Line #17 Main/HeroicSacrifice


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9	[[quoteright:350:[[Webcomic/SaturdayMorningBreakfastCereal https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/smbc_dinos.png]]]]
10	[[caption-width-right:350:Paleontology has changed a lot since the [[WrittenByTheWinners dinosaurs took over the school board.]]]]
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12	%%
13	->''"Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends."''
14	-->-- '''[[Literature/TheFourGospels John 15:13]]''', ''Literature/TheBible''
15
16	A character saves another/others from harm and is killed, disabled, or maimed as a result.
17
18	A bad character who was once good can redeem themselves in the last act by TakingTheBullet that was meant for TheHero, thus expunging all their previous evil, avoiding forcing TheHero to arrest or confront him, and avoiding any real-life penalties like disgrace and jail. This is like RedemptionEqualsDeath. In this case, the death and redemption come in a single act.
19
20	There are essentially three kinds of Heroic Sacrifice:
21	* The one at the beginning of the story, which sets the tone for the rest of the tale.
22	* The one in the middle of the story, wherein the Heroic Sacrifice leads to new heights of badassery, or new depths of depression, in the characters who are affected by it (depending on the story.) Sometimes both.
23	* The one at the end of the story which serves as a GrandFinale, an example of "This character is TooCoolToLive", or the kernel of a DownerEnding or BittersweetEnding. The "TooCoolToLive" Heroic Sacrifice is the most common type in American movies. Often, TheHeroDies in a heroic sacrifice at the end.
24
25	A Heroic Sacrifice usually requires that a character be NotAfraidToDie, even declaring ItHasBeenAnHonor. If the Heroic Sacrifice was pre-planned, it's a SelfSacrificeScheme. Often preceded with a SneakyDeparture from the team, or a MoreHeroThanThou dispute. AFriendInNeed often requires it, and doing it [[ActOfTrueLove proves your love for them]]. Contrast VillainsDyingGrace, when a dying villain decides to save a life. The DoomedMoralVictor fights a battle where the outcome is clear from the beginning. If the character has time to say some last words before dying, they often do so in an ObiWanMoment. Often a DyingMomentOfAwesome. There's also the case where SomeoneHasToDie, which takes this to its logical extreme.
26
27	Characters who DrawAggro may not expect to live, and thus it will also be this trope.
28
29	Compare and contrast ZeroApprovalGambit (where the hero sacrifices his good name instead of his life), SacrificialRevivalSpell (where the character uses a spell to save another), DeadlyUpgrade (in which a character gains immense power for a short time before dying) DeathIsTheOnlyOption, MyDeathIsJustTheBeginning, InspirationalMartyr (who may not be that heroic, but their deaths may inspire others to become heroes), TakingYouWithMe, SenselessSacrifice, HeroicSuicide, SuicideMission, and StupidSacrifice.
30
31	!Subtropes:
32	!!Characters sacrificing themselves to save others:
33	[[index]]
34	* ColdEquation: Considering killing someone so that others can live longer.
35	* ConvenientTerminalIllness: A character is willing to sacrifice their own life for other people's benefit because they don't have a lot of time left to live anyway.
36	* CutTheSafetyRope: A character is in such deadly danger that their death is all but assured and any rescue attempt would more than likely result in more death, and decides to take a mercy kill out of pragmatism.
37	* GoThroughMe: A character steps between something/someone and an attacker, so that the attacker has to kill them to get through that they're protecting.
38	* HeroicSuicide: To kill oneself to save others.
39	* IWillOnlySlowYouDown: Person insists they be left behind on the grounds that being rescued would only hinder the others.
40	* InspirationalMartyr: A character dies for a certain cause, inspiring more people to join the cause in the process.
41	* JumpingOnAGrenade: A character performs a Heroic Sacrifice by jumping and landing on top of a thrown grenade.
42	* KillerFinale: Since the main character is getting killed off, a Heroic Sacrifice might occur.
43	* KillUsBoth: A character asks another to kill them while they are holding an enemy down.
44	* PreSacrificeFinalGoodbye: A character says some final goodbyes before making a Heroic Sacrifice they won't survive.
45	* ResetButtonSuicideMission: Performing a Heroic Sacrifice while knowing it will be undone.
46	* SacrificialRevivalSpell: A spell that can revive another person at the cost of the caster's life.
47	* SelfDestructiveCharge: A Determinator character charges to take down an enemy even if they're likely to die in the process, which can be perceived to be a type of Heroic Sacrifice.
48	* SelfSacrificeScheme: A character who plans to self-sacrifice for the sake of others and/or the greater good, knowing in advance that this is a possibility.
49	* SilentScapegoat: A character voluntarily takes all blame to save others, and no one else knows it.
50	* SomeoneHasToDie: A character volunteers to die so that everyone else can live.
51	* SuicidalSadisticChoice: A character is forced to choose between killing themself or another option that's equally bad, if not worse; in this case, choosing to kill oneself may be seen as a Heroic Sacrifice/Suicide.
52	* SuicideMission: An assignment, task, or quest where it's expected that everyone (or nearly everyone) involved will die in the attempt, which may be perceived to be a Heroic Sacrifice in some cases.
53	* TakeMeInstead: A character offers themself in exchange for the freedom of a hostage or otherwise targeted individual.
54	* TakingTheBullet: Using oneself as a human shield to protect another from an oftentimes fatal attack.
55	* TragicRobot: An emotional plot involving a robot, in this case a robot who sacrifices themself for the heroes.
56	* TuckAndCover: Covering another person with one's body to protect them from an explosion or other potentially fatal destruction.
57	* YouShallNotPass: A character sacrifices themself to hold back their enemies.
58
59	!!Ways to fail at a heroic sacrifice:
60	* DiedInIgnorance: There was no reason for the character to sacrifice themselves at all, but they didn't know this at the time.
61	* NegateYourOwnSacrifice: The character sacrifices themselves because they know they can't really be killed.
62	* SenselessSacrifice: The heroic sacrifice doesn't accomplish anything.
63	* StupidSacrifice: A character sacrifices themselves when they had no reason to.
64	* SurvivalThroughSelfSacrifice: A character's willingness to sacrifice themselves earns their survival.
65	[[/index]]
66
67	See also NotHowImDyingDeclaration.
68
69	!!As this is a {{Death Trope\|s}}, [[Administrivia/SpoilersOff unmarked spoilers abound]]. [[Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned Beware]].
70	----
71	!!Examples:
72	[[index]]
73	* HeroicSacrifice/AnimeAndManga
74	* HeroicSacrifice/ComicBooks
75	* HeroicSacrifice/FanWorks
76	* [[HeroicSacrifice/AnimatedFilms Films — Animation]]
77	* [[HeroicSacrifice/LiveActionFilms Films — Live-Action]]
78	* HeroicSacrifice/{{Literature}}
79	* HeroicSacrifice/LiveActionTV
80	* HeroicSacrifice/TabletopGames
81	* HeroicSacrifice/VideoGames
82	* HeroicSacrifice/{{Webcomics}}
83	* HeroicSacrifice/WesternAnimation
84	* HeroicSacrifice/RealLife
85	[[/index]]
86
87	[[foldercontrol]]
88
89	[[folder:Advertising]]
90	* Advertising/SegataSanshiro, mascot of the UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn, heroically gave his life defending his beloved Sega from an attack from Sony or Nintendo-it's unclear which. He lives on in our hearts. At least [[TakingYouWithMe he took something with him]].
91	* In an ad for a 90's board game called ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtoUe0AuWNQ It From The Pit]]'', an Indiana Jones {{Expy}} and two children come across the eponymous creature. As it reaches for them, the man pushes the kids out of the way and is dragged into the pit himself.
92	* The launch of Planters' Super Bowl LIV campaign has their icon Mr. Peanut perform this. The character, with Creator/WesleySnipes and Matt Walsh as passengers, loses control of his Nutmobile and ends up driving it off a cliff, with Peanut, Snipes and Walsh barely saving themselves by hanging onto a branch. When the branch starts to give way, Peanut decides to let go of the branch and fall onto the wreckage of the Nutmobile, which subsequently explodes to dash any possibility of him surviving. The ad campaign would've continued to build up to Mr. Peanut's funeral, which was Planters' main ad for the game, but [[DistancedFromCurrentEvents Kobe Bryant's tragic death]] led to the campaign getting suspended (though the funeral ad still aired as scheduled).
93	[[/folder]]
94
95	[[folder:Arts]]
96	* Creator/MichelangeloBuonarroti's ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Crucifixion_of_St._Peter_(Michelangelo) The Crucifixion of Saint Peter]]'' shows the saint getting executed for refusing to stop spreading the good news. Judging by the look on his face, he remains defiant in his faith.
97	* [[https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/207511 The Fallen Caryatid]]: Ancient Greek architecture included women carved into columns, holding up the roof. They were later carved into buildings done in the Classical style and evolved into men, demons, anyone one wanted to have holding up a building forever. The {{sculptor\|s}} Creator/AugusteRodin created the "Fallen Caryatid" as a woman collapsing under the impossible burden, but struggling to carry it still. Many interpretations exist, of course.
98	[[/folder]]
99
100	[[folder:Asian Animation]]
101	* In Season 7 episode 50 of ''Animation/HappyHeroes'', [[spoiler:Kalo]] uses what little energy he has left to defeat an army of enemy spaceships, killing himself in the process. The other heroes are understandably in tears over the occurrence, including Careful S. [[NotSoStoic who is usually]] TheStoic.
102	* ''Animation/TobotGalaxyDetectives'': In the climax of Episode 9, "My Friend [=RO=]-B!", both Rocket and [=RO=]-B are in danger of [[spoiler:being sucked into a black hole. Because Rocket is holding into [=RO=]-B to keep him from being sucked in, [=RO=]-B [[AnArmAndALeg cuts off the arm Rocket is holding]], causing [=RO=]-B to be sucked in, allowing Rocket to escape]]>
103	[[/folder]]
104
105	%%[[folder:Audio Plays]]
106	%%* [[spoiler: Kalani]] in the season 2 finale of ''AudioPlay/WereAlive''.
107	%%[[/folder]]
108
109	[[folder:Comic Strips]]
110	* Because Lynn Johnston, the writer of ''ComicStrip/ForBetterOrForWorse'', chose to tell her story in real time, complete with characters aging normally, it became inevitable that the Pattersons' family dog Farley had to go. In 1995, Johnston decided that Farley would go out a hero. When the Pattersons' four-year-old daughter April fell into a creek near their house, Farley went in to rescue her. The shock of the cold water, combined with his advanced age, caused him to suffer a fatal heart attack, but April survived; the strip ended with her preparing to attend university to become a veterinarian.
111	[[/folder]]
112
113	[[folder:Manhua]]
114	* ''Manhua/MyBelovedMother'': Aya, a MamaBear, give up her life to save her son, the protagonist Sinbell ''twice''; when Sinbell was 4, she uses herself to shield Sinbell from a massive gas explosion, and was [[ManOnFire incinerated alive]] while Sinbell survives the incident. Near death, Aya's DyingWish is for her consciousness to be installed into a robotic body via BrainUploading so she can continue raising Sinbell, until her robotic body was destroyed near the end to shield the now-adult Sinbell from a nuke. Her second death unfortunately is quite permanent.
115	[[/folder]]
116
117	[[folder:Music]]
118	* The old-style country song "Big John" by Jimmy Dean, loosely based on the legend of John Henry, about a large mine worker who was generally known as a brute due to his sheer size and strength. However, when the mine began collapsing, he used brute strength to hold up the collapsing beams long enough for his fellow workers to escape the mine, staying behind to hold it up long enough for them all to get out safely. The mine then collapsed completely, entombing him under several tons of earth. Attempts to dig his body out were futile, so a marble sign was placed before the caved-in entrance: ''"At the bottom of this mine lies a big BIG man -- Big John"''
119	* Another old country song, also based on a true story, about a truck driver on a narrow road only wide enough for one vehicle, the edge of which opened over a huge fall and coming from the opposite direction as him was a school bus full of children. Rather than hit the bus and most likely killing the children inside, he deliberately drove his rig over the edge of the cliff and plunged to his death, saving the lives of the children at the cost of his own.
120	* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NpaT5LDFgM "Soldier"]], a song by Harvey Andrews, an English poet and songwriter. It starts telling the story of a guy who joined the British Army, because work was hard to find and, besides, there were no wars right away, and (lucky man) found himself in the middle of the British-Irish urban guerilla. The song actually reaches its climax when the guy, who was running a boring patrol tour in a train station, jumps over a bomb just thrown by IRA guerilla fighters, thus dooming himself and saving the lives of the people around him, for whom he nurtured no enmity and who had treated him with cold hatred just seconds before. Inspired by real life example of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Willetts Sergeant Michael Willetts]], thank you [[http://www.wikipedia.org/ other wiki]]. Damn, he surely must have had some massive balls of steel.
121	* Way, way too many Israeli songs to count.
122	* Mentioned in the song "Your Guardian Angel" by Red Jumpsuit Apparatus.
123	-->''"I'll be there for you through it all / Even if saving you sends me to Heaven"''
124	* "Casey Jones/Mounted to his cabin/Casey Jones/With his orders in his hand/Casey Jones/Mounted to his cabin/And he took his farewell trip to that promis'd land."
125	* Sinead O'Connor's song "Troy" is mostly about an obsessive love affair, but contains the line
126	--> I'd kill a dragon for you, and die
127	* Orden Ogan's "The Things We Believe In" is all about this.
128	%%* ''Series/FraggleRock'': "The Ballad of Sir Blunderbrain"
129	* ''The Flowers of Bermuda'' by Stan Rogers is about the wreck of the ''Nightengale'' on the North Rock Shoals, literally within sniffing distance of Bermuda (hence the title). When the ship ran aground, it took out all the lifeboats and left only the captain's gig intact. The crew numbered 19, and the gig only sat 18.
130	-->''But cries the Captain "Now do not delay\
131	Nor do ye spare a thought for me\
132	My duty is to save you all now, if I can\
133	See ye return as quick as can be."''
134	** When the rescue ship arrived, the boat had sunk, and the crew found the brave captain tangled in the rigging, having [[GoOutWithASmile gone out with a smile]].
135	* In ''Music/TheMechanisms''' RockOpera "The Bifrost Incident", Loki and Sigyn discover that if the Ratatosk Express arrives, [[CosmicHorrorReveal the Old Ones will break free]] into the Yggdrasil system. Since the train runs on blood, they set up a single line into Loki's heart, using her blood to keep it running as long as possible.
136	[[/folder]]
137
138	[[folder:Myths & Religion]]
139	* ''Literature/TheBible'':
140	** ''Literature/BookOfGenesis'': People tend to come down hard on Lot for offering his virgin daughters to the rapacious mob in Sodom in substitution for the angels he was sheltering in his home, but they often overlook a crucial detail in [[http://biblehub.com/genesis/19-6.htm Genesis 19:6]]: when he went out to cut that deal, he ''closed the door behind him'', thus cutting off his one escape to safety in the very likely event that the mob rejected his offer just to protect his two guests that he didn't even know at the time were angels. If they hadn't turned out to be angels, he really ''would'' have been screwed in more ways than one. Say what you will about him, Lot did put his own life and limbs on the line ahead of anyone else.
141	** ''Literature/TheFourGospels'': USefulNotes/{{Jesus}} is the archetype of this character, though he's obviously not the first to have done so. Jesus had the advantage of ''knowing'' what was after death, and that he was going to sit at God's right hand... but he also knew he had to go [[ToThePain through excruciating pain]]. This is even more starkly illustrated by His stating the line quoted below when discussing the subject, rather than something about the horrifying physical pain one would endure when dying of asphyxiation and blood loss during the crucifixion process, to the point where a word was made specifically to describe such pain: ''excruciating'', or "out of the cross." In other words, [[FridgeBrilliance the pain involved in his sacrifice was so much worse than torture that words could not describe it.]]
142	--->''"Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends."'' ''John 15:13''
143	** ''Literature/SamsonAndDelilah'': Samson is captured by the Philistines and blinded, then put on public display in the temple. After praying to God to give him back his strength for a last time so [[BetterToDieThanBeKilled he can go down honorably]], he proceeds to tear down the pillars of said temple with his hands, crushing both himself and the Philistines. When he destroyed the Philistine temple, with himself and his enemies in it. With that one act, he killed more Philistines than in the rest of his life put together.
144	* Myth/ClassicalMythology:
145	** Prometheus, was doomed to [[FateWorseThanDeath be chained for eternity with an eagle devouring his entrails]] as punishment for giving mortals the gift of fire. Although he was eventually freed by Hercules after a few thousand years. Legends say that even then, his punishment meant Prometheus had to wear a wreath and a ring of his chains for all eternity- and in respect, humans began wearing wreaths and rings as well.
146	** Macaria, daughter of Heracles was, along with her siblings, pursued by the vengeful king Eurystheus who presided over Heracles' famous labors. They were given refuge in Athens by its king Demophon, and Eurystheus' army soon threatened the city-state. The consultation of an oracle declared the only way Athens could hope to win the upcoming battle against them was by sacrificing a noble maiden over the altar of Persephone, a terrible requirement Demophon is unwilling to call any of his people to task for and the idea of choosing the sacrifice by lottery came about. Realizing she was now stuck between letting some random unfortunate pay her life for Macaria's or almost as certainly dying to Eurystheus' designs if she and her siblings fled the city to avoid anyone else certainly being sacrificed for them, Macaria TookAThirdOption and volunteered to be sacrificed to save Athens and her siblings. Her brother Hyllus then arrives with reinforcements in time for Athens to contest and defeat Eurystheus, and the spring she died at was named Macarian in her honor.
147	* ''Literature/TheBookOfMormon'', one of the four parts to LDS ("[[UsefulNotes/{{Mormonism}} Mormons]]") scripture, tells the story of a prophet named [[BadassPreacher Abinadi]]. King Noah was wicked: he and his [[ChurchOfEvil priests]] committed murder and whoredoms and reveled in his riches, among other things, so Abinadi went to King Noah and told him that what he was doing is wrong, and that he needed to set things straight and repent. King Noah and his priests didn't listen and had Abinadi thrown out after warning him not to return. Rather than giving up and leaving, Abinadi returns in disguise and tells him his message again. The wicked priests try to kill him, but find that they cannot, and Abinadi says that they cannot harm him until he has finished saying what he came to say. After he finished, they burnt him to death, [[DyingMomentOfAwesome and while he is burnt to death, he prophecies that King Noah will also be burnt]], which comes true. His death wasn't for naught, however, because one of the king's priests, Alma, listened to what Abinadi had to say, and then ran away from King Noah and repented. He alone helped thousands of people to find God, and many of the people who were righteous because of him converted thousands more.
148	* UsefulNotes/{{Christianity}}: Pre-"Vatican II" Catholic theology considered suicide by someone in their right mind to be an all-but-guarantied ticket to Hell…but the Principle of Dual effect held that if someone sacrificed their life to save others' because they could think of no other way—for example, the soldier who throws his (it was always 'his' back then) body on a grenade to save his comrades—they were not guilty of suicide.
149	* According to some versions of the tall-tale, the legendary steel-driving man John Henry met his end when working on laying track through a mountain when the tunnel began collapsing. Henry, who supposedly [[DualWielding Dual Wielded]] two twenty-pound sledgehammers because the standard ten-pound hammer [[CharlesAtlasSuperpower felt light to him]], was able to hold up the support beams until his fellow rail workers could escape, before his strength finally gave out. See Music above.
150	[[/folder]]
151
152	[[folder:Print Media]]
153	* Gleefully subverted in a ''Magazine/DoctorWhoMagazine'' comic strip; the Eighth Doctor is about to make a heroic sacrifice by crashing a military helicopter filled with canisters of gas into a slime creature, and makes a moving farewell speech to his friends. One of them -- the spymaster whose helicopter it happens to be -- sardonically points out that, whilst he appreciates the nobility of the gesture, if the Doctor just looks up he'll see a button that will allow him to eject to safety, thus negating the need for said sacrifice.
154	[[/folder]]
155
156	[[folder:Roleplay]]
157	* ''Roleplay/SurvivalOfTheFittest'':
158	** David Jackson attacks Jacob Starr to buy time for Adam Dodd to free Amanda Jones and Madelaine Shirohara from a locked warehouse. David dies in the ensuing gun battle, though not before wounding Jacob.
159	** Subverted in the case of Simon Wood, when he attacked Darnell Butler to buy time for his girlfriend, Madison Conner, to escape. The catch? Darnell isn't playing. [[spoiler:Simon is killed in the ensuing fight, albeit accidentally.]]
160	** Handlers can do this if the character of another handler gets rolled. They have one hero card, which means their character dies instead.
161	** [[spoiler: Ethan Kent]] from V4 did this in a fit of rage, [[spoiler: taking out one of the cameras on purpose, giving the students an opportunity to subvert Danya's plans, but ensuring his own demise. Later, Feo Smith helps the sacrifice come full circle by (somewhat unintentionally) destroying all traces of Ethan's plan after a group of arrivals actually found the location of the island. She does this by setting most of the equipment on fire and shredding most of the paperwork, trying to accomplish it before [[YourHeadAsplode her collar detonates for staying in a danger zone.]] Unfortunately, while she does succeed, she doesn't make it out in time.]]
162	* [[spoiler:Phylis Alince]] of ''Roleplay/TheGunganCouncil'' destroys the Heart of Darkness to keep it out of the Sith's hands. Some spectacular fireworks ensue as everything near her, including herself, disintegrates!
163	* In ''Roleplay/TheGamersAlliance'', quite a few characters end up doing this. [[{{Samurai}} Hiroshi Hayabusa]] casts Shiropyr which kills both him and the BigBad [[EvilSorcerer Taro Ofuchi]]. [[AntiVillain Kagetsu I]] does the same to Arawn. [[SharingABody Geraud/Grady]] chooses to become the new world tree when the old one dies. [[RedemptionEqualsDeath Mori'sul]] sacrifices himself to save the heroes from a collapsing temple.
164	%%* [[spoiler:Wrumple has a epic one.]] in ''Roleplay/RollToDodgePrincessCelestia''.
165	[[/folder]]
166
167	[[folder:Theatre]]
168	* ''Theatre/MissSaigon'': Kim; she [[spoiler: kills her incest cousin who was about to kill her son]], and even makes the ultimate choice to [[spoiler: kill herself so her son can go with his father and wife to America]]. Don't believe me? Listen to the song "I'd Give My Life For You" and you'll understand.
169	[[/folder]]
170
171	[[folder:Theme Parks]]
172	* The good T-800 in ''Ride/Terminator23DBattleAcrossTime'' at Ride/UniversalStudios stays behind to distract the T-1000000 (and ensure John makes it through the time portal) just before Skynet is blown up.
173	[[/folder]]
174
175	[[folder:Toys]]
176	* ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}'':
177	** In the film ''Mask of Light'', Jaller and Takua/Takanuva do this mutually to each other. First, Jaller [[TakingTheBullet jumps into the line]] of Turahk's fear energy, braking its effect over Takua, but dies from pure fear. Later Takua, having become the Toa Takanuva, [[FusionDance merges with]] [[BigBad Makuta]] and uses their combined strength to open the gate leading to the city of Metru Nui. They sacrifice part of their life-force to resurrect Jaller, but the gate crushes them. Then, Takanuva is also brought back. He later jokingly asks Jaller to never do this again.
178	** In ''Legends of Metru Nui'', Turaga Lhikan (whose mask was later given to Jaller) likewise jumps in between Vakama and Makuta's energy hand.
179	** In the conclusion of the 2007 story arc, [[spoiler: Toa Matoro sacrifices himself by wearing the Mask of Life, which converts him into energy used to revive Mata Nui.]]
180	*** Toa Ignika, the physical form of the Mask of Life [[spoiler:does the same to kick-start Mata Nui's awakening, and while the mask remains sentient, it had to give up its body and its life as a Toa for good.]]
181	[[/folder]]
182
183	[[folder:Visual Novels]]
184	* ''VisualNovel/BadEndTheater'' has this as one of the Underling's possible endings (though the "Heroic" part is debatable considering they're a demon). If the Underling finds the Hero killing the entire demon army, they have a chance to attack the Hero and critically wound him. The Hero kills the Underling in retaliation, but the remaining demons manage to finish off the Hero and stop his rampage.
185	* After the main character expresses regret for helping the CorruptCorporateExecutive create [[ArtificialHuman androids using human brains]] in the [[ScienceFictionVisualNovels science fiction visual novel]] ''VisualNovel/BionicHeart'', [[spoiler:he blows up the laboratory where he works -- with the two of them still inside it]].
186	* ''Franchise/{{Danganronpa}}'':
187	** ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc'':
188	*** Sakura chooses to [[HeroicSuicide commit suicide]] rather than kill one of her friends or allow her beloved dojo to be destroyed (Monokuma threatened to destroy it if she didn't kill someone, but [[ExactWords he never said it had to be someone]] ''[[ExactWords else]]''). Not only does this shatter Monokuma's hold over the other students and get them to rally together, but she also breaks the lock on the door to the headmaster's office before killing herself to let Kyoko have access to it.
189	*** Before the events of the game [[JapaneseDelinquents Mondo's]] big brother, Daiya, sacrificed himself by pushing Mondo out of the way of an incoming truck. Mondo blames himself for his death, which is the second incentive of the game.
190	** ''VisualNovel/Danganronpa2GoodbyeDespair'':
191	*** This is implied to be why Gundam and Nekomaru tried to kill each other, since everyone would've stayed trapped and slowly starved to death in the fun house if a murder didn't happen. While Gundam still tries to defend himself at the class trial, he gladly accepts his death once he's been discovered. When Hajime and Chiaki ask him if this was his motive, he denies it by pushing his evil overlord persona, though Hajime is unconvinced.
192	*** Earlier, when Monokuma is about to blast Akane for violating the rules, Nekomaru [[TakingTheBullet steps in front of the shot.]] {{Subverted}} in that he comes back later...as [[EmergencyTransformation Mechamaru.]]
193	*** Later, during Chapter 5, Chiaki realizes Nagito's plan, creating a situation where the murderer couldn't be identified, was to get everyone except [[TheMole her]] executed. She urges everyone to vote for her as the killer, relying that Nagito's luck held out and that she's the one who accidentally killed him. She's right.
194	*** Ultimately subverted by the end. Hajime and the other survivors are willing to sacrifice everything to defeat AI Junko by activating the shutdown sequence. For most of them, it means forgetting everything and returning to being Ultimate Despair, while Hajime's entire existence will disappear. However, by the end, and as confirmed in ''Anime/Danganronpa3'', they escape with all their memories intact.
195	** ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaV3KillingHarmony'':
196	*** Kaede Akamatsu the DecoyProtagonist, "kills" Rantaro Amami to prevent Monokuma's motive that he would kill all the students if no one died. When given the opportunity to escape, Kaede denies it, in an attempt to discover the Mastermind's identity and protect the rest of the group.
197	*** " Tenko manages to pull this off ''by accident.'' During the third chapter, after Angie is found dead, Korekiyo offers to perform a séance, which requires a conduit for Angie's spirit to enter. Himiko volunteers, but Tenko takes her place so that Himiko will be able to say goodbye to her, inadvertently getting into the death trap Kiyo had set.
198	*** Kaito Momota becomes the blackend of chapter 5 in an attempt to prevent Maki Harukawa, who mistakenly tried to kill Kokichi thinking he was the mastermind, from being executed.
199	* Deconstructed in ''VisualNovel/DateWarp'' -- in many paths, a Heroic Sacrifice will appear to resolve the immediate problem, but at far too high a cost, and the True Ending requires looking past this sort of thing to find another solution.
200	* In ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'', Heaven's Feel route, either [[spoiler:Illya]] (for True End) or [[spoiler:Shirou]] (for Normal End) have to do this. The first is a BittersweetEnding, as [[spoiler:Saber and Archer don't make it either and Shirou gives up on his ideals]], but otherwise good. The second is a real {{downer\|Ending}} but it's very impressive, as [[spoiler:Shirou]] actually [[DiedStandingUp dies]] ''before'' he can complete it... only to complete it ''after'' he's died.
201	* In ''VisualNovel/HeartOfTheWoods'', this happens in two of the bad endings.
202	** In the aptly named "Sacrifice" ending, Morgan tackles her "mother" [[BigBad Evelyn]] and hurls both of them into the lake, thwarting Evelyn's plan and causing both of their deaths.
203	** In the "Freedom" ending, Geladura sacrifices herself in order to defeat Evelyn with the last of her strength.
204	* [[spoiler:Hanako's parents]] from ''VisualNovel/KatawaShoujo'' [[spoiler:physically protected her from the fire ten years ago, explaining her scars, her trauma, and her being an orphan.]]
205	* In ''VisualNovel/LittleBusters'', [[spoiler:Kengo and Masato risk their lives to protect Riki and Rin from danger when their bus drives off a cliff during a field trip. In one timeline, this kills them. Kyousuke also risks his life to stop the oil from exploding and so allows Riki to save several people in the meantime, which can either result in his death or everyone being saved depending on your choices at the very end.]]
206	* ''VisualNovel/MajikoiLoveMeSeriously'' has a couple. [[spoiler:Gakuto]] for Chika, [[spoiler:Momoyo]] for Moro, etc.
207	* ''VisualNovel/NineHoursNinePersonsNineDoors'', Ace stays behind to let the others access the other two rooms. [[spoiler:The party winds up back in the starting area, and Ace did it to make sure the others wouldn't check door 3, because he kill a man using that door.]]
208	** [[spoiler:Snake]] in the "Safe" ending, in a combination of this and revenge for [[spoiler:Clover's death]].
209	* The ''VisualNovel/ShallWeDate'' games includes this once in a while:
210	** The start of ''VisualNovel/ShallWeDateAngelOrDevil'' has Akane, the protagonist, saving a little boy from getting hit by a car. This somehow leads to YourDaysAreNumbered and gives her one week to live; her actions will decide which of her three potential love interests (an angel, a demon and TheGrimReaper) will collect her soul.
211	** ''VisualNovel/ShallWeDateNinjaShadow'' begins with a young ninja dying to save a village that's being burned to the ground for not being able to pay abusive taxes to the BigBad. The protagonist, Saori, is the man's {{bifauxnen}} younger sister who [[DeadPersonImpersonation impersonates him from then on.]]
212	* In the fangame ''VisualNovel/SuperDanganronpaAnother2'', after being caught up in plan by Nikei and fatally injured by both Yuki and Sora, Shinji willingly starts a fire that burns down the Tower of Babylon and himself with it, all to prevent anyone from becoming the blackened.
213	* In the ''VisualNovel/SwanSong'', some of the [[spoiler:Daichi give up their lives for other followers to escape]].
214	[[/folder]]
215
216	[[folder:Web Animation]]
217	%%* [[spoiler:Shandala and Kamimura]] at the end of ''WebAnimation/BrokenSaints''.
218	* ''WebAnimation/DeathBattle'': The fight between [[WesternAnimation/GravityFalls Bill Cipher]] and [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Discord]] ends in one. While Bill was hyperfocused on trying to kill Discord, which he ultimately succeeds in doing, Discord was more focused on trying to save Fluttershy and the others, taking full advantage of Bill's tunnel-vision that led to his previous defeat against the Pines. It's soon revealed that he trapped the two of them in the Nightmare Realm during the fight, simply buying enough time for the portal to Equestria to close. He won the actual plot of the fight, [[VictoriousLoser even though he lost the fight proper]].
219	* In ''WebAnimation/DusksDawn'' Donut charges into the EvilTwin's scepter, knocking himself out to save Star Whistle. [[spoiler:He's alright.]]
220	* ''WebAnimation/FallenKingdom'': [[spoiler:The Prince]], [[RidingTheBomb stuck on the Nether Star missile]], guides it into a Nether Portal and right into the heart of the Piglins' war machine.
221	* In ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhqSCIYue_A Grubhub Commercial: Revenge of the Kid]]'', [[MakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext the Boogieman challenges the Kid to a dance-off and wins, saving the universe from]] [[ApocalypseNow the Grubageddon]], but boogies to hard and is fatally wounded in the process.
222	* ''WebAnimation/IfTheEmperorHadATextToSpeechDevice'':
223	** Sacrifices of this sort seem to be one of the only things that can get the eternally grumpy Emperor to actually and unconditionally respect someone, to the point of refusing to insult them in any way (which for this Emperor, is a fairly huge deal). Though he naturally does have (justifiedly) high standards: A GoThroughMe moment brought up mostly because a "lesser" human did it first and you didn't want to be upstaged just earns you posthumous scorn, and a StupidSacrifice where there were actual non-suicidal options that didn't involve self-destructing LostTechnology pisses him off outright. Rather tellingly, Sanguinius who died giving the Emperor a chance to defeat Horus, is the only one of his sons who he doesn't insult at all.
224	** Spoofed in the second Q&A when the Emperor decides to answer the questions sent in despite [[spoiler:Magnus]] fearing that this may end up with destruction of Terra. "Sacrifices must be made", indeed.
225	* The stop-motion short film ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35i4zTky9pI Lost & Found]]'' is about a dinosaur yarn doll who unravels his entire body to [[ActOfTrueLove save the love of his life]].
226	* In ''WebAnimation/NoEvil'' Xipe Totec sacrifices her life to seal away the Black Tezcatlipoca. [[spoiler:Episode 35, "Black, White and Red All Over", plays with it a bit: Murder sacrificed her life, but that didn't mean "dies on the spot"; it meant "[[MortalityEnsues forfeits her spiritual immortality]], and the Black Tezcatlipoca would escape when she died".]]
227	* In Season 2 of ''WebAnimation/TubeClash'', Max, AKA [=HandOfBlood=], volunteers to delete himself from the world, thus enabling the remaining two survivors to go through with their plan to save everyone else.
228	* For a comedy series, ''WebAnimation/RedVsBlue'' has had a couple:
229	** Alpha diving into The Meta in order to give Wash enough time to set off the EMP. Yeah, he played it off like he was still clinging to the "I'm a ghost, not an AI" thing, but it seems likely he knew by then what he was.
230	** Then Season 13 brought two, one partially inspiring the second.
231	*** Lovable loser General Doyle first overcoming his fear and going to attempt to overload the nuclear reactor, and then, when the controls are destroyed, doing it 'manually', knowing that he would not be able to leave.
232	*** Epsilon realizing that the only way that he could run the Meta's armor -- the piece of tech that would net his friends the biggest chance to escape Hargrove's ship -- was to effectively do a hard reboot on himself, erasing all his memories (the core of what Epsilon was), allowing for the other fragments to expand and use the freed up capacity. In addition, in a message left behind, he muses on what it is like making such a sacrifice, knowing that there is no way to know if it even did any good. [[spoiler:To drive his point even further, the episode ends as he does this, so the audience also has no way to know if it did any good until two seasons later.]]
233	---->'''Epsilon:''' It was actually Doyle who made me realize something I never thought of before. There’s so many stories where some brave hero decides to give their life to save the day. And because of their sacrifice, the good guys win, the survivors all cheer, and everybody lives happily ever after. But the hero… never gets to see that ending. They’ll never know if their sacrifice actually made a difference. They'll never know if the day was really saved. In the end… they just have to have faith. [[SophisticatedAsHell Ain't that a bitch]]?
234	* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'':
235	** In "Never Miss a Beat", Weiss attempts to take out Flynt by tackling him onto a flame-spewing vent when he's about to target Yang. Weiss ends up depleting all of her Aura, and Flynt survives by the skin of his teeth, but is weak enough to be taken out by Yang. Once the battle is over, Flynt [[WorthyOpponent acknowledges her courage in the act]].
236	** In the Volume 3 finale, Cinder attempts to destroy Beacon Tower, but the teachers are too far away to intervene, leaving someone else to step into the role of protecting the tower until the teachers can arrive. Pyrrha gives Cinder a hell of a fight, her Semblance going toe-to-toe with Cinder's Maiden powers. Unfortunately, Semblance requires Aura, while Maiden powers do not. When Pyrrha runs out of Aura, Cinder kills her.
237	** During the final episode of Volume 8, Arthur Watts activates the bomb that Ironwood originally planned to destroy Mantle with in order to kill Qrow, Robyn and most of the remaining Ace-Ops on the airship it's on right after Harriet was convinced not to use it. Vine Zeki willingly decides to stay on the ship in order to contain the blast of the bomb using his Semblance as well as protect his friends in the Ace-Ops. Harriet screams in horror as she realizes her friend is about to die as the bomb is successfully contained.
238	* ''WebAnimation/TheWrathOfGigaBowser'':
239	** Two occur in the same scene. After Marth informs Ness and Mr. Game & Watch that all survivors are going to meet at the Stadium, Giga Bowser shows up, and Marth rushes at it so the other two have time to escape. Right afterwards, Ness stops to fill Mr. Game & Watch's bucket with a PK Flash, which [[ChekhovsGun later plays a crucial part in defeating Giga Bowser]], but leaves him unable to flee in time.
240	** In the very last scene of the climax, Mr. Game & Watch unleashes the content of his bucket at Roy, so the latter can perform a counter-attack powerful enough to defeat Giga Bowser. It works, but Mr. Game & Watch also gets hit as Roy deals the blow.
241	[[/folder]]
242
243	[[folder:Web Originals]]
244	* '''TabletopGame/Brighthammer40000''': In this setting, [[TabletopGame/Warhammer40000 the traitor Primarchs]], led by Horus Lupercal, all committed ritual suicide during the Great Crusade during an event called the "Horus Ascendancy", which allowed them to become Princes of Order and counter the Lords of Order's influence, after the four gods got bloated from the souls who died and were corrupted into becoming tyrants. As a result, they're fondly remembered by the Imperium of Mankind and worshiped as the Emperor's Demigods.
245	* ''Literature/FineStructure'' has five separate examples. In order:
246	** Jim Akker kills himself while Zykov/Oul is telepathically probing his mind in an attempt to [[TakingYouWithMe take him down too]]. He also sends a last-minute warning to Ching.
247	** Jason Chilton sacrifices himself to save millions of people and several named characters from the UnstoppableRage of the Twelfth Power.
248	** John Zhang kills himself in an ostentatiously physics-breaking way, forcing the Imprisoning God to isolate our entire solar system from the rest of TheMultiverse.
249	** Anne Poole jumps onto a black hole to undo the results of John Zhang's actions, allowing the FinalBattle to go forward.
250	** Finally, Ching sacrifices himself in the FinalBattle, [[TakingYouWithMe taking Oul with him]].
251	* In Dusk Peterson's short story ''The Fool'', the VillainProtagonist writes in his diary about the capture, rape and romance of his boy slave only to sacrifice himself to a CruelAndUnusualDeath so the boy he's fallen in love with can escape and be returned to his surviving family.
252	* In ''Literature/{{Pyrrhic}}'', [[spoiler:Hanako]] dies in order to protect [[spoiler:Joshua]], knowing that if they stop to attempt to heal [[spoiler:her, he]] would likely die, as the person who shot [[spoiler:Hanako (Marie)]] would catch up to them.
253	* In the ''first act'' of ''Literature/{{Sapphire}} Episode III'', [[spoiler:Ivanka]] offers to be executed in [[spoiler:Alec's]] stead. [[spoiler:A SenselessSacrifice is narrowly avoided.]]
254	* The TV Tropes ARG ''ARG/TheWallWillFall'' has an averted one when one of its members is chosen to face Cthulhu in the final showdown. Pretty much ''every'' player who owned a required smartphone (and a few who didn't) were trying to volunteer, citing why [[MoreExpendableThanYou they should be the one]] who had to risk their lives over everyone else. Averted in that the final chosen player managed to get away with a concussion.
255	* In ''Literature/{{Worm}}'', [[spoiler:Regent]] [[DidYouJustFlipOffCthulhu draws Behemoth's attention]] to save [[spoiler:Imp and the cape Imp was trying to rescue]], and is killed almost instantly.
256	[[/folder]]
257
258	[[folder:Web Videos]]
259	* ''WebVideo/HeroHouse'' gives us a heartbreaking example in episode six, with [[spoiler: Batman dying to save Nightwing's life]]
260	* [[spoiler:Ma-Ti]] dies protecting modern civilization at the climax of ''WebVideo/SuburbanKnights''.
261	* ''WebVideo/ToBoldlyFlee'':
262	** The crew of the ''USS Exit Strategy'' [[spoiler:sacrifice themselves to expand the Plot Hole, allowing it to encompass (and thus protect) the entire world. They are resurrected shortly afterwards, but they had no idea that would happen going in.]]
263	** At the climax, [[spoiler:Nostalgia Critic fuses with the plot hole to stabilize it. [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence He becomes something more]], but at the end of the day Critic is gone, marking both the end to both the movie and [[WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic his series.]]]]
264	* In ''WebVideo/Lonelygirl15'', [[spoiler:Bree Avery]] does the Ceremony to stop the Order chasing her friends, and [[spoiler:Gina Hart]] takes a bullet to save Jonas.
265	* In ''WebVideo/MarbleHornets'', [[spoiler:Tim, in the midst of a coughing fit and unable to stand, let alone walk, demands that Jay leave him behind when the Operator is approaching them in the tunnel]].
266	* LetsPlay/ChipCheezum's LP of ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater'' brings us [[spoiler:Mission J. Frog, a seemingly innocuous frog]] captured earlier on in the LP for "a mission". Hours later in the fight against Volgin, [[spoiler: Chip throws out Mission J. Frog, who distracts Volgin the first time, but is fatally shot with electricity afterwards]].
267	* ''WebVideo/NightmareTime'': In the episode "Honey Queen," Gerald drives his car towards the man who kidnapped his son, getting shot and dying in the process.
268	* Downplayed (since no one actually got hurt), but the trope still applies in ''WebVideo/ScottTheWoz'''s 200th episode special, "Borderline Forever", which sees Scott attempting to defeat the Blue Border that surrounds every single one of his videos (and his peripheral vision). At the end of the episode, [[spoiler:Scott manages to weaken the Blue Border but he finds out that he can't stop it entirely, and that it'll just get bigger if left alone. He realizes that it needs a host, so he willingly allows himself and only him to be obstructed by the Blue Border, saving everyone else from being affected by it.]]
269	* WebVideo/TierZoo: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Egc58fSUqrA "The Most Underrated Dinosaur"]] shows a replay of a ''Deinocheirus'' playthrough, based on footage from ''Series/AmazingDinoworld''. The climax involves a ''Tarbosaurus'' trying to attack a group of ''Deinocheirus'' players early in their playthrough just before they've leveled up enough to become self-sufficient, with his character [[EscortMission assisting them]]. [=TierZoo=] as the adult ''Deinocheirus'' fights off the ''Tarbosaurus'', but is mortally wounded in the fight and dies just after the other ''Deinocheirus'' players gain the necessary XP to level up from watching the fight. In the "game" itself, the lower level teammates [[MamaBear are his character's offspring]].
270	* ''WebVideo/MrKrabsUnquenchableBloodLust'' ends with Mr. Krabs cornering Spongebob in his house and prepared to stab him, only for Spongebob to reveal he has a bomb hidden under his pants, [[TakingYouWithMe which he detonates, putting an end to Mr. Krabs' murderous rampage]].
271	[[/folder]]

Context Main / HeroicSacrifice