Line #429 Main/TakingTheBullet


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4	[[quoteright:320:[[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/aputakesabullet.png]]]]
5	[[caption-width-right:320:[-The customer is always right in the line of fire.-]]]
6
7	->''"That's how you recognize true heroes, my dear Anathar. They spend their time taking hits that aren't meant for them!"''
8	-->-- '''Qilby''', ''WesternAnimation/{{Wakfu}}''
9
10	A form of HeroicSacrifice where, when a villain fires a weapon at someone and another character leaps into the path of the weapon, receiving the injury instead.
11
12	Time often [[BulletTime slows to a crawl]], and the shielded one will shout a BigNo. The leaper will then have a scene where they weeping-ly tell the character how important they are before losing consciousness, while [[PietaPlagiarism cradled in the arms]] of the survivor. Sometimes they get better, sometimes they don't, but it's close, either way. Usually results in tears and/or an angry HowDareYouDieOnMe moment, especially if the person they took the bullet for loved them in any way. A MoreHeroThanThou dispute may result, even though it's obviously too late.
13
14	This may be a minor character protecting a major one, or sometimes a villain will do this following a HeelFaceTurn, in which case they're [[RedemptionEqualsDeath probably not going to pull through]].
15
16	This turns into a DivingSave if the rescuer pushes the victim out of the way without being hit by the shot. Can be done with any other projectiles: a common gag is to do it with something utterly harmless, and really [[MundaneMadeAwesome ham up the shot]].
17
18	[[RuleOfDrama For some reason]], the BigBad rarely succeeds at any attempt to empty the ''next bullet'' into his original intended target. Nor will the diver not get there in time to stop the bullet, or the bullet [[OneHitPolykill continue through the diver to the original target]]. Considering how much could theoretically go wrong with this trope, it's almost surprising how (relatively) rarely it gets [[PlayingWithATrope played with]].
19
20	There might also be the possibility that the character who took the bullet is ImmuneToBullets (or whatever it is that's thrown at them), has certain protection (usually a BulletproofVest) or at least [[GoodThingYouCanHeal can recover from the injury by themselves]].
21
22	The United States Secret Service (which protects the president) calls this "catching the bullet", although it is rarely actually performed. In real life, the technique is obviously different, as bullets are far too fast to react to. Instead, the human shield will stand in front of the defended individual (hopefully) prior to the shot being fired. For instance, when Kennedy was shot, the agent with Johnson (the vice president) threw him to the floor of the car and then threw himself on top of him until they reached a secure location.
23
24	If this trope is executed poorly, usually because there were more intelligent alternatives to Taking The Bullet, it can come off as a StupidSacrifice. On the other hand, there may very well have been NoTimeToThink.
25
26	Compare GoThroughMe, JumpingOnAGrenade, TuckAndCover, LoadBearingHero, DrawAggro. HumanShield and BulletproofHumanShield are the unwilling versions that often happens in hostage situations. MisguidedMissile is when you do this with air-to-air weaponry. NegateYourOwnSacrifice is when the one who takes the hit is not actually affected.
27
28	In RealLife, this is another term for TakingTheHeat. Try not to confuse the tropes, though. Note also that modern small arms munitions, especially military grade, are perfectly capable of penetrating right through someone and retaining sufficient energy to kill or severely injure the person being shielded, so this is very much a last resort tactic if trying to stop someone else being shot.
29
30	!!As this is a {{Death Trope\|s}}, [[Administrivia/SpoilersOff unmarked spoilers abound]]. [[Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned Beware]].
31	----
32	!!Example Subpages:
33	[[index]]
34	* TakingTheBullet/AnimeAndManga
35	* TakingTheBullet/ComicBooks
36	* TakingTheBullet/FanWorks
37	* [[TakingTheBullet/LiveActionFilms Films — Live-Action]]
38	* TakingTheBullet/{{Literature}}
39	* TakingTheBullet/LiveActionTV
40	* TakingTheBullet/VideoGames
41	[[/index]]
42	!!Other Examples:
43	[[foldercontrol]]
44
45	[[folder:Asian Animation]]
46	* ''Animation/BoBoiBoy'': In Season 2's penultimate episode, Probe is destroyed when he takes the blast from the PETAI destroyer robot which was meant for his boss Adu Du.
47	[[/folder]]
48
49	[[folder:Films — Animation]]
50	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Nine}}'': Multiple:
51	** 1 pushes 9 out of the way of the [[BuffySpeak soul-sucking ray... thing]] that the Fabrication machine unleashes.
52	** And earlier, 2 ''does the exact same thing'', pushing 9 down as the Fabrication machine initially powers up.
53	* ''WesternAnimation/TheBookOfLife'':
54	** When Xibalba's snake first attacks Manolo, [[spoiler:Maria pushes him out of the way and gets bitten herself, resulting in her apparent death]].
55	** WordOfGod confirmed that Scardelita lost her eye (and possibly her life) from taking a bullet for her sister.
56	* ''WesternAnimation/Frozen2013'': Anna does this when [[spoiler: Hans is about to cut down her sister, Elsa, with a sword. She rushes over in the nick of time while turning into solid ice. Instead of shattering from his sword, it's the ''sword'' that shatters and it knocks him backwards.]]
57	* ''WesternAnimation/IceAge1'' has Diego taking the blow for Manny during the battle with Soto after his HeelFaceTurn.
58	* ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles1'' has Mirage trying to pull this on Syndrome when Mr. Incredible, consumed with grief with the possible death of his entire family, and enraged at Syndrome shooting down their plane, lunges at him while confined to energy wires. Syndrome repays her by daring Mr. Incredible to kill her when he claims that he could crush her like a toothpick.
59	* At the end of ''WesternAnimation/TheIronGiant'', the title alien robot's original programming as a killing machine is restored, and he goes apeshit on the US military. The paranoid government official who calls in the troops grabs the general's radio and orders the nearby submarine to launch a nuke at the giant, not realizing that the giant is ''right in front of him''. Realizing what the nuke is going to do, the giant flies off and intercepts the nuke on its way down. Slightly different in that the nuke ''was'' meant for him but was going to destroy the entire town.
60	* In ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda2'', Shen fires his cannon at Po, only to have Tigress push him out of the way and take the blast herself. [[MadeofIron She survives]], but is badly wounded.
61	* In ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyTheMovie2017'': Multiple, involving [[TakenForGranite petrification]] grenades:
62	** [[spoiler: Derpy[=/=]Muffins pushes Twilight out of the way of one, allowing the Princess of Friendship to escape with her friends.]]
63	** [[spoiler:Tempest Shadow[=/=]Fizzlepop Berrytwist]] dives toward one to prevent [[spoiler:the Storm King from petrifying Twilight and her friends.]]
64	* In ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirlsForgottenFriendship'', Sunset Shimmer takes a proverbial bullet for her friends at the climax of the story. [[spoiler:Wallflower Blush uses the Memory Stone to cast a spell that would have [[LaserGuidedAmnesia wiped out all of the Humane Six's memories of high school]]. Sunset jumps in the way to take the hit instead, losing not just all her memories of being a high school student, but also her memories of being human. However, this [[HeroesFrontierStep act of sacrifice]] was so selfless that it convinced the Humane Six that Sunset was worth befriending, allowing them to destroy the Memory Stone and recover their memories.]]
65	* ''WesternAnimation/OpenSeason'': Shaw has Boog cornered and prepares to shoot him when Elliot leaps in front and the bullet hits him instead. Enraged, Boog pins Shaw to the ground and roars fiercely in his face, before tying him up with his own gun. [[spoiler: Elliot's fine; the bullet only shot off his remaining antler.]]
66	* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Pocahontas}}'', John Smith does this [[spoiler:for Chief Powhatan, who was about to be shot by Governor Ratcliffe. Although the shot itself ends in BloodlessCarnage, John is injured badly enough to warrant his return to Europe if he wants to have a chance at survival, forever separating him from Pocahontas]].
67	* ''WesternAnimation/RockAndRule'' has Zip do this as a MookFaceTurn when the demon tries hurling a blast of... um, something at the heroes.
68	* King Harold in ''WesternAnimation/Shrek2'' jumps in front of Shrek when the Fairy Godmother shoots her wand at the ogre-turned-human. The spell [[PlayingTennisWithTheBoss bounces off his armor and hits her]], reducing her to a mass of bubbles. [[spoiler:Rather than killing Harold, the spell just turns him into a frog, which is what he really was to begin with.]]
69	* Towards the end of ''WesternAnimation/SonOfBatman'', Talia takes a bullet meant for Damian.
70	* Something of a reversal in ''WesternAnimation/TheTransformersTheMovie'': Optimus Prime has bested Megatron, and is about to finish him off with his gun. Megatron begs for mercy to buy time to try and get a nearby gun. Just as Optimus Prime is about to finally blast Megatron, Hot Rod [[UnwantedAssistance jumps in the way]] to stop Megatron getting to it. Megatron simply overpowers Hot Rod, gets the gun, and mortally wounds Optimus Prime.
71	* In the Hungarian animated film ''Vuk'', or ''The Little Fox'' as it's known in the U.S., Vic or Vuk's uncle Karack sees a hunter from the distance pointing a gun at Vuk and his mate Foxy he dives in front of the bullet taking the hit for them.
72	[[/folder]]
73
74	[[folder:Music]]
75	* Music/{{Helloween}}'s song, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hn-83gxiwwo (The Departed) Sun is Going Down.]]
76	-->''I would die for you would you die with me?\
77	No, you can't deny!\
78	Would you catch the bullet that was meant for me?\
79	Blaze across the sky!!''
80	* The whole point of the song by Music/TheRasmus called "Shot". Sample lyrics:
81	-->''I'll take the shot for you\
82	I'll be the shield for you\
83	Needless to say\
84	I'll stand in your way\
85	I'll take the shot for you\
86	I'll give my life for you"
87	* The song "San Francisco Fan", performed by Music/CabCalloway among other singers, is about a female performer who takes 'a dozen slugs' for her no-good gambling boyfriend after he's caught cheating at a game and someone tries to shoot him for it.
88	-->''Once they caught him cheatin'\
89	And he knew that he was beaten\
90	When a miner aimed a pistol at his head.\
91	Fanny when she seen him\
92	Ran and jumped right in between 'em\
93	And she stopped a dozen slugs of poison lead.''
94	* Music/TheSmiths in "What Difference Does It Make?"
95	-->''But still I'd leap in front of a flying bullet for you''
96	* The Bruno Mars song "Grenade" references this trope in every chorus
97	-->''I'd catch a grenade for ya\
98	Throw my hand on a blade for ya\
99	I'd jump in front of a train for ya\
100	You know I'd do anything for ya\
101	I would go through all this pain\
102	Take a bullet straight through my brain\
103	Yes, I would die for you, baby\
104	But you won't do the same''
105	* The tragic conclusion of the David Geddes song "Run Joey Run" has Julie taking a bullet from her enraged father meant for her boyfriend Joey.
106	[[/folder]]
107
108	[[folder:Music Videos]]
109	* In the official video clip for Music/{{Madonna}}'s "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cItHOl5LRWg Give Me All Your Luvin']]", three of the quarterbacks throw themselves before the fire of a Tommy gun to save the singer.
110	* Happens in One OK Rock's music video for [[https://youtu.be/JWSRqWpWPzE Cry Out]] at the 3:20 mark, when the guy jumps in front of the girl and takes in the back a bullet intended for her.
111	[[/folder]]
112
113	[[folder:Podcasts]]
114	* Sister Cavernsfall in ''Podcast/DarkDice'' uses her magical Helm of the Martyr, which allows her to put herself in the path of an attack meant for an ally, to place herself between Father Westpike and his cousin Rowena, who is being forced by a cursed sword to swing a killing blow at him.
115	[[/folder]]
116
117	[[folder:Radio]]
118	* This is parodied several times over in ''Radio/BleakExpectations'':
119	** Aunt Lily takes a sword blow meant for Pip in the first series finale and admits as she dies ([[KilledOffForReal for real this time]]) that she probably wouldn't have if she'd known it would hurt this much.
120	** In the penultimate episode of series 3, Harry Biscuit steps in front of a bullet for Pip. Or, as he admits, slipped on a piece of custard, but Pip's version sounds more heroic. He gets better anyway.
121	** Pip's wife Ripley, rather than throw herself in front of Gently Benevolent's shot, sensibly shoves his minion Grimpunch in the way instead.
122	** Harry Biscuit intercepts another bullet himself seconds later, but he's [[ItMakesSenseInContext covered in yogurt which is solidifying into cheese]], protecting him from injury.
123	** A couple of episodes later, Harry flings himself onto an ''operating table'' that Pip was strapped to and therefore [[ItMakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext has his own brain removed and placed in a dinosaur]].
124	[[/folder]]
125
126	[[folder:Roleplay]]
127	* ''Roleplay/DawnOfANewAgeOldportBlues'':
128	** Mirielle attempts to take a slew of attacks that are aimed towards Benjy. The attackers soften their blows when they realise they'll hit her, and Benjy ends up leaping forward to take the now lessened hits for her anyway.
129	** Ciro urges a civilian to get to safety before him, leaving himself vulnerable to attack from Daigo's monster.
130	* ''Roleplay/SurvivalOfTheFittest'':
131	** Subverted in v1 with baseball players Michael Suarez and Scott Jameson. Barry Coleson High's baseball team was so close to each other that they were [[TrueCompanions almost like brothers to each other]], so when the two finally meet up and start to talk, Mike pushes Scott out of the way when he hears someone behind him, taking the bullets that would've killed Scott and being paralyzed by them (though he says "Scotty, look out!" not, "No!"). The subversion comes when Scott ''doesn't'' run like Mike tells him to, transfixed due to fear, and gets fatally shot anyway.
132	** Played more straightly in v4, when Jonathan Jarocki shoots at Charlene Norris. Alex Campbell does indeed jump in front of her, getting a bullet to the shoulder. Charlene, however, was injured, but not as bad as Alex.
133	[[/folder]]
134
135	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
136	* Several heroes in ''TabletopGame/SentinelsOfTheMultiverse'' have cards that do this either by mechanics or in flavor.
137	** Legacy's Heroic Interception depicts him catching a missile, and renders all heroes except himself immune to damage. His Lead from the Front card also lets him redirect damage meant for other heroes to himself.
138	** Haka's Enduring Intercession redirects all damage from environment cards to Haka.
139	** Fanatic's Divine Sacrifice forces enemies she attacks with it to focus on her exclusively until her next turn.
140	** Unity's Stealth Bot has this as its only function, able to redirect any damage to itself, and reduce it by 1.
141	** Sky Scraper's Thorathian Monolith basically has her stand in front of all her teammates in giant form, taking all damage directed at them and reducing it by 2. This can lead to her taking mammoth amounts of damage if, for example, she has some inconvenient titles against Kaargra Warfang and she uses her sonic clap power.
142	** Two friendly civilian cards in the Rook City deck have provisions that at the end of their turn, the villain card damages either them or one of the heroes.
143	** The heroes have the option to take on any environment-generated damage that would otherwise hit The Dreamer, since the heroes lose if she drops to 0 HP.
144	* The ''TabletopGame/BattleTech'' TCG had a card called [[http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Taking_the_Hit_%28CCG_-_CommandersEdition%29 Taking The Hit]] that redirects all damage from one target to another. Its card art shows a tiny 30-ton ''Spider'' taking several shots for an 85-ton ''Gunslinger.'' The ''Gunslinger'' is better equipped to take damage than the ''Spider'', possessing something around five times the armor of the lighter 'Mech ''and'' is in cover to boot. The card text even [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] the [[StupidSacrifice lack of sense in the decision]], though in the game itself it was quite useful to be able to save your expensive assault mech by forcing your opponent to massively overkill the cheap scout mech and wasting all that extra damage.
145	-->''You've got to be pretty suicidal to pilot a'' Spider ''anyway.''
146	* ''TabletopGame/CallOfCthulhu'' supplement "The Asylum and Other Tales", adventure "The Mauritania". A Russian count has six bodyguards who all have Block (a special skill appearing only in this product). It allows them to hurl their body in between an attacker and the person they're protecting to absorb the attack.
147	* In ''TabletopGame/D20Modern'', the Bodyguard advanced class gains an ability called Harm's Way, allowing him to take a hit meant for an adjacent ally as if he was the target instead. It's a ZigZaggedTrope, as he takes the attack is made against his Defense instead of the target's, meaning that on a miss he probably just shoved the target out of the way, and on a hit you have this trope. Also interesting to note is that the Bodyguard has the highest amount of HitPoints out of any class in the game, and has a lot of synergy with the Trasher advanced class from the Urban Arcana setting (who get SuperToughness as a class feature) meaning that even if the attack is a hit, it may fail to inflict damage.
148	* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'':
149	** Edition 3.5 contains the "Shield Other" spell, which shunts half of the damage the target takes onto the caster.
150	** In the supplement ''Drow of the Underdark'', the illustration for the feat "Constant Guardian" shows a drow male taking a crossbow bolt for a female. The feat doesn't actually consist of this, though it is a prerequisite for a feat that does. (Which probably means the illustration's caption is wrong.)
151	** In General, this tends to be the job of whomever gets the duty of Tank (Strength-based Fighter, Paladin, Barbarian, Heavy-Armor wearing Cleric, Druid in a strong Wild Shape, or anyone with a high Armor Class or Hit Point count). They take the majority of the damage to protect the squishier magic users, who tend to have a lower Armor Class and Hit Point count. Then there's the guy who takes over the Tank's duty during the times the main Tank is low on Hit Points.
152	* Can be done in ''TabletopGame/{{GURPS}}'' where it is called a "sacrificial dodge". Unless you are playing in a cinematic campaign, or wear heavy body armor, or have at least some degree of SuperToughness, it's usually just a good way for the enemy to pull off a OneHitPolyKill though due to overpenatration rules.
153	* In ''TabletopGame/HeroClix'', this is the [[ComicBook/TeenTitans Titans]]' "team" ability. A Titan character can take damage meant for another one of their TrueCompanions onto themselves.
154	* ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'', in addition to bringing back the "Shield Other" spell from ''Dungeons & Dragons'', introduces the Oracle class, and one of the paths for this class allows the user to absorb damage that has afflicted their allies.
155	* ''TabletopGame/InNomineSatanisMagnaVeritas'': Jean-Luc, Archangel of Protectors, grants his servants the power "ultimate sacrifice", allowing them to magically redirect any harm from a single target to themselves, with some damage reduction at high levels.
156	* ''TabletopGame/WarhammerFantasyBattles'': The "look out sir!" rule allows a rank and file unit to take a blow for a leader who is in the same formation.
157	* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'':
158	** The Imperial Guard has the "look out-- ARGH!" rule to protect some of their [=COs=].
159	** The [[OurOgresAreDifferent Ogryn]] bodyguard Nork Deddog can take blows for units that he's assigned to guard, and goes into a mad rage trying to protect his commander if Nork dies in close combat. The codex actually has IN HIS RULES "desperately attempts to 'smash dem wot is tryin ta 'urt da kernul'... slumps to the floor asking his officer 'did we win?' before passing out form his wounds."
160	** Tau shield drones are programmed to get in the way of incoming fire to protect their user. They have DeflectorShields. Sometimes they don't effectively deflect the shot, but hey, a destroyed drone is better than a dead Tau.
161	** The Genestealer Cult of the Pauper Princes takes the cults' typical self-sacrificing dedication to their leadership to extreme levels. They consider self-sacrifice and devotion to a higher cause to be the only true path to greatness, and are willing to create barricades with their own bodies or charge directly into war machines to gum their works with their own crushed remains so that their leaders have even the smallest of chances of surviving.
162	** Sixth and Seventh Edition have a "Look Out, Sir!" rule similar to the rule in ''Warhammer Fantasy''. In brief, when a character is hit, there is a die roll representing the chance for some sap in his unit to take the bullet. When protecting named characters, the mooks succeed with a 5 in 6 chance, while nameless squad leaders have a 1 in 2 chance of someone taking the hit for them. There are ways to alter the odds.
163	** ''TabletopGame/DarkHeresy'': The Crusader class can shield an Inquisitor from any attack if they are within range.
164	* In ''TabletopGame/XWingMiniatures'', Biggs Darklighter ''has'' to be the target of enemy attacks if he's near an ally. You can also take slightly less of the bullet with [[http://xwing-miniatures.wikia.com/wiki/Draw_Their_Fire Draw Their Fire]]. Prince Xizor approaches it from the other end by ''making'' nearby allies take damage for him, generally leading to his nimble [=StarViper=] flying in formation with [[StoneWall a pair of Y-wings or the like]].
165	* ''TabletopGame/TheOneRing'': A hero in [[StanceSystem defensive stance]] can choose to intercept a hit against another hero and become its target instead. However, if the original attack roll isn't high enough to strike them, it misses entirely.
166	* ''TabletopGame/ResArcana'': Implied with ThePhoenix, whose card lets you ignore an attack at the cost of destroying the Phoenix.
167	* The ''TabletopGame/YuGiOh'' spell card [[https://www.db.yugioh-card.com/yugiohdb/card_search.action?ope=2&cid=5675&request_locale=en "My Body as a Shield"]] enables the player to protect one of the monsters on their side of their field from a spell or trap effect, by giving up 1500 Life Points. The card depicts the Marauding Captain taking a blast from Blazing Inpachi to protect Gagagigo, as part of the [[{{Metaplot}} in-game lore]] around the latter.
168	[[/folder]]
169
170	[[folder:Theatre]]
171	* In ''Theatre/CesareIlCreatoreCheHaDistrutto'', the traitor [[spoiler: Roberto]] is NotQuiteDead, and he gets up and attempts to stab Cesare. Angelo, who has until this point been the DistressedDude that Cesare has had to rescue time and time again, steps between the attacker and Cesare, taking the knife. [[spoiler: He survives]].
172	* In ''The Complete History of America (abridged)'', Uncle Sam fires a bullet at Spade, and Flush takes it. The bullet is an oversized prop on a stick--the same one used in the Lincoln assassination, in fact.
173	* In ''Theatre/TheGoldenApple'', when Circe hands the apple out to Ulysses, he turns to make his back an easy target for Paris's knife. Seeing this, Achilles calls out to Ulysses and intercepts the blow for him, dying in his place.
174	[[/folder]]
175
176	[[folder:Toys]]
177	* [[spoiler:Lhikan]] for [[TheHero Vakama]], [[spoiler:Jaller]] for [[KidAppealCharacter Takua]] in ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}''.
178	[[/folder]]
179
180	[[folder:Visual Novels]]
181	* In ''VisualNovel/{{Yarudora}} series Vol. 3: VisualNovel/{{Sampaguita}}'', when you [[StormingTheCastle storm the Yakuza Headquarters]] with Boy and pals in order to save the kidnapped Maria, and you finally find her, the wounded Yakuza boss will try, [[TakingYouWithMe in his last breath]], to shoot her as she's running towards you. Depending on if you still have bullets in your gun or not, you will be treated with two possible Endings: [[spoiler:Good End 3, where you have no choice but to perform this trope, and succeed in saving Maria, but [[TheHeroDies at the cost of your life]]; however, [[OurGhostsAreDifferent you awake as a ghost]] two years later, and discover, to your joy, that Maria now lives a happy life [[SomeoneToRememberHimBy with the baby boy born from you and her]]]]; or [[spoiler:Normal End 2, where you ''can'' shoot the Yakuza boss, but choose to perform this trope instead: as a result, Maria is safe, [[StupidSacrifice but the game ends as you die, without the ghost story]].]]
182	* In ''[[VisualNovel/FantasiaOtomeGameSeries Fantasia: Requiem of the Abyss]]'', Faye jumps into the line of fire to save Cyrus and Valen from certain death.
183	* In ''{{VisualNovel/Ace Attorney Investigations\|MilesEdgeworth}}'', Shi-Long Lang takes a bullet meant for Shih-na, [[spoiler: despite the fact that she's just been revealed as TheMole and as a murder they've been tracking for years]]. The reason? [[spoiler: Lang still considers her part of his 'pack', even though she's a traitor.]] Don't worry, he was only shot in the leg and he's MadeOfIron so it's not even mentioned again.
184	* In ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyDualDestinies'', Apollo suffers the injuries you see him bandaged for in "Turnabout Countdown'' intercepting some falling rubble to protect Juniper Woods.
185	* ''VisualNovel/HatofulBoyfriend'':
186	** During the BBL route, Yuuya takes [[spoiler:the blade that cut at his brother]]. The attacker tried twice and was intercepted twice. Analysis of handedness and which shoulder the blood appeared on leads fans to believe that Yuuya basically acted a shield and covered [[spoiler: Sakuya]] with his back turned on the attacker, focused purely on defense. Semi-official fanart of Yuuya's gijinka, created by someone who collaborates with the creator, shows a multitude of scars, but the attacker did decide to just leave after that.
187	--->''Suddenly, Sakazaki Yuuya blocks out the sun.''
188	** In the sequel AU game, ''Holiday Star'', Yuuya pushes Hiyoko out of the way of a tank shell and is burned too badly to stand for his efforts.
189	* Jessica in ''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry'' takes a flying stake in the back to protect Kanon. Touching, but ultimately [[SenselessSacrifice senseless]].
190	* ''Franchise/{{Danganronpa}}'':
191	** During Chapter 3 of ''VisualNovel/Danganronpa2GoodbyeDespair'', Nekomaru takes a ''bazooka'' meant for Akane and lives to tell the tale (though he had to be converted into a {{Cyborg}} by Monokuma). As Nekomaru hadn't broken any rule, Monokuma couldn't just let him die.
192	** In Chapter 5 of ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaV3KillingHarmony'', Kaito protects Kokichi from a poisoned arrow fired by [[spoiler:Maki, who was afflicted with FakeMemories by The Mastermind.]]
193	* ''VisualNovel/PiofioreFatedMemories'':
194	** In Orlok's route, when Dante confronts Orlok about [[spoiler: killing his father]], a fight soon breaks out. [[spoiler: Nicola]] intervenes when Orlok was about to land a killing blow with his knife at Dante, taking the attack and dying a few hours later.
195	** In Nicola's route, when a GreenEyedMonster [[spoiler: Roberto]] attempts to shoot Nicola, Lili jumps in-between them to shield Nicola just as the gun went off. [[spoiler: Thankfully, Gilbert manages to knock the gun aside and Lili is only grazed by the bullet.]]
196	** In the Finale route, Lili was about to be hit by a member from an angry mob but [[spoiler: Henri]] steps in, resulting in them getting punched.
197	** In Gilbert's Bad Ending, an enraged citizen attempts to attack Lili with a knife but [[spoiler: Orlok]] takes the hit instead and would eventually die from their wounds.
198	* ''VisualNovel/YourTurnToDie'' has this as a 'perk' offered to one of the participants. One of the others is strapped to a target and is being shot with poison; the player with this perk can choose to switch places with them, putting themselves in the line of fire. Whether or not they decide to make the switch or not depends upon your decisions.
199	[[/folder]]
200
201	[[folder:Web Animation]]
202	* Happens ''constantly'' in ''WebAnimation/{{Glitchtale}}''. The most dramatic/tragic example is when, in "Dust", [[spoiler:Sans dies protecting Asriel]].
203	* Subverted in the ''WebAnimation/SpaceTree'' episode "[[http://spacetree.com/spacetree36.html Kill or Kick]]": When Space Tree hears that Ghost Spider's plan went off without a hatch, Space Tree executes ''his'' plan. ''With a gun.'' The Commander leaps in front of Ghost Spider, slow motion, "NOOOO!" and all, but the gun hasn't even fired. Turns out Space Tree's plan was just to kick Ghost Spider.
204	* During the final Dragon Shrine showdown of ''[[WebAnimation/BunnyKill Bunnykill 4]]'', Snowball, after defending an unconscious [[ActionGirl Ruby]] from a storm of giant shurikens hurled by [[BigBad Flint]], gets his sword knocked out of his hands when Flint hurls a powered-up shuriken at him. Ruby wakes up as Flint hurls his final shuriken at him (complete with the requisite slow-mo), and sacrifices herself to save his life by taking the shuriken in the back. Snowball proceeds to go into [[SuperMode "White Avenger" mode]] and [[UnstoppableRage proceeds to kick seven shades of hell out of Flint]].
205	* ''Webanimation/EverythingIsBroken'': [[spoiler:Evil Pinkie Pie tries to kill LG Creepybloom with an axe but Flippy steps inbetween them]] in part 9.
206	* In ''WebAnimation/RedVsBlue'' Felix avoids the sacrifice part by use of an energy shield, but the first of several times he dives in front of a bullet for someone he gets shot in the leg. [[spoiler:He later lampshades how you'd need incredible reflexes to truly pull this trope off and reveals he staged the shootings, including his getting shot, to win the Reds and Blues' trust.]]
207	[[/folder]]
208
209	[[folder:Webcomics]]
210	* In ''Webcomic/CityOfReality'', ActionGirl AV leaps in front of a bullet intended for TheAce, Todo, after the latter is unable to comprehend the gritty nature of Magic World and defies a mugger.
211	* ''Webcomic/CuantaVida'': [[spoiler: Red, for the BLU Sniper]]
212	* In ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'', Lars takes the [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20061211 sword blow intended for Agatha.]]
213	* Subverted in ''Webcomic/{{Girly}}'': Officer Getskilled leaps in front of a bullet for Policeguy and Hipbone, but another character gets in front of ''him''. The character is not only immortal but imperviable, and spirits Getskilled away to the immortal realm as a reward for his courage.
214	* In ''Webcomic/GunnerkriggCourt'', Ysengrin [[ShapeshifterWeapon forms his arm into a giant blade]] and attempts to skewer Antimony. Renard [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=285 leaps]] between Annie and the blade. This isn't entirely necessary, as Mr. Donlan's magic shield would have saved Annie either way (in fact, the shield ends up protecting Reynardine), but Annie certainly appreciated Rey's intent.
215	* In ''Webcomic/HarryPotterComics'', [[spoiler:Harry takes a killing curse meant for his son James. The Necromancer doesn't try again, because James is now immune to his spells due to the rules of magic.]]
216	* In ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'', [[spoiler:Dream Jade does this for John. Only no, it's not a bullet, it's a [[ColonyDrop meteor]].]]
217	** Later on in the comic, [[spoiler:Jake]] takes a sword through the gut to save [[spoiler:Jane.]] [[SenselessSacrifice It doesn't work]].
218	* Replace the word "bullet" with "boulder", and strip [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0451.html "Change of Direction"]] from ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' definitely qualifies, as a hobgoblin saves Redcloak from a catapult shot.
219	* In ''Webcomic/PennyArcade'', Gabe dives in the way of a gunshot from a guy dressed as a nightstand (don't ask) to save L. H. Franzibald's life. Tycho disarms the guy and... shoots Gabe again after he mentions a passage from one of Franzibald's awfully plagiarized works.
220	* In ''Webcomic/PowerpuffGirlsDoujinshi'', [=DeeDee=] takes a bullet from one of Mandark's robots to save [[WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory Dexter]].
221	* In ''Webcomic/ProblemSleuth'', Ace Dick's Auto-Parry [[{{Kevlard}} consists of "taking the hit directly in the guts"]]. In the game of ''Life'', he Auto-Parries a bullet to save Sonhearst.
222	-->"It is incredibly painful!"
223	* Spoofed in ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'' when Private Aardman [[https://www.schlockmercenary.com/2009-01-21 throws his overly-large nose in front of a bullet]] to save Ensign Ventura. That's OK though, as he's been trying to injure his nose so he can get free cosmetic surgery (only provided for injuries in the line of duty).
224	* {{Justified\|Trope}} in ''Webcomic/TheZombieHunters'', Charlie puts up an arm to block a zombie bite intended for his [[NoOneGetsLeftBehind wounded teammate]] Katie. Since he's a [[HalfHumanHybrid Half]]-[[OurZombiesAreDifferent Zombie]], it [[MajorInjuryUnderreaction barely]] [[NighInvulnerable registers]] as [[OnlyAFleshWound painful]] to him.
225	* A very similar scene to the ''Webcomic/TheZombieHunters'' example happens in ''Webcomic/StandStillStaySilent'', when Sigrun, who is [[TheImmune immune to the rash virus]], takes a troll bite for Reynir, who isn't.
226	* ''Webcomic/{{Spacetrawler}}''
227	** Bizarrely used: one second Growp is trying to kill Emily, and the next he's throwing himself in the path of a fatal laserblast aimed at Emily -- because Growp considers himself [[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou the only one allowed to kill her]].
228	** And later, Gurf does the same thing. Except it was a ''non''-lethal laser blast, he's the biggest of the party, and now they have to carry him back to the ship.
229	* In ''Webcomic/EerieCuties'', Nina takes a [[ItMakesSenseInContext magical gender changing beam]] for her friend Ace. It doesn't do any good though, because while Nina is trying to figure out what just happened to her, Blair doubles back and hits Ace anyway.
230	* In ''Webcomic/{{Roomies}}!'', Ruth takes a semi-truck for Danny.
231	* In ''Webcomic/BlueYonder'', [[http://blueyonder.smackjeeves.com/comics/1332262/blue-yonder-chapter-1-page-34/ Kevin takes one, not quite intentionally -- he had meant to get himself and Jared out of the way.]]
232	* In ''Webcomic/OffWhite,'' Munin, the raven/crow guardian of memories does this for Hati when his brother Sköll fires spells at him.
233	* In the "New and Old Flames" arc of ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'', Elliot in his [[SuperGenderBender superheroine form]] [[http://www.egscomics.com/index.php?id=1232 throws himself in front of a blast of dragon fire]] that was otherwise aimed at a busy street.
234	* ''Webcomic/{{Nebula}}'': Jupiter took the impact of a meteor for Earth, though fortunately he didn't end up badly hurt.
235	* Subverted in ''Webcomic/CampWeedonwantcha'', when Malachi tries to jump in front of Purdy's gun before she can shoot a weasel and/or Brian. He jumps ''[[http://campcomic.com/comic/93 far]]'' too early.
236	* In [[Webcomic/RustyAndCo Rusty and Co.]], Madeline the Paladin [[http://rustyandco.com/comic/level-6-52/ jumps in front of a spell]] intended to create a rival for Gelatinous Cube by drawing out his inner evil. The results are [[http://rustyandco.com/comic/level-6-53/ amusing]].
237	* In ''Webcomic/LatchkeyKingdom'', Princess Rosaline of Angelon [[http://latchkeykingdom.smackjeeves.com/comics/2261667/minion-11/ throws her arm]] between a snake and Prince Zander of Hilla, on the basis that she has AcquiredPoisonImmunity and he doesn't (The Angelonian empire has far more cutthroat politics than Zander's backwater kingdom).
238	* During the first season finale of ''Webcomic/ImTheGrimReaper'', Scarlet [[spoiler: takes a bullet meant for Chase.]] She knows she can't die from that, but acknowledges that to [[spoiler:Chase]] it looks like she did.
239	* ''Webcomic/KevinAndKell'': Kevin's sister, Danielle, takes a crossbow bolt meant for George, in the middle of a fight with rabbit isolationists. She doesn't make it but was soon replaced by her doppelganger from the human world [[spoiler: (Who ends up marrying George).]]
240	[[/folder]]
241
242	[[folder:Web Original]]
243	* ''Website/SCPFoundation'', [[http://scp-wiki.net/scp-999 SCP-999 ("The Tickle Monster")]]. SCP-999 loves all animals (including humans) so much that it will leap in front of a person to take a bullet fired at them.
244	** [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-2325 SCP-2325]] is peaked cap and several accompanying security headsets. If a person wearing the cap is shot at, anyone wearing the headsets will automatically leap to shield them from the bullet, regardless of distance or obstacles. To do so it moves the "taker" at the speed necessary to make the intercept, however it does ''not'' shield them from the laws of physics, which means after a certain distance, the taker will literally be ''vaporized'' by the forces exerted on them and therefore not be able to stop the bullet, since they've been turned into [[ChunkySalsaRule a red mist.]]
245	* Subverted in the final chapter of ''Literature/SailorNothing'', [[spoiler:as Aki is merely wounded, not killed, in the process.]] It's also toyed with in that [[spoiler:two people dive for the same bullet, the second pushing the first out of the way in addition to the original target]].
246	* In ''Literature/InterviewingLeather'', when Todd Chapman is exploring the scenes of Dynamo Girl's heroics, he mentions seeing the city councilman she caught a bullet for.
247	* Website/{{Reddit}} has an [[https://www.reddit.com/r/Getdownmrpresident/ entire subreddit]] dedicated to accidental examples of this trope, better known by the {{memetic\|Mutation}} phrase "Get down, Mr. President!"
248	[[/folder]]
249	[[folder:Web Videos]]
250	* In the final battle of ''WebVideo/ThereWillBeBrawl'', the End of Days (a Game and Watch octopus) starts spearing everyone in sight. Fox pushes Marth out of the way of one tentacle, getting himself speared in the process. Made all the more significant because until that final battle, they were on opposite sides of the law.
251	* In the ''WebVideo/HitlerRants'' Downfall parody series, Llama Priest by Website/YouTube user The Silver Universe, Gunsche does this to protect Hitler from being [[spoiler:killed by Goebbels.]]
252	[[/folder]]
253
254	[[folder:Western Animation]]
255	* Done in the ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfTheGalaxyRangers'' episode "One Million Emotions". An alien artifact that is charitably described as "the emotional electric chair" essentially subjects anyone who touches it to MindRape as the stored emotions within blast into that person's mind and drive them insane. The object goes flying straight at Niko, causing Shane to leap in front of her and intercept it. He takes the full brunt of the emotional blast, but manages to retain his sanity because his altered genetics offered some protection. {{Fanon}} speculates that it changed him more than he admits.
256	* In the ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'' episode "[[Recap/AdventureTimeS4E20YouMadeMe You Made Me!]]", Finn takes a blow from Lemongrab's [[MusicalAssassin Sound Sword]] for Princess Bubblegum. The resulting attack knocks him out [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and tears apart his hat]].
257	* ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'':
258	** In the episode "[[Recap/AmericanDadS2E7StannieGetYourGun Stannie, Get Your Gun]]", Stan (paralyzed by a gun accident) takes a bullet for Hayley when a fired gun mascot aims a sniper at her while she's singing an anti-gun song. The bullet helps to cure his paralysis when it dislodges the first bullet that hit him before.
259	** A suicidal lemur takes a bullet for Francine in another episode.
260	* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'': In the final battle against Azula in "[[Recap/AvatarTheLastAirbenderSozinsCometPart3IntoTheInferno Sozin's Comet, Part 3 - Into the Inferno]]", Zuko takes a full-on lightning blast (complete with a slow-motion BigNo) meant for Katara. He had been taught to redirect lightning, however, which meant that he was just badly injured instead of killed outright, since he couldn't fully redirect it in the middle of a DivingSave.
261	* ''WesternAnimation/Ben10UltimateAlien'':
262	** Squire Winston takes a lethal energy blast for Sir George.
263	** In the episode "[[Recap/Ben10UltimateAlienS3E13TheEnemyOfMyFrenemy The Enemy of My Frenemy]]", Kevin takes a blow for Gwen; he recovers.
264	* In ''WesternAnimation/Ben10Omniverse'', Ben dies in a HeroicSacrifice shielding his AlternateUniverse counterpart No-Watch Ben from a [[ApocalypseHow Chronosapien Time Bomb]] intended to RetGone all versions of him from the multiverse. While his body is being erased his [[SuperWristGadget Omnitrix]] lands on the other Ben, allowing him to SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong at the end of the arc.
265	* ''WesternAnimation/BigCityGreens'': In the climax of "[[Recap/BigCityGreensS1E29 Skunked]]", when Gloria slips on the floor and is cornered by the skunks ready to launch their stink, Cricket jumps right in front of her and takes the whiff.
266	* The first episode of ''WesternAnimation/BlackDynamite'' [[ParodiedTrope parodies the trope]] by having Cream Corn take a bullet for [[spoiler: Music/MichaelJackson]]. He survived; his timing was a little early and the bullet [[AssShove got lodged in his rear]]. [[spoiler: Michael returned the favor towards the [[{{Pun}} end]].]]
267	* In ''WesternAnimation/TheBoondocks'', Uncle Ruckus did for the mall Santa when Riley shoots multiple BB rounds.
268	* ''WesternAnimation/CampLakebottom'': In "Late Afternoon of the Living Gitch", Gitch (who is a pair of Squirt's underpants that has been brought to life) leaps in front of [=McGee=] to take a shot of super-strength fabric cleaner fired by Buttsquat. This is played exactly like this trope, including the dramatic slo-mo.
269	* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/CampLazlo'', after Lazlo believes he has put Gretchen in danger, he rushes to see Edward firing a cannon at her and he jumps in to take the blow. Even though the "cannon" was actually a t-shirt cannon that only fired a shirt with an embarrassing phrase.
270	* ''WesternAnimation/CaptainLaserHawkABloodDragonRemix'': At the end of episode 3, the police open fire on a crowd of rioting [[BeastMan hybrids]] with lethal intent. [[TheBigGuy Pey'j]] throws himself in front of a young hybrid child to shield her from the hail of bullets and is cut down, saving her life at the cost of his own.
271	* An episode of ''Franchise/CareBears'' has this. Wish Bear saved the distressed kid of the week by taking a blast from one of Professor Coldheart's inventions for him. It didn't kill her, just turn her grey and apathetic. Cue the SwissArmyTears.
272	* ''WesternAnimation/CodeLyoko'':
273	** In Season 1, it's frequent for the [[HeroSecretService Lyoko Warriors]] to be taking a [[SlowLaser laser beam]] to protect Aelita -- especially Odd, since he is unable to block them at the time. [[JustifiedTrope Quite justified]], since a devirtualization isn't fatal for them, while it would be for Aelita (and even if it weren't, only she can deactivate XANA's current scheme, often [[AlwaysClose with mere seconds to spare]]). Much less prevalent starting Season 2, since XANA wants Aelita alive at this point.
274	** In Season 3, it is Aelita's turn at taking the laser beam to save the Lyoko Core. (At this point, protecting her this way isn't always necessary, as she is no longer in danger of ceasing to exist if she "dies" on Lyoko.)
275	* Parodied in the ''WesternAnimation/CodenameKidsNextDoor'' episode "Operation: T.O.M.M.Y.", where Numbuh Two make a slow-motion dive to save his little brother Tommy from a ''snot bullet''.
276	* In the ''WesternAnimation/DanVs'' episode "Elise's Parents", Dan takes a poisoned dart for his best friend's father-in-law, but is saved by several layers of duct tape he used to tape on the tape recorder the use of which got them into that mess to begin with.
277	* Parodied in ''WesternAnimation/DaveTheBarbarian''. Candy had been kidnapped by a giant zit, brought to life by magic, and Dave was about to kill it with [[LogicalWeakness acne medication]]. Candy, having developed concern for the zit, attempted this, but timed her dive wrong, leaving the zit time for a FlatWhat facial expression as he is struck and killed by the cream.
278	* ''WesternAnimation/{{DC Super Hero Girls\|2019}}'': In "[[Recap/DCSuperHeroGirls2019S1E11ShockItToMe #ShockItToMe]]", Supergirl stops a huge lightning bolt fired by Livewire and aimed at finishing Wonder Woman by interposing her body.
279	* In a flashback for an episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Duckman}}'' back when Cornfed and Duckman first met, Cornfed takes many hits from a criminals gun, he survives.
280	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'':
281	** In "[[Recap/FuturamaS4E12TheSting The Sting]]", Fry saves Leela by taking a giant space bee sting meant for her. Fry ends up ''dying'' from this, and [[spoiler:Leela starts to have hallucinations of him telling her to wake up. Ultimately, it is revealed that the space bee's stinger pierced right through Fry and nicked Leela, thus injecting its venom into her instead of him. She's been in a coma ever since, and the hallucinations are the real, healed-up, Fry. He's been at her bedside trying to wake her up]]. Quite touching, really.
282	** In "[[Recap/FuturamaS6E11LrrreconcilableNdndifferences Lrrreconcilable Ndndifferences]]", Fry leaps in front of Leela and takes it when she was about to be shot by a vaporizer. [[spoiler:Subverted when everyone realizes it was actually a teleporter. Though at the time Fry was unaware of this.]]
283	* In the ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'' episode "[[Recap/GravityFallsS2E7SocietyOfTheBlindEye Society of the Blind Eye]]", the titular Society uses a [[LaserGuidedAmnesia memory-wiping gun]] to [[MemoryWipingCrew erase people's memories of anomalies in Gravity Falls]]. They try to make Dipper forget pretty much his entire summer, and are going to do the same to Mabel, Wendy, and Soos, but Old Man [=McGucket=] jumps in front of Dipper to protect him from being zapped. Since [=McGucket=] is [[InsanityImmunity already nuts]] from [[spoiler:having his memories erased so many times]], nothing happens to him.
284	* In ''WesternAnimation/HouseOfMouse'', Timon and Pumbaa are both on stage when Pumbaa warns everyone that he has a [[{{Gasshole}} "rumbly in his tumbly"]]. Everyone runs for cover except for Sneezy, who due to his allergies, can’t smell anything anyway, and Donald, who proceeds to grab Pumbaa and make a mad dash for the door, taking the blast in the process. Pumbaa then calmly walks back inside, warning everyone not to go out there, he’s then followed by Donald, who definitely looks worse for wear.
285	* ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'':
286	** In "[[Recap/JusticeLeagueS2E19And20Hereafter Hereafter]]", Superman takes a ball that apparently annihilates matter for his friends. Luckily for him, it turns out to only be a time travel portal.
287	** In "[[Recap/JusticeLeagueUnlimitedS2E3TheDoomsdaySanction The Doomsday Sanction]]", Batman says this verbatim when he chews out Superman for sending Doomsday to a PrisonDimension. Granted, it isn't a literal bullet that he takes for him (he actually saves Superman from a kryptonite-lined nuke and nearly dies himself in the process), but the effect's the same.
288	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Kaeloo}}'' has an episode where Kaeloo, Stumpy and Mr. Cat almost get impaled by a variety of sharp objects, but [[NighInvulnerability Quack Quack the indestructible duck]] jumps in front to save them. [[UngratefulBastard Mr. Cat responds by calling Quack Quack a show-off.]]
289	* ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'':
290	** Parodied when Peggy starts throwing tomatoes at King Phillip at the Renaissance fair one of his men dives in front of him and takes a few hits.
291	** In another episode ("Dog Dale Afternoon"), after Hank successfully escorted Dale out of the college watch tower in which the police mistaken him for a sniper when he was actually exterminating bugs, a vigilante sniper locked in on Dale and Hank jumped in taking the bullet for him. Good thing Hank was wearing a bulletproof vest.
292	* The climactic moment of the ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' series finale "[[Recap/TheLegendOfKorraS4E13TheLastStand The Last Stand]]" involves this with Korra [[spoiler:against the [[WaveMotionGun Spirit Ray Cannon]] to save [[SaveTheVillain Kuvira]] when the cannon [[PhlebotinumOverload goes awry]]... except that Korra has the (correct) notion that she can withstand the beam in the spur of the moment]].
293	* ''WesternAnimation/MegaManRubySpears'' sees Proto Man invoking this trope. Mega Man keeps dodging Proto Man's shots, so Proto Man [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dI8RPO87vSc takes aim at the Lincoln Memorial instead.]] [[PatrioticFervor It works]].
294	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Metalocalypse}}'': At the end of "Klokblocked", the extremist faction Succuboso Explosion fires their electrically charged "loin extractor" at Nathan -- Murderface heroically dives in front of him and takes it full in the crotch.
295	* PlayedForLaughs in ''WesternAnimation/ThePenguinsOfMadagascar'', with Skipper blocking an angry pigeon's droppings for the park commissioner.
296	* ''ComicStrip/{{Popeye}}'': When Bluto finds out Olive has the hots for Superman, he dresses up as the hero and visits Olive who naturally swoons over him. Popeye says he can do anything Superman can. Among them is repelling gunfire which Bluto does with a bullet-proof shield in his costume. When Popeye is fired at, he apparently dies. But he rises soon after as his spinach can absorbed the bullets.
297	* ''WesternAnimation/PrincessGwenevereAndTheJewelRiders'': During Part 1 of "Jewel Quest", Spike, Tamara's baby panther, leaps in front of Kale's wild magic to shield Tamara and is blasted down. He is luckily revived by the magic of Fallon, Tamara and The Pack altogether in Part 2.
298	* Leonidas Van Rook does this to save Drew Saturday in ''WesternAnimation/TheSecretSaturdays''.
299	* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'':
300	** In "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS5E13HomerAndApu Homer and Apu]]", Apu takes a bullet for James Woods, only to find it [[PocketProtector bounced off]] ''another'' bullet that was still in him from a previous robbery.
301	** In "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS3E9SaturdaysOfThunder Saturdays of Thunder]]", [[ShowWithinAShow a McBain movie]] has [=McBain's=] sidekick Scoie protect [=McBain=] from an assassination attempt. This happens right after Scoie [[{{Retirony}} discusses his plans for retirement]]. It should be noted that this was a case of ''accidentally'' taking the bullet, at Scoie was shot because he leaned in front of his partner to grab his wallet photo back, right when the assassin pulled the trigger.
302	** "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS10E9MayoredToTheMob Mayored to the Mob]]" has Homer attend bodyguard training, where he is tested for this. Attendants are marked on the effort put into their "[[BigNo Noooo!]]" among other things. The trainees are given melons with celebrity names on them to protect (Homer promptly eats his).
303	** Yet another episode has elderly Springfieldian Cornelius Chapman, who won an award for being Springfields oldest resident (well into his 100s). Among his accomplishments (building Springfields first log cabin and introducing the tooth brush), Chapman once took a bullet for Huey Long. Unfortunatly, he only took ''one'' bullet, as Long was shot several times and Chapman only caught the last one.
304	** Also parodied in an episode where Ned Flanders is going to baptize Bart and Lisa, only to have Homer leap in the way of the water at the last second, complete with slow-motion dive and BigNo.
305	--->'''Bart:''' Homer, you took a baptism for me. How do you feel?\
306	'''Homer:''' Oh, Bartholomew, I feel like Saint Augustine of Hippo after his conversion by Ambrose of Milan.\
307	'''Flanders:''' ''[astonished]'' Homer, what did you just say?\
308	'''Homer:''' ''I SAID SHUT YOUR UGLY FACE, FLANDERS!''
309	* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'': An interesting inversion of this is played when [=SpongeBob=] leaps in front of Patrick just as a speeding car is about to spatter mud all over him, protecting the ultra-rare and super-valuable Mermaid Man trading card he's holding in his hand.
310	* ''WesternAnimation/StarTrekLowerDecks'': In "[[Recap/StarTrekLowerDecksS2E02KayshonHisEyesOpen Kayshon, His Eyes Open]]", when the holo-message is about to shoot a beam at Tendi and Siggi, Kayshon pushes them both out of the way and gets hit instead.
311	* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'':
312	** Parodied in "[[Recap/StevenUniverseS1E4TogetherBreakfast Together Breakfast]]" when Steven takes a squirt gun blast for [[ItMakesSenseInContext a stack of waffles]].
313	** Parodied again, while also subverted, in "[[Recap/StevenUniverseS2E6ShirtClub Shirt Club]]". When one of Major Dewey's bodyguards sees someone training a gun (well, shirt cannon) on him, he calls out, runs in front of his charge... and then [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere keeps right on running until he's out of sight]].
314	* [[spoiler:Terra]] in ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans2003'' deliberately invokes this by aiming a boulder towards Robin and Starfire, knowing that one or the other would inevitably take the hit and only leave one titan to deal with afterwards.
315	* ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'':
316	** As the dodgeball challenge in "[[Recap/TotalDramaDodgebrawl Dodgebrawl]]" reaches its deciding final minutes, both teams become more beaten and more vicious. One tough ball comes flying towards Gwen, so her suitor Cody jumps in front to protect her. All in all, the cost is higher than the gain. The ball hits him in the crotch and Gwen gets taken out by a ball to the face moments later.
317	** The final challenge in "[[Recap/TotalDramaSwedenSour Sweden Sour]]" is formed by ship-to-ship combat with stale meatballs as cannonballs. Team CIRRRRH blasts their last one towards Team Amazon's ship while its crew is distracted by in-fighting. The only one still paying attention is Sierra and as soon as she realizes the meatball is going to hit her beloved Cody, she jumps in front of him to take the hit to her stomach. He thanks her for it, which she considers worth the potential surgery and physiotherapy.
318	** During a battle of leechball between the teams in "[[Recap/TotalDramaSavingPrivateLeechball Saving Private Leechball]]", Duncan notices Cameron taking aim. Because Cameron goes for a PinballProjectile, Duncan can't immediately stop him, but the moment he notices the leech coming for his girlfriend Gwen, he jumps in front of her to take the hit instead. The sucker ends up stuck to his butt and Gwen gets hit by Mike when she takes care of Duncan.
319	* ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'':
320	** Bumblebee takes a blast of Meltdown's acid (which melts through basically anything ever, including Cybertronians) for Bulkhead. Fortunately, the Autobots have Sari's key to repair him.
321	** He did it in the [[FiveEpisodePilot three-episode pilot]] too, shielding most of the human supporting cast from [[TheStarscream Starscream]].
322	* Happens quite a few times in ''WesternAnimation/{{Wakfu}}'':
323	** During Season 1 Episode 25, [[spoiler:Sadlygrove]] takes a lethal shot from Razortime aimed for Eva and Amalia.
324	** Yugo and Phaeris do this to each other a whole season later while fighting [[spoiler:Quilby, which lampshades it with the quote above]].
325	** During the last episode, Evangeline intercepts a shot from Remington Smisse meant for her sister Cleophelia. Fortunately, it just hits her shoulder.
326	* ''WesternAnimation/WinxClub'':
327	** In the second season, Riven almost dies when he takes a blast from the BrainwashedAndCrazy Bloom to save an already injured Musa. When Sky [[IKnowYouAreInThereSomewhereFight talks Bloom out of it]], she uses her powers to heal him.
328	** In an episode of the fifth season, Musa got turned into a giant mutant seal after getting hit by one of [[BigBad Tritannus]]' spells that was meant for Aisha.
329	** In another episode of the fifth season, Icy actually takes one of Bloom's attacks that were meant for Tritannus, which Bloom considers an OutOfCharacterMoment for Icy as she had clearly not expected her to do so.
330	[[/folder]]
331
332	[[folder:Real Life]]
333	* [[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,331548,00.html Alexis Goggins]] was a RealLife seven-year-old who took six bullets for her own mother. She also managed to survive.
334	* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liviu_Librescu Dr. Liviu Librescu]], Romanian-born Holocaust survivor, [[BadassBookworm scientist]] and [[BadassTeacher academic professor]]. During the Virginia Tech massacre, Librescu [[YouShallNotPass personally kept the door shut]] to prevent gunman Seung-hui Cho from entering the classroom while his students escaped out the windows. He was [[MadeOfIron shot through the door five times]] before finally succumbing to a shot to the head. Only one of his 23 students failed to escape.
335	* The attempt on Ronald Reagan's life by John Hinckley Jr. might have succeeded had it not been for the actions of Secret Service agent Timothy J. [=McCarthy=], who leapt in front of Reagan, receiving a wound in his abdomen. He survived. This remains the only time since the Secret Service was officially charged with protecting Presidents in 1906 that a Secret Serviceman has actually taken a bullet for the President.
336	* All personnel recruited as agents in various police/military-based [=VIP=] protection units (with some exceptions like the Secret Service) are trained to do this if the worse should come to the worst when the [=VIP=] is in danger. Hence the nickname "Bulletcatchers".
337	* A somewhat extreme example is Alexander Matrosov, a Red Army soldier during UsefulNotes/WorldWarTwo. During an assault on Chernushki village, the Soviets were held off by a German MG 42 (which is the [[MoreDakka fastest firing]] single barreled machine gun in history) firing from a pill-box. Matrosov threw himself in front of the massive amount of dakka, blocking the fire and allowing his unit to advance. He was posthumously awarded Hero of the Soviet Union, the highest honour that can be bestowed by the USSR.
338	** Matrosov's deed was praised and exemplified as a device for motivation and morale via newspapers, and afterwards entered the SovietRussian culture via the history books and propaganda (like several other greatly romanticized, though largely non-invented acts of heroism). What's interesting is the surfacing number of "firing-port jumpers" both ''before'' and after Matrosov. The rough estimate puts them at ''between 200 and 400''. Note that the very definition of the feat means it was voluntary and by all means "above and beyond the call of duty" -- which, combined with other realistic considerations, kinda goes against the whole "cannon fodder peasants 'motivated" into frontal assaults by machine-gun-armed NKVD squads" tripe that was once widespread in the USA and is occasionally touted as "the grim truth of the Eastern Front". It should be pointed out that the Germans had tried to conquer Russia: so the Soviet soldiers were out for revenge, whatever they might have thought of ''UsefulNotes/JosephStalin'' or the rest of their government. Many of them had personally lost family, friends and their previous livelihoods to Operation Barbarossa. Also, it's good to keep in mind that they were fighting...you know...''UsefulNotes/NaziGermany''. A good many soldiers from all of the Allied nations came away believing they had fought a holy war after seeing what the Nazis had been up to with their own eyes.
339	* During the UsefulNotes/SovietInvasionOfAfghanistan, Soviet aerial convoys were protected from Stinger-wielding Mujahideen fighters by Mi-24 Hind helicopter gunships. According to some, the pilots were instructed to use their helicopters to physically block the missiles should they get too close to the planes, earning them the nickname "Mandatory Matrosovs". Not as bad as it sounds, however; the Hind is built to stand up to considerable punishment.
340	* After the July 20 Plot to kill Hitler failed, the plot's conspirators were arrested and placed in front of a firing squad. When Claus von Stauffenberg (one of the plot's ringleaders) was about to be shot, his adjutant, Werner von Haeften in a crowning moment of awesome defiantly placed himself in front of von Stauffenberg, taking the bullets intended for von Stauffenberg. Though the truth of this is disputed somewhat, as the bullets would have gone straight through him and still injured Stauffenberg.
341	* Late in World War II, the Japanese destroyer ''Akikaze'' escorting the aircraft carrier ''Jun'yo'', deliberately charged between the carrier and the attacking submarine USS ''Pintado'', taking six torpedo hits in the process. ''Akikaze'' was lost with all hands, but the ''Jun'yo'' would remain afloat past the end of the war until finally scrapped in 1946-1947.
342	* This happened to Jonathan Daniels in 1965 while trying to protect the life of 17 year old Ruby Sales from the gun of Deputy Tom L. Coleman. He was 26 years old.
343	* Attempted but thankfully not necessary during UsefulNotes/TheGulfWar when HMS ''[[MeaningfulName Brazen]]'' boldly interposed herself in the line of fire from two Iraqi Mirages carrying Exocet anti-ship missiles, who had been [[ShootTheMedicFirst targeting the hospital ship]] RFA ''Argus''. As a hospital ship, ''Argus'' had little in the way of meaningful defense, and as a refitted cargo ship, no armor either. ''Brazen'' was prepared to take both missile attacks, a strike that would have surely sunk her as similar damage had damaged or destroyed other ships such as USS ''Clark'' or HMS ''Sheffield''. Fortunately, allied F-15 fighter jets were able to intercept and destroy both Iraqi planes before they could launch their ship-killer missiles.
344	[[/folder]]

Context Main / TakingTheBullet