Follow TV Tropes

Following

Context Main / KillTheCutie

Go To

1%% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1591242027017277500
2%% Previous thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1585012509070827500
3%% Please do not replace or remove without starting a new thread.
4%%
5[[quoteright:350:[[Fanfic/{{Suikakasen}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ktc.png]]]]
6[[caption-width-right:350:The problem with being so sweet is, sometimes, [[CrapsaccharineWorld the world will eat you up]].]]
7%%
8%% Caption selected per above IP thread. Please do not replace or remove without discussion in the Caption Repair thread:
9%% https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1404492079030138900
10%%
11->'''Javier:''' This is for Mariana. She was a sweet little girl, just minding her own business!\
12'''Badger:''' Not anymore. Fuck her, and fuck you too.
13-->-- ''VideoGame/TheWalkingDeadSeasonThree''
14
15A series introduces [[TheCutie a character as sweet and lovable]], a fountain of SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments, more comic relief than anything, who likes nothing more than to pet little creatures. [[{{Moe}} They make you adore them, root for them, love them and want to hug them.]] And yes, you may even be looking at TheHeart of the lot.
16
17Then they proceed to put them into a battle against an antagonist and they wind up brutally killed off. Further, the awful deed is done on camera to [[HesJustHiding make sure we know it.]] Usually they get a few moments to show their ability to keep a warrior on his toes, but their deaths are all but certain once they decided to pick up a weapon ([[ActualPacifist or not]]) and go through trial by combat. As for the audience, [[TearJerker what comes next is obvious.]]
18
19Like [[BreakTheCutie Breaking the Cutie]], such deaths provoke the lead character to [[HeroicBSOD an unprecedented level of bloodlust from watching the cutie die in such a gruesome manner]] and he is driven to [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge kill the bastard at fault alongside everyone else complicit.]] At best, characters who witness this will enter an UnstoppableRage. At worst, [[HeWhoFightsMonsters they may very well turn evil from the depravity of the act]]. A lesser grunt will either die in futility challenging the murderer or die a redeeming death for their beloved cutie. Expect an AntiVillain or NobleDemon who witnesses the act to get pissed off at the offender, possibly with an EvenEvilHasStandards rant. Moments like these are especially harsh for someone with a [[ThouShaltNotKill no kill code]], so any villain who does this had better hope that the hero regains his composure before he becomes a bloody corpse on the ground.
20
21As if it needs to be said, the above example is not the only circumstance this trope kicks in for. Essentially, any time the least deserving and absolute ''last'' character you wanted to see die horribly-- by combat or otherwise-- ends up dying horribly will likely be a Kill the Cutie moment.
22
23Occasionally coupled with BreakTheCutie for extra gruesomeness. TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth is often used to justify this trope.
24
25See also DeathByNewberyMedal, GutPunch, and PlayerPunch. Contrast FinalGirl. Sub trope of MoralEventHorizon as characters who are guilty of this tend to cross it. Related to NiceJobFixingItVillain.
26
27!!'''This is a {{Death Trope|s}}, so beware of spoilers.'''
28----
29!!Examples:
30
31[[foldercontrol]]
32
33[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
34* ''Manga/MonochromeFactor'': Good Lord, Kengo. After suffering as the punching bag and butt monkey of nearly the whole gang [[spoiler: (although it's mainly because of his puppy-like behavior)]], he ends up [[spoiler: being killed gruesomely by Homurabi, who lets the kid suffer while outlining his plans before violently ripping out his dark inshi to use it against Akira]]. it totally ruined the ending for most people, partly because of their reactions.
35* ''Manga/ElfenLied'': In the first episode/chapter, you are shown an adorably ditzy secretary during the alert. Within minutes, she meets Lucy. Before the secretary even realizes she's in trouble, Lucy ''twists her head off'' and uses her body as a meat shield. Her death is even worse in the manga, what with [[spoiler: Lucy using her as a shield first and Kisaragi actually speaking to her sweetly before getting her head cut]].
36** When you get right down to it, ''Manga/ElfenLied'' is just a series of cuties breaking and killing/trying to kill each other.
37** In the manga, Diclonius Number 28.
38* ''Anime/BloodPlus'': [[spoiler: Riku]]... Oh, god [[spoiler: [[DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnMale Riku.]]]] It doesn't help that [[spoiler: one of the crates fell on his [[TakenForGranite crystallized corpse]], [[LiterallyShatteredLives smashing it into many pieces]].]]
39* ''Anime/CodeGeass'': [[spoiler: Euphemia and Shirley]]. Dear God, poor [[spoiler: Euphie and Shirley]]. One was [[spoiler: accidentally brainwashed by her beloved half-brother to slaughter hundreds of innocent people ''that she herself had gathered together for a plan to bring peace between the warring states'' before being shot by said brother and dying in the front of her love interest. After that, she ends up being universally hated.]] The other learned that [[spoiler: her love interest killed her father. She was [[MindRape Mind Raped]], almost killed her love interest, lost her memory, got it back, and then had her love interest's mentally broken and psychotic wannabe little brother shoot her because she wants to reunite her love interest with his sister. She then dies in his arms while being repeatedly commanded to live.]][[spoiler: Heck, even the way they died is very similar (a gunshot that pierced a blood vessel in their upper abdomen, causing fatal bleeding)]]. And to further twist the knife, ''both'' of them suffered a BreakTheCutie before.
40** The Recap movie solves Shirley's problem [[spoiler:through SparedByTheAdaptation]].
41** Few fans are also none too amused when minor hot looking Knights of the Round got killed off. Some hope that in the [[VideoGame/SuperRobotWars SRW]] game they debut in, they will not die similarly to the Astray Girls in Alpha 3.
42*** They did appear one level, are fightable and disappear altogether when defeated. Whether or not they were saved is unknown. The Valkyrie Squad was replaced in-game by men instead.
43* ''Manga/ElementalGelade'' loves this trope to death. Any Edel Raid that wasn't a good guy will be pretty much dead meat as in one notable issue, Gladius cuts down a bunch of Edel Raids of one guy after he failed to defeat Coud. The anime had more G rated death but it is still killing cuties by the handful.
44* [[spoiler: Aqua]] from ''Manga/{{MAR}}'' was a victim of the trope. [[spoiler: Girom, a fellow Chess bishop, kills her after her draw against Nanashi. Later on, Nanashi is shown placing Aqua's corpse in the water as burial.]]
45** To really twist the knife, she's given a HopeSpot. She plays Rock-Paper-Scissors with Rapunzel with the promise of being spared if she wins. She does beat Rapunzel, but [[spoiler: [[UnwinnableByDesign Girom beat her]]]].
46** Towards the end of the anime, [[spoiler: Snow fulfills this role, especially for Ginta. Her death sends him into a deep depression, though he tries to reject it. Luckily she fuses with Koyuki in the end, so she technically doesn't stay dead]].
47* Fuuko, the cute, adorable little air elemental from ''Anime/DoraemonNobitaAndTheWindmasters'' who looks like a living cotton candy ball, is actually one of three elementals required to form the Mafuga, an eldritch monster capable of destroying entire ''worlds''. And in the finale, Fuuko sacrifices herself to ensure Mafuga will never be re-created ever again, with her death played out for drama and tears. The aftermath had a tearful Nobita cradling Fuuko's "shell" like one would hold a dead pet, before the final scene - a TimeSkip several weeks later - have Nobita seeing a random mini-whirlwind in the streets of Tokyo while walking home from school, mistaking it for Fuuko, and reminding himself Fuuko's not truly gone, for she's ''everywhere with him now''.
48* Gilbert from ''Manga/KazeToKiNoUta'' had a [[BreakTheCutie really, really horrible life]]. Abandoned by his parents, raped by a friend and later by his uncle [[spoiler:who is really his actual father]] (repeatedly), abused in every way possible by said uncle, conditioned into some major UsefulNotes/StockholmSyndrome, raised without any understanding of the real world and left to fend for himself at a boarding school where he is either bullied, ignored or used sexually, [[BrokenBird he's not really all that sound of mind]]. Eventually, he does manage to find some form of happiness in a relationship with NiceGuy Serge, but the school rejects them and the two boys are forced to flee to Paris. There, he's [[spoiler:gang-raped, drugged, and returns to prostituting himself before running into the street while hallucinating where he's run over by a carriage and killed]].
49* In ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureGoldenWind,'' [[spoiler:Narancia gets killed by Diavolo.]] Also, [[TheDragon Doppio]] qualifies despite being a villain just because of how endearing he is, unlike his HateSink alternate personality.
50* In ''Manga/RozenMaiden'', [[spoiler: Hinaichigo, the most deliberately cute of the dolls]], is killed off in the second season. [[TearJerker The anime version will have you crying for hours.]] The manga version will have you crying for days.
51* In ''Anime/{{Texhnolyze}}'', [[spoiler:Ran]]'s death causes main character Ichise to [[spoiler:[[UnstoppableRage go berserk and punch off the Big Bad's head in a single blow]]]].
52** Also, [[spoiler: Ichise]] himself at the end of the anime after spending the entire anime in one long BreakTheCutie process.
53* [[spoiler: Chiriko]] in ''Manga/FushigiYuugi'' is a rare male example.
54* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'':
55** Haku was very much a kind, loving character. He wanted nothing more than to pet bunnies and enjoy life. And protect the Demon of Red Mist, murderous ninja Zabuza, whom he owes his life to. That aside, he was killed rather abruptly and ''[[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice violently]]'' to protect Zabuza. Kakashi is horrified since Haku was NOT his intended target, but the event causes Zabuza's eventual redemption.
56** Poor Rin Nohara, Kakashi's kunoichi teammate and one of the nicest characters in the entire story. Not too long after the two of them watched their third teammate, Obito, (apparently) die, she was abducted by Mist Ninja and forcibly made into a Jinchuriki, with the intention of turning her into a human nuke to destroy her village. In order to prevent that from happening, she forced Kakashi to kill her by jumping in the way of his attack. This was basically the last straw on the TraumaCongaLine for both Kakashi and Obito (who was actually still alive and secretly saw the whole thing). Everything went to hell afterwards, since this event indirectly kicked off the ''entire'' plot by causing Obito to make a FaceHeelTurn, thanks to LoveMakesYouCrazy and LoveMakesYouEvil.
57* [[spoiler:Aruru]] in ''VideoGame/{{Utawarerumono}}'' tries standing up for Hakuoro. It doesn't turn out well and [[spoiler:turns him into GODZILLA! or something. But she gets better because Godzilla is actually a god/demon of some sort. This has also happened before]].
58** [[spoiler:For Mikoto and her child it was more like [[TheyWouldCutYouUp Dissect The Cutie]].]]
59* ''Franchise/FullmetalAlchemist'':
60** ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'': Nina Tucker. She gets a FateWorseThanDeath, followed by MercyKill.
61** In ''Anime/FullmetalAlchemist2003'', [[spoiler:Selim]] is killed by his father in the final episode for [[spoiler:accidentally bringing his one weakness to a fight]].
62* [[spoiler: Carly]] from ''Anime/YuGiOh5Ds''. ''Twice''. [[spoiler: The second time, she pulls a "DyingAsYourself", but [[UnexplainedRecovery she gets better]], even after that.]]
63* ''Literature/{{Baccano}}'' has a unique example due to the [[HealingFactor effects of]] [[{{Immortality}} the elixir]]. Czeslaw Meyer inevitably becomes a victim of this trope over and [[FateWorseThanDeath over]] [[BlessedWithSuck again]] by his [[AbusiveParents beloved guardian]]. Strangely, it is through Kill the Cutie that BreakTheCutie occurs and results in Czes turning into a {{Jerkass}} CrazySurvivalist. [[spoiler:He gets better, but ''only'' after this cycle is repeated many times.]]
64* ''Anime/KnightHunters'' is pretty fond of this trope. The clearest examples appear in ''Weiß Kreuz Glühen'': first [[spoiler:Nozomi-chan]], after befriending Sena, is given the BreakTheCutie treatment and DrivenToSuicide within the first few episodes. Then, in the second half of the series, [[spoiler:Asami]] is rewarded for her effort to be a good and caring teacher by getting ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice by [[spoiler:Tsuji]], and dies in Aya's arms. [[spoiler:Sena]] isn't immune either, [[spoiler:he survives to the second-to-last episode before getting shot by his mother and also dying in Aya's arms]]. Seems to be a trend.
65* [[spoiler:Kotori]] from ''Manga/{{X 1999}}'', after a prolonged stretch of BreakTheCutie.
66* Pretty much every teenager used by the National Scientific Welfare Foundation in ''Anime/{{Witchblade}}'', and Wadau's secretary he used to test the ultimate blade. Also, [[spoiler: the main character]] which resulted in a BreakTheCutie for [[spoiler: her daughter Rihoko]].
67** Pseudo BigBad Maria, especially once Masane kills the only friend she ever had. It seems that up until that point she treated the power of the witchblade and fighting as a game, her only non-childish moment prior when she was driven mad with rage and killed her mother for rejecting her. (Lets just say she's had a similar upbringing to Shinji but responded to it as Asuka would have.) Once her friend dies, the flash of emotions over the next 60 seconds could only be described as a HeroicBSOD for the neutral anti-hero.
68* [[spoiler:Lichty and/or Christina]] in ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundam00 Gundam 00]]''. [[spoiler:Louise]] ''almost'' joined them, and it got worse for the kid onwards. [[spoiler:And then, she got better.]]
69** There's a cute little girl in ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEED Gundam Seed]]'' who is introduced early in the story and gets killed along with the settler ship by Duel Gundam. Thanks a lot for that, [[JerkAss Yzak Joule]].
70** The most recent victim comes from ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundamAGE Gundam AGE]]''. [[spoiler: Yurin's death is this and Fram being the last casualty]]. Not that guys get much better, specially if their name is [[spoiler: Woolf Enneacle -- he first witnesses how a Vegan soldier is the cutie being killed, and one generation later ''he'' is the cutie that kicks it, much to the anguish of the Asunos.]].
71** To be precise, this is often called the Lalah [[spoiler: Named after Lalah Sune, a female Newtype who provides Amuro and Char their first true emotional bond with and then died]]. Since then, if the girl is on the enemy side and is a psychic. Start buying some life insurance of her.
72** All ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'' stories love this, especially ''[[Anime/MobileSuitVictoryGundam Victory Gundam]]'', with mass amounts of persons of all kinds (and ''especially'' cute {{Action Girl}}s) getting killed. WarIsHell indeed.
73* Creator/YoshiyukiTomino's shows are overloaded with this. Non-cuties die plenty too, though.
74* Rin from ''Manga/{{Inuyasha}}'' suffers a subversion of this trope on two occasions. The first time, she is [[spoiler:killed by wolves and brought back to life by Sesshomaru's [[HealingShiv Tenseiga]]]]. The second time, she [[spoiler:dies after being abducted to the Underworld but is revived by the [[AppliedPhlebotinum Meidou Stone]]]].
75* Done brutally in ''Anime/RahXephon'' to [[spoiler: Hiroko Asahina]]. What makes it worse is that [[spoiler: Ayato Kamina, TheHero, does it to her while ''trying to protect her'', not knowing that she was linked to a golem he was fighting, thus every damage done to the golem was equalled to an injury in poor Hiroko's body]]. It's a TearJerker deluxe with pain flavored sprinkles.
76* Though not a particularly "cute" child in-looks due to [[spoiler: having been experimented on for years]], [[spoiler:Takashi]] is suddenly shot in the head by a would-be hero with bad aim, causing his friend Manga/{{Akira}}'s catastrophic meltdown that levels Neo Tokyo in the manga version.
77** What makes it even worse is that right then, [[spoiler: Takashi]] was happily going towards Akira, walking up to him while all "Hey, Akira! Remember me? I'm [[spoiler: Takashi]]! I used to be your friend! Come with me, let's go home, [[spoiler: Kyouko and Masaru]] are waiting...". [[HopeSpot It seems that it will get better...]] And ''then''? BoomHeadshot. [[YankTheDogsChain For no real reason at all.]] [[TearJerker WAAAAAH]]!
78** [[spoiler:Kaori]] also dies in both the manga and anime, but two different ways. In the manga [[spoiler:she's shot to death by the local SmugSnake and the grief-stricken Tetsuo carries around her lifeless body afterwards]] and in the anime [[spoiler:she dies much more horrifically when Tetsuo's mutated form crushes her to a pulp]].
79* The 1980 ''Manga/AstroBoy'' series thrives on this. More often than not an episode will introduce a sympathetic robot character only to kill them off, leaving Astro to bemoan why humans had to make robots that way.
80* [[spoiler: Marco Bott]] from ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'' ends up DyingAlone, as a reminder of how cruel and senseless death often is for the RedShirtArmy the cast belongs to. [[spoiler: He was a kind and patient young leader, well-respected by his comrades, and absolutely vital in holding the trainees together during the Battle of Trost. In the aftermath, his [[HalfTheManHeUsedToBe mangled corpse]] is discovered by his best friend, Jean.]]
81* Happens a couple of times in ''Manga/BattleAngelAlita'', even to the lead character. But the worst example is probably Haruka: a sweet, flute playing girl who wouldn't hurt a fly runs into an ancient vampire and bravely reaches out to him to make peace. The [[MoralEventHorizon self important scumbag]] then just bites her, infecting her with his "curse" [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech to show her that humans and vampires will NEVER be able to exist together]] (and because he hates "poisonous innocence"). We now have to watch how the poor girl dies in excruciating agony [[DespairEventHorizon while also succumbing to absolute despair since she had been told before that infected humans have less than one percent chance of survival.]] After this, Haruka's beloved, who is the man destined to restore human civilization, is [[StartOfDarkness permanently hardened]] and the entire future of the world turns out much more dystopian then it normally would have been. An cruel example of "Karmatron dynamics" in action, really.
82* ''{{Manga/Berserk}}'', being the grimdark setting that it is, likes to kill and break cuties all the time. The first instance is that of a cute, adolescent girl named Colette who seems to develop a crush on Guts when she and her father offer him a ride in their wagon. When night falls, the evil spirits that are attracted to Guts' brand animate the skeletons from an old battle and first make their presence known by running Colette through with a spear. It's then taken a step further when they animate ''her'' corpse and force Guts to cut her in half.
83** Then there's Adonis, the young son of resident {{Jerkass}} Count Julius. When Guts assassinates Julius on orders from Griffith, Adonis walks in at the moment that Julius falls dead on the floor and gives himself away. Guts attacks on reflex, as he is trying not to be discovered, but when he sees just who he ran through with his {{BFS}}, he is [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone instantly horrified by what he's just done]]. Poor Adonis spends his last few seconds crying and gasping for life as the man who killed his father helplessly tries to console the kid. [[{{Tearjerker}} After finding Adonis' body, Hassan notes how Adonis never got to see his father smile. Once.]]
84* ''Manga/BlackLagoon'': [[spoiler: Hansel and Gretel]] are quite the variation on the trope. They ''are'' portrayed as soulless killers with no mercy, but then we get to learn [[spoiler: that their shared BackStory involved almost '''unspeakable''' horrors (ParentalAbandonment, OrphanageOfFear, rape, murder, snuff, etc.), which shaped them both into the killers we meet]]. So their whole life is a long, bloody, slow Kill the Cutie process...
85* [[spoiler: Alois/Jim]] from ''[[Manga/BlackButler Black Butler II]]''.
86* Saya from ''Manga/BlackCat'', when Creed [[spoiler: finds out Train doesn't want to live a life of assassin and wants to be free, and finds out its because of her]].
87* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'': Almost happened to [[spoiler:poor Momo Hinamori]]. [[NiceJobBreakingItHero Nice Job Breaking It]], [[spoiler: Hitsugaya]]. Now, since [[spoiler: Hinamori]] ''is'' a protagonist, the likelihood that [[spoiler: she]] will die? As if. ([[MemeticMutation Nobody Dies In Bleach, anyway.]]) But it's heartbreaking all the same. "[[spoiler: Shiro...chan...]]''why?''" [[spoiler: Aizen]] [[MoralEventHorizon is a sick bastard, that's why.]]
88** ''Did'' happen to [[spoiler: Hidetomo Kajoumaru, as he's [[HalfTheManHeUsedToBe sliced into two]] by the Stern Ritter Leader]]. Now, the likelihood that [[spoiler: he]] will kick it? [[spoiler: He doesn't have PlotArmor ''and'' Kubo seems to be pulling punches '''less''' in this particular arc, so the poor dude is surely a goner.]]
89*** Following this last bit of logic, [[spoiler:Kira Izuru]] is pretty much done for. Only a miracle can save [[spoiler:him]] now. [[spoiler:And while he didn't start as a cutie, Byakuya Kuchiki ''has'' gone through a cycle of CharacterDevelopment and was very cute as a kid... and now he's few more than a splatter on a wall after a massive CurbStompBattle. ''Then'' he lives on... but barely.]]
90* In ''Anime/BloodC'' we have [[spoiler:Nene and Nono]] GOD DAMN!! And to twist the knife even more? [[spoiler: [[SubvertedTrope They weren't]] [[BitchInSheepsClothing exactly cuties]], [[FakingTheDead their deaths were faked]], and then their ''definitive'' demises were '''even worse'''.]]
91* [[spoiler: The 10031st MISAKA]] in ''Literature/ACertainMagicalIndex'' and it's [[CruelAndUnusualDeath not pretty]]. [[spoiler:The 9982nd MISAKA]] in the ''Manga/ACertainScientificRailgun'' suffers a slightly less brutal death, but hits even harder because she spent the episode having funny and heartwarming moments with [[spoiler:her original]] Mikoto Misaka beforehand, and Mikoto gets to see her death happen right in front of her eyes rather than just see the aftermath.
92* With a name like ''VideoGame/CorpseParty'', it was probably inevitable, but [[spoiler:Seiko's death]] is still devastating due to what leads up to it.
93* ''Anime/CyberpunkEdgerunners'' has one in [[spoiler:Rebecca]] who is a PintSizedPowerhouse who mostly wields [=BFGs=] and has the [[OlderThanTheyLook physique of a 14 year old girl]]. During the second half of the series, she became the [[TheLancer lancer]] to David's crew and, during the mission to rescue Lucy from Arasaka's clutches, she got [[spoiler:stepped on by [[TheDreaded Adam Smasher]] as he falls to catch David. The results were [[LudicrousGibs not pretty, to say the least.]]]]
94* ''Anime/Danganronpa3TheEndOfHopesPeakHighSchool'' gives us [[spoiler:Chiaki Nanami]] in Despair Arc episode 10. While many saw it coming due to the arc's status as a prequel, the kill itself, being the chronological first [[spoiler: execution]] in the series, took half the episode and was filled with so many {{hope spot}}s that both [[spoiler: Class 77]] and the viewers alike fell into Despair. The kicker is that [[spoiler:Chiaki hangs on long enough to have some final words with [[TheStoic Izuru]]]] which drive even him to tears.
95* ''Manga/{{Devilman}}'':
96** [[spoiler:Miki Makimura]], outside of the somewhat LighterAndSofter TV anime adaptation, is usually killed brutally.
97** ''Amon: Apocalypse of Devilman'' has [[spoiler:both her and underaged brother]] killed right off onscreen by a group of madmen. Akira realizes it, and '''''snaps'''''. Too bad we don't see him tearing those bastards apart.
98* ''Anime/DigimonAdventure02'' has Wormmon. Poor, poor Wormmon. After being verbally and physically abused by Ken for over 20 episodes, he sacrifices himself by giving Magnamon all of his remaining energy in order to destroy Kimeramon. He ends up dying in Ken's arms, which combined with Ken realizing the awful things he has done finally sets Ken on the path to redeem himself and join the good guys. [[spoiler:Thankfully [[BackFromTheDead Wormmon gets better a few episodes later.]]]]
99** ''Anime/DigimonAdventure'' has a minor example in the form of Patamon. By far the cutest of the partner digimon, after agonizing over his inability to evolve he finally manages to [[OurAngelsAreDifferent evolve into Angemon]] only to end up [[TakingYouWithMe dying in a last-ditch effort to kill Devimon]]. [[spoiler:Like Wormmon, he gets better in the next episode]]. This event would serve as a catalyst for Takeru's character development, with Angemon's death haunting him [[Anime/DigimonAdventure02 three years]] and even [[Anime/DigimonAdventureTri six years]] later and making him absolutely despise anyone toying with the forces of darkness as a result.
100* In the ''Franchise/DragonBall'' movie ''[[Anime/DragonBallThePathToPower Path to Power]]'', the pacifistic, gentle Android 8 dies after fighting as hard as he can to protect an unconscious Goku from Officer Black and his giant robot, and Goku wakes up just in time to see his friend's last moments. Heartbroken, he begins screaming his head off from grief and rage... [[BullyingADragon and then Black just ''has'' to be stupid enough to mock him for his loss]], [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge which causes Goku to reduces him and his robot to ashes with a rage-fueled Kamehameha.]]
101* Lisanna from ''Manga/FairyTail'' is presented this way as a character in a {{Flashback}}. Adorable, sweet, and a {{Love Interest|s}} for [[ChasteHero Natsu]], she was quickly liked by everyone... until she goes on an S-Ranked mission with her SiblingTeam and is killed by her [[TearJerker older brother Elfman]] when he loses control of his Take Over magic. [[spoiler:Subverted for [[HesJustHiding she's just hiding]] in a parallel universe where said counterpart died]]
102* In ''Fang Of The Sun Dougram'', when Rita's naivete gets her killed, it doesn't just send George, who was quite obviously in love with her, into an UnstoppableRage, it actually turns him into a cynical asshole for much of the rest of the show.
103* The manga and movie versions of ''Manga/KimbaTheWhiteLion'' [[spoiler:ends with Kimba's and Lyra's deaths.]]
104* Happens in the second chapter of ''Manga/Limit2009''. The cute, "perfect", but cruelly judgmental Sakura dies while on a bus accident. It's ironic since she said that another girl, who she deemed pathetic and worthless, should die; but that girl ended up surviving.
105* ''Manga/MadeInAbyss'': Bondrewd the Novel has made something of a specialty of this. The most notable instance has to be Mitty; in the later chapters of the manga and the final episode of the anime, we're introduced to Mitty, a happy little girl who befriends Nanachi right away. [[spoiler:Due to Bondrewd's experimentation, however? Mitty is graphically reduced to little more than a tortured blob asking for death in its last conscious moments -- turning a [[https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/madeinabyss/images/3/3d/Mitty-Human-Char.png/revision/latest?cb=20170707184508 cute little girl]] into [[https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/madeinabyss/images/b/b6/Mitty-Char.png/revision/latest?cb=20170621150403 something out of]] ''Franchise/SilentHill''. Mitty is left alive as a tortured, voiceless, mindless blob for a while, but Reg eventually fulfills this trope all the way by giving her a MercyKill.]]
106* ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' has [[spoiler:Mami]]. Some episodes later, [[spoiler:Sayaka and Kyouko]]. In Episode 10, [[spoiler:We see everyone but Homura die multiple times in different timelines]]. What makes this worse is that [[spoiler:[[PoweredByAForsakenChild they need to die to save the universe]]]].
107* ''Anime/ReCreators'': Of all the fictional characters that appear on the real world, [[spoiler:[[MagicalGirl Mamika Kirameki]]]] is the sweetest and nicest. She even takes the opportunity to hear [[BigBad Altair]]'s story and tries to [[YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre appeal to her better nature and get her to let go of her sadness and grief.]] Unfortunately, [[spoiler:Altair is too angry to listen to reason and brutally murders her]].
108* ''Manga/TheRoseOfVersailles'':
109** [[spoiler: Charlotte]], after going through a long stretch of BreakTheCutie, [[spoiler: kills herself by falling down the balcony]].
110** Later, UsefulNotes/MarieAntoinette herself being sent to the guillotine, after also going though the same thing mentioned above. But considering history, this is [[ForegoneConclusion bound to happen]].
111* ''Manga/SaintSeiya'' had [[spoiler:Esmeralda, the daughter of Ikki's master]].
112* Years later, in ''Anime/SaintSeiyaOmega'', [[spoiler:Aria, the fake Athena,]] went through a demise just as heartwrenching.
113* [[spoiler:Umino]] from ''Manga/SatouKashiNoDanganWaUchinukenai'' is [[spoiler:the {{Cloudcuckoolander}} foil to the depressed protagonist]]. The manga ends with her [[spoiler:being killed by her father]].
114* ''Manga/{{Sekirei}}'' is a big battle royale with teams mostly made up of cute girls, so this is pretty common. It's suggested that losers can be brought back, though.
115* [[spoiler: Both Cosmo and Molly]] in ''Anime/SonicX'' kick the bucket near the end of the third season of the anime (though in the case of [[spoiler: Molly]] [[SparedByTheAdaptation in the English version]], [[{{Bowdlerise}} she survives off-screen]]) and their deaths were both {{Heroic Sacrifice}}s.
116* [[spoiler:Yuuki]] of ''Anime/TokyoMagnitude8'' is [[spoiler:Mirai's happy-go-lucky, optimistic CheerfulChild of a brother]] who dies due to being hit by rubble due to an earthquake. We don't learn this [[DeadAllAlong for a while after]] his death though.
117* ''Anime/WolfsRain'': The youngest character, Toboe, is the first to die. And Toboe's death is just the [[FromBadToWorse START]] of [[ApocalypseHow it.]]
118%% * [[spoiler:Franz and Edmond]] in ''Anime/{{Gankutsuou}}''.
119[[/folder]]
120
121[[folder:Comic Books]]
122* ''Webcomic/{{Dreamkeepers}}'' has a rather disturbing version of this trope, [[spoiler:where a cute little girl is, for lack of a better term, ''butchered'' off-screen]].
123* ''ComicBook/TheWalkingDead'' has this trope to an effect, with [[spoiler: Rick's wife and daughter being shot]] but it's hardly noticeable due to the fact that [[spoiler: [[WhamEpisode half the cast dies]]]].
124* ''ComicBook/{{Fray}}'' doesn't kick into high gear until [[spoiler: the brutal murder of Loo]].
125* ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1987'': Diana doesn't have the proper motivation to actually set out with the intent to kill Medusa until Medusa gleefully murders [[spoiler: Martin while he was saving his even younger brother from the gorgon]].
126[[/folder]]
127
128[[folder:Fan Works]]
129* ''Fanfic/AlwaysVisible'': Two words - Delia's Gone.
130* ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'', this happens to the deeply lovable [[spoiler: Luna Lovegood]] and [[spoiler: Arthur Weasley]] in [[WhamEpisode the same chapter]], just as their lives seemed to be on course to get that much better. In the former case, it drives multiple characters to bloodlust, especially Harry - and unfortunately, his UnstoppableRage isn't quite as unstoppable as he thinks, him being a GlassCannon and his chief opponent being Daken, who baits him, then relies on his HealingFactor to shrug off everything Harry throws at him and then... it gets a bit messy.
131** It was an especially bad GutPunch, as the [[TrollingCreator author]] had earlier promised TonightSomeoneDies, then [[spoiler: resurrected them and added, [[ExactWords "I never said it would stick."]]]] The author then killed off the above two characters, and luxuriated in the tears and {{Angrish}} of his reviewers.
132* In [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10223400/1/To-Love-DEATH To-Love-Death]] this happens to [[spoiler:Lala]].
133* ''Fanfic/DanganronpaKommSusserTod'': Chapter 3 ends with the execution of the cheerful and upbeat [[spoiler:[[SweetBaker Nanae Mochizuki]]]], after having [[AccidentalMurder accidentally killed her best friend]] whilst trying to save her from a suicide attempt. The kicker is that the executed [[FaceDeathWithDespair goes out screaming that she doesn't want to die and begging for help]].
134* In the ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'' story, ''Fanfic/CourtneyAndTheViolinOfDespair'', the Violin spirit is originally content merely to humiliate Courtney, but starts trying to do her in after she becomes a public figure. It appears to succeed, but that success (and perforce the trope) is subverted with an “or so it would have been” disclaimer.
135* The death of Antonio is this in the ''WesternAnimation/{{Encanto}}'' fanfic ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/41126109 I'm Staying with You]]''. He drowns, and Camilo is just moments too late to save him.
136* Happens in ''[[Fanfic/MyLittlePonyAUFanficMutant Mutant]]''
137* Inevitably for a ''[[Literature/TheHungerGames Hunger Games]]'' fanfiction, the tragic death of [[spoiler:Kit at the hands of a mutt]] in ''Fanfic/SomeSemblanceOfMeaning''. The deaths of [[spoiler:Lark]] and later [[spoiler:[[TheHeroDies Vale herself]] ]] also qualify.
138* In ''Fanfic/Gensokyo20XX'', this happens loads of times but one that sticks out is Sakuya, who dies of radiation sickness, caused by the fallout of the nuclear bomb.
139* ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10794596/1/27-Ways-to-kill-Celica-A-Mercury 27 Ways to kill Celica A Mercury]]'' is [[ExactlyWhatItSaysontheTin Exactly What It Says on the Tin]], a oneshot fic that involves 26 characters from ''Franchise/BlazBlue'' killing Celica A. Mercury in various ways. Only Ragna subverts this-- he [[BreakTheCutie breaks her by confession]] instead.
140* In the long-running and still-incomplete ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' DarkFic ''Fanfic/{{Subduction}}'' ([[https://archiveofourown.org/works/9115681 here]]), Mako gets PressGanged by a [[FantasticRacism firebender supremacists' group]]. One of the other "recruits" is a [[ThePollyanna naïve-as-a-kitten]] [[OriginalCharacter sixteen-year-old boy named Yaozhu]], who's basically what you'd get if [[TheHeart Book 1 Bolin]] were a [[HavingABlast combustionbender]]; Mako almost predictably develops a BigBrotherInstinct for him [[spoiler:(only exacerbated after he's [[FakeKillScare led to believe that Bolin has been killed]])]] and plots to take the kid with him when he escapes. When they get caught due to TheVamp ratting Mako out, [[BigBad the firebender supremacists' leader]] first [[ColdBloodedTorture so thoroughly]] ''{{break|TheCutie}}s'' Yaozhu that the poor kid can do nothing but [[MadnessMantra babble apologies]], then [[CruelAndUnusualDeath garrottes him with a chain]] in front of Mako and [[DishonoredDead leaves his body to rot where he fell]].
141* In ''[[Fanfic/TheHeartTrilogy Heart of Ashes]]'', the timid young girl Freyja is [[spoiler:bitten to death]] by [[spoiler:Smaug]] just for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
142* At the end of ''Fanfic/TheUtoniumTrials'', the cutest and most innocent Powerpuff Girl, Bubbles, commits a HeroicSacrifice against Him.
143* ''Fanfic/TheFriendshipTest'': Applejack, Rainbow, Pinkie, Twilight, and Fluttershy are all brutally killed.
144* Shockingly enough, in ''[[https://www.wattpad.com/story/325408590-the-frozen-heart%27s-star The Frozen Heart's Star]]'', this happens to '''''[[spoiler:[[Franchise/{{Kirby}} KIRBY]]]]''''' in [[https://www.wattpad.com/1281488603-the-frozen-heart%27s-star-chapter-8-the-end-of-kirby Chapter 8]], where he ends up [[Main/HeroicSacrifice sacrificing himself to save the other protagonists]], only to accept his fate as yet another frozen heart victim and freezing to death. Fortunately, this is ultimately averted in [[https://www.wattpad.com/1281494412-the-frozen-heart%27s-star-chapter-16-the-ultimate Chapter 16]] as our cute and sweet little pink puffball does end up being thawed and freed from the curse.
145
146[[/folder]]
147
148[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
149* ''WesternAnimation/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs'': Probably western animation's [[UrExample first attempt]] -- and possibly earliest example in American cinema -- to portray the "damsel in extreme distress" by literally killing the most beautiful girl off. The scene: A seemingly kindly elderly peasant woman (the disguised Evil Queen) convincing Snow White to take and eat an apple, not telling her (of course) that it is poisoned. She falls in a deep sleep, seemingly never to awaken ... and the dwarfs have kept eternal watch over their friend, when the "Kill the Cutie" moment is finally reversed with the Prince's kiss.
150* Manolo after going through some ''harsh'' BreakTheCutie moments in ''WesternAnimation/TheBookOfLife'', the worst one is when he thinks that he [[spoiler:indirectly lead to Maria's "death"]]. He thus asks (indirectly) from [[spoiler:Xibalba]], to help commit [[spoiler:suicide]].
151* ''WesternAnimation/InsideOut'' gives us a rather depressing example with Bing-Bong, Riley Anderson's closest imaginary friend who is destroyed when helping Joy to escape.
152* ''WesternAnimation/{{Nine}}'': Poor, poor 5. It's just not enough that he ''dies,'' oh no, he has to have what fans call the saddest death in the whole movie.
153* ''WesternAnimation/ThePrincessAndTheFrog'' delivers a rather harsh one with [[spoiler:Ray, who's swatted to the ground by Facilier and then ''stepped on'' quite coldly. Only, that's not all. Louis finds him, and we later see that Ray's still alive - but only barely. Louis brings him to Tiana and Naveen, who tell him they're staying frogs and getting married. He expresses his happiness with the news right before he finally passes on, eyes growing blank and tail light fading out. Somewhat mitigated by Ray's ultimate fate being incredibly heartwarming - he winds up becoming a star in the sky, right next to Evangeline - a star he was in love with]].
154[[/folder]]
155
156[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
157* ''Film/TheAccidentalSpy'': Yeung, the sweet, innocent NiceGirl, turns out to be a drug carrier and ends up succumbing to an overdose.
158* [[spoiler: Chad]] in ''Film/BurnAfterReading''.
159* [[spoiler: Rachel]] in ''Film/TheDarkKnight''.
160* ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'':
161** The [[spoiler: Jedi younglings]]. Easily one of the saddest moments in [[Franchise/StarWars the franchise.]]
162** [[DoomedByCanon Padme Amidala]]. No matter how bleak things seem, she remains [[TheHeart kind, idealistic and hopeful]] that they can end the war (preferably using diplomacy); she also never gives up on Anakin Skywalker despite his increasing amorality. She ends up [[DeathByChildbirth dying shortly after giving birth]] to Luke and Leia, after going through a TraumaCongaLine [[BreakTheCutie that utterly destroys]] [[DespairEventHorizon her spirit]]. The fact that her ''own husband'' is the one who ultimately [[KickTheMoralityPet causes her death]] – while she had been [[NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished pleading with him]] to turn away from the dark side – makes it worse.
163* British indie actress [[Creator/MyannaBuring [=MyAnna=] Buring]] is naturally adorable, and this tends to carry across to her characters. She also has a tendency towards horror films and characters with suicidal tendencies, so this happens ''a lot''.
164* ''Film/TheCondemned2007'' had a horrible scene of a woman being raped and killed (behind a tree, for what that's worth) while her husband was forced to listen. Wikipedia shows the character of Rosa (played by Dasi Ruz) to have "stood by her man during the duo's merciless killing spree, which landed her a seat next to her husband on death row. Charges of prostitution flesh out her mile long rap sheet." Nevertheless, it was one of the scenes which established TheDragon.
165* Jamie Lloyd from the ''Franchise/{{Halloween}}'' series, who winds up impaled on and ripped open by tractor harrows courtesy of [[EvilUncle uncle Michael]] in [[Film/HalloweenTheCurseOfMichaelMyers the sixth film]]. This is made even worse in the Producers cut where Jamie initially survives the attack at the farm house, only to be [[spoiler: killed by a gunshot by the man in black]] while recovering in the hospital.
166* The main character's {{Love Interest|s}} in the remake of ''Film/AssaultOnPrecinct132005'' is rather pointlessly executed after being kidnapped by the BigBad.
167* Marlena in ''Film/{{Cloverfield}}''. Especially the way she dies. [[spoiler: Not that anybody else is getting out of this alive, though.]]
168* Newt was killed off pretty quickly in ''Film/{{Alien 3}}'', and the audience is given an sickeningly just-out-of-shot autopsy scene to confirm this.
169* Eusebios in the 2010 ''Film/{{Clash of the Titans|2010}}'', clearly the youngest of the group of heroes. He is turned to stone by Medusa after watching his companion die, and his body is then smashed to pieces at Perseus' feet.
170* Lorna in ''Film/HostelPartII''. Being played by Heather Matarazzo only made it that much worse.
171* Josh in the original ''Film/{{Hostel}}''. The fact he gets the most painful death in the entire movie just makes it much, much worse.
172* Karen from ''Film/CabinFever'' [[spoiler: The closest thing to a nice character gets infected, locked in a shed, has her face eaten by a dog and is beaten to death with a shovel]].
173* Randy Meeks from the ''Film/{{Scream}}'' films is the lovable and excitable movie geek who gets mutilated beyond belief in the sequel and before that plays the general role of the underdog with many BreakTheCutie moments occurring. As an adorable common relief character whose only crime is making constant tongue-in-cheek remarks he certainly didn't deserve that to happen.
174* Boltie (Creator/ElliotPage) in ''Film/{{Super}}'' gets a third of her head blown off with a shotgun. Even though she's a psychopath, you can't help but like her and the brutal nature of her death hits hard.
175* In ''Film/PansLabyrinth'', Captain Vidal, [[spoiler:after taking his baby son from his step-daughter Ofelia, [[WouldHurtAChild coldly takes out his pistol and shoots her in the stomach.]] Thankfully, it's followed by one of the most satisfying death scenes in recent memory.]]
176* Su-in from ''Film/DeadFriend''. Just poor, poor Su-in.
177* ''Film/LegendOfTheWolf'': Wai-yee, the gentle, innocent NiceGirl and LoveInterest of the titular Wolf ends up [[OffWithHisHead losing her head]] in a disturbingly graphic manner right before the final battle. In comparison, many villains and killers in that movie didn't die nearly as horribly as she did.
178* ''Film/MercenariesFromHongKong'': The young daughter of Sergeant Tai, a little girl suffering from cancer, who have a remaining lifespan of less than a year and clearly loves her father... and she gets kidnapped and shot in the final confrontation.
179* ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'': Agent Phil Coulson. [[spoiler:Though he not only got better, but ultimately [[Series/AgentsOfSHIELD got his own TV series]] out of it.]]
180* In ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'', even though we know that [[PlotArmor he’s going to appear in future films]], we get to watch [[spoiler: Peter Parker – the youngest of the Avengers – become an onscreen victim of Thanos’ fingersnap of doom]].
181* ''Film/XMenApocalypse'': [[spoiler:The sweet and innocent Nina accidentally dies at the hands of the Polish police]].
182* ''Film/TheExpendables2''. [[spoiler: The new recruit [[FriendlySniper Billy the Kid]] is killed by [[BigBad Jean Vilain]].]]
183* Sweet, innocent little Carlo in ''Film/HornetsNest''. [[spoiler:He won't get out of the way of his older friend Aldo's line of fire when Aldo wants to shoot an onrushing carload of German soldiers, and Aldo, sociopathic little snot that he is, cares more about killing Germans than the lives of his friends, so he guns down the younger boy to remove the obstacle to his target.]]
184* In ''Film/{{Daybreakers}}'', the fate that awaits BigBad's cute daughter.
185* ''Film/EscapeFromNewYork'': [[spoiler: Cabbie.]] He spends most of the whole movie as a happy-go-lucky, overly friendly wide-eyed optimist who looks out for [[spoiler: Plissken]] (even to the extent of [[spoiler: throwing a molotov cocktail at some thugs, driving him for free and coming back for him just in time)]]. Then, despite being in an explosion that leaves the others inexplicably unscathed, he dies horribly. Thankfully, Snake gets some justice for his unnecessary death [[spoiler: by screwing the ungrateful president]].
186* Subverted in ''Film/{{Pixels}}'' - it looks like Q*Bert is killed by Donkey Kong's barrel, but it turns out he's just SquashedFlat and he manages to get back on his feet.
187* In ''Film/LawrenceOfArabia'', the sprightly teenage orphans Daud and Farraj accompany the title character in his adventures, only for Daud to be lost to [[QuicksandSucks quicksand]], and Farraj is mortally wounded by enemy fire and [[MercyKill mercy-killed]] by Lawrence.
188%%* ''Film/TheHungerGames'': [[spoiler: Poor Rue]].
189* ''Film/RamboLastBlood'': [[spoiler: Gabrielle]] dies of a drug overdose after Rambo rescues her, sparking Rambo's RoaringRampageOfRevenge in the second half.
190* In ''Film/TheMatrixRevolutions '', the lovable child [[spoiler:Sati]] is [[spoiler: [[CloneByConversion infected by Smith]]]] early on. [[CensoredChildDeath Thank god we didn’t see it.]] Don’t worry, [[BackFromTheDead she gets better at the end]].
191* ''Film/RoyalWarriors'' is an action film where the heroes have to battle a vengeful mob of ex-Vietnam veterans-turned-convicts. One of the heroes, Peter Yamamoto, have a CheerfulChild, an adorable little daughter who constantly dotes on her dad and begs him "not to leave mommy again" after Peter gets sent on another assignment, at which point Peter kisses her forehead and assures he'll be back in no time. [[spoiler: The child gets blown up one scene later in a CarBomb explosion set by the villains, meant for Peter]].
192* ''Film/SpecialFemaleForce'': Honey is the chubby, bubbly FatComicRelief of the team, who is shown doting over her little sisters waiting for her at home, being [[TheHeart caring over her teammates]], and often blaming herself whenever things go wrong. So naturally, she is the only member of the girls to die before the third act, for the rest of her team to stay together in order to thwart BigBad's plans and avenge her death.
193* ''Film/{{Mowgli}}'': Bhoot, the adorable little albino wolf pup is introduced as Mowgli's close friend and supporter. After they have a fall-out, the next time Mowgli sees Bhoot is his taxidermied head in a hunter's collection. This makes Mowgli swear {{revenge}} on the hunter.
194* [[spoiler: All of the children]] in ''Film/{{Nope}}''. [[spoiler: ''All of them.'']]
195* In ''Film/WalledIn'', the first thing we see is a young girl named Julie about to be murdered by burial in cement.
196[[/folder]]
197
198[[folder:Literature]]
199* ''Literature/AmericanDirt'': Two-thirds through the novel, the group meets a plucky ten-year-old boy, Beto. Though reckless and naive, he is quickly welcomed thanks to his goofy and lighthearted nature, providing a source of levity for the suffering migrants. [[spoiler:During the trek of the desert, however, Beto's asthma finally catches up to him, and he chokes to death. His demise stays with the others long after.]]
200* ''Literature/AnneOfGreenGables'': Rilla of Ingleside loses her favourite brother, Walter, in World War One. Made worse by the fact that [[TheWoobie Walter]] desperately didn't want to go, and had spent half the novel in a state of torment because he thought himself a coward. And he was always the kindest, gentlest of the children.
201* In Creator/StephenKing's ''Literature/{{Cell}}'', [[spoiler:Alice is the only character that one can really love, due to her innocence and naiveté. She dies suddenly via being bludgeoned to death by a brick, and with no foreshadowing or reason. Thankfully, [[AssholeVictim her killers die]] a much more excruciating death via being [[PsychicAssistedSuicide forced to crucify themselves, completely aware]]]].
202* ''Literature/{{Dracula}}'': Lucy Westenra. The book goes out of its way to showcase she was a kind and caring individual if just a little flighty. Then Dracula starts feeding off her and she weakens until she eventually dies. Then she comes back as a vampire, an utter corruption of her former self. Her staking is treated very solemnly.
203* Bheth Halleck from ''Dune: House Harkonnen'': The gentle younger sister of Gurney Halleck's Bheth is first kidnapped by the Harkonnens for trying to protect her brother. Next they cut out her larynx so she can't do more than scream wordlessly. Then she is subjected to 6 years (starting at an innocent 17 years old) of sadistic rape and torture by a recorded 4620 Harkonnan soldiers. The Beast Rabban finally kills her in retribution of Gurney's attempt on his life.
204* In ''Literature/{{Gone}}'', the [[VagueAge preteen]] Brianna is killed in combat.
205* ''Literature/TheGrandmother'': In the last chapter we learn that Countess Hortensie, the teenage ward of the Princess, died in Italy not long after her marriage to her drawing teacher, having given birth to a baby boy that the Princess tearfully introduces to the Prošeks on her next return to her Bohemian estate.
206* Creator/CharlesDickens: Nancy ''Literature/OliverTwist'', Paul Dombey in ''Literature/DombeyAndSon'', the death of Little Nell in ''Literature/TheOldCuriosityShop'', Dora in ''Literature/DavidCopperfield'', Smike in ''Literature/NicholasNickleby''. He plays with the trope in ''Literature/AChristmasCarol'', in the Christmas Future scene where Tiny Tim is dead, but Scrooge's repentance averts the death.
207* [[spoiler:Kianna]] goes out in contorting, flaming ruin in the second book of Douglas Niles's ''Watershed Trilogy''.
208* In the Creator/StrugatskyBrothers novel ''Literature/HardToBeAGod'', the concluding RoaringRampageOfRevenge is caused by the deaths of the Hero's {{Love Interest|s}} and KidSidekick - possibly the only pure characters in the story.
209* [[spoiler:Lavan's Companion followed by Lavan himself]] in ''[[Literature/HeraldsOfValdemar Brightly Burning]]''. As [[https://web.archive.org/web/20100308102941/http://www.firebirdarts.com/mercedeslackey/chapters/myste.html bragged]] by Creator/MercedesLackey:
210-->"The Lackey patented formula for success—make your audience identify with and care deeply for a character then drop a mountain on him!"
211* The German book ''The Land Of Oblivion'' has a particularly gruesome variation. Technically, [[spoiler: The Shadow Child]] is [[DeadToBeginWith already dead]] by the time of introduction, but in the end, [[spoiler: she]] ends up DeaderThanDead, condemned to nothingness, and there is nothing to do about it. Ouch.
212* ''Laura and the Silver Wolf'', meanwhile, has the death of [[spoiler: [[TheHeroDies The main protagonist]]. But at least she DiedHappilyEverAfter]].
213* ''Literature/LonesomeDove'':
214** While moving cattle from Texas to Montana, [[spoiler:Sean O'Brien, a novice cowhand and lovable young Irish immigrant]] wades into a nest of water moccasins while crossing a river, where he is bitten several times by a group of them before being hauled out of the water and dying painfully on the shore. Even the most grizzled, experienced cowhands of the group are shocked and disturbed by the sudden, unusual, and brutal nature of his death.
215** [[spoiler:Deputy Roscoe, along with the two kids Joe and Janey]], are all brutally murdered by Blue Duck, simply because they happened to be nearby while he was looking for a horse to steal.
216* [[spoiler:Emilio]] in Creator/JCHutchins' ''Literature/PersonalEffects: Literature/DarkArts'' is another rare male example.
217* ''Literature/ThePoisonwoodBible'': [[spoiler:Ruth May, the youngest of the Price sisters, is killed by a venomous snakebite.]] Her death marks a major turning point in the novel.
218* ''Literature/QualiaThePurple'': [[spoiler:Yukari dies off-screen, and serves as a catalyst for her best friend Hatou to then use her abilities to search for anything about her death in the infinite possibilities of possible worlds.]]
219* ''[[{{Literature/Redwall}} Martin the Warrior]]'' has Laterose die at the end of the book, causing Martin to go on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge.
220* ''Literature/SurvivorDogs'':
221** How do we know that Alpha is a dangerous wolf-dog? In the first chapter of the second book, he kills Alfie by just slamming him with his paw only ''once''. Barely older than a puppy, Alfie was the plucky comedic relief and was well-liked amongst the pack. His death is the first major one of the series.
222** Wiggle was the shyest and cutest of the Fierce Dog pups, lacking the cockiness and pomp of his two littermates. He's also the one that gets brutally mauled to death just hours after Blade comes to "reclaim" them. His sister Lick narrowly escaped thanks to a sudden burst of mist, while his brother Grunt groveled for his life and was spared.
223* In ''Literature/SwordArtOnline'', Kirito's girlfriend Sachi dies because Kirito didn't warn their teammates about the trap they were about to trigger. The trap sealed off all escape routes and summoned hordes of monsters to attack them. [[ThisIsGonnaSuck While she didn't know the exact reason that Kirito didn't want to open that chest, she knew there was a good reason, but couldn't talk the others out of opening it.]] Kirito wasn't able to save any of them, with Sachi dying last, after hearing the screams of impending death from her friends. The whole thing pushes Kirito past the DespairEventHorizon.
224** Kirito gets better only to cross the DespairEventHorizon again after his fiance/in-game wife Asuna is struck down taking a fatal blow meant for him. He was about to resign himself to dying with her until he thought of all the people who were counting on him and pulls off a dramatic TakingYouWithMe. The BigBad was so impressed, he decided not to apply the rule that if you die in the game, you die in real life to them.
225* In ''Literature/UncleTomsCabin'', [[spoiler:Tom, a slave, meets a cute little girl named Eva, saving her from drowning and resulting in Tom gaining the respect of her father, Tom's new owner. However, two years into Tom's life with the family, Eva gets an illness and dies a short time later. The illness is never explicitly stated, but is implied to be tuberculosis, which is '''very''' painful.]]
226* ''Literature/TheVoyageOfTheJerleShannara'' has Ryer Ord Star, who...
227-->hung from the yardarm of Black Moclips, swaying gently at the ends of the ropes tied about her wrists. Blood coated her arms from the deep gouges the ropes had made in her flesh, and sweat ran down her face and body in spite of the cool night air. Her pain was all encompassing, racking her slender body from head to toe, rising and falling in steady waves as she waited to die.
228* Erin Hunter's ''Literature/WarriorCats''. If there is a cutie, expect them to end up [[BreakTheCutie broken]], if not dead. One of the first examples is Spottedleaf, the protagonist's FirstLove and [=ThunderClan=]'s kindly medicine cat.
229%% * [[spoiler:Johnny]] in ''Literature/TheOutsiders''
230%% * [[spoiler:Piggy]] from ''Literature/LordOfTheFlies''. [[spoiler:Simon]], too.
231%% * Literature/HarryPotter's potentially extensive list: [[spoiler:Dobby and Colin Creevey]] with qualifying mentions to Lily and James Potter, [[spoiler:Fred Weasley, Nymphadora Tonks, Remus Lupin, Lavender Brown, and Hedwig]] depending on how you want to define cutie. In the backstory, there is also [[spoiler:Ariana Dumbledore]] whose premature death haunts both her of brothers, even a century later.
232%% * In ''Literature/TheBookOfTheDunCow'', [[spoiler:Beryl, the Wee Widow Mouse, and the three Pins]] count.
233%% * ''Literature/BridgeToTerabithia'': [[spoiler:Poor Leslie..]].
234%% * [[spoiler:Weena]] in ''Literature/TheTimeMachine''.
235%% * ''Literature/ChaosWalking'':
236%% ** [[spoiler:Manchee]] in ''The Knife of Never Letting Go''.
237%% ** [[spoiler:Maddy]] in ''The Ask and the Answer''.
238%% * [[spoiler:Clarisse]] in ''Literature/{{Fahrenheit 451}}''.
239%% * [[spoiler:Ray Pierce]] in ''Literature/MildredPierce''. Also in the film and the miniseries adaptation.
240%% * [[spoiler:Rue]] in ''Literature/TheHungerGames''.
241%% ** Depending on definition, also possibly [[spoiler:Cinna]] from the second book, although [[spoiler:we don't know for sure that he's actually dead.]]
242%% ** And just when you think that maybe [[spoiler:Rue]] has fulfilled this trope enough for one trilogy, they go and kill off ''[[spoiler:Prim]]'' in the final book.
243[[/folder]]
244
245[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
246* ''Series/MoonLovers'': Wang Eun is the most cheerful and innocent of the princes. Naturally he's one of the first to die, in [[SiblingMurder especially horrifying circumstances.]]
247* ''Series/StrangersFromHell'': Poor, poor [[spoiler: Seok-yoon]]. He's one of the nicest, sanest characters in the show, so naturally he becomes yet another murder victim.
248* ''Series/{{Bonanza}}'': Seemingly every episode that featured a [[CartwrightCurse Cartwright becoming romantically involved with a young woman.]]
249* Creator/JossWhedon is positively obsessed with this trope.
250** ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': Examples include [[spoiler:Jenny Calendar, Tara, Amanda, and Jonathan]].
251** [[spoiler:Cordelia Chase and Winifred Burkle]] in ''Series/{{Angel}}''
252** If there's one blessing in the [[ScrewedByTheNetwork short lifespan]] of ''Series/{{Firefly}}'', it's that Whedon didn't get a chance to do this to us. (Which he planned to do, though; [[spoiler:Inara's reason for leaving the crew would've been revealed -- if the show had continued -- as being that she was terminally ill.]]) Though he made up for it by killing [[spoiler:Wash]] in [[TheMovie The]] [[BigDamnMovie Movie]].
253** He also poked fun at his penchant for this in the pilot of ''Firefly'', with Kaylee's "death" (it all turns out to be a psychotic joke by Mal). The only reason that the joke was as effective as it was is because of Joss's track record.
254** ''Series/{{Dollhouse}}'':
255*** [[spoiler:Bennett Halverson in "Getting Closer" (2x11).]] That is all.
256*** In "The Hollow Men" (2x12) [[spoiler: Mellie kills herself to protect Ballard]].
257*** In 2x13, [[spoiler: Topher performs a heroic sacrifice and gets blown up]].
258* ''Series/GameOfThrones'':
259** Poor, poor Shireen Baratheon from the Season 5 episode "The Dance of Dragons" - one of the most pure, innocent, good, sweet and selfless characters on the show, is brutally executed by fire by her father.
260** And an episode later -- poor Myrcella dies horribly after being poisoned by Ellaria. Not to mention her brother Tommen one season later, who ultimately kills himself after being in the DespairEventHorizon for so long...
261** Lady is the most mild mannered of all the direwolves and the first one to die.
262* ''Series/HouseOfTheDragon'': Queen Aemma was a beloved and loving consort to King Viserys and a good mother, and she got butchered with a TraumaticCSection that she didn't consent to in order to save her child (who [[AllForNothing died shortly thereafter anyway]]).
263* ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|2003}}'':
264** [[spoiler: Cally. Dualla. Boomer. Athena. Repeatedly, in the latter two cases.]]
265** [[spoiler: Billy. Oh, sweet, sweet Billy.]]
266** The irritatingly cute chicken-eating munchkin in the original miniseries. Introduced in one scene, playing with her doll and talking to Laura Roslin about how she's going to have dinner with her parents. Blown up by Cylons in her very next scene.
267* Alice from ''Series/TheHauntingHour'' episode "My Old House" is a [[ShrinkingViolet shy]] girl who has no friends other than [[spoiler: [[NotSoImaginaryFriend her house]]]]. When she fears that she'll lose her so-called friend, she [[TheRunaway runs away from home]] to be with him forever. However, she sees that her parents are worried to death over her whereabouts and desperately are searching to find her. When she realizes what a big mistake she made, she attempts to part ways with her best friend peacefully to return home. However, [[spoiler: [[{{Yandere}} her house]]]] doesn't want to let her go and murders her when it can't convince her to stay. The last we see of Alice, her face is [[DeadGuyOnDisplay mounted on the wall]] [[spoiler: of her home]] so her former best friend can remember her forever.
268* [[spoiler: Kutner,]] possibly the most likable character on ''Series/{{House}}''. Cause of death? [[spoiler: Suicide.]]
269* [[spoiler: Ianto ]] in ''Series/{{Torchwood}}''.
270** [[spoiler: Owen]] and [[spoiler: Toshiko]], as well.
271** From ''[[Series/TorchwoodMiracleDay Miracle Day]]'', we have [[spoiler:Esther]]. At this point, we can all agree that if you're nice, likable, and a fan favourite, you can expect to die by the end of the season.
272* ''Series/DoctorWho'':
273** [[spoiler:The daughter in "The Doctor's Daughter". Thankfully, she got better.]]
274** [[spoiler: Katarina]]
275** [[spoiler: Adric]], although frequently cited as a case of AlasPoorScrappy. [[spoiler: Peri]] is a much straighter example [[spoiler: unless you believe that "warrior queen" business, which was put in at the last minute]].
276** Astrid, from "Voyage of the Damned".
277** That adorable little kid (who was ''sent in by Series/BluePeter'', no less) in the episode "Utopia", and who [[spoiler: ended up turned into a twisted little Toclafane]].
278** [[spoiler:Chantho. This is almost the first thing TheMaster does in the new series, and [[FromBadToWorse he only gets worse]] from there.]]
279** [[spoiler:Kira Arlo, from "Kerbalm!"]]
280** Rory is surely a killed Cutie. The amount of times he gets killed and frankly he is a cute dork. However, by this point, he's [[TookALevelInBadass taken so many levels in badass]] that in fandom, the TheyKilledKennyAgain jokes have fully stopped in favor of adding to his Website/ChuckNorrisFacts type list, "What doesn't kill Rory Williams makes him stronger. What kills Rory Williams ''also'' makes him stronger." He's ''still'' TheCutie, though.
281*** Amy also counts after [[spoiler:being sent back in time by Weeping Angel in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS33E5TheAngelsTakeManhattan "The Angels Take Manhattan"]]]].
282** The Eighth Doctor isn't exactly the cutie, but he's the most jovial and upbeat of the Doctor's incarnations. He dies trying to save a Time Lord-hating pilot during the Time War, only to be resurrected and forced to face the reality of him needing to participate in the Time War, [[ActualPacifist which he has been trying to avoid.]] He crosses the DespairEventHorizon, as he decides to become a warrior in his next incarnation, gives up the name of the Doctor, and regenerates, broken and alone.
283* One can never forget the tragic death of [[spoiler: Charlie]] on ''Series/{{Heroes}}''. But [[spoiler: She got better too]].
284* On ''Series/{{Lost}}'', AnyoneCanDie, so it's no surprise this applies. [[spoiler: Libby, Juliet, Charlotte, Daniel, Charlie, Boone and Shannon would qualify.]]
285* Initially Lilly Kane, the character who dies before the beginning of the first episode of ''Series/VeronicaMars'', would count as an example, since she was a young attractive teenager who got her head smashed in with [[spoiler: an ashtray]], though she becomes less of a 'cutie' during some of the later flashbacks as her innocence level drops.
286* ''Series/HoratioHornblower'' has this happen twice in "Retribution". Both [[spoiler: [[TheWoobie Wellard]] and [[BadassAdorable Archie]] are killed when the Spanish prisoners retake the ship. Archie lasts long enough to perform a HeroicSacrifice for Horatio, though]].
287* The acclaimed ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' episode "[[Recap/StarTrekS1E28TheCityOnTheEdgeOfForever The City on the Edge of Forever]]" offers [[TheHero Kirk]] a SadisticChoice: either Kill the Cutie or [[GodwinsLawOfTimeTravel alter history so the Nazis win]] UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. [[spoiler:He does the right thing in the end, although it's hard for him.]] However, it's not so much "kill" in this case as "allow to die" -- the character in question was originally supposed to die in a road accident, but Kirk falling in love with her would have prevented that.
288* At the end of the third/beginning of the fourth seasons of ''Series/BreakingBad'', unfortunate circumstances force [[spoiler: Jesse]] to kill [[spoiler:Gale]].
289* On ''Series/{{Bones}}'', the creators even admitted they killed [[spoiler:Vincent Nigel-Murray]] "for the heartbreak".
290* [[spoiler: William, Lavinia, and Sybil]] in ''Series/DowntonAbbey''
291* ''{{Series/Supernatural}}'''s "most adorable angel in heaven," [[spoiler:Samandriel]] was killed by a mind-controlled [[spoiler:Castiel]].
292* You wouldn't expect a show like the ''Franchise/UltraSeries'' to actually do this, but...
293** They did it in ''Series/UltramanLeo'', one of the DarkerAndEdgier installments of the series, with Episode 40 going full AnyoneCanDie and eliminating [[spoiler: Takeshi, Momoko, and little 7-year-old Kaoru]]. [[TearJerker Sob]]...
294** They did it ''again'' in the next show, ''Series/UltramanEighty'', in one episode featuring [[spoiler: the infant kaiju Baru, who was born early in its debut episode and failed to live past the end credits]]. The poor creature barely lived for three days!
295** Subverted in ''Series/UltramanTiga'' in the episode "Deban's Turn!". Deban, a harmless, child-like alien creature is being hunted by the alien invader, Enomena, and Deban seemingly gave up its life to neutralize Enomena's HatePlague. But after Enomena was soundly dealt with by Tiga in the penultimate battle, the episode's ending reveals that Deban actually faked its death and is living happily with its adopted family.
296** In ''Series/UltraGalaxyMegaMonsterBattle'', [[spoiler: Eleking]], possibly the most adorable monster on Rei's team, who can even size-shift into a chibi-form of itself, dies brutally in the second season to the monster Tyrant, motivating Rei and Gomora on their RoaringRampageOfRevenge.
297* ''Series/TheWalkingDead2010'':
298** Amy was the kindest and most pleasant of the survivors, to the point where even ''Merle'' liked her, and he was a openly racist, sociopathic {{Jerkass}}. She was also the first one to die after walkers attack the camp. Well, Carol's husband was killed and eaten before she was, but none of the survivors or viewers gave a toss about that [[WouldHitAGirl wife-abusing]] {{asshole|Victim}}.
299** To say nothing of [[spoiler:the show brutally showing DeathOfAChild with the death of Sophia. She goes missing early in Season 2 after being split up from the group. The survivors find her later zombified in a barn]].
300** Dale might also count. A sweet old man who only wanted what was best for the group, and was a much needed father figure/rock for Glenn.
301** [[spoiler: Audiences watched Glenn Rhee develop from the resourceful joker of the group to a loyal companion, devoted husband, soon-to-be father, and certainly the nicest, least cruel and most optimistic of the core group. He is the joint recipient of one of the most sadistic and brutal deaths of the franchise, and that same audience are not spared seeing pieces of skull, brain, scalp, teeth and burst eyes splattered across the ground or stuck in the barbed-wire baseball bat used to slowly bludgeon him to death in front of his friends and family.]]
302* [[spoiler: Kate]] on ''Series/{{NCIS}}''.
303* ''Series/TheKilling'': In Season 3, [[spoiler: caring and sweet streetwise teen Bullet, whom Holder had befriended, is brutally murdered by the Pied Piper and her body left in a car trunk for Holder to find]].
304* In the 1999 version of ''Series/TheScarletPimpernel'', Lord Tony Dewhurst suffers from DeathByAdaptation. He's a cute young man who laughs and smiles and stutters adorably. Killing him off in the very first episode is just too cruel. Percy is a bit shattered when he hears that Tony's dead, but he recovers very quickly and says that he knew the risks of working for the League.
305* Wendy in the 1975 version of ''Series/{{Survivors}}'' was pretty much introduced for the purposes of later killing her off, after [[spoiler:a drunken Tom Price kills her for refusing his drunken advances]], forming the entire plot of the episode "Law and Order".
306* This happened in the episode Authentic Flirt of ''Series/{{Blindspot}}'' when [[spoiler: Patterson's boyfriend, David]] followed a mysterious woman down an alley, leading to his death, just because he wanted to help his girlfriend out and get back into her good graces.
307* ''Series/MillionYenWomen'': When people start getting killed in the last third, [[spoiler:the kind-hearted Nanaka]] is the first to go. And though the killer ends up having to take someone else down instead, they turn out also have wanted to kill [[spoiler:Midori, the youngest of the women, who is still in high school]].
308* Poor, poor, ''poor'' [[spoiler: Bob Newby]] from ''Series/StrangerThings'', possibly the {{nice|Guy}}st and goofiest character on the series overall who would've also [[spoiler: made a wonderful husband and stepfather for the Byers']]. What happens instead? [[spoiler: He makes a HeroicSacrifice for his friends and family and is eaten by Demidogs.]]
309* ''Series/{{Yellowjackets}}'': In "[[Recap/YellowjacketsS2E8ItChooses It Chooses]]" it is more like "Allow the Cutie to drown after a fall through thin ice when the Cutie attempts to save the "winner" of a LotteryOfDoom." Goodbye, [[spoiler:young Javi]].
310* Steve Crosetti from ''Series/HomicideLifeOnTheStreet'' was the sweetest and kindest member of the original main cast, as well as being a quite lovable {{Cloudcuckoolander}}. He's killed off very early in the third season via suicide, much to the devastation of everyone, especially his [[HeterosexualLifePartners Heterosexual Life Partner]] Lewis.
311[[/folder]]
312
313[[folder:Roleplay]]
314* Hey! Is there a character you like in ''Roleplay/SurvivalOfTheFittest''? It's almost definite they won't make it to the end, thanks to the premise.
315[[/folder]]
316
317[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
318* A very common tactic for cruel Dungeon Masters, regardless of system or setting.
319[[/folder]]
320
321[[folder:Theatre]]
322* Bernardo and Riff in ''Theatre/WestSideStory'' are the funniest characters in the show, even if they are gang-leaders that are intent on escalating the conflict. They provide snarky relief from Maria's and Tony's overly serious gushy lovey-doviness.
323* ''Theatre/{{Macbeth}}'':
324** Seward's son challenges the title character to single combat in the middle of the climactic battle. Macbeth is a brutal, murderous FallenHero with years of combat experience. Seward's son is just some poor brave kid. Guess the end of that one.
325** Also, [=MacDuff=]'s ''entire family,'' '''onstage,''' just to get him to come back to Scotland. [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge It works.]]
326* [[spoiler: Audrey]] in ''Theatre/LittleShopOfHorrors''. [[spoiler: Averted in the FocusGroupEnding [[Film/LittleShopOfHorrors movie version]] though]].
327* ''Theatre/NextToNormal'': Defied with Diana [[spoiler: but played straight with Gabe]].
328* ''Theatre/LesMiserables'':
329** Gavroche is a young boy/TeamPet of the revolutionaries, and is charismatic, happy, streetwise, and well liked by the revolutionaries (especially Grantaire). When he reveals Javert's true identity, he sings a cheery song about why you shouldn't underestimate the "little people". Seven songs later, he reprises the same song as he's slowly shot to death while gathering ammo for the revolutionaries, who are all watching in horror over the barricade.
330** Eponine as well. She's been given the short end of the stick for most of her adult life: her parents are abusive and force her to help in their schemes, she is clearly intelligent but can't make anything of it due to her situation, and her only friend and crush Marius consistently misses her advances and asks her to help him find Cosette so that he can confess his feelings. Ultimately, she dies from a stray shot while trying to reach the barricade, and when she is dying in Marius's arms, she says that being held by him is all she ever wanted. Oof.
331* Like mother, like son: Elisabeth and Rudolf from ''Theatre/{{Elisabeth}}''. Both are introduced as adorable children, with Elisabeth being a willful princess and Rudolf a lonely prince emotionally neglected. They catch the attention of [[TheGrimReaper the local personification of Death]]. Things go downhill. Sisi gets married to the Emperor in an apparent fairytale LoveAtFirstSight story, only to wind up dealing with court intrigues, political troubles, a KnightTemplarParent for a mother in law, [[WouldHurtAChild the death of her daughter Sophie]], and then [[spoiler: Rudolf shoots himself.]] It's a miracle Sisi didn't fall into Death's arms sooner. [[note]]She tried this in "Totenklage", but Death refused to take her because she was such a BrokenBird by then.[[/note]]
332** Rudolf is a straighter case, especially in productions where Death is clearly just using him as a pawn to get Sisi. Born to fulfill Sisi's duty to produce an heir to the Austro-Hungarian empire, emotionally neglected by his mother, had his political ambitions and liberal ideas looked down upon by his father as childish meddling [[note]]some productions have Rudolf actually participating in a protest and nearly getting arrested[[/note]], and when he appeals to his mother for help she turns him away. [[spoiler: And then Death shows up with a gun...]]
333[[/folder]]
334
335[[folder:Video Games]]
336* [[spoiler:Rhyme dies saving her brother, Beat]] in ''VideoGame/TheWorldEndsWithYou.'' Worst part is how this echoes perfectly how [[spoiler:Beat and Rhyme died in the first place to enter the Underground. Cue HeroicBSOD by Beat after losing Rhyme TWICE. And then, at Day 2 on Week 3, Rhyme is killed AGAIN as her noise form. She's brought back of course, but still]].
337* [[spoiler:Xion]] in ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts358DaysOver2''. Made even worse by the fact that [[spoiler: the lead character, Roxas, is the one who kills her]]. Cue epic TearJerker.
338** How about [[spoiler: Ventus]] in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep''? Though [[NeverSayDie he doesn't DIE per say]], he's instead put into [[FateWorseThanDeath an endless sleep from which he may never wake]], with the only solace being that [[spoiler:his damaged heart finds shelter in a young Sora]].
339** And, in an extremely horrible way, [[spoiler: Sora]] in ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance''. Considering what [[DespairEventHorizon he went through]] just before this is plain-murdering a heart. [[spoiler: Fortunately, Riku revives him, averting a DownerEnding]].
340** Xehanort murders Kairi in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII'' just to provide a motivation for Sora to fight.
341* ''Franchise/FireEmblem'':
342** Tailtiu in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemGenealogyOfTheHolyWar'', after the TimeSkip was subjected to lots and lots of BreakTheCutie moments to the point it killed her.
343** [[spoiler:Ethlyn and Quan]] too, in the same game. Throughout the first generation, the pair have been shown to be incredibly supportive of Sigurd and help him out whenever they can. They were traveling through the Aed Desert to meet up with [[spoiler:Sigurd]]. However, [[spoiler:Travant ambushes their army and wipes them out except for Finn (who was back at Leonster with Leif) taking their baby Altena hostage]]. And no, there is no way to save them--not only are the enemies that they're fighting are coded as "other" units so you can't even attack them if you manage to get your units to them (although you probably won't be able to lend much aid since the desert will slow down everyone except your lone flying unit), but if the Random Number Goddess somehow deigns to allow them to ''win'' the HopelessBossFight, there's a good chance it'll lead to an UnintentionallyUnwinnable situation.
344*** In the same chapter, you can't save [[spoiler:Byron]], either, though this is [[YouKilledMyFather a different trope]]. Worst case scenario is that he dies before Sigurd reaches him. If you get Sigurd to speak to him [[AlmostDeadGuy before the enemy can finish him off]], he [[spoiler:passes down their family's Holy Weapon, Tyrfing, to Sigurd]]...and then dies. Keep the enemies from getting to him, but ''don't'' speak to him? He'll just randomly disappear, without any fanfare, as soon as you capture the first castle.
345** [[spoiler: Elise]] in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'', if you choose the Birthright path. [[spoiler:She takes a fatal blow meant for the Avatar and dies in her brother Xander's arms. This drives Xander to commit SuicideByCop.]]
346*** [[spoiler: Lilith]] also ends up becoming a victim of this. [[spoiler:On both the Birthright and Conquest paths, she loses her life shielding the Avatar from an attack.]]
347** In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemEngage'', you have [[spoiler:the protagonist Alear]], who died [[spoiler:trying to protect their sister from their villainous father. Though said sister attempted to revive Alear to aid their allies again, it did not last, and dropped dead a second time while on the verge of crying lamenting they could not see their mission complete. Fortunately, they are given a proper revival by the 13 Emblems, saving them from death's embrace]].
348* 12-year-old pianist May Norton from ''VideoGame/ClockTower3'' is introduced as the serial killer Sledgehammer's first victim by taking said weapon to the face.
349* ''VideoGame/TalesOfTheAbyss'' with Arietta the Wild. And a tragic one too.
350** Keeping in mind that it's YOU who is killing the God Generals such as her. And you also kill the sentient animal that was her adopted mother.
351** The anime even made it MORE heart-breaking.
352*** [[PlayerPunch Ion, too.]]
353** That one kid in Akzeriuth.
354* ''VideoGame/TalesOfLegendia'' has [[spoiler: Fenimore]].
355* Martel's death in ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'' has a corrupting effecting effect on Mithos.
356* Aerith Gainsborough from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' is a classic example of this trope. If Cloud's anger doesn't count, the millions of players hucking [=PS1=] controllers around when they found out [[GameplayAndStorySegregation a Phoenix Down doesn't help]] probably does.
357** Also DoomedByCanon [[VideoGame/CrisisCore Zack Fair]].
358* [[spoiler: Yeul and, at the end of the game, Serah]] in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII2''.
359* While not a cutie by ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' standards, Ling of ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoChinatownWars'' dies in the next mission after meeting Huang and the guy remarks on how he misses her a lot.
360* [[spoiler:Crick Wellsley]] in ''VideoGame/OctopathTravelerII'' spends his time onscreen being an endearing NaiveNewcomer who starts off slightly bumbling but earnest, and he comes to respect [[spoiler:Temenos]] later on to the point of going against everything he thinks someone of his position should do. [[spoiler:Unfortunately, digging too deeply into the mystery Temenos is investigating leads to Crick [[HeKnowsTooMuch getting killed]] by Cubaryi and Kaldena, and [[TheGadfly Temenos]] is absolutely ''[[OOCIsSeriousBusiness furious]]'' when he finds out.]]
361* [[spoiler: Chidori's death]] in ''VideoGame/Persona3'' exemplifies this, [[spoiler:dying to revive Junpei from the dead,]] causing him to enter an UnstoppableRage...you can revive her in FES, but she does not remember anything. Unfortunately, [[spoiler:Chidori]]'s death is [[WordOfGod canonical]].
362** [[spoiler:Speaking of P3, this also applies to the Protagonist.]]
363** Then tampered with again for [[VideoGame/Persona4 Yosuke]] as he loses Saki. God, the Junpei partner type always has [[HeartbrokenBadass the worst luck]]. This is lampshaded when [[spoiler:he plans to murder Namatame first...after [[TokenMiniMoe Nanako]]'s apparent death. Unlike the above examples, she ''can'' [[BackFromTheDead get better]], but only if you choose ''not'' to kill Namatame]].
364** ''VideoGame/Persona2'' has [[spoiler:Maya Amano. It's her death that brings forth the end of the world and sets the stage for the second game in the duology]].
365* ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'':
366** Should you choose the Dark path, you get to [[spoiler: force-persuade Zaalbar to kill Mission Vao]].
367** Sacrificing [[spoiler:Visas]] in your duel with Nihilus in the sequel counts.
368** A really, really mean character can do this to [[spoiler:Bastila]] along the Dark path.
369* After all you go through to find Mayu in ''VideoGame/FatalFrameII'', in the default ending, [[spoiler:Mio strangles her for the ritual]]. The more tragic thing? This is the ''canon'' ending.
370* ''VideoGame/SuperMetroid'': Samus's [[AndroclesLion surrogate child]] gets kidnapped and treated in a somewhat [[TheWoobie Woobie]] manner, [[spoiler:and then killed off by Mother Brain.]] Every time the player dies in this game, he/she is treated to an image of the [[spoiler:Metroid]] still calling out to Samus in its little shrieks, too.
371* ''VideoGame/CaveStory'' takes this to a whole 'nother level of PlayerPunch. [[spoiler:Toroko is kidnapped by Misery at the start of the game after being mistaken for Sue, driving the player to try to get her back somehow on top of other plot threads. Things take a trip down [[DarkerAndEdgier Dark Way and Edgy Avenue]] when you get to the Sand Zone's Storehouse, where Balrog (compelled by the Demon Crown worn by the Doctor) stuffs a red flower down Toroko's throat. The player winds up fulfilling this trope as a {{mercy kill}}ing to keep Toroko from going completely berserk. From that point, secondary characters start dropping like flies. King dies from wounds he got trying to stop the Doctor, ''immediately'' after Toroko. Then you get sent to the Labyrinth, where Professor Booster will die in front of you. Then Curly Brace, your cute partner, will sacrifice herself to save you from drowning.]] Doing [[GuideDangIt a few unintuitive things]] can save the latter two, but long odds you aren't going to know what those are the first time.
372* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'':
373** This is implied to happen in the bad ending for the UsefulNotes/GameGear version of ''VideoGame/{{Sonic the Hedgehog 2|8Bit}}''. If you fail to get all the Chaos Emeralds before making it to the penultimate boss, the credits roll while Sonic runs alone until he eventually stops and sees [[spoiler:[[StarsAreSouls Tails' image in the stars]]. The [[PrettyLittleHeadShots strategically-placed star sprite on Tails' head]] makes it rather unsettling]].
374** ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'': Maria's death caused much of [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds Shadow's]] emotional trauma and had the trademark RoaringRampageOfRevenge reaction.
375** [[spoiler:Emerl]] in ''VideoGame/SonicBattle''. Which really sucks since not only was he one of the [[CharacterDevelopment best-developed]] characters in the series by a long shot, but [[spoiler: you had to do it [[MercyKill yourself]].]]
376%%** [[spoiler:[[TheAtoner E-102 Gamma]] and Tikal]] from ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure''.
377* In the bad ending of ''VideoGame/{{Disgaea 3|AbsenceOfJustice}}'', [[spoiler: Raspberyl's murder at the hands of Super Hero Aurum]] triggers Mao's SuicidalCosmicTemperTantrum.
378** [[spoiler: Before Beryl, Almaz is killed and generally is the one that drives Mao insane in the first place as well as the reason that Sapphire turns her back on Mao. This is only in the bad ending though as in all the other endings, he comes back to life.]]
379* Deconstructed with Artina's death 400 years before ''VideoGame/{{Disgaea 4| A Promise Unforgotten}}'' as a result of NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished turning [[spoiler: Nemo]] into an OmnicidalManiac bent on destroying both the human world and the nether world.
380* Potentially, [[spoiler:Kelly Chambers]] in ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' can die before the player's eyes in a horrible fashion if the player dawdles after a certain event. Especially brutal if [[spoiler:she was your lover]]. Fortunately, however, it's easy enough to avert. Which means that if she does die this way, it's ''your fault''. In ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', [[BreakTheCutie she has severe PTSD from the events at the end of the previous game,]] [[PlayerPunch and is still very likely to die due to your actions.]] [[note]]If you do not convince her to go into hiding instead of helping refugees, she will be KilledOffScreen by Cerberus. Renegade players aren't safe either, as if you get mad at her for giving information to Cerberus, she is DrivenToSuicide.[[/note]]
381** In the third game, one of the only two squad-members that are ''going'' to die no matter what [[spoiler:is the dorky EnsembleDarkhorse Legion, who either dies via HeroicSacrifice, is killed by [[PlayerPunch you]] [[GenocideDilemma to save another race from extinction at the cost of his]] which he ''does not'' take well), or is fought as a KingMook after being MindRaped by Cerberus provided you never activated him in the second game [[note]]The other one being Thane, a [[TheAtoner former assassin]][=/=]HeartbrokenBadass[=/=][[GreenSkinnedSpaceBabe Green Skinned Space Hunk]] MrFanservice who is terminally-ill. Though he is still considered TheWoobie or an IronWoobie, his death is not an example of his trope.[[/note]]]].
382* [[spoiler: Mami]] in ''VideoGame/BreathOfFireIV'' is a particularly heartbreaking example of this trope. [[spoiler: CountryMouse finds KingInTheMountain GodEmperor that TheEmpire (that aforementioned GodEmperor ''founded'') is trying very, very hard to kill. CountryMouse Mami nurses GodEmperor Fou-lu back to health. Mami and Fou-lu end up falling in love, it being a bit more obvious in Mami's case. TheEmpire finds Mami is hiding the KingInTheMountain. After helping Fou-lu escape, Mami is captured by TheEmpire, subjected to a major case of BreakTheCutie via ColdBloodedTorture, then is killed by being used as literal HumanResources for a FantasticNuke (termed the Carronade) that is typically PoweredByAForsakenChild who has a very strong connection to the intended Ground Zero (yes, the thing ''explicitly'' runs on the principle that LoveHurts--in fact, the more love, the more hurting via curse). Fou-lu discovers to his absolute horror that ''his girlfriend'' has been used as literal Hex Cannon Ammo ''because'' of their relationship, promptly goes LaughingMad as a result, and goes from TheWoobie to WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds in approximately 2.3 seconds flat. Oh, and Fou-lu is also quite literally a ''PhysicalGod''.]]
383* In ''VideoGame/{{Limbo}}'' you are the cutie. And you WILL die....often. After the first death though, the mindset you have while playing completely changes, as you turn ProperlyParanoid about everything you see in the environment.
384* Security guards in ''VideoGame/TheGetawayBlackMonday'' will feel no guilt about killing Samantha, a petite, nineteen year old woman who cannot defend herself at all. If you get the bad ending, [[spoiler: Skobel does it himself]].
385* ''VideoGame/ValkyriaChronicles'': [[spoiler:Isara Gunther, younger sister by adoption to Squad 7's Commander, spends most of the game trying to overcome the prejudice of others against her due to her being of Darcsen descent. She goes out of her way to be helpful and kind despite the response and prejudice of other squad members against her because of this, especially the hostility of Rosie. However she perseveres and, being a brilliant engineer and tank pilot, proves to be a huge asset to the squad and overcomes the prejudices of her squadmates. Following a victory made possible by smoke shells invented by Isara, Rosie approaches her intending to apologise for her previous attitude... [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzancAU4cRQ Isara promptly gets shot and killed by a sniper.]] Words cannot express how devastating this scene is after all the build up of her character throughout. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmnzrGRxnE4 Her funeral is no better]].]] To make things even worse, it is possible to complete ''Valkyria Chronicles'' without losing a single other member of your squad, making it even harder-hitting. And because it is part of the storyline rather than gameplay (unlike other potential deaths) it is impossible to prevent.
386* ''VideoGame/ValkyriaChroniclesIII'': Even someone who barely know of her feel saddened by her death, as fellow Darcsen Imca can attest. This game also has its own cutie-killing event, [[spoiler:except that it's you who do it: you can't proceed to the final battle without killing Zig, the Darcsen lad who is loyal unto death to Dahau]].
387* ''VideoGame/TalesOfMonkeyIsland'':
388** [[spoiler:Both Morgan [=LeFlay=] and Guybrush are cuties in that she is a sweet femme fatale and he is a cute dork. It is very sad that [[HeroKiller [=LeChuck=] has to go and kill them both]] in Chapter 4: first sending the latter (Guybrush) on a case of MistakenForMurderer, and later turning his act of triumph into a stunning, tragic TearJerker. (Thankfully, he gets better in Chapter 5.)]]
389** [[spoiler:Other than that, also in Chapter 4, the only "cutie" that the Marquis De Singe has "killed" is the [[ChekhovsBoomerang Pyrite Parrot of Petaluma]], which he uses as a test subject for the Jus de Vie in the Vaycaylian Wind Control Device in front of Guybrush and Elaine.]]
390** [[spoiler:Also, Noogie in Chapter 3. He is so dorkily cute when he plays the bongos and has a date with Morgan [=LeFlay=] despite his glasses. After the betrayal, capture, and interrogation, however, Noogie disappears. Guybrush can ask Bugeye what happened to Noogie during the ship battle for La Esponja Grande, and Bugeye can reply that Noogie [[ReleasedToElsewhere "went to a quiet farm upstate"]], meaning, of course, that he is killed off-screen. You can even find his grave in the afterlife in Episode 5. Poor Noogie.]]
391* In the bad ending of ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaDawnOfSorrow'', Soma Cruz becomes corrupted by his powers after seeing his childhood friend Mina Hakuba killed in front of him. [[spoiler:Subverted in the true ending as it was a fake.]]
392* In the intro mission to ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty: Big Red One'', you meet a young new recruit who just transferred into your squad, and apparently immediately out of basic. He is, unlike the other war-weary characters, happy, energetic, ready to kill some bad guys, and dives to the ground every time a plane passes over, much to the annoyance of your squadmates. Unfortunately, he is killed at the end of the level.
393* [[spoiler: [[TheMentor Eve Valentine]]]] from ''VideoGame/SuperHeroineChronicle'', who gets BrainwashedAndCrazy halfway through the game by the villains and [[TragicMonster is fought and killed by the protagonists]].
394* In ''VideoGame/BlazBlueChronoPhantasma'', Hakumen and Trinity face off against Terumi Yuuki. [[spoiler: Hakumen manages to [[KilledOffForReal kill Terumi once and for all]], but Terumi manages to [[TakingYouWithMe take Trinity with him by stabbing her and dragging her down the lake.]]]]
395* In ''VideoGame/FirstEncounterAssaultRecon'', Alice Wade suffers this at the hands of Paxton Fettel.
396* ''VideoGame/DoubleDragonII'''s RoaringRampageOfRevenge plot starts with the Black Warriors' [[SuddenSequelDeathSyndrome murder of Marian]].
397* In ''VideoGame/NinjaGaiden Black/Sigma'', Kureha, Ryu's childhood friend and shrinemaiden of [[DoomedHometown Hayabusa Village]], is slain by Doku during the raid on the village.
398* In ''VideoGame/TrillionGodOfDestruction'', it's possible to have both [[spoiler: Perpell and Elma]] as this. The former being Zeabolos' cheery niece who loves sweets and has the most upbeat personality. Also, being among the three first choosing overlords, [[spoiler: she can be the first one to perish depending of player actions]] while the latter is Zeabolos' sickly sister who is the kindest one among the fallen ones who is choosed by the Tyrant Ring to fight [[EldritchAbomination Trillion]] after everyone failed to do it. What's worse, to get the GoldenEnding, [[spoiler: they have to die no matter what]].
399* The whole point of ''Don't Shoot the Puppy'' is to avert this. The game deviously tries to trick the player into inadvertently shooting the cute little puppy.
400* In ''VideoGame/LittleKingsStory'': So you've been going around to various kingdoms, defeating their kings and rescuing their princesses (most, if not all, of which are quite cute). Maybe you've done their quests and got touching scenes in return, maybe not. And now, to settle the dispute between them, you've chosen your one and only out of all of them [[spoiler:and your Records Minister, who's pretty cute herself]], had a sweet scene, taken her into space, and landed in a mysterious, dark location. After some exploration, however, she's taken away by [[spoiler:a giant rat]]! Defeat its three underlings, and [[spoiler:the giant one will pick her up, toss her into the air, and swallow her]]! Even if you defeat it, the [[spoiler:giant version of yourself will throw the rat out the window with your chosen queen still inside]], no [[spoiler:spitting her up]] or anything! Roll credits.
401* In ''VideoGame/UntilDawn'', if Ashley gets either her EyeScream or OffWithHerHead deaths, it invokes this due to her rounder face and shyer personality.
402* The two main characters in ''VideoGame/ItTakesTwo'' have become trapped in the bodies of dolls and decide the only way to turn back into humans is to use their daughter's tears, which transfigured them in the first place. To get her to cry, [[CrueltyIsTheOnlyOption they decide to murder her beloved toy, Cutie the Elephant]]. When they meet her, [[RidiculouslyCuteCritter Cutie]] lives up to her name by being the sweetest and friendliest person ever, but despite their reluctance, it doesn't dissuade the main characters from their plan. Cutie doesn't want to hurt anyone so tries to flee, all the while pleading with the parents to stop and find another way. However, she is eventually hunted down, [[AnArmAndALeg ends up having a leg]] and [[EarAche one of her ears torn off]] when they get snagged along the way, and is pulled off the side of a table to her death so that their poor daughter will see the body. And if the death itself wasn't harrowing and brutal enough, the main characters proceed to cheer and dance in their daughter's tears afterward[[note]]Though in their defense, it's less to do with killing Cutie -- which they themselves were [[IDidWhatIHadToDo unhappy with having to do]] and were [[ApologeticAttacker apologizing repeatedly to her all the while for]] -- and more to do with them thinking that Rose's tears will restore them to normal. [[ShootTheShaggyDog They don't]].[[/note]] as she cries over Cutie's corpse. It was ''intended'' to be darkly humorous, but instead ended up being so mean-spirited that a lot of players felt it was pushed out of CrossesTheLineTwice and into DudeNotFunny. If it's of any consolation, we later find out that the parents repaired the poor doll after they become human again, restoring Cutie to life.
403* [[spoiler: [[TheWoobie Lilly]], the protagonist's best friend,]] from the Adobe Flash game ''VideoGame/FreeIceCream''. Seen alive only in the title card and credits, [[spoiler: she can be found locked up in the Cook's meat freezer]]. [[CruelAndUnusualDeath Yeah...]]
404* ''VideoGame/LuminousAvengerIX'': [[spoiler:It's not enough that Mytyl, Copen's DelicateAndSickly sister who thinks the world of him dies. No, she is mutilated to the point that all that remains of her is her brain, [[AndIMustScream fully aware of what has happened to her for a century]] to the point that [[ICannotSelfTerminate she requests to be put out of her misery]]. And to twist the knife? ''The one who has to perform the euthanasia is her own brother'']].
405* ''VideoGame/PhantasyStarII'': [[spoiler: Nei, the CuteMonsterGirl the main character adopted as his little sister, faces and dies to her EvilCounterpart during the story's middle point.]] One of the earliest examples of a major main character canonically dying in a JRPG, preceding [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII Aerith]] by 8 years.
406* In ''VideoGame/DigimonSurvive'', [[spoiler:Miyuki is an EmotionlessGirl for most of the game, but only because she's missing half of her soul. When she gets her complete soul back, she turns out to be a very sweet and kind person, and even insists on going back into the digital world despite the danger because the other humans can't return to the human world without Miyuki's song]], and as per this trope, [[spoiler:in 2 out of 4 routes, Miyuki dies]]. However, unlike most examples of this trope, [[spoiler:the player ''can'' avert this and save Miyuki; she dies on the Harmonious and Wrathful routes, but she survives on the Moral and [[GoldenEnding Truthful]] routes]].
407[[/folder]]
408
409[[folder:Visual Novels]]
410* ''VisualNovel/{{Clannad}}'' does this with both [[spoiler:Nagisa and her daughter Ushio.]] Separately. With just enough time in between for [[spoiler:Tomoya]] and the audience to rediscover hope. The six-episode gap just serves to rebuild happiness, so the latter death could rip it all away a second time.
411* In ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc'' there is [[spoiler: Chihiro Fujisaki]], who's gentle that [[spoiler: he]] wouldn't even a mosquito because it might have a family, who breaks down in tears after [[spoiler: he's]] forced to vote in the class trial and send one of the students to their execution. [[spoiler: His murder in Chapter 2]] was seen as an awful act, and the trial becomes even more painful to witness when the killer, [[spoiler: Mondo,]] recounts the story and confesses that [[spoiler: he]] [[AccidentalMurder never even meant to hurt]] [[spoiler:him]]; poor [[spoiler: Chihiro]] unintentionally slammed [[spoiler: Mondo's]] TraumaButton during an intimate conversation, which made [[spoiler: Mondo]] snap and [[spoiler: strike him fatally.]] [[spoiler: Mondo]] feels absolutely despicable for what [[spoiler: he]] did, apologizes to everyone, and [[FaceDeathWithDignity doesn't put up a fight]] as [[spoiler: he's]] lead to the execution. [[spoiler: Chihiro]] may have died, but [[spoiler: he's]] such a sweetheart that [[spoiler: he]] definitely wouldn't have wanted [[spoiler: Mondo]] to die for something that [[spoiler: he]] did in the heat in the moment and [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone immediately regretted.]]
412* In ''VisualNovel/DaughterForDessert'', [[spoiler:Lainie chose to forgo medical treatment in order to get the protagonist startup capital for his business. It ended up costing her life in childbirth.]]
413* [[spoiler: Sayori]] from ''VisualNovel/DokiDokiLiteratureClub'' is without a doubt the sweetest, most selfless character in the game. She's [[ThePollyanna bubbly, energetic and optimistic,]] would do anything to make her friends happy, and is absolutely adorable by pure nature. Hell, she even has a strong sunshine motif. [[spoiler: And all of this makes it that much worse when it's revealed that [[StepfordSmiler not only has she suffered from crippling depression for her entire life]], but she commits suicide by hanging at the supposed end of the game, no matter what the player does to try and help her.]]
414* ''VisualNovel/FatalTwelve'' is about a DeadlyGame, and kills a lot of cuties. These include Chan Chan, a newlywed bride, Keiko, a new mother, Sonya, a terminally ill ten year old girl, and Yu, an androgynous, amnesiac, teenage terrorist. The most notable is [[spoiler: Naomi, one of the protagonist's friends, though this gets reversed. Subverted in the EverybodyLives ending.]]
415* Everyone in ''VisualNovel/HigurashiWhenTheyCry''. '''[[GroundhogDayLoop Repeatedly]]'''.
416* [[spoiler: Mayuri]] from ''VisualNovel/SteinsGate'', [[spoiler: repeatedly and at length, across several timelines]]. To the point that the very inevitability of [[spoiler: her]] death is a plot point; [[spoiler: Mayuri will die, [[ContrivedCoincidence no matter how painfully contrived the circumstances]], unless Rintaro can undo enough changes to the timeline to return from the "beta" world line to the "alpha" world line]].
417[[/folder]]
418
419[[folder:Web Animation]]
420%%* ''WebAnimation/HappyTreeFriends'' lives and breathes on this trope. The good news is, [[DeathIsCheap they'll always come back.]]
421%%Do not uncomment the above example without expanding it to explain how this trope applies.
422* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'':
423** [[spoiler:Penny Polendina]] is one of the sweetest, most innocent girls in the show, even if [[spoiler:she is a military robot]]. All she wants to do is prove that she's capable and can help people. however, she is brutally dismembered during the [[TournamentArc Vytal Festival]] due to the machinations of [[TheHeavy Cinder]], with help from [[MasterOfIllusion Emerald]]. [[spoiler:She is able to be restored for Volume 7 by her creator... only to be killed ''again'' by Cinder in Volume 8 (while Jaune dealt the death blow, Cinder was the one who inflicted the fatal wound).]]
424** [[spoiler:Pyrrha Nikos]], being one of the most selfless, kindest characters in the series, goes off to fight [[spoiler: [[TheHeavy Cinder]]]] in the finale of Volume 3, because there's no-one else available who can try, and is [[spoiler:shot through the heart and incinerated onscreen]].
425** [[TalkingAnimal Little]], an adorable, innocent, optimistic individual, wants to help Ruby Rose leave the [[TheWonderland Ever After]] and get home in Volume 9, and hugs her and comforts her when she's despairing. After hitting rock-bottom, Ruby invokes the trope to justify abandoning Little, saying if they remain with Ruby they'll just be killed. [[spoiler:Little follows Ruby anyway, and thwart the Curious Cat's attempt to possess Ruby by biting their tail. Seconds later, Neopolitan crushes Little to death in front of Ruby's eyes. Since Little represents the last of Ruby's dying hope, this is the last act Neo needs to perform so Ruby can [[DrivenToSuicide commit suicide]]. Ruby's body is claimed by the Tree, with Little's body falling into the roots with her.]]
426* PlayedForLaughs in a ''WebAnimation/TerribleWritingAdvice'' episode that explores the Grimdark genre. J.P. Beubian demonstrates this trope by manipulating the viewer to get emotionally attached to a cute animal, then he immediately kills said animal to shock the viewer while ''demanding'' they feel bad. [[RunningGag Throughout the episode, he has killed a kitten, a puppy, and a baby seal, and then he ran out of cute animals to kill.]] This is to demonstrate that the overuse of this trope will most likely make the story predictable and will thus kill off narrative tension.
427* ''WebAnimation/{{Eddsworld}}'': Laurel from [=MovieMakers=]. She's introduced as a sweet girl who manages to get along well with the boys...[[spoiler:only to get killed off near the end of the same episode ''she debuted in''. '''''[[KarmaHoudini God damn it, Shoe!!]]''''']]
428[[/folder]]
429
430[[folder:Webcomics]]
431* Creator/AndrewHussie must really enjoy making ''{{Webcomic/Homestuck}}'' fans cry, due to the alarmingly frequent number of times this trope is used. [[spoiler: Kanaya (though she [[CameBackStrong got better]]), Feferi, Tavros, Nepeta, and Dream Jade.]]
432** Not to mention [[spoiler: [[StringyHairedGhostGirl Aradia]]]], who was dead before the story even began. [[spoiler: [[CameBackStrong She gets better.]]]]
433** Also invoked with [[spoiler: John. He's not dead, but still, the reader reaction..]].
434** Some will argue that [[spoiler: Vriska]] qualifies. Others will argue that she had it coming from lightyears away.
435** As of [S] Cascade,[[spoiler: real Jade, WK, and WQ. Although Jade [[CameBackStrong ascended to God Tier]] in the same Flash, creating one of the biggest SugarWiki/AwesomeMoments in Homestuck]].
436* Poor [[spoiler: Yuki]] is killed in the most brutal way so far in ''Webcomic/MitadakeSaga''.
437* ''Webcomic/VampireCheerleaders'' does this in vol.4, during the ''"Adventures in Space... and Time?!"'' arc. [[spoiler: Suki]] gets involved in a fire fight with a group of murauders and [[HalfTheManHeUsedToBe gets blown in half.]]
438* ''Webcomic/LuminaryChildren'' kills the cute girl [[spoiler: Sandra]] almost right after her introduction.
439* Misty the Lookamancer from ''Webcomic/{{Erfworld}}'' is killed off shortly after her introduction when Stanley callously orders the [[MindHive three linked casters]] to snap the link without proper precautions, killing her with psychic backlash. Her death is what makes Parson realise that [[CrapsaccharineWorld as cute as Erfworld is, this ain't no game]].
440* ''{{Webcomic/Unsounded}}'': Uaid is a construct that looks like a giant green infant and has a personality built out of good and cheerful memories resulting in him being kind, playful and protective of his family. He gets blown up swallowing an [[FantasticNuke allepakh]] that would have killed both him and his brother had he not.
441[[/folder]]
442
443[[folder:Web Videos]]
444* ''WebVideo/DemoReel'':
445** Donnie [=DuPre=]. Tragic backstory, massive idealist, a DudeMagnet CuddleBug, loves his friends, clings onto anyone who's nice to him... [[spoiler:not real and just a punishment for WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic]]. [[TearJerker Fuck]].
446** Tacoma. Smart, dorky, cute and NiceGuy who was very much devoted to Rebecca (who falls under TooCoolToLive) and grew to love his new family after being so abused by his real one... [[spoiler:and he, Karl, Quinn and Rebecca all die in the PlotHole]].
447%%* ''WebVideo/DrHorriblesSingAlongBlog''. [[spoiler:Penny.]] God''dammit'', [[Creator/JossWhedon Joss]]. He does seem to like killing off his sweet characters, and web original is no different from TV. She was an adorable girl.
448* Season 2 of the ''WebVideo/DreamSMP'' introduces Ghostbur, the spectral counterpart of Wilbur Soot, who essentially [[LiteralSplitPersonality embodies many of his positive traits]] and the more innocent side of himself that he repressed during [[TookALevelInCynicism his spiral]]. For the rest of the season, he acts as the resident FriendlyGhost who loves his [[SweetSheep pet sheep]] and wishes to [[TheAtoner atone for his living counterpart's past crimes]]. [[spoiler:Of course, since the Dream SMP is a CrapsackWorld, Ghostbur gets sent on a [[AfterlifeExpress train trip]] to Wilbur's [[AndIMustScream torturous]] Afterlife when Dream brings Wilbur BackFromTheDead halfway through Season 3, rendering the poor ghost [[DeathOfPersonality recursively dead]].]]
449* In the CrapsackWorld of ''WebVideo/ThereWillBeBrawl'', [[spoiler:Red]] is the only unequivocally ''good'' character throughout the entire series. So TheMafia [[KickTheDog blows up his house]] in the second-to-last episode.
450[[/folder]]
451
452[[folder:Western Animation]]
453* ''WesternAnimation/TheSmurfs1981'': Nearly happened once to the Smurf's CuteMute elf friend, Laconia, in "Stop and Smurf the Roses." Chllohydrous, one of several enemies of the Smurfs, is annoyed over Laconia and, upon realizing that flowers are her life-sustaining source, sets out to wipe out all plant life on earth. Chllohydrous succeeds, but only temporarily, as Papa Smurf is able to -- after defeating the evil sorceress -- restore the flowers to health and revive Laconia. However, Papa's restoration magic does not happen until after the Smurfs hold a wake for Laconia and she is lies in state in the forest.
454* ''WesternAnimation/{{Superjail}}'' kills ''two'' Cuties to be exact; first [[spoiler: Cancer]] in "Mr. Grumpypants", then the little puppy The Warden had befriended as a child in "Superfail".
455* Narrowly averted in the ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'' GrandFinale; Bill Cipher (in the height of his VillainousBreakdown) captures Dipper and Mabel and plans to kill one of them [[ForTheEvulz just for the heck of it]]. He is ''moments'' away from vaporizing Mabel (indicated by the symbol on his eye falling on "shooting star") when [[spoiler: Stan posing as]] Ford agrees to surrender.
456* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Amphibia}}'' more explicitly in the Season 2 finale ''True Colors'', [[spoiler:King Andrias stabs Marcy in the back to take back the Calamity Box currently being used to transport Anne and the Plantars to Earth. Subverted in the Season 3 Intro shown after the credits, she is still alive, but in a coma and placed in a liquid Canister for whatever Andrias and her Master have planned for her. Mid-season 3, it was revealed she was revives with the Moss Man's magic so Andrias can make her into a human host for his master, The Core.]]
457** [[spoiler:Throughout Season 3, this almost happens to ''Anne.'']]
458[[/folder]]

Top