Line #25 Main/DyingMomentOfAwesome


1	%%
2	%% NOTE: Before adding an example, check to make sure it doesn't fit in one of the subtropes.
3	%% Examples that fit one or more subtropes should be listed over there instead.
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5	%% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1654458289077260000
6	%% Please don't change or remove without starting a new thread.
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8	[[quoteright:350:[[ComicBook/DCTheNewFrontier https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/johncloud.png]]]]
9	[[caption-width-right:350:[[Film/MadMaxFuryRoad Witnessed!]]]]
10	%%
11
12	->''"If I'm done for, then I'm gonna go out like a badass!"''
13	-->-- '''A random survivor''', ''Manga/HighschoolOfTheDead'' [[note]][[SubvertedTrope He fails to kill or even scratch any of the zombies who proceed to tear him to shreds]].[[/note]]
14
15	To put it simply, when a character dies in a grand way. Though the plot may say that they have to die, the writer honors the character enough to not take them down like a nameless {{mook}}, but instead make their death something to be proud of. They don't run, they don't cry. [[FaceDeathWithDignity They die standing, and they go down swinging.]]
16
17	The polar opposite of DroppedABridgeOnHim, the Dying Moment of Awesome is a SuperTrope for:
18
19	[[index]]
20	* AlasPoorScrappy
21	* AlasPoorVillain
22	* AngstNuke (the non-survivable type)
23	* BerserkerTears
24	* DeathEqualsRedemption
25	* DeathIsTheOnlyOption
26	* DeathMeansHumanity
27	* DefiantToTheEnd
28	* DidYouJustFlipOffCthulhu (BringIt, squid.)
29	* DissonantSerenity (frequently seen in redeeming or willing deaths)
30	* DyingAsYourself
31	* DoNotGoGentle
32	* FacingTheBulletsOneLiner
33	* GoOutWithASmile
34	* HeroicRROD
35	* HeroicSacrifice
36	** HeroicSuicide
37	** JumpingOnAGrenade, a specific form of the HeroicSacrifice.
38	** TakingTheBullet, another form of the HeroicSacrifice
39	* IDieFree
40	* ItHasBeenAnHonor
41	* KillUsBoth
42	* TheLastDance
43	* LastStand
44	* ObiWanMoment
45	* OneWingedAngel
46	* RedemptionEqualsDeath
47	* SacrificialRevivalSpell
48	* SelfDestructiveCharge
49	* ShapeShifterSwanSong
50	* TheSlowWalk
51	* StaringDownCthulhu (If the hero doesn't survive the staring contest.)
52	* SuperPowerMeltdown (When put to good use)
53	* TakingYouWithMe
54	* ThanatosGambit
55	* TranquilFury
56	* VillainousRROD
57	* VillainsDyingGrace
58	* YouCannotKillAnIdea
59	* YouShallNotPass
60	[[/index]]
61
62	If done well, this can be a real TearJerker. It can be undermined somewhat if the character later [[BackFromTheDead gets better]], but eh, what'cha gonna do...
63
64	Someone may note that it was a GreatWayToGo. OutWithABang is a rather more undignified way to die, but still enviable and cool in its own way.
65
66	Beware while reading this page. This article has been proven to cause ManlyTears in many tropers. Including female ones.
67
68	If an example fits in one of the subtropes, please list it there instead.
69
70	!!'''As a {{Death Trope\|s}}, all spoilers will be unmarked ahead. Beware.'''
71	----
72	!!Examples:
73
74	[[index]]
75	* DyingMomentOfAwesome/AnimeAndManga
76	* DyingMomentOfAwesome/ComicBooks
77	* DyingMomentOfAwesome/FanWorks
78	* [[DyingMomentOfAwesome/LiveActionFilms Films — Live-Action]]
79	* DyingMomentOfAwesome/{{Literature}}
80	* DyingMomentOfAwesome/LiveActionTV
81	* DyingMomentOfAwesome/TabletopGames
82	* DyingMomentOfAwesome/VideoGames
83	* DyingMomentOfAwesome/WebOriginal
84	* DyingMomentOfAwesome/WesternAnimation
85	* DyingMomentOfAwesome/RealLife
86	[[/index]]
87
88	[[foldercontrol]]
89	[[folder:Asian Animation]]
90	* In Season 7 of ''Animation/HappyHeroes'', Kalo [[HeroicSacrifice sacrifices himself]] to save planet Xing Xing from an army of enemy spaceships. He quite literally goes out with a bang, producing a huge explosion that wipes out the entire opposing army.
91	[[/folder]]
92
93	[[folder:Films — Animation]]
94	* ''WesternAnimation/AtlantisTheLostEmpire'': "Nothing [[LastBreathBullet personal]]!!!"
95	* ''WesternAnimation/TheIronGiant''. [[spoiler:The titular character saves a town full of innocent people from an ICBM by ''flying straight into it''. {{Subverted}} later when it shows that the Giant is NotQuiteDead.]]
96	-->[[spoiler:'''The Giant''':]] [[ItMakesSenseInContext "Superman..."]]
97	* From ''WesternAnimation/ThePrincessAndTheFrog'', Ray's big YouShallNotPass moment against the shadow demons Dr. Facilier has summoned. He heroically fends them off before Dr. Facilier crushes him.
98	* Optimus Prime's continuous deaths in every Transformers continuity begins in 1986 during the G1 continuity, with his greatest moment being in ''WesternAnimation/TransformersTheMovie'', in which after landing on Earth as the Decepticons are laying seige to Autobot City, he utters eight words that sets up what is going to be his most epic outing in Generation One.
99	-->'''Optimus''': "Megatron must be stopped. No matter the cost."
100	** At which point The Touch begins playing, and Prime plows through three or four Decepticons and comes under fire from a host of others. He launches himself into the air and takes them all out with his rifle, and then confronts Megatron, leading to another of his classic lines, as well as a classic exchange with Megs himself.
101	--->'''Megatron''': "Prime!"\
102	'''Optimus''':"One shall stand, one shall fall."\
103	'''Megatron''': "Why throw away your life so recklessly?"\
104	'''Optimus''': "That's a question you should ask ''yourself'', Megatron."
105	** Cue Prime and Megatron having a knock-down drag-out fight where they're throwing everything they have into it because they know it's their final confrontation no matter ''what''. One way or another, this is ''it''. Prime wins, and dies shortly afterwards, and in defeating Megatron, ''repels the entire Decepticon invasion of Autobot City''.
106	* ''WesternAnimation/WreckItRalph'': Subverted. Ralph fully intends to sacrifice himself to stop the Cy-Bugs by diving from a great height into a volcano, but is saved at the last second by Vanellope.
107	[[/folder]]
108
109	[[folder:Manhwa]]
110	* Elder Jang-Il Jeong from ''Manhwa/TheBreaker :New Waves'', he [[JumpingOnAGrenade shields the main character, Shi-Woon, from a bomb blast with his body]]. Elder Jeong is OnlyMostlyDead but everyone thinks he is prompting Shi-Woon to go into a UnstoppableRage while his own injuries get worst in the fighting. Just as Shi-Woon is close to killing himself against his opponent and no one can reach him, Elder Jeong springs up to restrain and talk him down and in the end impart the last of his strength so that Shi-Woon's body could recover from the damage he took in the fight knowing it was the only thing keeping him alive.
111	* ''Manhwa/ShinAngyoOnshi's'' protagonist Munsu has this at the very end. It really has to be seen to be believed. Missing an arm, he finally confronts the PhysicalGod BigBad Aji Tae. Aji Tae subsequently decides to take Munsus other arm and an eye. All ''that'' does is make Munsu taunt Aji Tae to try and crush his heart and ''continuing'' to walk towards him. Aji Tae, who was previously presented as by far the most powerful being in the story, ''nearly shits himself in fear'' until he notices Munsu has finally died. [[DiedStandingUp Still standing, staring at Aji Tae.]] The relief doesn't last long, as a very angry Sando attacks Aji Tae from behind. Now, Aji Tae would have vaporized her, except, ''the dead Munsu is standing on his cape'', preventing him from turning around fast enough.
112	** Ondal dies to stop a bullet, the awesome part is Ondal is not real.
113	[[/folder]]
114
115	[[folder:Music]]
116	* In the Evillious vocaloid Servant of Evil, Allen pulls a TwinSwitch to save his sister and queen from execution, stoically going to his death at the guillotine.
117	* "The Wind" by Music/WarrenZevon qualifies. He recorded it while dying from inoperable lung cancer and it was released two weeks before his death. The personnel listing is a who's who of guest artists honoring their friend, including Music/BruceSpringsteen, Billy Bob Thorton, Emmy Lou Harris, Joe Walsh, Don Henley, Dwight Yoakam, and Music/TomPetty.
118	* The robot at the end of [=VOiCE=] by [[Music/{{vocaloid}} Hatsune Miku]]. Also doubles as a {{tearjerker}}.
119	* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vcgWcfI9j8 "Big Bad John"]] by Jimmy Dean tells the story of a giant of a man who saves his fellow miners from a cave-in by holding up a sagging support timber long enough for the twenty other miners to escape. The mine collapses before the others can go back in to save him.
120	-->''Now, they never reopened that worthless pit;''\
121	''They just placed a marble stand in front of it.''\
122	''These few words were written on that stand:''\
123	''"At the bottom of this mine lies a big big man.''\
124	''Big John."''
125	* Music/BonJovi's "Blaze of Glory" is all about this.
126	* A funny one: The swan song of ''Music/CarminaBurana''. A ''literal'' swan song - the swan is just being roasted for dinner and woes his fate.
127	* Music/{{Manowar}}, being a glorification (or AffectionateParody) of masculinity has some, in particular these lyrics from "The Sons of Odin"
128	-->One day too, I may fall
129	-->I will enter Odin's hall
130	-->I will die, sword in hand
131	-->My name and my deeds
132	-->Will scorch the land
133	* Music/{{Queen\|Band}}'s last song released within Music/FreddieMercury's lifetime, [[Music/{{Innuendo}} "The Show Must Go On"]], is about Mercury [[FaceDeathWithDignity facing death with dignity]]. When Brian May presented the demo to Freddie, he had doubts that the latter would be able to sing due to his illness the time. When the time came to record the vocals, Mercury drank a measure of vodka and said [[{{Determinator}} "I'll fucking do it, darling!"]], then recorded it in ''one take''.
134	-->''The show must go on''\
135	''The show must go on, yeah''\
136	''Oooh inside my heart is breaking''\
137	''My make-up may be flaking''\
138	''[[GoOutWithASmile But my smile still stays on]]"''
139	* Music/DavidBowie's final album, ''Music/BlackstarAlbum'', was released only two days before his death from cancer on January 10, 2016. The album has met with both critical and commercial success, and Bowie's lyrics imply the [[ApocalypticLog experiences of "a man who appears to be grappling with his own mortality"]].
140	* After lead singer Gord Downie was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, Canadian rock icons Music/TheTragicallyHip went on a farewell tour in Summer 2016, culminating on an August 20 show with the prime minister in attendance. The three-hour show had the band play 30 songs alongside three encores, and was seen by 11 million people worldwide.
141	* Similarly to what would become of David Bowie roughly a decade later, Music/JDilla was dying of lupus and confined to a hospital bed in 2005. While there, he produced ''Music/{{Donuts}}'', what many consider his masterpiece and ''The Shining''. He released ''Donuts'' on his 32nd birthday, February 7, 2006, and died just three days later on February 10. ''The Shining'', 75% complete at the time of his death, was completed by Dilla's friend Karriem Riggins at Dilla's request and released on August 22, 2006.
142	[[/folder]]
143
144	[[folder:Mythology and Religion]]
145	* Literature/{{Beowulf}} goes out in a manner befitting a legendary warrior and epic badass. As an old man (quite some time after his defeats of Grendel and Grendel's mother) his people are menaced by a dragon. Beowulf goes out alone to fight it, and although he ends up needing a little help from one of his warriors, he takes the dragon down. He dies a short while after the battle and is buried with the dragon's hoard.
146	* Literature/TheBible:
147	** Samson, in his final moments, used his newly-regained strength to pull down the Temple of Dagon and bury the Philistine government with him.
148	** The prophet Elijah ascended to Heaven in a chariot of fire, promising to return one day.
149	** Also, Jesus Christ. Not only dying for the sins of others, but forgiving those who executed Him. [[BackFromTheDead He came back]] (according to the resurrection), though.
150	--->'''Jesus:''' Forgive them, they know not what they do.
151	*** Not only that, but his death caused the veil in the temple to split, the earth to crack, the sky to go dark, a hurricane, and a whole bunch of corpses to start walking around.
152	** Alongside Jesus are the disciples. Peter asks to get crucified upside down, putting himself above them in power. Paul exercises his right as a Roman citizen to a speedy execution and gets beheaded.
153	* Cú Chulainn, the resident MemeticBadass of Myth/CelticMythology, fittingly dies this way. When deprived of his invincibility and surrounded by his enemies, he keeps fighting until Lugaid mortally wounds him with a spear. He then ties himself to a nearby stone with his own intestines so he can [[DiedStandingUp die facing his enemy on his feet]] and keeps fighting. When he eventually dies, his enemies are so frightened that they refuse to get near enough to check until a raven lands on his shoulder, proving he is dead. Then, when Lugaid cuts off his head just to make sure, the "hero-light" burns around Cú Chulainn and his sword falls from his hand and cuts Lugaid's hand off.
154	[[/folder]]
155
156	[[folder:Radio]]
157	* Ianto has one of these in ''Torchwood The House Of The Dead.'' And an AnguishedDeclarationOfLove to boot!
158	* Lucie Miller in "To the Death" gets one of the best examples of this trope. Despite being a HandicappedBadass she crashes a Dalek Saucer into the Dalek mines, saving countless worlds. Her final words are telling the Daleks they were blown up by "Lucie bleedin' Miller!
159	[[/folder]]
160
161	[[folder:Webcomics]]
162	* ''Webcomic/TheAdventuresOfDrMcNinja'': Upon arriving in a BadFuture where Earth is ruled by dinosaurs, Doc discovers that almost everyone he cared about is dead. At least his parents went out fighting.
163	-->'''Gordito:''' You should know, though, your parents went out spectacularly. [[http://drmcninja.com/archives/comic/21p46/ They took out]] [[http://drmcninja.com/archives/comic/21p47/ the Horrorsaurus.]]
164	* Ed from ''WebComic/{{Digger}}'' gets a badass demise, complete with TakingYouWithMe and ShutUpHannibal for last words, both aimed at [[BigBad Sweetgrass Voice]], a demon with the power to corrupt ''gods''.
165	---> Has a name! ''Name! Is! '''Ed!'''''
166	%%* K'seliss from ''Webcomic/{{Goblins}}''.
167	%%--> I..told ya. I...do...the eating.
168	* ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'': Sollux gets two. The first is in Act 5 Act 1, when he [[spoiler:withstands the BrownNote of an EldritchAbomination in order to get Feferi into the Medium. He ends up getting better thanks to having an ExtraLife.]] The second is in [[spoiler:[S] Cascade, where he reprises his ancestor's role as the Helmsman and uses all his energy to pilot the troll's meteor to the Green Sun, killing himself in the process. He winds up getting better from that too, in a weird sort of way -- Aradia describes him as having "a foot on either side".]]
169	** AR has a minor one when he [[spoiler:keeps blowing up the exiles' stations even as Bec Noir is heading straight for him. Having witnessed his creation, AR has a crippling fear of Becquerel, to the point where he had surrendered to WV earlier for just carrying around a pumpkin with his head carved on it. Noir was about to kill PM as well until AR distracted him.]]
170	** Jade's dream self. Jack Noir [[spoiler:attacked Prospit and cut the chain which connected it to its moon. As Prospit's moon fell towards Skaia, Jade flew after John's sleeping dream self and attempted to wake him up. When that failed, she threw him and saved him from being crushed by Prospit's moon, dying in the process.]]
171	** Possibly Tavros. [[spoiler:He died in an attempt to fight Vriska, whom he thought was evil at the time ([[GreyAndGreyMorality and he was sort of right]]). Tavros was extremely passive and rarely stood up to anyone, while Vriska was a sadistic God Tier and one of the strongest characters in the comic. Granted, she just stabbed him with his lance before he could even do anything, but still.]]
172	*** It's more than that. [[spoiler:Vriska had tormented Tavros for most of his life, and brainwashed him into jumping over a cliff and crippling his legs. Tavros deeply feared her because of this. That scene was the first time he'd attempted to assert himself to her, ''ever''.]]
173	** This trope seems to be a prerequisite for a Heroic Death, one of two ways a God Tier can die permanently. In fact, John was able to resurrect because his death wasn't awesome enough.
174	* ''[[Webcomic/RoomiesItsWalkyJoyceAndWalky It's Walky!]]'': [[{{Jerkass}} Mike's]] death at the claws of the Martians. Even as he's being killed via tentacles, he [[DefiantToTheEnd still insults his killers and their mothers]].
175	-->'''Mike''': You call ''this'' tentacle violation? Your ''mom's'' better than this. That's because she's a prosti-[[KilledMidSentence SKLRCH]]
176	* From ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'' we get (at the least) [[http://www.schlockmercenary.com/2002-03-03 Hob's]] and later [[http://www.schlockmercenary.com/2008-12-23 Brad's]] deaths. In both cases, they die ensuring that a lot more people ''won't''.
177	** Not to mention Tagon-Prime, from the alt-universe, who gets trapped inside an enemy fortress with a Schlock and an Elf, both of whom are too injured to be of any help, with the entirety of the galaxy's most famous mercenary force coming after them for revenge after he killed their Captain. To top it all off, his exfilitration has been jammed, and he can't send all three of them back together. So he sends Elf and Schlock, then grabs a gauss pistol and goes down shooting, having taken down 6 mercenaries before being set on fire and shot dead.
178	** Tagon from the saved timeline later hand-carries a ship-to-ship warhead into an enemy position aboard his own ship and [[https://www.schlockmercenary.com/2016-09-17 detonates it]] since there's no other way to prevent them from taking over the ship and killing his entire crew.
179	** And of course there's Mako, who redeems herself for attempting to foment civil war by [[https://www.schlockmercenary.com/2015-03-03 calling a "long gun" shot down upon herself ... and a column of enemy troops]]. (Maxim 20: "If you're not willing to shell your own position, you're not willing to win.")
180	* ''WebComic/SleeplessDomain'': when a monster slashes [[spoiler: both of Cassidy's clones]] she manages to stab the Purple One in the eye before disappearing without a trace. Notably, it's the ''only'' time the rule of thumb that sees the AltText disappear around the Purple One is ignored, to commemorate [[spoiler: Cassidy's]] last stand.
181	[[/folder]]

Context Main / DyingMomentOfAwesome