Line #343 Main/ThouShaltNotKill


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10	[[quoteright:350:[[ComicBook/{{Batman}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/no_killv1.jpg]]]]
11	[[caption-width-right:350:Batman won't kill you... [[GoodIsNotSoft but you'll wish that he did.]]]]
12
13	->''"And God spake all these words, saying...\
14	Thou shalt not kill."''
15	-->-- '''[[Literature/BookOfExodus Exodus 20:1,13]]''', ''Literature/TheBible''
16
17	Ending a life is a permanent thing.[[note]][[BackFromTheDead Usually.]][[/note]] There's no way to say "I'm sorry", or to make up for it later. And for some people, killing is a line they ''will not cross'', no matter how much the death might serve the greater good (or, in some cases, the greater evil). "He needed killing" is not in these people's vocabulary.
18
19	This is common in works with BlackAndWhiteMorality, but even appears in works with GreyAndGrayMorality. In the latter, it's sometimes the only way to tell the "good" guys from the "bad" guys.
20
21	[[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman Opinions differ on how this applies to sentient life other than humans]], [[FateWorseThanDeath or indeed whether it is always more heroic to spare lives]]. In general, it's still up to villains to kill other villains when pulling off a VillainousRescue. It's perfectly fine to [[ImmortalLifeIsCheap "kill" immortals though]] as it is to kill the undead. The MercyKill sometimes winds up as an exception. KarmicDeath, SelfDisposingVillain, and HoistByHisOwnPetard provide alternate ways to kill off villains without forcing the heroes to get their hands dirty.
22
23	Thou Shalt Not Kill is closely related to JokerImmunity. Whilst many writers believe a never-kill creed makes the hero more likable and righteous, on another level it might simply be a plot device [[StatusQuoIsGod to prevent the hero from killing off popular recurring villains]]: the rationale is that if a hero, say, Franchise/{{Superman}} were to kill a bad guy in one story, why wouldn't he simply resolve all of his problems by, for example, incinerating [[Characters/SupermanLexLuthor Lex Luthor]] with his heat vision on sight? Related is PacifismBackfire, where their reluctance to fight (or to kill as in this trope) may cause JokerImmunity. This trope is more common in serial fiction, such as TV shows and comic books, rather than one-shots like movies. In action movies [[SuperheroMovieVillainsDie it is common and acceptable for the hero to kill the villain]] because there is usually no planned sequel for the villain to appear in. It's also somewhat common for both stand alone and serial storytelling to feature a character who begins adhering to this trope, but over the course of various dramatic devices, such as a TraumaCongaLine, is finally forced to — or chooses to — cross the line.
24
25	With superhero characters, attitudes toward no-kill policies range from utterly ignoring it (such as the MainCharacters of ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}''), to treating it as a [[BewareTheNiceOnes preferred outcome]] (such as Superman), to strict adherence to it in all cases (such as Franchise/{{Batman}}). Whatever the moral case is, this trope is often used to show off the hero's incredible precision, whether it be with a fist or a gun. This can include things like [[BlastingItOutOfTheirHands separating the mook from their weapon with a precisely aimed bullet]], or possibly [[TapOnTheHead knocking an opponent out]]. Whatever the case, their non-lethal attacks are due to their incredible skill. Note that this often a case of RealityIsUnrealistic as many of these attacks are very capable of causing serious injury or death.
26
27	If this trope is used poorly, it can risk leading to audiences seeing heroes holding onto this code as too naive or stubborn due to not accepting that there are villains too dangerous to be left alive and possibly lead to the story's {{Villain Killer}}s looking more heroic than heroes who swear by non-lethal force.
28
29	"Thou shalt not kill" is derived from the sixth of Literature/TheBible's [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Commandments Ten Commandments]], and the religious implications of taking life in apparent violation of this commandment (which is often translated as "Thou shalt not murder," which results in debates over semantics)[[note]]The original Hebrew word used is "ratsahk" which could arguably be better translated as "murder" given that it typically refers to unlawful killing, whereas the word "mut" refers purely to the act of killing without any regards to legality of said killing.[[/note]] are sometimes also invoked in storytelling.
30
31	SubTrope to NoHarmRequirement where characters for one reason or another are restricted in how much harm they can deal to or allow another being to take, if any. Also very frequently a form of HeroicVow, though villains can take this stance too as a form of EvenEvilHasStandards.
32
33	See also ApeShallNeverKillApe, KickThemWhileTheyAreDown, ActualPacifist, RecklessPacifist, TechnicalPacifist, MartialPacifist, NonLethalWarfare, WouldNotShootAGoodGuy, CantDefaultToMurder, and RestrainedRevenge. Often goes hand in hand with DoesntLikeGuns, because of the lethal connotations that firearms carry. For a similar trope in video games, see PacifistRun.
34
35	----
36	!!Example subpages:
37
38	[[index]]
39	* ThouShaltNotKill/AnimeAndManga
40	* ThouShaltNotKill/ComicBooks
41	** ThouShaltNotKill/TheDCU
42	*** ThouShaltNotKill/{{Batman}}
43	*** ThouShaltNotKill/{{Superman}}
44	** ThouShaltNotKill/MarvelUniverse
45	*** ThouShaltNotKill/SpiderMan
46	*** ThouShaltNotKill/XMen
47	* ThouShaltNotKill/FanWorks
48	* [[ThouShaltNotKill/AnimatedFilms Film — Animated]]
49	* [[ThouShaltNotKill/LiveActionFilms Film — Live-Action]]
50	** ThouShaltNotKill/MarvelCinematicUniverse
51	* ThouShaltNotKill/{{Literature}}
52	* ThouShaltNotKill/LiveActionTV
53	* ThouShaltNotKill/VideoGames
54	* ThouShaltNotKill/WesternAnimation
55	* ThouShaltNotKill/RealLife
56	[[/index]]
57
58	!!Other examples:
59	[[foldercontrol]]
60
61	[[folder:Comic Strips]]
62	* In the storyline which introduces Bluto, ComicStrip/{{Popeye}} has to use his most powerful punch, and is extremely worried about Bluto's survival. This happened in 1932, [[OlderThanTheyThink before either Marvel or DC was even founded]].
63	[[/folder]]
64
65	[[folder:Radio]]
66	* ''Radio/TheLoneRanger'', in some ways a precursor to Vash, used silver bullets as a symbol of his pledge never to take human life.
67	[[/folder]]
68
69	[[folder:Stand-Up Comedy]]
70	* In Creator/GeorgeCarlin's routine on The Ten Commandments, he ends with this one, claiming that [[{{Hypocrite}} religion has never really had a problem with murder, since more people have been killed in the name of God than for any other reason]]. He concludes that it really comes down to who's doing the killing and who's getting killed. He decides it should be renamed "Thou shalt try ''really'' hard not to kill anyone, unless they pray to a different invisible man from the one you pray to."
71	[[/folder]]
72
73	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
74	* "Code vs. Killing" is one of the most commonly seen Psychological Limitations in ''TabletopGame/{{Champions}}'', usually bought as "total commitment" (i.e. the character can't bring him- or herself to kill at all and won't stand idly by while others do it either). Normal people are already assumed to be "reluctant to kill" by default (being AxCrazy would be its own different Limitation); the code, if taken, is intended to go beyond well beyond that to proper comic book levels. Of course, being a Limitation that you get points for, it's also ''supposed'' to cause your character trouble from time to time.
75	* Some Superhero {{R\|olePlayingGame}}PGs would invoke rules against killing. Two notable examples were ''TabletopGame/MarvelSuperHeroes'' and ''TabletopGame/DCHeroes'', which would eliminate all Karma/Hero Points (a combination of experience points, and self-boosting reserves for various tasks) and keep you from accumulating more for the rest of the adventure (usually one night of gaming). In DC heroes, this punishment came from using lethal force at all.
76	* ''Series/DoctorWho: Adventures in Time and Space'' has this as part of its rules. While killing in self-defense, though unfortunate, is acceptable, killing ''without reason'' is cause for a player to lose all of their character's Story Points. If it's particularly cruel or needless (shooting an unarmed, restrained noncombatant), ''everyone else at the table'' loses half their Story Points as punishment for not having stopped them!
77	* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' has the Book of Exalted Deeds, which contains the feat "Vow of Peace". It grants benefits as long as you don't inflict lethal damage, allow an ally to finish off a defeated opponent, or cause similar harm to a creature. The book mentions some adherents of the vow drinking water through a strainer to avoid harming an insect by swallowing it (though it also requests that the DM not use the vow as an excuse to be a jackass to their players). It doesn't really make you a pacifist, [[TechnicalPacifist technical]] or [[ActualPacifist actual]], though; you can still fight all you want, as long as you never inflict lethal damage, and the vow specifically does not cover constructs or undead creatures.
78	* ''TabletopGame/{{GURPS}}'' has the Pacifist disadvantage, which comes in several flavors, one of which is Cannot Kill. Characters with the "Cannot Kill" disadvantage can start fights and use any tactics they like, but they cannot kill, or be responsible for a death, or leave a wounded enemy to die. They also cannot stand by while their teammates administer the CoupDeGrace. If they do, they {{angst}} about it for days and are effectively rendered useless to the team.
79	* In the TabletopGame/OldWorldOfDarkness:
80	** Lifesaver is a 3 point flaw that makes you unwilling to take life. Pacifist is a 5 point flaw and is taken literally -- the character can do no physical harm to others.
81	** A chapter in ''Sins of the Blood'' advises a vampire seeking Golconda to refuse to kill humans for ''any'' reason. This is less strict with vampires, however: The section mentions that wights (whose KarmaMeter has zeroed and who have become no more than animals) are best given a MercyKill, and it also includes a letter (implied to be from the viewpoint character's mentor) advising him that he shouldn't feel guilty about killing a bunch of Sabbat to protect the mortals they were attacking, because the shovelheads chose their path.
82	* ''TabletopGame/SentinelsOfTheMultiverse'': There seems to be some flipflop here in the backstory.
83	** Explicitly averted, unexpected for a relatively lighthearted superhero setting. None of the heroes seem to have any compunction about killing, and Spite's Agent of Gloom promo bio explicitly says Wraith kills him by firing a razor-bladed weapon through his head. The flavor text for Wraith's Razor Ordnance -- probably the same weapon -- even has her quoting [[Film/BatmanBegins Ra's Al Ghul's]] answer to the no-killing rule: "Compassion is a weakness your enemies will not share." That said, the fact that other heroes are uncomfortable calling in [[AllCrimesAreEqual Fanatic]] for help against "mundane" criminals like bankrobbers implies that they favor a sort of "proportionate response" to crimefighting.
84	** The official story states that Wraith could not bring herself to kill Spite and that Parse finished him off when she couldn't. Similarly, Iron Legacy came about because Legacy's refusal to kill Baron Blade, resulted in him eventually killing off Young Legacy.
85	** Bunker implicitly shoots people in his solo comics as a MilitarySuperhero with at least four guns, but spent a good chunk of his time with the Freedom Five relishing the chance to cut loose against the aliens and robots who MediaNotes/TheComicsCode will actually let him shoot.
86	[[/folder]]
87
88	[[folder:Toys]]
89	* ''Toys/{{BIONICLE}}'' [[ZigZaggingTrope plays with this a lot]], with this principle starting to be subverted as the series went on and [[DarkerAndEdgier gradually became okay with explicitly mentioning death.]]
90	** Most of the Toa -- primarily the main characters of any given StoryArc -- take this rule very seriously. [[PragmaticHero A lot of this is rooted in pragmatism]], as they act as guardians to [[{{Hobbits}} the Matoran]], they adopt the rule to preserve their trust. There is a level of WhatMeasureIsANonHuman as they're willing to destroy the various robots, AnimatedArmor, and mind-controlled wildlife the villains throw at them, but the Toa will generally only kill a ''sentient'' opponent when given no other alternative, such as in wartime or when facing extreme threats.
91	---> '''Vakama:''' Toa aren't killers. If we were, we would have started with [[BigBad you]].
92	** The minor character Zaria ([[SoleSurvivor the sole remaining Toa of Iron]]) demonstrates what happens when [[TheOathBreaker the oath is broken]] -- after being forced to kill a Makuta in self-defense, [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone he disappeared for millenia out of guilt]], and [[OnceDoneNeverForgotten rumors proliferated for years that he had a habit of murdering all his enemies]].
93	** There are also several full-on exceptions: Toa Helryx -- the very first Toa in existence -- came before the Toa established this as a rule, and has opted to not comply with it, forming [[HeroSecretService the Order of Mata Nui]] to [[WellIntentionedExtremist serve in dirty work for the rest of the heroes in secret]]. There's also Toa Tuyet ([[FallenHero who was murderously corrupt]]), and [[GooGooGodlike Toa Ignika]] nearly fell into this as well (being an [[EmergentHuman Emergent Toa]] acting entirely on emotional instinct).
94	[[/folder]]
95
96	[[folder:Webcomics]]
97	* In ''WebComic/TheAdventuresOfDrMcNinja'' [[spoiler: Mongo the superninja has learned the preciousness of life]]. [[Film/{{Frankenstein\|1931}} And also]] that [[AltText fire bad]].
98	* ''Webcomic/DemonFist'':
99	** The Demon Fist almost never kills humans or peaceful demons, even (especially!) {{Mooks}}.
100	** Neither does the Hookshot crew. This pays off for them later.
101	-->'''Duncan:''' Your crew fought off all my men without killing any of them. Criminals would not have wasted the effort not to kill their attackers. I can't in good conscience take you all in simply for defending yourselves.
102	* ''Webcomic/ErikaAndThePrincesInDistress'' : Averted. After attacking [[ArcVillain Glucose]], Erika is actually surprised that he survived the hit. [[spoiler:She later gets so furious at him that she starts strangling him with the clear intent of killing him, only stopping herself at the last second when realizing [[MoralityPet Pita]] wouldn't approve.]]
103	* ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'': The leader of the conspiracy in the science dome in England makes the mistaken assumption that as a hero Tarvek holding a gun to him and his compatriot is just for intimidation and he won't actually kill them. Tarvek [[https://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20190107 proves him wrong near instantaneously.]]
104	-->'''Tarvek:''' I've never really considered myself the "hero" type.
105	* Decoy Octopus of ''WebComic/TheLastDaysOfFoxhound'' passes The Sorrow's test because he has never killed anyone and thus has no one to face. The Sorrow is ''very'' surprised and Octopus just shrugs, claiming he's more suited for espionage than fighting.
106	* ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'': Petey avoids killing if at all possible, and at one point refuses to let a spy go back home because she'll just get needlessly mind-ripped. After [[spoiler:the oafans give everyone immortality]], he starts going to truly absurd lengths to avoid killing, like teraporting entire fleets that are in the middle of a massive fight. As he says, he can't be sure these people will still be his enemies in hundreds or thousands of years, so killing ''anyone'' is like killing future allies.
107	* In ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'', Torg made Oasis swear one of these vows. She sorta forgets it for a while and becomes an AllCrimesAreEqual vigilante. When she remembers, she cries, "I've broken my promise! There can be no wedding! ''Why does love bring me nothing but pain?''" Ironically, Torg himself doesn't really subscribe to this philosophy, as he was perfectly willing to go in guns blazing and swords swinging during "The Stormbreaker Saga" and "Dangerous Days" arcs.
108	[[/folder]]
109
110	[[folder:Web Original]]
111	* ''Literature/HeroesSaveTheWorld'': Austin Smith is trying to adhere to this as much as he can. It's disquieting for him when he learns that he has the greatest potential for mass destruction out of the Children located thus far.
112	* Shortly after 9/11, WebSite/TheOnion reported that {{God}} [[http://www.theonion.com/articles/god-angrily-clarifies-dont-kill-rule,222/ held a press conference]] to remind everyone exactly what He meant by "Thou Shalt Not Kill."
113	* The Red Panda and Flying Squirrel of ''Podcast/RedPandaAdventures'' go out of their way to avoid using lethal force. Though the Red Panda owns a katana, for example, he won't take it into battle so as to not even have the option. They fight with fists, gadgets, and hypnosis. They aren't as firmly wedded to it as other superheroes with a "no killing" code, however. They can and will employ lethal force if the situation calls for it. Fighting non-living foes such as Professor Zombie's undead minions naturally falls into this, but the pair have also been willing to kill if the entire city, or even world is at stake, such as killing the Nazi Ubermensch, Tevas, to keep him away from the Normandy invasion. The one thing that will make either the Red Panda and Flying Squirrel outright ''abandon'' this edict is if a villain seems to have killed one or the other. A developing VillainTeamUp decides against killing the Squirrel to get to the Red Panda precisely because they know it ''will''.
114	* Averted with extreme prejudice in the Literature/WhateleyUniverse. It's a sad commentary on a [[CapePunk superheroic]] [[TheVerse 'verse]] when the person best known for having a code against killing is a super''villain'' (Mimeo, a very high-end [[PowerCopying Power Mimic]], so it is not just out of good intentions - he wants to be able to keep getting the power-up from fighting superheroes so he can go after his real targets, meaning that killing his 'donors' would be counterproductive; also, he grew up around mobsters, and was disturbed by the psychological effects becoming a 'made man' had on people he knew).
115	** All but two of the members of Team Kimba (who are high school students) have been responsible for multiple deaths, and [[BewareTheNiceOnes Jade]] in particular has [[CuteAndPsycho a body count around 100]] - most of them over ''Christmas vacation'' in their freshman year.
116	** A number of characters -- including Carmilla, Diamondback, Scald-Crow, Elle Ruud, and Glow -- killed during their origin stories. Sandra, Grainne, and Elle were each acting in self-defense, as was Carmilla for the most part (the exception being a MercyKilling of [[TearJerker a fatally injured child she had promised to protect]]), but Glow's instance was a bit more ambiguous [[spoiler: and, as it happens, Ironworks wasn't actually killed when the armored head was cut off -- she was actually inside the chest of the armor, controlling it by ferrokinesis, and feigned 'his' death as a way of escaping the losing fight]].
117	** Several of the students, including Carmilla, Tennyo, Bladedancer, Razorback, and Screech, were forced to kill some of the attacking Chessmen and Tiger Guards during the Halloween Invasion of 2006. The trauma of this (and the attack in general) would reverberate across the school for months.
118	*** Jimmy T. was in part traumatized by how hard it was to ''avoid'' killing; not only did he destroy one DropShip outright while in his Franchise/{{Godzilla}}-[[AttackOfThe50FootWhatever esque]] form (presumably killing those in it), he ''ate'' a second one when he used his BlobMonster form, and while he avoided digesting (!) the occupants (leaving them naked and in shock, but alive), he later mentioned that it took a lot of willpower not to.
119	*** Not everyone took it so hard, though. Some of the [[AxCrazy Ultraviolents]] even captured a fleeing dropship in secret and forced the mercenaries who had been on it to fight in a hidden gladiatorial arena they'd made.
120	** It has been mentioned that in addition to several deadly encounters with [[spoiler:Nazi spies during WWII]], a number of villains have died fighting [[BigGood Lady Astarte]] due to accidents; like most superheroes, she doesn't choose to kill ([[spoiler:and it is a major CharacterDevelopment moment that she would actually try to kill the AxCrazy BloodKnight Deathlist during his attack on the school]]), but supervillainy is a dangerous field at the best of times, and even in cases where she could do something, she sees herself as being under no obligation to save them from their own mistakes if it would put others at risk.
121	** In addition, many supposed superheroes and costumed vigilantes show little compunction about killing. The Dark Avenger and the Lamplighter are two of the better known examples, but far from the only ones. This isn't even considering 'heroes' like Jack Rabbit or Iron Mike, who are basically thugs and thieves pretending to be heroes.
122	[[/folder]]
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Context Main / ThouShaltNotKill