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4[[quoteright:350:[[WesternAnimation/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/disneydeath_snowwhite.jpg]]]]
5[[caption-width-right:350:[[Advertising/TrixRabbit Silly witch]]! [[DisneyVillainDeath Death is for villains]]!]]
6%%
7
8->'''Bartman:''' We've defeated the aliens -- but at such a terrible cost! [[NeverSayDie Radioactive Man is–]]\
9'''Radioactive Man:''' Ooooh!\
10'''Bartman:''' –He's alive! I should have known! He always comes back in the comics!
11-->-- ''[[ComicBook/TheSimpsons Bartman]]'' issue #3, "The Final Collision!"
12
13A beloved [[KilledOffForReal major character is seemingly killed]] at the climax of the movie or episode, [[TearJerker hearts are wrenched, four-year-olds are traumatized, grown men are reduced to tears,]] and then -- oh look, the character is NotQuiteDead after all. "I thought you were dead!", [[StockPhrases they recite]] before walking off into the sunset.
14
15A variant is the Robot Disney Death where a RobotBuddy is seemingly destroyed in a HeroicSacrifice. While at least one character mourns, the robot reappears fully repaired after an extensive period in MrFixit's maintenance shop, good as new and touched by all the concern.
16
17Animated films seem destined to have these, considering the target audience is primarily young kids, and nobody wants to give a DownerEnding to them. Writers who are considering implementing it need to be extremely careful, as it can very easily come across as a tacky and lazy way to add some cheap, manipulative and predictable drama to the ending. Over the years it has been done to -- um -- [[{{Pun}} death]], and [[LikeYouWouldReallyDoIt audiences expect it]]. You run the risk of making your viewers remember they're watching television, even if it does shut up the {{Media Watchdog}}s.
18
19Named after its frequent use in the Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon, though even Disney likes to [[KilledOffForReal kill 'em off for real now and then]].
20
21Subtrope of ReportsOfMyDeathWereGreatlyExaggerated and FirstLawOfResurrection. Compare SortingAlgorithmOfDeadness (how likely this is to happen), OurHeroIsDead (when this is used as a CliffHanger), UnexplainedRecovery, ShockAndSwitchEnding, WorldHealingWave (done on a massive scale), OnlyMostlyDead, PlotArmor (you know he's going to live because he's the main character). Contrast KilledOffForReal. May involve NotNowWereTooBusyCryingOverYou. A MistakenDeathConfirmation or PrematureEulogy are likely to occur somewhere between the death and the return.
22
23Not to be confused with the related trope DisneyVillainDeath, which refers to a villain falling from a very high place, such as a cliff, although it can sometimes overlap with this trope when the antagonist doesn't actually die. Also not to be confused with Creator/WaltDisney's actual death.
24
25'''Since this trope requires both [[DeathTropes a death]] and [[EndingTropes an ending]], be wary of large, unmarked spoilers.'''
26[[noreallife]]
27----
28!!Example subpages:
29[[index]]
30* DisneyDeath/AnimeAndManga
31* DisneyDeath/{{Disney}}
32* DisneyDeath/LiveActionFilms
33* DisneyDeath/LiveActionTV
34* DisneyDeath/VideoGames
35* DisneyDeath/WesternAnimation
36[[/index]]
37
38!!Other examples:
39[[foldercontrol]]
40
41[[folder:Asian Animation]]
42* ''Animation/BoonieBears'': In ''The Adventurers 2'' episode 36, the flight-fearing bird falls and his bird idols break the news to the bears that he's... all right and flying, but in a way that initially makes it look like he's dying.
43[[/folder]]
44
45[[folder:Comic Books]]
46* ''ComicBook/OmahaTheCatDancer'':
47** Omaha's best friend Shelly gets shot in the first issue. A couple of issues later, we find out she [[NotQuiteDead wasn't quite dead]].
48** Also, Chuck was told by his (insane) dad that his mother had died when he was young. Guess who shows up in the middle of the story?
49* There is a very long list of people in Franchise/TheDCU who have been revived by the Lazarus Pit, discovered by [[Characters/BatmanRasAlGhul Ra's al Ghul]], which can revive people at death's door, or full-on bring the dead back to life. Unfortunately, one of the side effects of using the Lazarus Pit is losing your mind. Those who have been resurrected or healed from fatal injuries include [[spoiler:Ra's al Ghul, [[Characters/BatmanJasonTodd Jason Todd]], [[Characters/BatmanTaliaAlGhul Talia al Ghul]], the second Characters/BlackCanary, [[ComicBook/BatGirl2000 Cassandra Cain]], [[Characters/BatmanLadyShiva Lady Shiva]], Characters/{{Ba|tmanBane}}ne, [[Characters/ShazamBlackMarvelFamily Isis, the wife of Black Adam]]]], and more.
50* ''ComicBook/TheFabulousFurryFreakBrothers'': Fat Freddy is found lifeless in bed--his grief-stricken friends hold a wake and bury him themselves. At a graveside picnic some time later, a bottle of potent liquor spills on the ground, seeps in, and revives him from a drug-induced immobilization. He furiously bursts out to his friends' joy and horror.
51* ''ComicBook/LuckyLuke'': A not very dramatic and rather brief case happens in the album ''The Daltons' Escape'' where Lucky Luke appears to have been crushed to death by falling rocks and we see the Daltons cheering and yet not sure that he is dead. The most noteworthy part of it is seeing Jolly Jumper's NotSoStoic reaction and openly weeping for his fallen friend.
52* ComicBook/UltimateMarvel
53** ''ComicBook/{{Ultimatum}}'':
54*** [[spoiler:Spider-Man]] dies in the story, but it was later revealed that he was NotQuiteDead.
55*** [[spoiler:Valkyrie]] and [[spoiler:Captain America]] die during the flood, but [[spoiler:they were saved because Thor traded their lives with Hela for his own]].
56** ''ComicBook/UltimateXMen'': Wraith killed Thunderbolt Ross as part of his coup, and Millar did not bring it up again in later arcs or in ''ComicBook/TheUltimates'', his immediate follow-up work. However, Ross returned in ''ComicBook/UltimateFantasticFour'': he simply [[WakingUpAtTheMorgue woke up in the morgue]].
57* ''ComicBook/{{Hound|2014}}'': Emer seemingly dies from the shock of King Connor's bull running into her when one of Maeve's soldiers attempts to capture it away from her father's farm. A grieving Cú Cullan fights Maeve's soldiers in her name but she eventually awakens in the middle of her funeral.
58* ''ComicBook/{{Convergence}}'': The tie-in miniseries focusing on the [[Characters/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica Crime Syndicate]] and their fight with [[ComicBook/DCOneMillion Justice Legion Alpha]] has the Syndicate appear to fail in their efforts to rescue their teammate Superwoman from electrocution, but she later appears alive and well to rescue Owlman from the Wonder Woman of the 853rd century. Superwoman explains that when everyone's powers were restored by the dome rising and being ordered by Telos to fight, this included her immortality and enabled her to come back to life after she was given the chair.
59[[/folder]]
60
61[[folder:Comic Strips]]
62* Every ''ComicStrip/SpyVsSpy'' strip contains this trope. A black or white spy gets killed every comic, only to make a return next strip to treat the living spy to a death of their own.
63* One ''ComicStrip/TheFarSide'' strip has a bear sitting up from his coffin at his funeral, and saying, "I was hibernating, for cryin' out loud. Don't you guys ever bother to take a pulse?"
64[[/folder]]
65
66[[folder:Fan Works]]
67* In the ''Fanfic/AbraxasHrodvitnon'' RecursiveFanfiction ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/38446570/ Abraxas: The Clash of Silver]]'', Kiryu is wrecked and seemingly killed by Mechagodzilla in Hong Kong, devastating its pilot Aleksandra. The ending reveals that his consciousness survived and his robotic hull is being rebuilt.
68* ''Fanfic/{{Between Dreams and Memories|Universe}}'': Due to the fan retelling ''not'' playing on the canonical Three Lives System, adjustments to the Dream SMP canon have been made to reflect this.
69** It initially appears that Tubbo is killed during the Manberg Festival by FatalFireworks-induced PublicExecution, but he is saved and nursed back to health by [[spoiler:Corpse]]. This is in stark contrast to canon, where Tubbo loses his second canon life but respawns with one remaining, and Tubbo's survival is a ForegoneConclusion due to TheStationsOfTheCanon.
70** For a straighter example, [[spoiler:Schlatt's]] "canonical" death by [[spoiler:alcohol-induced heart attack]] in the Manberg-Pogtopia War turns out to be [[FakingTheDead faked]], though he eventually still dies, but [[spoiler:with only his former friend and adopted brother Wilbur at his side]].
71* The surprisingly plausible fan sequel to ''Literature/EarthsChildren'', ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7666095/10/Broud-s-Destiny Broud's Destiny]]'', has Ayla's chief antagonist defending the Clan against gangs of Others who paint themselves white and kill "flatheads" for kicks. At the climax, the leader of the "chalk-faces" viciously stabs Broud in the abdomen at the same moment Broud breaks his neck. Broud drops to the ground and everything looks like a beautiful death scene. End of chapter. The next chapter opens with a Clan funeral ceremony... turns out it's for Broud's mom Ebra. Broud will take time to recover but is fine.
72* In two separate [[Fanfic/Swing123AndGarfieldodiesCalvinverse Calvinverse]] stories -- specifically, ''Fanfic/CalvinAndHobbesTheMovie'' and ''Fanfic/TroubleIsland'' -- Hobbes is hit with a machine that makes ''everyone'' see him as a stuffed animal, even Calvin. Both times, he comes back.
73* ''Fanfic/ADiplomaticVisit'': Happens in chapter 11 of the third story, ''Diplomacy Through Schooling''. [[spoiler: The final clash with Tirek kicks off when he destroys Twilight's home and the school she founded, making her think he killed all her students and their teachers. After the fight, it turns out they're all just fine, having evacuated in time.]]
74* Late in the ''[[Film/TheMummyTrilogy The Mummy]]'' fic ''Fanfic/FairyTalesAndHokum'', [[spoiler:[[OldFriend Tom]]]] is attacked by pygmy mummies behind a caved-in ceiling; the sudden silence leads Jonathan to believe he died. He doesn't, and turns up alive a few chapters later.
75* ''Fanfic/TheGreatDisneyAdventureSaga'': What do you expect? It's a Disney world. So this happens quite a bit with characters being near death before being healed or being revealed as ok.
76* ''Fanfic/TheImmortalGame'': [[spoiler:Fluttershy]] is seemingly killed by [[BrainwashedAndCrazy Wrong!Dash]] during the final fight with [[BloodKnight Nihilus]], but it turns out that [[spoiler:Fluttershy]] has a HealingFactor (something that only Earth ponies are supposed to have), which saves her life.
77* ''Fanfic/LastChildOfKrypton'': [[spoiler:Shinji]] is briefly thought dead after the battle with [[spoiler:Zeruel]].
78* Happens many times in ''Fanfic/TheLionKingAdventures'':
79** Zazu does this as a prank in order to terrify Simba and Nala in ''Dead as a Dodo''.
80** Simba is [[spoiler:presumed to be dead in ''Friends to the End''. He is not, though, and gets his [[TheBigDamnKiss Big Damn Kiss]] with Nala]].
81** Nala [[spoiler:does actually die in ''Darkness Falls''. Simba has her resurrected after dying himself]].
82* ''Fanfic/MadWorldInvaderZim'': [[WesternAnimation/InvaderZim Zim]] gets butchered by [[ComicBook/JohnnyTheHomicidalManiac Nny]], and has his PAK pulled by Dib as a MercyKill. But his mind [[BodyBackUpDrive survives inside the PAK]], and he ends up [[SharingABody sharing bodies]] with Dib until they can clone him a new body.
83* ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/19465732 (Mis)communications]]'': {{Deconstructed|Trope}}. By Kalos, Ash has died at least six times since age ten and it doesn't faze him anymore, or at least so he says. But, to Alain, it's freaky and sad because people aren't supposed to die and be revived like that, especially kids.
84* ''Fanfic/{{Moonshadow}}'': King is presumedly killed by Bill of the Titan Trappers in chapter 10 with The Collector unable to use their reversal spell to heal him due to having their magic drained. In chapter 11 Camila examination of King reveals that The Collector had enough magic in them to heal King internally and Camila can save the rest of him.
85* Everybody on Berk in ''Fanfic/{{Persephone}}'' believed that Hiccup was killed by a Night Fury, with Stoick blaming Astrid because she was there when it happened. When everyone realizes that this was false, this comes as a shock to everybody.
86* ''Fanfic/PokemonResetBloodlines'':
87** Ash's Squirtle believed himself the SoleSurvivor of the Squirtle Squad he was separated from the others by a cave-in at an underground passageway. Later sidestories reveal they all survived, although ended up separated from each other.
88** The SerialKiller known as the Bloodliner Hunter was presumed to have suffered a DisneyVillainDeath when he refused to be saved from falling off a cliff in Two Island. The second [[ChristmasEpisode Holiday Special]] reveals that he's very much alive and made it to Johto.
89* ''Fanfic/ViridianTheGreenGuide'': Queen Bee's host, [[spoiler:Hagakure]], falls victim to a deliberate example from Kaminari, who forces her out of her host by stopping her heart. She recovers after Kaminari applies chest compressions.
90
91
92
93* In ''Mortality'', the first book of the ''Fanfic/DeliverUsFromEvilSeries'', Literature/SherlockHolmes is believed to have been killed by his ArchEnemy, [[DiabolicalMastermind Professor]] [[BigBad Moriarty]]. It isn't until a few chapters later that the reader knows for certain that Holmes is still alive, but the heroes themselves don't know for sure until InspectorLestrade and [[TheHero Dr. Watson]] overhear [[TheDragon Moran]] confirming it.
94* ''Fanfic/InnerDemons'': [[spoiler:Rarity is seemingly killed by [[TheDragon Trixie]] during the Battle of Fillydelphia]], but it turns out she was just rendered comatose.
95* ''[[FanFic/JusticeLeagueOfEquestria Mare of Steel]]'': Rainbow Dash is caught in an explosion of magic at the end of the first arc. She is badly injured, almost to the point of death, but manages to recover.
96* ''FanFic/OjamajoDoremiRiseOfTheShadows'': Towards the end of the fic, Majorin and the Ojamajos are slain by their Shadows. However, the Queen's SuperMode allows her to bring them all back without anyone else dying.
97* ''FanFic/NobodyDies'': After a failed attack on an Angel, Shinji is informed by Asuka that he was clinically dead for 15 minutes.
98* In the ''WesternAnimation/{{Zootopia}}'' fic ''[[http://archiveofourown.org/works/10195775?view_full_work=true Guardian Blue - Season 1,]]'' [[spoiler:Nick falls into the water recycling system while saving a wolf pup from the villain Darmaw who also falls in. Darmaw's body is later recovered, but Nick's is never found. After several days of searching he is pronounced dead. Judy learns of a hidden location his body could have possibly washed into and ventures in to retrieve his body and get closure. Ultimately she discovers that Nick is still alive but badly hurt and is able to pull him back out to safety]].
99* Characters/{{Superman|TheCharacter}} in ''Fanfic/YoungJusticeDarknessFalls''. As per [[ComicBook/TheDeathOfSuperman tradition]], he gets beaten to death by Doomsday, absorbs lots of solar radiation and finally comes back to life when he is needed the most.
100* ''Fanfic/SonOfTheSannin'': The five jinchuriki (Ukataka, Yugito Nii, Roshi, Han, and Yagura) who were captured and killed by Akatsuki over the course of the story are temporarily resurrected as {{Revenant Zombie}}s by Naruto during the final battle. However, when Obito uses the Rinne Tensei at the cost of his life, he ends up making their resurrection permanent.
101[[/folder]]
102
103[[folder:Film — Animation]]
104* There's a ''very'' brief one in ''WesternAnimation/{{Nine}}''. After defeating the BRAIN, 9 tries to run away as the machine breaks down and is nearly crushed. At one point, it really does look like he got killed, but he wakes up about two seconds later.
105* Near the end of ''WesternAnimation/AllCreaturesBigAndSmall'', Finny the Nestrian is shown to drown after failing to climb onto the ark. Turns out his species can breathe in water just fine.
106* Kate from ''WesternAnimation/AlphaAndOmega'' gets hit in a stampede, and is unresponsive. The two wolf packs howl in unity over her loss, and this brings her back.
107* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Anastasia}}'', Dmitri is hit in the head with a stone in the climax and appears to have died from the blow. But he's okay -- he was just knocked out.
108* This happens in ''WesternAnimation/{{Antz}}'' when protagonist Z appears to have drowned before being resuscitated by Bala.
109* Astro in ''WesternAnimation/AstroBoy'' -- twice! The first time, Dr. Tenma removes his Blue Core, but has a change of heart in time to revive him, acknowledge him as his son, and allow him to escape at Tenma's own risk. The second time, Astro pulls a HeroicSacrifice to defeat Peacekeeper, only to be revived by Zog.
110* ''WesternAnimation/Ben10SecretOfTheOmnitrix'' has two. [[spoiler:Hoverboard's pilot Gludo is blown to pieces by Vilgax, and Gwen is eaten by an evil plant.]] Both are rare examples of actually ''convincing'' Disney Deaths, thanks in no small part to the fact that they [[NeverSayDie actually use the word "dead"]] in reference to both characters.
111* This happens to ''both'' of the main characters in ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}: Mask of Light'': first, Jaller [[TakingTheBullet sacrifices himself to save his partner]] Takua, allowing him to don the titular MaskOfPower and become Takanuva. Then, Takanuva [[FusionDance merges]] with [[BigBad Makuta]] and sacrifices part of their life-force to bring Jaller back, but at the cost of the fusion breaking up and him disappearing. Takanuva is brought back by the other characters through a sort of ritual conducted over a weird gizmo built into the floor -- it's confusing, and never explained. The {{Novelization}} rewrites the scene by having Takanuva walk out of the split fusion alive.
112* ''WesternAnimation/TheBookOfLife'':
113** One bite from Xibalba's snake causes this, [[spoiler:as Manolo finds out the hard way]].
114** In the climax, [[spoiler:Manolo appears to die again after trapping himself and Chakal under a church bell to contain an explosion that would have destroyed San Angel. He's saved by Joaquin giving him the Medal of Everlasting Life beforehand]].
115* In ''WesternAnimation/TheBoxtrolls'', it seems that Snatcher was successful in crushing the boxtrolls to death, but it turns out they escaped in the middle of Eggs' speech, and they return in time to save the day.
116* In ''WesternAnimation/ChickenRun'', Ginger gets a rather brief one in the climactic escape scene.
117* ''WesternAnimation/CloudyWithAChanceOfMeatballs'' has this at the end of the movie. [[spoiler:Everyone thinks Flint died from stopping the machine, but a few moments later, he's carried down by his [[ChekhovsArmory Ratbirds]], looking no worse for wear too.]]
118* At the end of ''WesternAnimation/TheCurseOfTheWereRabbit'' the were-rabbit [[spoiler:(Wallace)]] appears to die after a nasty fall from the top of a building. Gromit is able to bring him around [[spoiler:with a hunk of Stinking Bishop cheese]].
119* In ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddysBigPictureShow'', [[spoiler:the trope was deconstructed. Both Ed and Eddy appeared to be sinking in quicksand, but it was only just mud that happened to looked like quicksand, and it was one of the many jokes they pulled after they went to the gag factory. This ticks off Edd, and almost left the other two to faced the consequences over the NoodleIncident that led to the events of the movie. This made Eddy realize how serious the situation actually was, and that he probably had gone too far]].
120* ''Anime/FinalFantasyVIIAdventChildren'':
121** [[spoiler:After the explosion of their helicopter, Kadaj throws to Rufus the bloodstained ID badges of Tseng and Elena. Later, they catch him in a net after he jumps off a building, thus averting his death as well.]] To be fair, Vincent mentions that [[spoiler:he found them horribly tortured and healed them the best he could, even if he didn't know it was enough]].
122** Also, [[spoiler:Cloud]], shot by Loz at the climax of the movie.
123** From the dialogue between [[spoiler:Reno and Rude]] before they [[spoiler:set off a bomb in order to kill Loz and Yazoo]], it makes it sound like they aren't going to be coming out of this one alive. But yet [[spoiler:all four of them seem to survive the blast, Reno and Rude are seen at the end with the rest of the Turks, whilst Loz and Yazoo go off to get Cloud. The latter pair however, ''don't'' survive Aerith's Great Gospel/Lifestream Water/Magical Rain]].
124** And then there's Rufus, who turns up alive in the movie after being last seen in the game getting blown up real good. Particularly irritating is that Cloud rather rudely shuts up his explanation of how he survived, the one piece of exposition in the film that fans of the game were actually interested in. It turns out, according to the ExpandedUniverse novellas that [[HandWave there was some sort of secret "escape hatch" hidden under his desk]] that Rufus [[ChekhovsGun suggested be put in there in the first place]] while his father was still in charge of Shinra Inc...
125* ''WesternAnimation/GIJoeTheMovie'': The character in question is Duke, by impaling. In fact, he actually ''was'' supposed to die (and they were even planning to drop him from the available toy line to go with it), but after seeing how heartbroken all the kids were about Optimus Prime's death in ''WesternAnimation/TransformersTheMovie'', they added in a last-minute line stating that Duke simply went into a coma.
126* In the final fight sequence of the ''ComicBook/{{Golddigger}}'' animated film, Brittany is roasted by the dragon Dreadwing. As Gina sobs over her presumably fallen sister, Brittany groans and sits up.
127* [[spoiler:Fly]] gets one of these in ''WesternAnimation/HelpImAFish''. [[spoiler:Everyone thinks that he's failed to turn back into a human, and [[HeroicBSOD Chuck is frantic in trying to save his cousin]], even trying to suggest ludicrous things like brewing up a new potion or using time travel as the Professor and Aunt Anna tries to calm him down and explain there's nothing that can be done. In the commotion Chuck slips and Fly goes into the air, Aunt Anna tries to catch him, drops him and steps wrong. Cue SickeningCrunch and gasps from the horrified family. Then Fly calls out offscreen and sticks a hand out of the tank. Turns out he really did turn back and he's still alive (albeit still hurt from where Crab nicked him) and the fish was just the stuffed fish model from earlier. Cue HappyEnding.]]
128* In ''WesternAnimation/Home2015'', it momentarily looks like Oh was crushed by the Gorg's machine, but there was an indentation in it large enough for him to fit without being crushed.
129-->'''Tip:''' You're alive! But you scared me so bad!\
130'''Oh:''' You were scared? [[ToiletHumour I almost made a number 3]]. ''[Tip hugs him]'' Not too hard. It is still a possibility.
131* ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon2010'' has one near the end. After the final battle, [[spoiler:the other vikings look for Hiccup, but the only one who can be found is Toothless. That combined with the dragon's forlorn look is taken as a Very Bad Sign. Then Toothless reveals he's been shielding Hiccup with his wings, but the tension remains until Stoick checks for a heartbeat -- and finds one]]. However, [[spoiler:Hiccup does leave the film's climax minus the lower half of his leg]].
132* In ''WesternAnimation/IceAge1'', Diego straddles somewhere between this trope and UnexplainedRecovery with an ambiguous "[[CatsHaveNineLives Nine lives, baby]]" after [[TakingTheBullet taking a killing blow]] meant for Manny.
133* ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles1'' [[DeconstructedTrope deconstructs]] the realistic emotional toll of such an event. Bob spends an entire night in despair thinking that Syndrome shot down the plane killing Helen and the kids. This sends him into a grieving rage after Mirage frees him and he's quite willing to kill her. She is saved only because she reveals his family is still alive. Later, we see that the plane incident has left Bob emotionally raw. He is irrationally adamant about facing the Omnidroid alone since he cannot deal with possibility of losing his family again.
134* The eponymous robot in ''WesternAnimation/TheIronGiant'' is shown [[PullingThemselvesTogether reassembling himself]] after a HeroicSacrifice against an incoming nuclear missile. (A rare example of a ''good'' Robot Disney Death, meaning both that it is very satisfying to the audience and that it is set up properly -- the Giant's self-repair ability [[ChekhovsGun is demonstrated earlier in the film]].)
135* ''WesternAnimation/JonnyQuestVersusTheCyberInsects'' has a particularly silly example. During a space battle caused by Jonny recklessly charging into the midst of some enemy fighters, an exploding control panel somehow injures Race in such a way that his heart stops beating. Not even two scenes later, Race inexplicably revives with no ill effects. The scene does serve a narrative purpose though -- it's a rather sobering moment for Jonny, who blames himself, and after this is when he starts acting like less of a selfish, impulsive {{Jerkass}}.
136* In ''WesternAnimation/TheKingAndI'', this happens to the King after his hot air balloon goes down.
137* ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda1'' plays around with this a bit. After his fight with Tai Lung, Po returns to the temple to find [[spoiler:Shifu lying on the ground, still injured from his fight with Tai Lung. As Po rushed to his side to comfort him Shifu thanked Po for bringing peace to the valley and himself, closing his eyes. Afraid that he was succumbing to his wounds, Po calls to Shifu begging him to not die, to which Shifu replies "I'm not dying you idiot!" Turns out he was just resting]].
138* Petrie does this in ''WesternAnimation/TheLandBeforeTime'', getting seemingly devoured by Sharptooth just before drowning.
139* This happens to two of the characters in ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfTheTitanic'', one with an electrocuted mouse and another one with an octopus, who didn't move out of the way from under the ship after he couldn't hold it up any longer.
140* At the end of ''Anime/LittleNemoAdventuresInSlumberland'', Nemo takes a rather big fall while defeating the Nightmare King and dies... or not. This was meant to be the culmination of a plot point where it was possible Nemo could die after using the royal scepter to defeat the Nightmare King because of it being too much power for his body to handle, but scenes pertaining to that were edited from the VHS due to NeverSayDie, making this feel much more out of place.
141* Happens in ''WesternAnimation/TheMagicRoundabout2005'' with [[spoiler:Zebedee]] and [[spoiler:Florence]]:
142** [[spoiler:Zebedee ends up trapped on a cliff by Zeebad who then collapses it, causing Zebedee to plummet into the abyss where he was presumed dead much to their grief and dismay of Dougal and the gang and the delight by Zeebad. Fortunately, after Zeebad gets re-imprisoned, it is revealed that Zebedee had survived the fall, but is still trapped in the ice until he is able to break free when it starts to melt.]]
143** [[spoiler:Florence appears to have died from hypothermia after being trapped in the frozen roundabout throughout the film much to Dougal's grief. Luckily to Dougal's relief, she was only unconscious where he continues licking her face to wake Florence up until she is fully conscious.]]
144* [[spoiler:Played with]] in ''WesternAnimation/{{Megamind}}''. [[spoiler:Minion's water-helmet shatters in the final fight, and afterwards he appears to be dying. He and Megamind share a few words, and Minion... puts on an overdramatic display of dying. At which point Megamind casually tosses him in the fountain, where he laughs and says he feels much better.]] "What a drama queen!"
145* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Minions}}'', it seems as if [[spoiler:Kevin exploded after swallowing Scarlet's bomb]]. However, the [[spoiler:explosion]] only [[spoiler:shrunk him back down to his normal size]] (minus his [[spoiler:overalls]]).
146* Insectosaurus, the giant insect in ''WesternAnimation/MonstersVsAliens'', looks dead when blasted by an alien spaceship and wrapped lifeless and unmoving in a cocoon, but he was simply metamorphising into a butterfly, and later comes BackFromTheDead just in time to be used as a DeusExMachina to save the day.
147* Twilight has one in ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyTheMovie2017'' when [[spoiler:she, along with the Storm King, are sucked into a raging storm and presumed dead. Turns out, she reclaimed the [[MacGuffin Staff of Sacanas]] and manages to make it back on her hooves in one piece. Unfortunately, the Storm King ''also'' survives and attempts to take out the heroes with an [[TakenForGranite Obsidian Orb]], but a [[HeelFaceTurn reformed]] Tempest Shadow makes a HeroicSacrifice (and Disney Death of her own) to make sure his demise sticks]].
148* Played with in ''WesternAnimation/{{Nocturna}}''. [[spoiler:The Cat Shepard]] appears to die after fending off the evil shadow, and Tim accepts his death by saying he'll always live on in his heart. Right before the end of the movie, we see [[spoiler:a herd of cats run by, with the Cat Shepard's familiar legs and gait among them]]. Tim doesn't, though.
149* In ''WesternAnimation/TheNutJob'', it seems as if [[spoiler:Surly has died after sacrificing himself to save his friends by falling down a big waterfall. When Precious and Buddy find Surly's motionless body, the latter lays down beside his unmoving friend and says his first two words: "best... friend". When all hope seems lost, Surly suddenly wakes up and hugs his rat friend tightly]].
150* In ''WesternAnimation/TheNutJob2NuttyByNature'', Buddy is [[spoiler:knocked unconscious when he falls seemingly many stories off a balcony of the antagonist's home. Surly and Precious bring Buddy's lifeless body to Andie, who helps Surly carry Buddy into the ruined nut shop remains, and they both lay him on a big slab. Surly mourns greatly for his friend, and so do the other animals. When Precious licks Buddy as appreciation for saving her from the evil mayor's daughter, he suddenly moves. The pug licks Buddy twice more, enough to miraculously awaken him. Cue happy music, cheering, and hugs of relief]].
151* ''WesternAnimation/OnceUponAForest'' has one of these near the end, where the characters and the audience believe for a moment that Michelle has succumbed to her chlorine gas-induced sickness. A teardrop from her uncle revives her.
152* In ''WesternAnimation/OpenSeason'', Eliot appears to have been shot by Shaw's gun while saving Boog. He gets better.
153* Heather the possum, in ''WesternAnimation/OverTheHedge'', who gets kicked against a wall by antagonist Gladys Sharp and appears to be killed upon impact, much to the horror of her father [[spoiler:the twist being that she's a possum, and is merely faking]].
154* In ''WesternAnimation/ThePebbleAndThePenguin'', [[spoiler:Rocko appears to have been swept away by a wave, only to appear in the middle of the climax very much alive]].
155* There are two in ''Animation/PleasantGoatAndBigBigWolfTheSuperAdventure''. First, Wolffy is eaten by Cha Cha, only for him and Weslie to be pooped back out when the latter uses some of Mr. Slowy's medicines on Cha Cha. Then, Weslie himself ends up stuck in Cha Cha's flooded headquarters, but comes back completely fine later after he is deposited in the toxins from Granny Snail and uses some enlargement pills left behind by Wolffy to return himself back to his normal size.
156* Some villagers from ''Animation/TheReturnOfHanuman'', including Minku's father and Maruti's father, are thrown into a volcano by the village gangsters. By the end of the movie, Maruti turns into {{Superhero}} Hanuman and releases all of the victims after he defeats a monster formed out of the volcano.
157* [[spoiler:Nigel]] from ''WesternAnimation/{{Rio}}'', sort of. [[spoiler:Even though he's a villain, it's really upsetting when he is ''sucked in an airplane's propeller'', showing feathers flying out, too]], and is thought to be dead until the ending, where he is [[spoiler:stripped of his feathers on the forest floor, and Mauro (the Monkeys' leader) takes embarrassing pictures of him naked]], leading into the credits.
158* This trope is used in ''WesternAnimation/RiseOfTheGuardians'' when [[spoiler:the Sandman dies but is later resurrected during the climactic battle]].
159* ''WesternAnimation/RockADoodle'' gives [[spoiler:Edmund one. He appears to have been strangled to death in the climax, but gets better and turns back into a boy]].
160* An alternate version of ''WesternAnimation/RockAndRule'' has Zip survive his self-sacrifice to save Omar from the demon.
161* ''WesternAnimation/TheRugratsMovie'':
162** When Chuckie, Phil, and Lil go their separate ways from Tommy, they try find shelter in a storm. Lightning strikes a tree, causing it to fall, and Lil thinks that the tree fell on Phil, as all she could find near the tree were his shoes. It turns out that [[LosingAShoeInTheStruggle Phil just accidentally left his shoes behind]] when he ran for cover.
163** The film's climax plays with this. Spike sends himself and a wolf into a river. Moments later, Stu shows up to rescue the kids, who mistake him for a wizard and ask to bring Spike back to life. It is then revealed that Spike survived by landing at the bottom of the bridge.
164* We get a brief one in the second ''WesternAnimation/ScaryGodmother'' movie, ''The Revenge of Jimmy'', when it looks like the house fell on Scary Godmother and crushed her. Skully and Bug-a-Boo are crying, while Harry rejoices. Soon enough, Scary Godmother re-appears (having merely lost her leggings before the house came down), commenting on how sweet it is that Skully and Bug-a-Boo miss her.
165* In ''WesternAnimation/TheSecretOfKells'', there's a double example. [[spoiler:Abbot Cellach locks his nephew Brendan and fellow monk Brother Aidan in the scriptorium to protect them during a Northmen attack. It doesn't work, and when Cellach sees the scriptorium burning, he rushes to save them only to be attacked and left bleeding and unconscious on the ground. Brendan and Aidan manage to escape the building, but when they see Cellach lying in the snow, they believe him to be dead, and flee Kells. Cellach wakes up to see Northmen pouring from the building, and assumes his nephew is dead. The film then jumps 20 years forward to when uncle and nephew are finally reunited]]. Averted in that [[spoiler:nearly every other character really does perish in the Northmen attack]].
166* Thanks to a good DeusExMachina, this is what becomes of Mrs. Brisby's family in ''WesternAnimation/TheSecretOfNIMH'' when her cinderblock house falls and sinks into the mud... before the jewel glows and restores everything back to normal.
167* ''Franchise/{{Shrek}}'':
168** This happens in ''WesternAnimation/ShrekForeverAfter''. At the end of the movie Shrek fades out of existence, as he gave up the day of his birth to [[BigBad Rumplestiltskin]] in exchange for a day to live his life the way he wanted to as an ogre. But he gets one last chance to tell Fiona how much she means to him before he dies. They exchange one last kiss and Shrek disappears... only for the entire reality that 'Stiltskin had created to fade out of existence as well. As it turns out, the contract was to be made null and void if Fiona and Shrek exchanged a lovers' kiss; if Fiona had fallen in love with Shrek in the alternate universe, then the contract ends and the universe with it. Shrek is returned to his original universe, with his friends and family surrounding him at his children's birthday party. Shrek gets his happily ever after.
169** Also used in ''WesternAnimation/Shrek2'' with King Harold. He takes a magical blast from the Fairy Godmother to protect Shrek and Fiona, and after her defeat he's notably vanished making it seem like it killed him. But it turns out he's actually [[spoiler:reverted back into his true form of a frog. This might seen a little pointless in hindsight, since ''WesternAnimation/ShrekTheThird'' [[SuddenSequelDeathSyndrome kills him anyway]]. But his survival from the incident was integral for the reluctant heirs to the throne, Shrek and Fiona, to pass their roles as the new royalty of Far, Far Away onto Arthur in the third film, for he mentions Arthur on his death bed]].
170** In ''WesternAnimation/PussInBoots2011'', [[spoiler:when Puss is trying to save his friend Humpty, the Golden Goose and the goose's mother, Puss is holding on to Humpty by only a thin rope on a broken bridge, while the Golden Goose is dangling above the distant ground with its mother, close to falling to their death. Humpty sacrifices himself to save the Golden Goose, its mother, and the town, while Humpty supposedly fell to death and cracked open. However, in the credits, it is revealed he came out alright]].
171* Smurfette from ''WesternAnimation/SmurfsTheLostVillage'' is [[spoiler:reduced to clay]] after her [[spoiler:defeat of Gargamel]] but is [[spoiler:restored by Main/ThePowerOfFriendship'']].
172* ''WesternAnimation/SpaceChimps2ZartogStrikesBack'': Zartog uses a de-particle-izer to zap all the scientists out of existence. They're brought back at the end.
173* In ''WesternAnimation/TheSpongeBobSquarePantsMovie'', [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick are dried up to death in the Shell City gift shop and then revived a minute later when their tears short out an electrical outlet and activate the sprinkler system.
174* This happens ''twice'' to the heroine of ''WesternAnimation/TheSwanPrincess''. The first film has her saved by a declaration of love from her prince. The third has her ''vaporized'' by a bolt of black magic. When her now-husband prince burns the copy of the spell that summoned it so that its powers can never be used again, she materializes from the resultant flames. Also, Jean-Bob is knocked out at the climax of II and brought back as a side effect of the spell that turns Odette into a swan and back. The first film also averted this trope rather surprisingly: after a very long opening number which establishes the relationships between all of the major players (not only the love/hate relationship of Odette and Derek, but the extremely close friendship of King William and Queen Uberta), King William is abruptly killed. This seems to have no repercussions on any of the other characters.
175* ''WesternAnimation/TitanAE'': [[spoiler:Gune]] saves Stith from [[spoiler:a bomb Preed placed on her wrist, only for it to detonate and leave him wounded]] and he mutters "I'll just take a little nap", before collapsing. Later, just when the Drej are about to destroy the Titan, [[spoiler:Gune]] arrives to the rescue and hangs a {{lampshade|Hanging}} on the trope.
176-->'''Gune:''' I finished my nap!
177* Like [[FollowTheLeader most Disney film tropes at the time]], this happens to both title characters of ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerryTheMovie''.
178%%* Both [[spoiler:Stanley]] and [[spoiler:Rosie]] in ''WesternAnimation/ATrollInCentralPark''.
179* Near the end of ''Wabuu the Cheeky Raccoon'' from Creator/DingoPictures, when Wabuu chops down a tree to use as a bridge, a bird's egg falls out of its nest to the ground and causes the parents to call him a "child murderer", though the hatchling emerges unharmed. Then we find out that the tree also accidentally fell on Wuschel the squirrel, and the mole declares him dead. Wabuu, however, finds out otherwise and frees him from under the fallen tree.
180[[/folder]]
181
182[[folder:Literature]]
183* In ''Literature/{{Caraval}}'', Scarlett watches [[spoiler:Tella and Julian]] die on the last day of the game, but they are both brought back to life at the very end.
184* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'':
185** In ''Literature/{{Moving Pictures|Discworld}}'', Gaspode the Wonder Dog makes a HeroicSacrifice to save the Disc from the Things from the Dungeon Dimensions. In the first draft he was killed, but this was rewritten following reader feedback, and Gaspode went on to become a recurring character. Given the theme of the book, and the method used to revive Gaspode... possible LampshadeHanging?
186** In ''Literature/LordsAndLadies'', it looks like Granny Weatherwax has given her life to help defeat the Queen of the Elves. When Nanny Ogg and Magrat go through Granny's personal affects, they find an envelope with a piece of card in it: Granny's old "I ATEN'T DEAD" sign. Nanny realizes this means Granny wasn't dead, but off Borrowing (in this case, a swarm of bees).
187** Maurice and Dangerous Beans both die in the finale of the first ''Discworld'' children's book, ''Literature/TheAmazingMauriceAndHisEducatedRodents''. Maurice survives because CatsHaveNineLives, and Dangerous Beans survives because Maurice offers ''two'' of his lives to [[BalancingDeathsBooks Balance Death's Books]].
188* ''Franchise/HarryPotter'':
189** In ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows'', Harry is struck by a Killing Curse, but does not really die due to unknowingly becoming an extra Horcrux. However, his friends back at Hogwarts do not know this at first and fear that their hero is gone for good.
190*** In the same book, [[spoiler:Hagrid]] is apparently killed by an acromantula in the Battle of Hogwarts, but he later turns up with the Death Eaters in the Forbidden Forest as a prisoner.
191** Ginny toward the end of ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheChamberOfSecrets'' via [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness being imprisoned in the Chamber and having the life force sucked out of her]]. Harry manages to undo that by destroying [[spoiler:a Horcrux]]. Then Harry seems to be fatally wounded while stabbing the Basilisk, but Fawkes saves him with phoenix tears.
192* ''Literature/MagicalGirlRaisingProject'' isn't afraid to kill people by the dozens, but occasionally someone manages to survive a seemingly fatal attack.
193** At the end of the first arc, Ripple seems to have died from her injuries sustained against Swim Swim, but Snow White's Lucky Rabbit's Foot activates and helps her survive.
194** In ''Limited'', Ripple is seemingly killed by Postarie via being stabbed by her own shurikens and falling down a hole, but her wounds weren't quite fatal, and Pythie Frederica managed to give her first aid.
195** Prism Cherry in ''JOKERS'' is thought to have died in the control room when Shufflin attacked, but she's saved by Frederica just in time, allowing her to heal and return for the climax.
196** Stanczyka in ''JOKERS'' is thought to have blown herself up to stall Joker Shufflin. In actuality, Frederica managed to pull her out.
197** Princess Deluge is seemingly slashed to death by Snow White in the climax of ''QUEENS'', but she's able to hang on long enough for Mana to give her medical aid.
198* In ''Literature/TheNightLand'', after the hero has been through hell and back to bring his beloved home, and despite the best efforts of the Redoubt's finest doctors, [[spoiler:she dies anyway and has a tremendous funeral attended by the entire human race. Then she comes back to life without explanation]].
199* In Creator/{{Voltaire}}'s ''Literature/{{Candide}}'', roughly every few pages a character is "brought back to life". {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d in the musical version with the song "You Were Dead, You Know."
200* In ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'', Frodo is stabbed by an Orc and stung by Shelob, appearing dead both times, but is saved by his mithril armor and Shelob using paralytic poison instead of a fatal one, respectively. Gandalf dies from his exertions after killing the Balrog, but is sent back by [[{{God}} Ilúvatar]] to finish his task.
201* Two examples from ''Literature/TheNightGardener'':
202** Molly doesn't tell Kip the last thing she saw of their parents partially because the letters the tree has been giving her made her hope that their parents' seemingly real death wasn't real at all. Later in the book, she has to come to terms with the fact that they really are gone.
203** Near the end, Kip grabs the Night Gardener and throws himself into the river surrounding the Windsor estate to give his sister and the rest of the Windsors time to destroy the tree. Alastair comes back to the others carrying the seemingly drowned Kip in his arms. However, as Molly is mourning over him, he coughs out the water and wakes up.
204* Valashu in the ''Literature/EaCycle'' narrates his own Disney Death in first person. He falls into afterlife for half a page or so and then gets promptly resurrected. After all, he couldn't very well write about his adventures if he remained dead.
205* In ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'' series, the climactic battle with Rahvin resulted in the death of some major characters. Rand proceeded to use really powerful balefire to kill Rahvin, which killed him irrevocably ''and'' had the convenient effect of undoing everything the villain did in the last hour or so. Everybody's okay!
206* In Robert Aspirin's ''Literature/MythAdventures'' series, it was almost a Running Gag to have a character (usually Aahz) appear to be dead/gone and then reappear later as a surprise...
207* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' manages to * combine* this with being a series where AnyoneCanDie. Multiple chapters end with a POV character seemingly "dying"... Only for a later chapter to reveal that they survived. Combined with the fact that lots of people really DO die, this has spawned a ludicrous number of EpilepticTrees.
208* Creator/GuyGavrielKay's ''Literature/TheLionsOfAlRassan'' wrings every possible bit of suspense, drama and angst out of [[spoiler:Diego Belmonte]]'s death... then [[spoiler:Ishak the legendary doctor appears and "wishes to examine the boy."]]
209* ''Literature/JurassicPark1990'' ends with [[spoiler:Ian Malcolm]] apparently dead, even referring to the difficulty the others are having in getting his body sent back to America for burial... But in ''Literature/TheLostWorld1995'' we learn that he survived.
210* ''Literature/{{Redwall}}'': In ''Mossflower'', the big final duel ends with it looking like [[spoiler:Martin is dead since he's covered in blood as well as hundreds of cuts from Tsarmina's claws. But he]]'s just in a coma and is healed up by the last chapter.
211* [[spoiler:Stormbringer]] in ''Literature/AvalonWebOfMagic'' seems to die at the end of the sixth book, but the ninth book reveals that [[spoiler:she was just trapped on an astral plane... or something]]. Regardless, she's alive.
212** This also happens to [[spoiler:Ozzie]] in the twelfth book. For such a sunshine and rainbows series, it manages to pull off this trope amazingly convincingly.
213* ''Literature/PeterPan'':
214** Tinker Bell pulls one of these off when she makes a HeroicSacrifice to save Peter. ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve in fairies!
215** Wendy lies seemingly dead after being mistaken for a bird and shot with an arrow by one of the Lost Boys. But the arrow turns out to have only pierced an acorn button she was wearing and presumably caused her to faint from fear.
216* Cruelly played with in ''Deeper'' of the ''Literature/{{Tunnels}}'' series. [[spoiler:The hero's brother Cal appears to [[DroppedABridgeOnHim get a bridge dropped on him]] halfway through. However, he is later discovered to be OnlyMostlyDead and is able to recover. He rejoins the other heroes for the climax... only to die in a hail of bullets at the end.]]
217* In R.A. Salvatore's ''[[Literature/TheLegendOfDrizzt Drizzt]]'' novels set in the ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms'', this happens a lot. Out of the [[FiveManBand five heroes]], Regis is the only one of them who hasn't been presumed dead at least once.
218* The Chinese novel ''Literature/HeavenSwordAndDragonSabre'' has one of TheHero's love interest, Yin Li, is killed off by another [[LoveMakesYouEvil love interest who turns evil]], and get buried under the sand after the protagonist finds out the following morning, but she survives, and reappears around the later part of the novel.
219* The rat in one picture book of ''The House that Jack Built''.
220* In ''Literature/DragonBones'', [[spoiler:Oreg is revealed to have survived the death of his body at the end of the novel. Turns out, it was not his ''real'' body, that was buried somewhere else, and apparently in a coma. His father seems to have kept it there after binding his soul to castle Hurog. ItMakesSenseInContext]].
221* ''Literature/AgentPendergast'' novels
222** In ''Literature/DanceOfDeath,'' the character of Margo Green, who was the main character in the authors' first two books, is stabbed and apparently killed by Pendergast's brother Diogenes. The very end of the novel reveals that she survived and Pendergast allowed the rest of the world to believe her dead so that his brother would not attempt to target her again. [[spoiler:As revealed in the next book, this fails, but she still lives anyway.]]
223** In ''Literature/CemeteryDance'', Pendergast is shot by the novel's antagonist and eventually collapses from blood loss. The final chapter makes it seem like he passed away from his wounds for 2-3 pages before revealing he's sitting there alive and well in his hospital bed.
224** Early on in ''Literature/ColdVengeance'', Pendergast is shot by [[spoiler:Judson Esterhazy]] and is left to die in the Moores of Scotland. Nearly a hundred pages is spent with the supporting cast mourning his "death" before it's revealed he survived, though he's still very weak from the affair.
225** At the end of ''Literature/WhiteFire'' [[spoiler:Pendergast's protegee Corrie Swanson is seemingly burned to death by an arsonist prompting an enraged Pendergast to hunt the killer. After his death, it's discovered Corrie freed herself and got to safety - the burnt corpse was actually an different victim whose corrupt actions were responsible for a lot of the events of the book]].
226* ''[[Literature/TheHungerGames Catching Fire]]'': [[spoiler:Peeta Mellark]] after walking knife-first into a force field during the Quarter Quell.
227* ''Literature/LegacyOfTheDragokin'' has three examples:
228** [[spoiler:Rana]] is ''crucified'' at one point but was OnlyMostlyDead and so she survived with help.
229** [[spoiler:Kalak]] is yanked underwater by a squid monster and would have drowned if not for his deal with Mordak.
230** [[spoiler:One of the goblins]] is squashed by Ravage's corpse and stops breathing, but was only unconscious. He comes too soon after.
231* In ''Toys/{{Bionicle}} Chronicles #4: Tales of the Masks'', Pohatu is presumed dead after being buried in a collapsed cave. The even [[NotSoStoic softens]] [[AnIcePerson the ice-hearted]] Kopaka so much that he's ready to hand over the Mask of Shielding he's found the cave to Pohatu's people... and Pohatu's there to take it from him, apparently having survived the cave-in thanks to the mask extending its power over him before the rubble hit.
232* ''Literature/TheBookOfLostThings'': [[spoiler:The Huntsman, who returns safe and sound at the end after apparently being killed by the Loups early on]].
233* In ''Literature/ThisImmortal'', Cassandra, protagonist Conrad's wife, allegedly dies in an earthquake which lays waste to the general area she and Conrad live in. It turns out she was out on a boat during the quake and miraculously survived.
234* Although AnyoneCanDie in ''Literature/WarriorCats'', this does appear a few times.
235** Hollyleaf appears to die at the end of ''Sunrise'', after running into a collapsing underground tunnel. We don't find out about her survival for ''five'' books. She's later KilledOffForReal, [[BackForTheDead one book after she returns.]]
236** In ''Shattered Sky'', Twigpaw appears to die when she is struck by a car. It turns out she had only been knocked unconscious, and had survived the initial impact. {{Justified|Trope}} in that although the search patrol [[NeverFoundTheBody doesn't find her body,]] they ''do'' find significantly large traces of her blood and fur where it happened (identified by scent), and it was safe to assume that she had been killed. Also, Twigpaw would've died of her injuries if not for her getting rescued by a human veterinarian.
237* In the eighth ''Literature/FrannyKStein'' book, titled ''Bad Hair Day'', Franny's dog Igor attempts to use hair care products to defeat a pair of giant monsters mutated from Franny's pigtails gorging themselves on Franny's growth formula, only to get swallowed alive by one of them. Franny initially thinks Igor has died, but is later proven wrong when Igor uses scissors to snip his way out of the pigtail monster that ate him, but not before cutting off his own fur to prevent getting swallowed again.
238* ''Literature/LittleWomen'': While Jo and Meg are watching over the sleeping, scarlet fever-racked Beth through the night while also waiting for their mother to come home, a change suddenly comes over Beth – her fever flush fades away and her face turns peaceful. For a few moments, Jo thinks her sister has died. But then their housekeeper Hannah checks her vital signs and reveals that just the opposite is true – her fever has finally broken and she's on the road to recovery. [[spoiler: Sadly, she never ''fully'' recovers and [[KilledOffForReal really does die]] several years later.]]
239* ''Literature/RetiredWitchesMysteries'': In book 2, Brian is believed dead at the hands of the sea witch, to the point where his family even holds a funeral... where Dorothy, unable to stand it, breaks into his coffin and kisses him, which brings him out of his death-like state and leaves him very confused about what's going on.
240* ''Literature/BazilBroketail'': In the fourth novel's finale, he gets knocked down into a volcano's crater by the combined efforts of Bazil and Relkin. In truly Disney-esque fashion, it is even mentioned that his dying scream could be heard for a long time on his way down.
241* ''Literature/GoblinsInTheCastle'': Herky, who falls out the window with the evil sorcerer Ishmael[[note]][[DoNotCallMePaul Don't call him that!]][[/note]] while clinging to his shoulder. When he turns up alive (to William and Fauna's great relief), he explains that he jumped free, clung to the wall and climbed back up to the window.
242* ''Literature/HarrysMad'': After Madison[=/=]Mad escapes his birdnapper, he's found outside by a couple of garbagemen who think, because of his bedraggled appearance (having escaped up a sooty chimney and been caught in the rain), that he's dead. He quickly proves himself to be alive though, and one of the men takes him home to recuperate.
243
244[[/folder]]
245
246[[folder:Music]]
247* The 19th century Irish comic ballad "Finnegan's Wake" (which also provided inspiration for [[Literature/FinnegansWake James Joyce's novel of the same name]]) is about an Dublin worker named Tim Finnegan who resurrects at his funeral after some whiskey ([[RuleOfSymbolism Water of Life in Irish]]) pours over him by mistake.
248* The girl in ''Music/IFightDragons'' second album ''The Near Future'' dies shortly after her, the boy, and her grandfather escape the complex. As the boy morns, he manages to reverse the link between him and her, returning all her powers and bringing her back to life.
249[[/folder]]
250
251[[folder:Music Videos]]
252* A rather nasty example comes in Music/MichaelJackson's ''[[Film/MichaelJacksonsGhosts Ghosts]]''. His hero, Maestro, asks the mob of kids and grown-ups (the latter wanted to run him out of town) if they still want him to leave; while only the evil mayor does, Maestro agrees to go and smashes himself into the floor, crumbling into dust before the horrified crowd's eyes and reducing one of the boys to tears. The mayor is happy to be rid of him and makes to leave, but then the Maestro (in his ghoul form) appears as a giant face in the doorway, and the mayor runs away screaming, smashing through a window. Turns out Maestro just wanted to scare everybody, and the crowd is happy... except for viewers who realize the FridgeLogic that the mayor might be ''actually be dead'' or at least horribly injured, and that the hero traumatized everybody just to trick one person who (by that point) had a darn good reason for wanting him out of town -- he'd been the victim of magical torture by the Maestro.
253[[/folder]]
254
255[[folder:Myths & Religion]]
256* Myth/NorseMythology: After Ragnarok. The world is devastated and everyone is dead. Wait, there are survivors?...
257* "Literature/TheDeathOfKoscheiTheDeathless": Prince Ivan gets killed by the titular villain. Fortunately, his brothers-in-law are wizards and can bring him back to life.
258[[/folder]]
259
260[[folder:Pro Wrestling]]
261* In a rare combination of both kayfabe AND real-life, Wrestling/VinceMcMahon's limo blew up with him inside it at the conclusion of one episode of ''Wrestling/WWERaw'' in 2007. This was supposed to have been the "death" of the Mr. [=McMahon=] character, but real-life circumstances involving the very, very real death of Wrestling/ChrisBenoit, forced Vince back on television to address the fans personally, where he admits that the limo explosion WAS in fact, meant to be the death of his "Mr. [=McMahon=]" character. Of course, Mr. [=McMahon=] has since been "resurrected" and up to his usual brutal boss ways.
262* Wrestling/TheUndertaker loves this trope. How many times has he been kayfabe killed, only to inexplicably come back very much alive to terrorize his opponents when everyone thought he was gone for good?
263[[/folder]]
264
265[[folder:Radio]]
266* In an episode of ''Radio/TheShadow'' called "The Blind Beggar Dies", The Shadow suspected that Spike and Marty were setting a trap for him, so he stood behind them and use "ventriloquism" to make his voice sound like it was near the door, tricking them into thinking that they killed him.
267[[/folder]]
268
269[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
270* In ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'' and ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' this is what happens to the named characters in most narratives accompanying games - they are knocked out, sent through accidental warp portals, teleported away just before death, badly wounded but recovered by medics after the battle, temporarily banished to the Realm of Chaos or any number of fates that can be recovered from. It even makes it clear in the rules that casualties don't automatically equate to dead. When a character dies, it's usually a major event or storyline progression and doesn't stop them being used in historical refights, but this is strongly tempered with StatusQuoIsGod (as well as the fact that if the characters stay alive, people will [[CrackIsCheaper keep buying the models]]),
271* Characters in ''TabletopGame/RocketAge'' are able to use their story points to dodge death or defeat, although at the cost of a new bad trait. Because of this any villain the heroes didn't see die by their own hand can be easily be brought back by the Game Master at a dramatic moment.
272[[/folder]]
273
274[[folder:Theatre]]
275* In the opera ''Paul Bunyan'', Hel Helson, suffering from an inferiority complex, is egged on by his four cronies to fight with Paul. Paul wins, of course, and Helson is knocked unconscious. A sort of funeral procession ensues. Then Helson wakes up, makes friends with Paul, and dismisses the cronies.
276* Philip Lombard gets one of these in the stage version of ''Literature/AndThenThereWereNone''.
277* Elphaba and Fiyero in ''Theatre/{{Wicked}}'', who fake their deaths and leave Oz, never able to return, although Glinda and all other denizens remain in the dark about this. Doubles as an example of SparedByTheAdaptation, since in the novel, [[DownerEnding both do indeed die]].
278* Twistedly raised as a possibility in the 2013 musical ''Theatre/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory'' as part of the show's BlackComedy. In this version, Augustus, Violet, and Veruca and her dad all face the possibility of DeathByAdaptation. Augustus is swept away by a pipe to be turned into fudge; Violet, having swelled into a giant blueberry, explodes in a shower of purple glitter; Veruca and her dad are sent down a garbage chute to an incinerator. According to Willy Wonka, Augustus and Violet can be rescued and restored, respectively, so she could get a Disney Death. But that's only going to happen offstage. '''''If she's lucky.''''' And she may be NotQuiteBackToNormal if she is. The audience will never know...
279* In ''Theatre/DerFreischuetz'', the second act finale begins in a mood of tragic horror with Agathe having been seemingly shot to death by Max. Thanks to a ProtectiveCharm, she survives.
280* In both the musical and the movie versions of ''Theatre/{{Rent}}'', Mimi apparently dies at the end, after living on the streets for a long time while suffering from HIV. But after Roger uses the [[ThePowerOfLove Power of Love]]/the [[ThePowerOfRock Power of Rock]], she suddenly comes back to life again, her fever broken and not delirious anymore. Only in the [[DeathByAdaptation Dutch production]] is she KilledOffForReal. Subverted with Angel's actual death. In the opera ''Theatre/LaBoheme'', which ''Rent'' was based on, Mimi actually did die from tuberculosis, although Schaunard (Angel) did not die at all.
281* Some productions of ''Theatre/TheNutcracker'' have the title character be stabbed by the Mouse King near the end of their battle, making the later's death either a MutualKill or caused by [[ImprobableWeaponUser Clara's thrown shoe]], and then have Clara mourn over his body for a moment before he not only revives, but turns into a prince.
282[[/folder]]
283
284[[folder:Theme Parks]]
285* In ''Theatre/WaterworldALiveSeaWarSpectacular'' at the Ride/UniversalStudios parks, it at first appears that the Mariner is killed when the Deacon shoots him with a bazooka, but a few mere minutes later, he rises up out of the water and ready to return back to the battle.
286[[/folder]]
287
288[[folder:Visual Novels]]
289* In ''VisualNovel/{{Snatcher}}'', [[spoiler:Metal Gear]] uses himself as a target for a KillSat beam. He comes back, but [[spoiler:in the form of whatever console the version of the game you're playing is on]].
290[[/folder]]
291
292[[folder:Web Animation]]
293* WebAnimation/HTFPlus: Flippy [[HeroicSacrifice sacrifices himself]] by blowing up the building with the HTF zombies in it to save Flaky in HTF+Amnesia 2, in HTF+Amnesia 3/HTF+LG 4 he comes back.
294* In episode 3 of ''Ark Angels'' by WebAnimation/Qem95, Nick jumps in front of a bullet that The Masked Man throws at the viewer, leaving the bullet to impale his clockwork heart and all the cogs and springs fall out causing him to rust up. However, Bang brings him back to the office and fixes him. If you click him, while he's leaping, he falls to the ground and the bullet hits you instead. When the screen goes back to normal, your surrounded by Nick, Qem, Bang, Malcolm and The Masked Man, who turns out to be Soldier.
295[[/folder]]
296
297[[folder:Webcomics]]
298* ''Webcomic/AchillesShieldmaidens'': The narration during the prologue leads us to believe that Sofia Gagarin died in a LastStand in Neo Manhattan during the AlienInvasion. Badly wounded? Yes. Dead? No: she's "Scourge", the pilot of the [[AMechByAnyOtherName Achilles]] that saves Artemis and Max at the start of chapter 1.
299* ''Webcomic/{{Earthsong}}'' opens with a battle in which a man named Richard is stabbed through the heart and disappears, enraging his allies as though he had actually been killed and alarming the newly-awoken protagonist, Willow. Richard's "killers" explain that the sword actually destroyed his soulstone, simply returning him to his home planet. This is the typical way to "die" on Earthsong, making it rather shocking when actual deaths occur. (However, it is sometimes the case that they are returning to imminent death on their world ''anyway''.)
300* Set seems to be have been killed in ''Webcomic/SonicTheComicOnline'' by being beaten to death by [[spoiler:Tekno]] who has been experiencing a SanitySlippage. However it turns out [[spoiler:she]] inexplicably missed any major organs and he survived.
301[[/folder]]
302
303[[folder:Web Original]]
304* ''LetsPlay/{{Dream}}'' appears to die in his Minecraft Manhunt videos but doesn't, many times.
305[[/folder]]
306
307[[folder:Web Videos]]
308* In ''WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWallTheMovie'', Allen is killed during ''Comicron-1'''s fight against the ''Caelestis''. However, when Linkara learns that Europa's surface has a healing effect thanks to [[WebVideo/ToBoldlyFlee the Plot Hole]], he brings Allen's corpse down to bring him back to life.
309* At the end of ''WebVideo/TheCartoonMan'', [[spoiler:Karen is fatally wounded by Simon's knife, but Roy manages to save her by transforming her into a cartoon with black ink]].
310* ''WebVideo/CriticalRole'' has a subversion in its first campaign: during a battle with the archlich Vecna, Vax'ildan is struck with a deadly spell that disintegrated him, rendering him DeaderThanDead as there is no way to revive someone from disintegration (other party members were killed, but subsequently revived using Pike's holy magic as their bodies were still intact). Some time after, Vax returns, alive and well...at a price: the Raven Queen has struck a bargain with him, allowing him to return to life for long enough to defeat Vecna. After the party succeeds in banishing Vecna, the Raven Queen comes to collect on her end of the bargain. Vax [[FaceDeathWithDignity graciously departs with the Raven Queen]] after saying his farewells to his friends, [[KilledOffForReal this time for good]] (save for a brief return to send well-wishes to his sister Vex on her wedding day, courtesy of Scanlan's last use of the Wish spell).
311[[/folder]]
312
313!!!Spoofs
314
315[[folder:Advertising]]
316* A "CrossesTheLineTwice" computer ad showed how horrible a businessman's life was before he got his new computer, including a staff member shouting "Business is terrible!" before jumping out though the window, and being called that his wife left him and his dog died. After he gets his computer, his wife calls him that she's back and the dog was pretending, and the businessman comes back in a wheelchair and bandages, saying how business is picking up.
317[[/folder]]
318
319[[folder:Comic Strips]]
320* Done with bears in ''ComicStrip/TheFarSide''. In the middle of a funeral, the "corpse" sits up and berates the mourners, "I was hibernating, you idiots! Don't you ever check for a pulse?"
321[[/folder]]
322
323[[folder:Films — Animation]]
324* Near the end of the ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'' movie ''WesternAnimation/WakkosWish'', Dot gets hit by one of King Salazar's cannonballs and [[DiedInYourArmsTonight dies in Yakko's arms...]] then she says "I'm feeling better now" right when Wakko reaches the wishing star. Yakko says her acting lessons [[MasterActor must really be paying off]]....
325* ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda'': After the climactic battle with Tai Lung, Po realizes Master Shifu is still injured. He rushes back to the Jade Palace to tell him Tai Lung has been defeated, and as Shifu peacefully drifts off Po [[PleaseWakeUp begs him not to die]]. Then Shifu [[MoodWhiplash abruptly wakes up again and snaps at Po]].
326-->'''Shifu:''' I'm ''NOT'' dying, you idiot!
327* Parodied in the ChristmasSpecial ''Robbie the Reindeer in Hooves of Fire'': Robbie's mentor, Old Jingle, appears to die tragically [[DiedInYourArmsTonight in his arms]]. Then Jingle starts snoring.
328[[/folder]]
329
330[[folder:Puppet Shows]]
331* In ''Film/MuppetTreasureIsland'', [[Creator/TimCurry Long John Silver]] tells Samuel Arrow, played by safety fanatic [[TheComicallySerious Sam the Eagle]], one of the boats may not be safe, and tells him to go out to sea to make sure it is safe. He then tells Kermit (The Captain) that he was lost at sea. He comes back some time later and tells Jim, Gonzo, and Rizzo "Not to trust that Silver fellow."
332-->'''Gonzo:''' Now he tells us....
333* In the ''Projected Man'' episode of ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'', Crow develops the touch of death the main character in the movie has -- and accidentally kills Mike when he shakes his hand during one of the host segments! This actually sticks for a bit; they return to the theater with Mike's corpse just propped up in his seat. After his body keeps falling on Servo, Crow shakes his hand again which brings him back to life. Upon learning they're still watching the crummy movie, Mike actually wishes Crow had left him dead.
334[[/folder]]

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