohan (Youth), Fusion Android #13 dies content with having fought for himself rather than simply following his programming and shuts down while standing with a smile on his face which even Bardock comments on and seemingly earns Shallot's respect. Unfortunately Super Buu (Gohan Absorbed) ruins the moment by blowing up Fusion Android #13's remains while mockingly referring to him as a mere "toy" and that he was just "cleaning up".
201	* In Lu Bu's historical ending in ''Videogame/DynastyWarriors: Xtreme Legends 8'', Lu Bu dies standing after he attempts to struggle and go after Cao Cao, only to be cut down. Guan Yu does this in the same game.
202	* In ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'', primarily ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]'', can have issues with corpses that remain standing with their arms straight out at their sides. This is usually after loading a cell where multiple deaths have occurred at a previous time, and the game simply can't handle all the requests being made of it, and as such forgets to apply Havoc to them. There's actually a must have Mod called streamline that has the option to 'Kill Corpses', whenever you enter a cell, to make sure they stay down.
203	* ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'' [[spoiler: Berserker]] in all three routes, and [[spoiler: Shirou]] in the Normal end of Heaven's Feel, after a HeroicSacrifice. He died standing up before he completed his HeroicSacrifice.. only to complete it after he died. Also, in the anime this happens to Archer ([[AdaptationExpansion you never see that scene in the Visual Novel]], so it's possible it happened offscreen there also). Very impressive as Berserker is perfectly capable of ripping apart buildings with the shockwave his [[{{Pun}} insanely]] strong and fast attacks leave behind, and logically any single attack should have knocked Archer down, or at least backwards.
204	* Every ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' up to '' Path of Radiance'', including the DS games, uses this as the death animation.
205	* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfDragoon'': Emperor Doel, the DiscOneFinalBoss, goes out this way (albeit leaning on the larger of [[DualWielding his two blades]]) after urging the party to head west to Tiberoa and pursue Lloyd. For good measure, Albert, Doel's nephew, salutes him, recognizing that his uncle has finally come to his senses.
206	* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsInTheSky'': Weissman's fate has him shot by Kevin Graham with a Salt Bolt, a dangerous material that turns people into granite the moment contact is made, leaving Weissman standing dead after his body has been turned to stone.
207	* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'': This happens to Ganondorf twice.
208	** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'': Ganondorf [[TakenForGranite turns to stone]] after being stabbed in the head by the Master Sword, and stands up while this happens.
209	** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'': At the end of the FinalBoss battle, Ganondorf is left lying on the ground when you finish him, but in the cutscene, he's standing, meaning he didn't just die on his back, he ''stood back up'' after you ran him through.
210	* A quirk of the game engine and the way it determines damage means that sometimes [[HumongousMecha BattleMechs]] will do this in ''VideoGame/MechWarrior 2''. The most common 'Mech death is [[StuffBlowingUp simply exploding]], where the 'Mech's parts are separated from each other and flung all over the place. The second most common death is a 'hull' death, where the 'Mech has exploded, but retains its shape--however, bumping into the remains of the 'Mech will cause it to fall apart instantly with no resistance. The last and rarest example is closest to this trope, where the 'Mech has been destroyed (stops moving and shooting) but is still 100% solid. Running into it will cause you to take damage as though you had run into any other physical object, and it won't simply fall apart when touched like the 'hull' death. If you want this 'Mech to go down, you're going to have to keep shooting it until the wreck finally gets the message and explodes ''again.'' Unsurprisingly, it's mostly heavy and assault 'Mechs that refuse to go down when they die.
211	* If you take the "let time do it" method to surpass The End in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater'', Snake approaches him from behind and tries to hold him up only to discover The End died with his eye on the scope.
212	* Possibly parodied in ''VideoGame/Mother3'' when a pigmask watches you get in a horrible hovercraft accident. If you examine him afterwards, it is revealed that he has passed out, presumably from fright, yet he's still standing up. With his arm raised.
213	* A bug in ''VideoGame/NeverwinterNights'' can cause enemies to stay standing up instead of falling over dead, though they still count as dead and you can't interact with them, they just stand their doing their idle animations.
214	* ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes'': Holly Summers blows herself with a grenade after her defeat, with her body still standing despite the explosion.
215	* ''VideoGame/PrinnyCanIReallyBeTheHero'': After the final fight with Asagi in the alternate story mode, a bomb in her Prinny Costume (which she put in there, mind you) goes off when she's unable to get the costume off in time, due to a stuck zipper. The blast kills her, but she manages to remain on her feet, shocking Hero Prinny.
216	-->'''Hero Prinny''': She's dead, but... still standing. That's dedication, dood!
217	* ''VideoGame/SengokuBasara'':
218	** Muneshige Tachibana, the resident [[ChainsawGood chainsaw]] [[AnachronismStew wielding]] {{samurai}}, has a defeat animation where he drops his chainsaws and slouches over while standing. He isn't actually dead unless you are playing as a character who outright kills their opponent instead of defeating them.
219	** Takeda Shingen's animation had him put down his weapon and do a BadassArmFold, standing proud before he keels over a moment later.
220	** Several characters have defeat animations in which they attempt to get back on their feet only to fall over.
221	* In ''Videogame/ShadowOfTheColossus'', [[spoiler: Malus, the 16th and last Colossus, is basically unable to fall down as his feet are magically bound to the ground and his stone skirt and stone armor are as flexible as, you guessed it, rock]].
222	* In ''VideoGame/SoldierOfFortune II'', Mullins suddenly dies standing up [[HostageSpiritLink if an NPC is killed]] ([[WhatTheHellPlayer or he disobeys orders on a certain mission]]).
223	* ''Videogame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic''. Caused by a bug. It seems to happen when the NPC is already occupied with certain ongoing animations, such as StatusEffects, and therefore doesn't process the cue to start its death animation properly.
224	* Q from ''[[VideoGame/StreetFighterIII Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike]]'', if defeated by a light attack, will start convulsing and stretching out his arms to try and grab the opponent, but ultimately shut down like a robot, still standing and with his arms still up. This further adds to the question of [[AmbiguouslyHuman whether or not he's human]].
225	* Occurs multiple times throughout the ''VideoGame/{{Tenchu}}'' series:
226	** [[TheBigGuy Genbu]] from ''Birth of the Stealth Assassins'' dies on his feet after being mortally wounded by Ayame during the climax. He drops his dual clubs to signify his the moment of his death.
227	** [[TheBrute Ganda]] from ''Wrath of Heaven'' dies this way.
228	** [[BigBad Jyuzou]] from ''Fatal Shadows'' dies after being run through by [[TheHero Rin]].
229	[[/folder]]
230
231	[[folder:Web Comics]]
232	* In ''Webcomic/{{Drowtales}}'', Lulianne had a HopeSpot when she found the remnants of the Dutan'vir's LastStand and found one person still standing... only he [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?sid=5944 wasn't actually alive]] in a technical sense, having been taken over by [[DemonicPossession a demon]], and the various blades in his body indicate that his fellow warriors had tried to kill him once he was possessed. Also a rather cruel twist on the Dutan'vir's sigil, which was a tower that represented stability.
233	* An alien race in ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'' can do this as a quirk of their biology caused by locking tendons and large feet.
234	* A character from ''Webcomic/UniversalCompass'' fades away (dies) while standing up.
235	* In ''Webcomic/WeaponBrown'', the {{Expy}} of [[spoiler:ComicStrip/{{the Phantom}}]] gets his head blown clean off. Not only does he die standing, but he also ''[[spoiler:becomes the corpse that walks]]!''
236	[[/folder]]
237
238	[[folder:Web Original]]
239	* [[http://www.creepypasta.com/the-german-medic/ This creepypasta]]. [[spoiler:Especially notable as he has no muscle or sinew left.]]
240	* WebAnimation/DeathBattle has the loser of ''[[Manga/{{Berserk}} Guts]]'' vs. ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses Dimitri]]'' go out this way: [[spoiler: Guts dies during a final, maddened charge towards Dimitri, even managing to [[WreckedWeapon cut Areadbhar in half]], but dies just before he can land a deathblow, having bled out, leaving his corpse just standing there mid-swing.]]
241	[[/folder]]
242
243	[[folder:Western Animation]]
244	* Sir George is this in ''WesternAnimation/Ben10UltimateAlien'' after being struck by Diagon's lightning, just before his body crumbles to dust.
245	[[/folder]]
246
247	[[folder:Real Life]]
248	* Due to their rapid cardiac rate and skittish temperament, it is actually possible for a mouse to literally die of fright when startled, dying in the exact same pose it was in.
249	* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillsborough_disaster The Hillsborough disaster]] saw the deaths of 96 fans of Liverpool Football Club in the stands of Hillsborough Stadium in 1989. Fans were packed so tightly into the stands that many people died standing up due to compressive asphyxia.
250	* According to their father (who was the only witness) Branwell Brontë, brother of [[Creator/AnneBronte the]] [[Creator/EmilyBronte Brontë]] [[Creator/CharlotteBronte sisters]], died standing up after getting out of bed when Dad came in the room and fell dead seconds later, which was exaggerated subsequently into this trope.
251	* Bats are so comfortable hanging upside down since their hind legs are in a grasping posture when relaxed, thus allowing a bat to rest, feed, and sleep while resting in this position. Their grip is so strong in fact, that if a roosting bat were to die and rigor mortis sets in, the dead bat would still be hanging there for a few days unless outside forces like wind or other bats knocking into it will jostle it loose.
252	* Because insects respire through openings in their sides rather than their heads, and their brains send out signals to ''stop'' reflexive limb movements rather than activate them, a decapitated insect can continue to walk, run, or even mate, possibly remaining mobile for ''days'' if the neck is plugged to prevent blood loss and desiccation.
253	* One account by a U.S. Paratrooper during the Second World War mentions that his unit had captured a pair of German soldiers in the Netherlands, but then they were ambushed. During the firefight, the German prisoners tried to escape, but they got caught in the crossfire from both sides. Apparently, the bullets hit their bodies with such force that it actually pinned the hapless soldiers to the wall behind them, and they stayed like that to the end of the firefight, leaning against the wall. Furthermore, there are some accounts that the force of the bullets actually popped their eyes right out of their sockets.
254	* A much more disturbing account from WWII: The gas chambers at death camps would sometimes be filled to the point that no one could move. Upon death, the corpses were literally packed so tightly together that they supported each other and were still standing.
255	* Happened regularly in battles of UsefulNotes/AncientGreece: as the Greeks fought in densely-packed phalanxes, the sheer pressure of two phalanxes pushing against each other would keep the dead standing until one broke under pressure.
256	* In December 2012, a man in Sussex named Andrew Evans was found dead on his feet. He was severely intoxicated and had a head injury that likely contributed to his death, and he was found with his hips leaning against a counter and his hands in a cupboard, inadvertently supporting his body to the point where a friend who found him thought he was alive.
257	* The legendary Finnish sniper of the Winter War, UsefulNotes/SimoHayha, was known for leaving his victims standing up. He accomplished this by utilizing the weather. After shooting Russian sentries, he would hold them upright until their blood froze. He did this so that the Russians wouldn't immediately realize that their sentries were dead, although there might have also been a hint of respect in it as well. This ended up having a similar effect on the Russians as Vlad Dracul did on the Ottomans.
258	* Tiger legs are strong enough that in some cases they've been known to remain standing after death.
259	[[/folder]]

Context Main / DiedStandingUp