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[[quoteright:299:[[ComicBook/TheDeathOfSuperman https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/world_without_superman.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:299:[[DeathIsCheap He gets better.]]]]
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->''"Everybody wants a happy ending, right? But it doesn't always roll that way. [...] Then again, that's the hero gig. Part of the journey is the end."''
-->-- '''Tony Stark''', ''Film/AvengersEndgame''

Audience expectations are that TheProtagonist has PlotArmor. But like most audience expectations, some writers like to {{subvert|edTrope}} this. Which leads to the trope title; although it is not quite ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin since TheProtagonist [[VillainProtagonist does not have to]] be a HeroProtagonist for this trope to apply, and this trope does not apply if TheHero is a HeroAntagonist. As long as they don't end up [[DeathIsCheap bringing the hero back later]], this can also be a good way to show that AnyoneCanDie.

When this happens in the middle of a work, make sure not to confuse this with OurHeroIsDead, DisneyDeath, and NotQuiteDead. However, it can use a different protagonist afterward, either through TakeUpMySword or [[AndNowForSomeoneCompletelyDifferent switching perspective]].

When this happens at the end, it is one of the main causes of a BittersweetEnding or DownerEnding. This can mean that TheBadGuyWins, or it can be a HeroicSacrifice. YourDaysAreNumbered is when they knew they are going to die at the end. On the other hand, if the hero DiedHappilyEverAfter or [[PeacefulInDeath found peace in death]], it might even qualify as a HappyEnding.

Of course, sometimes the hero's dead from the very start of the story; in that case, see DeadToBeginWith and/or FirstEpisodeResurrection. If this hero's killed from a villain who's infamous and successful at killing heroes, see HeroKiller.

Compare DecoyProtagonist, where the dead hero turns out to be not the real protagonist, who will appear later.

!!''Warning:'' This is both a SpoileredRotten trope ''and'' a {{Death Trope|s}}, meaning that EVERY SINGLE EXAMPLE on this list is a spoiler by default and will be unmarked. [[Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned This is your last warning]], only proceed if you really believe you can handle this list. That being said, it's also possible that examples may involve subversions or multiple protagonists.

----
!!Example Subpages:
[[index]]
* TheHeroDies/AnimeAndManga
* TheHeroDies/LiveActionFilms
* TheHeroDies/LiveActionTV
* TheHeroDies/VideoGames
[[/index]]

!!Other Examples:

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Animation]]
* ''Animation/LeafieAHenIntoTheWild'' ends with Leafie sacrificing herself to the one-eyed weasel. so she could create milk to feed her pups.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Audio Plays]]
* In Sonosuke Harada's CD of the second ''AudioPlay/{{Wasurenagusa}}'' series, the heroine gets stabbed by an angry and petty opponent after she and Harada get ambushed. Take note-- this death is notable in that this is one of the ''only'' times the heroine meets such an end, in ''any'' of the CD sets. This is why it comes off as a [[WhamEpisode huge surprise]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* In ''ComicBook/VForVendetta'', V is mortally wounded in the final confrontation and soon dies, though he managed to accomplish his goal of bringing down the Norsefire party.
* David Knight in ''ComicBook/{{Starman}}''. Not much of a spoiler, since he dies in the first few pages of issue 1 and the rest of the series is about his brother Jack's time as Starman.
* The Ted Kord ComicBook/BlueBeetle in ''Countdown to ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis'', who died uncovering the things that'd lead-up to ''Infinite Crisis'' proper by Max Lord.
* ComicBook/SgtRock is killed by the last bullet fired in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII… which rather begs the question; how was it Sgt Rock was still around in 1974 when he appeared in "The Brave and The Bold", teaming up with Batman in pursuit of a villain who Batman thought was The Devil and Rock was convinced was… HITLER!
* ''ComicBook/SinCity'' does this in two major stories and a few of the short stories.
* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'':
** In ''ComicBook/SpiderMan1990'' #17, Spider-Man briefly dies from freon exposure, but is permitted to return to life by Lady Death.
** In ''ComicBook/TheOther'', after being killed by Morlun, Spider-Man sheds his body and gets a new one out of a cocoon. However, during this time many of his teammates and loved ones truly believed that he had died.
** ComicBook/UltimateSpiderMan died protecting his neighborhood from the Sinister Six. Then he came back.
** In ''ComicBook/TheAmazingSpiderManDanSlott'' #700, [[Characters/MarvelComicsPeterParker Peter Parker]] dies in [[Characters/MarvelComicsOttoOctavius Otto Octavius]]'s sickly body in a failed attempt to reclaim his body from Octavius after the villain switched their minds via an Octobot during ''Dying Wish''. However, Peter ensures he won't leave the world without a successor by actually ''convincing'' Otto to change his ways by having Ock experience memories of his ''entire life'', to which the villain does vow to his dying foe to carry on as the ComicBook/SuperiorSpiderMan, before Peter succumbs to his wounds. However, Parker's soul still remained in his body and tried to influence Otto, knowing that despite his promise, a former supervillain's idea of doing good doesn't align with his own moral code, as Otto is far more prone to brutality than Peter typically allowed. His influence becomes so frequent, to the point when Otto was actually doing unquestionable ''good'': performing brain surgery on a little girl with a tumor, Peter desperately tries to hide his presence, preventing Otto from scanning her brain in fear he will use it on himself. This turns out to be true as Otto ''does'' enact this, finding out Peter still lived within him. Refusing to give Peter his life back, they battle in their minds as Spider-Man, but using the fact Peter almost let someone die to protect himself to demoralize him, Otto pummels him and this time tries to finish him off by deleting his consciousness in revenge, seemingly killing Peter for good. However, Peter still grips on and by ''Goblin Nation'', the final arc of ''Superior Spider-Man'', Peter finally manages to convince Octavius to give him his body back as he has ultimately failed in his tenure as Spider-Man, and Otto admits that no one else is worthy of the name but Peter himself, expelling his own mind.
** ''ComicBook/SpiderManLifeStory'' ends with Peter sending back his [[LegacyCharacter successor]] [[Characters/MarvelComicsMilesMorales Miles Morales]] to Earth using the remaining escape pod in the GreaterScopeVillain's space base in order for him [[TakingYouWithMe to detonate said base]].
%%* ''ComicBook/{{Hellboy}}''
* ComicBook/CaptainAmerica, who died in his [[ComicBook/TheDeathOfCaptainAmerica eponymous comic]] at the end of the ComicBook/CivilWar2006. Well, for at least three years, anyway...
* ''ComicBook/GreenArrow''
** At the end of ''ComicBook/WhereAngelsFearToTread'', Oliver Queen sacrifices himself to save Metropolis from a nuke.
* ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'':
** In ''ComicBook/TheDeathOfSuperman'', the Man of Steel fights Doomsday to the death (the story is sometimes called ''The Death and Return of Superman'' due to his coming back).
** It also happened to his ''ComicBook/New52'' incarnation in ''ComicBook/TheFinalDaysOfSuperman'', though ''ComicBook/SupermanReborn'' revealed he and the "pre-''ComicBook/{{Flashpoint}}''" Superman were really the actual pre-''Flashpoint'' Superman split into two and both remerged at the end of the story.
** In ''ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths'', ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} sacrifices herself to destroy the Anti-Monitor, and dies in her cousin's arms. Although she fails to kill the BigBad, her sacrifice saves Superman, saves momentarily the last five surviving Earths, and gives the surviving heroes time to regroup and come up with a new strategy.
** She also gets killed by Cyborg Superman in ''[[ComicBook/Supergirl2011 "Be Careful What You Wish For"]]'', although she gets brought back to life in that same storyline.
** In ''ComicBook/RedDaughterOfKrypton'' Kara sacrifices herself to take Worldkiller-1 with her. Though, the baddie hurls her into the Sun, and the sudden influx of solar energy restarts her still heart.
** ''ComicBook/{{Valor}}'': The young version of Lar Gand who had been the star of his solo is killed by Glorith, he's replaced by a much older version of himself who'd been time traveling in a failed attempt to patch the very large break in the timestream his early death causes, and then that version allows himself to fade out after Shadow Lass dies.
** The whole original ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes dies and fades from existence during ''Zero Hour''.
** Previously, Lightning Lad died in ''ComicBook/TheDeathOfLightningLad'' saga in order to save Saturn Girl.
** In ''ComicBook/TheDeathOfSuperman1961'', Kal-El gets permanently killed by Lex Luthor.
* Myth/KingArthur at the end of ''ComicBook/DraculaVsKingArthur''
* Subverted by ''ComicBook/{{Sleepwalker}}'', when the title character seems to make a HeroicSacrifice to return his HeroicHost Rick Sheridan to life. Sleepwalker probably ''would'' have died at this point, but since he's pulled back into Rick's mind as Rick regains consciousness, it's implied that he'll be able to heal himself. Previous issues had already established that when Sleepwalker returns to Rick's mind, he can rest and recover from any injuries he suffers in the human world.
* ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'':
** ''ComicBook/TransformersWingsOfHonor'': Had an interesting take one this, with several of the heroes dying in the first story, including [[TheLeader Metalhawk]] and [[TheSmartGuy Over Run]], though Dion, who had the most time devoted to him, makes it out. In the sequel, the main characters are arguably Dion and Magnum, and the story ends with both fatally wounded, and one of them, rebuilt into Ultra Magnus, while the other dies on the operating table.
** Optimus Prime himself dies at the end of ''ComicBook/TheTransformersRegenerationOne''. Rather fittingly he dies in the arms of Rodimus who, thanks to Prime's teachings, will go on to become the new hero. However, the same issue shows Rodimus himself dying of old age eons later.
** In ''ComicBook/TheTransformersRobotsInDisguise'', Optimus sacrifices himself to destroy Unicron in [[ComicBook/TheTransformersUnicron the eponymous mini-series]], and the final issue of the series, Post, focuses on him reflecting upon his life during his last moments. ''Many'' other Transformers sacrificed themselves before that, including Soundwave, Elita One, the Mistress of Flame, Blurr, and even Starscream.
* In the end of ''ComicBook/NemesisTheWarlock'', Nemesis ultimately dies. However he makes sure to take Torquemada down with him once and for all and saves the day.
* Towards the end of ''ComicBook/LifeWithArchieTheMarriedLife'', Archie Andrews makes a HeroicSacrifice by TakingTheBullet for his gay friend (and senator) Kevin Keller, leading to a DownerEnding, or a BittersweetEnding if the apprehension of busboy and HeteronormativeCrusader Wendell counts. Of course, Archie's death [[OhAndXDies was already announced beforehand]] in April 2014, but not revealed how and why until three months later.
* ''ComicBook/AllFallDown'' ends with Sophie dying and NoOntologicalInertia averted.
* Dara Brighton dies at the end of ''ComicBook/TheSword'' as all the injuries that the eponymous magic sword healed her of come back once she has lost the sword. Since dying means that she gets to be with her family again after having killed the elemental demigods and saved the world, it's not really such a sad ending.
* Paulie dies at the end of ''ComicBook/{{Circles}}''. Sadly, due to a drunken night, he contracted HIV from his friend Keith and over many years lived healthy until he succumbed to a rare form of leukemia.
* ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'': Doctor Manhattan disintegrates Rorschach to prevent him from informing the public of Ozymandias' plan.
* ''ComicBook/AgeOfTheWolf'': In the final arc Rowan is blown up while cradling her adopted daughter as the werewolf curse that brought about the destruction of civilization is being reversed.
* ''ComicBook/ProjectSuperpowers: Chapter One'' ends with Fighting Yank dying in order to become part of the American Spirit, granting him the power he needs to save the other heroes from a trap.
* ''ComicBook/TheMightyThor'' spin-off ''Thunderstrike'' ended with Erik Masterson dying to stop Seth and the Bloodaxe.
* ''ComicBook/BatmanThrillkiller'': Robin is poisoned by Bianca.
* ''ComicBook/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesTheLastRonin'' starts with all of the heroes (sans Michelangelo) already dead, having been killed during Oroku Hiroto's rise to power. At the end of the final issue, Hiroto [[MutualKill electrocutes himself and Mikey]], killing them both [[BittersweetEnding and ending the feud for good]].
* ''ComicBook/TheWalkingDead'' protagonist Rick Grimes was gunned down by Sebastian Milton in Issue 191. [[AndThenJohnWasAZombie He reanimates]] in the following issue and is then {{mercy kill}}ed by his son Carl, [[ChangingOfTheGuard who promptly takes over as the protagonist]].
* ComicBook/{{Wolverine}} got this twice:
** The classic Wolverine died after losing his HealingFactor and being coated in liquid Adamantium in ''ComicBook/DeathOfWolverine''. It didn't stick as ''ComicBook/MarvelLegacy'' saw his return (sort of) and the details where revealed in ''ComicBook/ReturnOfWolverine'' as Persephone's ability to {{animate dead}} people unintentionally reactivated his healing factor, resurrecting him for real. And ''Wolverine: Infinity Watch #1'' revealed the Wolverine who did show up in the titular one-shot of ''Marvel Legacy'' was really Old Man Phoenix (an old Wolverine with the Phoenix force) from Jason Aaron's ''Thor'' run.
** The ''ComicBook/OldManLogan'' ongoing culminated in the miniseries ''Dead Man Logan'', which ends with what the title suggests: Old Man Logan dead as a result of his injuries, the use of the Regenrix drug destroying his healing factor, and the Adamantium poisoning all taking their toll on him.
* ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1987'': The prophecy that led to ComicBook/{{Artemis}}' death eventually led to Diana's as well, at the hands of Neron. While her death was tragic and attracted the attention of the wider superhero community it didn't last long as Athena was able to step in and manipulate her parents into supporting her return as a goddess, from which Diana was then downgraded back to human.
* While it's due to its nature as an {{Elseworld}} story, the last chapter of the ''ComicBook/BatmanVampire'' trilogy sees many deaths--including Bruce Wayne himself (granted, he was a FallenHero by that point, having given into vampirism). In fact, Bruce's death is the last death shown.
* ComicBook/{{Captain Marvel|MarvelComics}}'s death was detailed in the one-shot ''The Death of Captain Marvel'', revealed to be the result of the battle between him and Nitro in the latter's debut.
* Franchise/TheFlash Barry Allen exerts so much kinetic energy in ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' in order to stop the Anti-Monitor's machines that his cells break apart and his body totally disintegrates.
* ''ComicBook/DarkSoulsAgeOfFire'': Arkon's fate is to be just another Black Knight whom the Chosen Undead defeats.
* A good chunk of ComicBook/{{Stormwatch}} died in the ''ComicBook/WildCATsWildStorm''[=/=]''Franchise/{{Alien}}'' crossover, killed by the Xenomorphs in various ways with some of the survivors going on to form ComicBook/TheAuthority.
* In the IDW ''WesternAnimation/BeastWars'' comics, Razorbeast is forced to be euthanized due to the [[PsychoSerum Angolmois]] he was injected with making him too dangerous for both friend and foe, especially with no enemy to fight.
* ''ComicBook/{{Nnewts}}'': At the end of the final book, Herk dies putting all his energy into a spell to destroy [[GreaterScopeVillain the Chillingwrath]]. He is reunited with his parents in the afterlife.
* The first volume of ''ComicBook/{{Vigilante}}'', chronicling the adventures of Adrian Chase ends with Adrian, having sunk into depression over various issues including a number of people who died taking up the Vigilante moniker after his retirement, his identity becoming public knowledge, and even a HeelRealization that he became a FallenHero, [[DrivenToSuicide drove Adrian to shoot himself in the head]].
* ''ComicBook/TheSandman1989'': The penultimate arc ends with Morpheus dying and his title as Dream of the Endless passing to Daniel Hall.
* Granted, Dr. Druid was a FallenHero when it happened, but ''ComicBook/Druid1995'' ends with Druid being murdered by Damion Hellstorm and Nekra Sinclair, his body set on fire, and the body being tossed into a dumpster.
* The events of the Creator/NeilGaiman-penned ''ComicBook/BlackOrchid'' miniseries are kicked off by the murder of the original Black Orchid, with the series featuring her successor.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fan Works]]
%%
%% This folder has been alphabetized. Please add new examples in the appropiate order. Thanks!
%%
* In ''Fanfic/AshesOfThePast'', Ash has died a few times over the course of the fic, from dying of blood loss while fighting Mewtwo himself, blocking attacks from the Primals, and getting [[NoBodyLeftBehind vaporized]] by Primal Dialga. Luckily, he has [[DeathIsNotPermanent Ho-Oh's Sacred Ash]] to bring him BackFromTheDead, but he only has so much of it...
* A few times during the course of ''Fanfic/BeyondHeroes: Of Sunshine and Red Lyrium'', [[Franchise/DragonAge Varric]] (the narrator) has excellent reason to think that the Inquisitor has died for one reason or another, and while he acknowledges that a good story often involves a heroic death, this isn't the story he wants to tell.
* In ''Fanfic/BeingDeadAintEasy'', Joey Wheeler dies in the very first chapter. The story centers around his un-life as he tries to figure out what happened and how to fix it, if he can.
* ''Fanfic/TheBlackStallion'' starts with the black stallion coming for a pony. As it turns out, he's there for the protagonist, who is killed by a hungry nyru.
* ''Fanfic/CheckmateAnlashok'': Mags, who is DoomedByCanon, gets a SurprisinglySuddenDeath in chapter 95 out of 102 when she makes her HeroicSacrifice in the 3rd Quarter Quell.
* In ''Fanfic/ClashOfTheElements,'' Alex Whiter dies at the end of Part 2, sacrificing his life to destroy his EvilCounterpart Chaos Alex.
* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8299370/1/Destiny-of-a-Savior Destiny of a Savior]]'' (a crossover fanfiction between ''Anime/YuGiOh'' and ''Literature/HarryPotter''), Yugi Muto dies in his attempt of protecting Ryou Bakura from Narcissa Malfoy's killing curse during The Battle of Hogwarts. His death provides enough distraction for Harry to outdo Lord Voldemort by probably few milliseconds in a wizard duel, giving him slight advantage. Apart from several Yu-Gi-Oh!'s characters involvement, [[DoomedByCanon Voldemort's fate is the same as in the seventh novel]].
* In ''Series/Numb3rs'' story ''Fanfic/DonEppes'', Don dies after being taken off life support after being shot multiple times while trying to save some kids and flatlining twenty minutes earlier.
* The ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' fanfic [[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8453636/1/Going-Sideways Going Sideways]] by Taiko Hawk has Sakura dying in a HeroicSacrifice.
* John Freeman dies in the final chapter of ''Fanfic/HalfLifeFullLifeConsequences'', having stayed behind to fight the Combines while his son evacuates, and being caught in the "hug tower's" explosion. He gets a [[OurFounder statue]] out of the deal, and his son becomes president.
* The ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'' DarkFic ''[[Fanfic/HeyArnoldTheFurnace Hey Arnold: the Furnace]]'', Arnold is murdered at the hands of Sid and Harold because [[HeKnowsTooMuch Sid spilled the beans about them murdering Stinky]].
* ''Fanfic/HoursVerse'': ''Sunset'' [[DeadlyDistantFinale focuses on]] the death of Tatsuya Suou, the hero of ''Persona 2'' and the Other Side arc.
* In ''Fanfic/MyHuntsmanAcademia'', the story is structured like a game of ''TabletopGame/{{GURPS}}'', allowing the readers to choose what happens next. The author warns them that poor decisions can potentially lead to Izuku's death, as shown by the ominous "achievements" at the end of certain battles.
* Flechte dies at the end of ''[[http://www.fimfiction.net/story/109581/1/i-did-not-want-to-die/i-did-not-want-to-die I Did Not Want To Die]]'', in one of the most heartbreaking instances of this trope in fanfiction.
* [[WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls Bubbles]] in the third of the ''Fanfic/ImmortalitySyndrome'' series, ''Solitary Vigil'' while succeeding in [[SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong fixing the past]].
* ''Fanfic/JauneArcLordOfHunger'': After wresting back control of his body from Darth Nihilus' DemonicPossession in the penultimate chapter, Jaune Arc [[HeroicSuicide kills himself with his own sword]] so Nihilus will no longer be able to continue using his body to harm his friends. This succeeds in stopping Nihilus and the epilogue reveals that Jaune gets remembered as a hero by the public for his sacrifice.
* The main character dies in the Pokemon fanfic ''FanFic/NoAntidote''.
* In ''Fanfic/ASadStory,'' Literature/HarryPotter dies.
* ''Fanfic/SomeSemblanceOfMeaning'': at the end of the 44th [[Literature/TheHungerGames Hunger Games]], [[TheProtagonist Vale]] dies, leaving [[{{Deuteragonist}} Obsidian]] as the winner of the Games.
* In ''Fanfic/UnderTheBigTop'', Castiel dies by suicide at the end of the story.
* In ''Fanfic/ZeldasHonor'', Link himself dies not once, but twice. The first time, his resurrection comes with a Deus Ex Machina plot device via Navi; however, the second time he dies, it is for real.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
* In ''WesternAnimation/AllDogsGoToHeaven'', Charlie B. Barkin dies saving Ann Marie when the watch which revived him gets broken in the water. He gets to talk to her one last time in spirit form, however.
* ''WesternAnimation/AllStarSuperman'': ComicBook/{{Superman}} flies into the Sun as he dissolves into pure energy, replenishing the star and keeping Earth alive.
* ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManIntoTheSpiderVerse'': The Peter Parker of the current universe dies in just his second appearance. He's soon replaced by Miles Morales and several versions of himself from across the multiverse.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Tangled}}'' opens with Flynn Rider, as the narrator, telling the audience that "This is the story of how I died." By the end, it turns out to be half-true.
* In ''WesternAnimation/TransformersTheMovie'', [[ItWasHisSled Optimus Prime dies.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* Leslie Burke from ''Literature/BridgeToTerabithia'' is the kind, positive, and energetic heroine of the story who dies in a very bittersweet ending so the main protagonist could mature.
* Amelia from ''Literature/FutureHistory'' does this in the very first chapter, but the story continues due to this being simply a [[MentalTimeTravel memory from her future]].
%%* Rachel from ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}''.
* Literature/SherlockHolmes in "The Final Problem." [[{{Retcon}} It didn't stay "final" for very long]] due to fan outcry.
* Paul from ''Literature/AllQuietOnTheWesternFront'' is killed in battle just before the Armistice that ends UsefulNotes/WorldWarI. Actually [[EveryoneDiesEnding everyone]] [[DownerEnding dies pointlessly]] over the course of the book.
* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'' Harry Dresden as of the end of ''Changes''. He then spends the next book, ''Ghost Story'', solving his own murder. As a ghost.
* The novelization of the original ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam'', aside from many other differences from the plot of the anime, has Amuro Ray die several chapters before the end of the book. Despite Creator/YoshiyukiTomino's reputation as "Kill 'Em All Tomino", he said that he only did it because he thought it would be a single complete story and that if he had planned on making sequels from the start, Amuro would have lived.
* ''Literature/NineteenEightyFour''. Winston and Julia are caught, tortured and {{Mind Rape}}d by O'Brien, a guy who was supposed to be their link to "the Brotherhood," but is actually a member of the Inner Party. They are broken so thoroughly that all love that they had for each other is dead (particularly since the two were forced to betray each other through means of {{Room 101}}, which faces them with their worst fear -- for Winston, it was rats, though since the story is in Winston's perspective, we never do find out what Julia's worst fear was), and then executed by being shot in the back of the head. Not just a DownerEnding, but a ShootTheShaggyDog, given the last four words: ''He loved Big Brother''. [[AdaptationDistillation The film version]] interprets the bullet in the metaphorical sense. We see Smith alive at the end, declaring his love for Big Brother and maybe even rationalising why, on a planet wracked by perpetual three-way war, the system under which he lives is necessary.
* ''Literature/OutboundFlight'': Lorana Jinzler, the only unambiguously good character in that half of the novel, died in a HeroicSacrifice. The other major characters, who might be called heroes, survived -- but Thrawn and Car'das and Doriana weren't entirely good people.
* In the last book of the ''Literature/{{Silverwing}}'' trilogy, ''Firewing'', Shade the Bat kills himself in the Bat Underworld to give his son, Griffin, and his friend, Luna, life force to feed on and become living, breathing bats again. In the end, he still survives, but in the form of the foliage of the forest floor. When he's dead, he flies around the world and can be anything he wants to be.
* Jean Valjean dies at the end of ''Literature/LesMiserables''. However, it's the culmination of a long life during which he achieves sainthood, so rather a necessary part of the novel.
* ''Literature/TheDeathOfTheVazirMukhtar'': Guess what the Persian translation of the main character's new official title is? Yeah.
* The protagonist of the ''Literature/IRichardPlantagenetSeries'' is UsefulNotes/RichardIII and the story culminates with his [[DefiantToTheEnd death at Bosworth Field]].
* In ''Literature/TheLastChancers'' last novel, Kage, [[DemonicPossession possessed]] by a Slaaneshi daemon, decides to commit his first ever act of altruism and jumps off a cliff to his death, [[TakingYouWithMe taking the corrupt governor with him]].
* Parrish dies at the end of ''Literature/ParrishPlessis'', committing suicide when she realizes even her HeroicWillpower isn't able to hold off TheCorruption any longer.
* In ''Literature/ThePlot'', Jacob is drugged by his wife Anna and then given a lethal overdose. Anna then reveals herself to be Dianna, Evan Parker's sister upon whose life his story and later Jacob's book Crib is based on.
* ''Literature/TheLastDragonChronicles'': David dies at the end of ''Firestar''. Initially, this looked like it would be the end of the series, making it an unusually harsh ending for a book aimed at the 8-12 bracket. The series ''did'' [[TrilogyCreep creep on]], and David came {{Back from the|Dead}} [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence Higher Plane of Existence,]] with the implication being that ''he became one with {{God}}(ith) and saw all the knowledge in the universe through his daughter's eyes'', but if unexpected, the ending of ''Firestar'' can be a real punch.
* Nathaniel dies in the third and final book of the ''Literature/TheBartimaeusTrilogy'', resulting in a BittersweetEnding, TearJerker and HeroicSacrifice all in one.
* ''Literature/UncleTomsCabin'': Tom is whipped to death by the plantation owner.
* At the end of ''Literature/TheHonourableSchoolboy'' by Creator/JohnLeCarre, Jerry Westerby goes into a dangerous situation to try to rescue his love interest, who is tangled up with the bad guys, and is killed. It underscores his status as the "honourable schoolboy" of the title, too straightforwardly honourable to survive in the murky world of espionage.
%%* Speaking of Creator/JohnLeCarre, Leamas in ''Literature/TheSpyWhoCameInFromTheCold''.
* Antony and Galen in the second and third books, respectively, of Marie Brennan's ''Literature/OnyxCourt'' series. Technically, all the mortal heroes of the series could count, as given the large time skip between books, the hero of the previous one is always dead by the time the next one comes around, but Antony and Galen get special mention for dying during their respective stories.
* In ''Literature/{{Phantastes}}'' by Creator/GeorgeMacdonald, this is the ''happy'' ending.
--> ''I was dead, and right content.''
* ''Literature/DragonsOfRequiem'':
** Benedictus is the main character of the ''Song of Dragons'' trilogy. He's killed at the end of the second book, which is aptly named ''Tears of Requiem''.
** King Elethor is the central character in the ''Dragonlore'' trilogy. He sacrifices his life to kill [[BigBad Queen Solina]] at the end of the third novel.
* ''Literature/TheBoyInTheStripedPyjamas''; both Bruno and his Jewish friend Shmuel die in the concentration camp. The last scene focuses on Bruno's father, realising he [[HoistByHisOwnPetard basically caused his own son's death]], and crying.
%%* Elend AND Vin at the end of the ''Literature/MistbornTheOriginalTrilogy'' by Creator/BrandonSanderson.
* The Literature/FireThiefTrilogy has Prometheus trying to find a human hero to prove that him giving fire to humans was a good thing, while chased by the Avenger. He has to uncover a hero to the city he visits by traveling through time, only to discover that through some back tracking, he's the hero the town celebrates. The avenger crushes his body and takes him to the afterlife after a few good-byes.
* ''Literature/WarriorCats'':
** The main character of the series, Firestar, dies in ''The Last Hope'', the last book of ''Omen of the Stars''.
** Hollyleaf, one of the heroes and point-of-view characters, appears to die in ''Sunrise'': during a chapter that isn't from her POV, she runs into a tunnel and it collapses on her, and her brothers find no sign that she's alive. Turns out she survives, but she dies for real as well in ''The Last Hope''.
** Gray Wing in ''Path of Stars'', the last book of ''Dawn of the Clans'', right after getting a mate and kits.
* House Stark in ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' are probably the closest the series has to a Good Guy faction, and suffer mightily for it:
** Patriarch Eddard "Ned" Stark is tried on trumped-up charges of treason, and while he was originally sentenced to be banished to the Wall [[TheCaligula Joffrey]] changed his mind and had him executed instead.
** Robb, his heir, was betrayed at the Red Wedding and and killed by agents of Houses Frey and Bolton along with his wife. His mother Caitlyn was murdered soon after, but [[CameBackWrong got better. Sort of.]]
%%* ''Literature/HerculePoirot'' at the end of ''Literature/{{Curtain}}''. This also counts in the series finale of ''Series/{{Poirot}}''.
* Túrin from ''Literature/TheChildrenOfHurin'' ends up throwing himself on his sword after finding out his pregnant wife was his sister Niënor and she has killed herself upon finding out. His father Húrin later throws himself into the sea. Some other writings of Tolkien claim Túrin will come back to life to kill the dragon Ancalagon the Black or [[GodOfEvil Morgoth]] who had cursed his family but this is unclear.
* In Creator/AndreyLivadny's ''[[Literature/TheHistoryOfTheGalaxy Serv-Battalion]]'', the entire battalion is wiped out in the end. However, their [[AMechByAnyOtherName serv-machines]] absorb enough of their [[BrainComputerInterface memories]] that, after they're recovered from the battlefield. their [=AIs=] eventually start exhibiting characteristics of their former pilots. After a while, the minds of the dead pilots are "reborn" in the [=AIs=], and the epilogue has them return to save the creator of the [=AIs=].
* Piccadilly of the ''Literature/DeptfordMice'' trilogy is clearly more experienced and heroic than the other characters from the start, and in the third book starts gaining a lot more plot attention which results in him eventually being elected as the leader of the forces fighting against the BigBad. His sexual tension with the central heroine even starts going into overdrive, and he's eventually chosen to be the one to carry the MacGuffin and use it against said BigBad. One climatic fight against TheDragon later and... the MacGuffin fails to work and the BigBad [[CurbStompBattle kills him dead with a single attack.]]
** Oswald Chitter also gains a lot of attention in the book, and indeed graces the cover. He spends a lot of time looking for another MacGuffin, and eventually turns up at the climax with it. He at least gives the BigBad [[HopeSpot a fight]], before dying from a HeroicRROD.
** Vespertilio the bat from ''The Oaken Throne'', a book in the prequel trilogy, is the male lead. He is cursed by the high priest of [[GodOfEvil Hobb]], and is fated to die at the sound of bells. Subsequently, he is terrified whenever he hears any. In the end, Vesper is poisoned by the ghost of the defeated high priest, and his body lies among [[ProphecyTwist rustling bluebell flowers]].
* ''Literature/UpSchittCreek'' ends with [[AntiHero Glen Doyle]] and [[ActionGirl Jessie]] thwarting a train robbery, saving several kidnapped women, and killing the man behind the attack and kidnappings, [[BigBad Remington Ralph]]. However, Glen is shot multiple times during the attack and eventually succumbs to his wounds.
* ''Literature/Utopia58'' ends with Kay failing to flee the White Army and getting subsequently captured and later executed.
* Almost every hero in Brandon Sanderson's [[Literature/MistbornTheOriginalTrilogy Mistborn trilogy]] ends up dead by the last page of the final book.
* ''Literature/{{Frankenstein}}'': Victor dies of an illness on Walton's ship.
* ''Literature/TheStranger'': His death is not depicted, but Meursault knows he's going to be executed at the end.
* In the ''Literature/DreambloodDuology'', Ehiru, the main protagonist and object of the story in ''The Killing Moon'', inevitably dies after having become a [[OurVampiresAreDifferent Reaper]] by neccessity and to make space for Nijiri to become a Gatherer.
* Literature/HarryPotter learns in [[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows the final installment]] that his entire life has led up to one thing: willingly allowing [[BigBad Voldemort]] to kill him, as he is a SoulJar for Voldy and his death is necessary to defeat Voldy. And then it ends up {{subverted}} as Voldy destroys the piece of his own soul inside Harry but fails to kill our hero, allowing him to come back and defeat Voldy once and for all.
* In ''Literature/{{Misery}}'', writer Paul Sheldon invokes this in his last planned entry in his pulpy romance ''Misery'' series by having the heroine die during childbirth. He just wants to move on and write "mature" stories. Unfortunately Misery's [[LoonyFan biggest and craziest fan]] finds out and isn't happy. [[AxCrazy Not one bit.]]
* Creator/TakashiYanase:
** The Japanese children's book ''The Kindly Lion''/''The Gentle Lion'' (known as ''[[Anime/TheKindlyLion Yasashii Lion]]'') ends with the main protagonist (an escape circus lion) and his mother (a dog) getting killed by a group of policemen.
** ''Anime/TheRoseFlowerAndJoe'' (''Bara no Hana to Joe'') ends with Joe the dog and a sentient pink rose [[TogetherInDeath dying together near the end of autumn.]]
** It's implied that Chirin from ''Chirin no Suzu'' (known as ''Anime/RingingBell'') died alone as an adult ram by the end of the story.
* The third book of the ''Literature/{{Divergent}}'' trilogy kills off Tris, the narrator of the first two books and co-narrator of the third. The rest of the book focuses on Four as he comes to terms with her death.
* ''[[Literature/{{Newsflesh}} Feed]]'': Narrator Georgia is killed near the end of the book, and [=POV=] switches to Shaun. She does come back near the end of the following book, ''Deadline'', via cloning and memory transfer.
* In ''Literature/EricOrLittleByLittle'', the protagonist runs away from his BoardingSchool to escape the shame of being accused of a theft, which he did not commit but was partially responsible for. He becomes TheCabinBoy aboard a ship called the ''Stormy Petrel'', but the treatment he receives aboard, including {{kneecapping}} and ATasteOfTheLash, destroys his health. When the ship arrives back in England, Eric escapes and travels to his hometown Fairholm, but by the time he arrives, he's already dying. He lasts long enough for his friends to visit him before he expires.
* Terence of ''Literature/TheSquiresTales'' is killed fighting against the White Horsemen in the final battle, ushering in the EndOfAnEra.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Manhua]]
* ''Manhua/MyBelovedMother'' have the titular character, Milan pulling a HeroicSacrifice to save her son Sinbell. Said character is an android by the way - and Sinbell is an orphan RaisedByRobots.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Manhwa]]
* Munsu from ''Manhwa/ShinAngyoOnshi'', aka ''Blade of the Phantom Master'', dies like a true warrior after the antagonist is killed.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Myths & Religion]]
* Jesus from Literature/TheBible. Don't worry, he gets better.
* ''Literature/SamsonAndDelilah'': Samson pulls the Temple of Dagon down upon him and the entire Philistine nobility.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Podcasts]]
* At [[WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue the end]] of ''Podcast/TheAdventureZoneBalance'' DistantFinale. [[TheBigGuy Magnus]], now an old man on his deathbed and surrounded by his loved ones, calmly slips away into that good night. [[DontFearTheReaper Kravitz]] then takes him by the hand and guides him to a section of the Astral Plane specifically for himself and [[TheLostLenore Julia]], the pair finally [[TogetherInDeath being reunited in death]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Roleplay]]
* In ''Roleplay/DoubtAcademy'', Misaki Watanabe is viewed as the protagonist by many. However, she is the sixth victim, shoved off a balcony and impaled on a candlestick by Nanase.
* In ''Roleplay/TheGamersAlliance'', quite a few prominent heroes end up [[AnyoneCanDie dying]] over the course of the story arcs.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Theatre]]
* ''Theatre/SeventeenEightyNine'' ends with Ronan dying at the Bastille. Averted in the second season of the French Production where they killed off Olympe instead.
* ''Theatre/CrossRoad'' ends with the death of Niccolo Paganini as payment for his DealWithTheDevil, where he traded his life for one million songs of genius. For some time, he wonders whether or not he regrets it, but in the end, he does GoOutWithASmile, preferring a short life of adventure to one stuck in his small town that might have been just as short.
* ''Theatre/TheCrucible'' ends with John Proctor being hanged as a witch.
* Willy Loman in ''Theatre/DeathOfASalesman'', obviously since he's the salesman.
* An example of The VillainProtagonist dies: ''Theatre/DonGiovanni'' dies at the end of his play. This leads to the {{Aesop}} of the play, which is "the death of a sinner always reflects his life".
* Theatre/{{Antigone}} commits suicide after being walled up and left to die. The true central character of the play is Creon, who does survive, but loses his wife and son in the process.
* The eponymous character of ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}''. Granted, he [[EverybodyDiesEnding doesn't go alone]].
** Also ''Theatre/{{Macbeth}}'', ''Theatre/KingLear'', ''Theatre/{{Othello}}'', ''Theatre/JuliusCaesar''... essentially, the title character of every Shakespearean tragedy (although how heroic they are is a matter of some debate in each case).
** What's interesting about ''Theatre/JuliusCaesar'' is that the title character dies ''halfway through the play'', spending the rest of it as a corpse, a ghost and some military inspiration. Whether or not this in fact makes Brutus the hero is up for debate. He also dies.
* The same applies to the title character of nearly every tragic opera as well.
* The title character's death in ''Theatre/{{Hamilton}}'' is even [[ForegoneConclusion blatantly stated]] near the end of the first song, with Burr's line being a very straightforward way of mentioning it.
--> '''Burr:''' And me? / I'm the damn fool that shot him
** In the final song, Hamilton's widow Eliza explains how she carried on his legacy in the fifty years following his death, and the final moment of the show is her taking her last breath as Alexander's spirit appears to her.
* Jean Valjean in ''Theatre/LesMiserables''. Also, [[AnyoneCanDie pretty much everyone else]] in the cast... except the lovers Marius and Cosette, and the two most horrible people in the entire play - The Thenadiers - who become rich in addition to living. Pretty dramatic example of the trope.
* ''Film/RepoTheGeneticOpera'' kills off its title character, the Repo Man Nathan Wallace, near the end of the play.
* The eponymous character of ''Theatre/SweeneyToddTheDemonBarberOfFleetStreet'', along with his partner-in-crime Mrs Lovett, although they're both more like {{Villain Protagonist}}s at this point.
* Bobby Strong, the hero of ''Theatre/{{Urinetown}}'', dies midway through the second act.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Toys]]
* Matoro in the Mahri Nui arc of ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}'' sacrifices himself to repower the universe. One of the few actual deaths in the series, since most of the other supposedly dead characters turned out to be alive, [[DestinationHostUnreachable just stuck on a space station]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Visual Novels]]
* ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'':
** In the Fate route, Saber gives up her quest for the Grail and returns to the moment in time when she made a pact with the World at the moment of death. No longer removed from the course of history, her original body is allowed to die for real. (Granted, that doesn't stop her from being summonable. The Grail system is like that.) The ''Realta nua'' epilogue also shows Shirou's spirit, after a lifetime of struggle and hardship, [[TogetherInDeath reuniting with her in Avalon after his own death]].
** Shirou dies in the Normal End of the Heaven's Feel route and the finale depicts Matou Sakura dying herself, having waited years in vain for him "to come back."
** Illya survives the Grail War in a few of the scenario ends but, even when she does survive, she probably only has a few years of life left due to her circumstances. She is killed onscreen in the Unlimited Blade Works scenario and makes the best of it at the end of the Heaven's Feel True End when she uses herself as the completed Holy Grail to perform the titular Third Magic and save Shirou's life.
* The ''VisualNovel/{{Yarudora}}'' game ''VisualNovel/{{Sampaguita}}'' has, in Good End 3, the protagonist TakingTheBullet for his lover Maria. What makes this a Good Ending (unlike Normal End 2, which follows the same sacrifice pattern, but doesn't include the following), is the protagonist [[OurGhostsAreDifferent awakening as a ghost]] two years later, and finding that Maria is now safe, and living happily with [[SomeoneToRememberHimBy the baby boy born from her and the protagonist, conceived during the time they were cohabiting]]. The baby is able to see him, and he manages to make Maria aware of his presence via a power outage.
* In ''VideoGame/GravityBone'', Abel himself is shot and killed by the EvilRedhead at the end of the second mission.
* In the ''VisualNovel/{{Clannad}}'' spin-off/sequel ''Tomoyo After'', Tomoya undergoes surgery to cure his repeating amnesia and although the surgery itself is successful, Tomoya dies moments latter due to the surgery's complications.
* In ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaV3KillingHarmony'', the original player character and heroine, Kaede Akamatsu, only gets to be the heroine for Chapter 1 before becoming the second student to die in the killing game. When she tried to set a trap to kill the Mastermind, the trap (supposedly) killed another student, Rantaro Amami, by mistake. (However, it's later discovered in Chapter 6 that Rantaro's true killer was the Mastermind herself, who framed Kaede for it.) Once it becomes apparent in the Chapter 1 trial that Kaede is (apparently) the killer, the point of view switches to that of her best friend Shuichi Saihara, who becomes the new protagonist for the rest of the game as Kaede is executed at the conclusion of the Chapter 1 trial. Shuichi himself subverts this trope, since while he and the other students besides the mastermind are prepared to give their lives to end the killing game for good and seemingly perish as a result, he and two others ultimately survive.
* ''VisualNovel/HeartOfTheWoods'' is a bit of a complicated example, depending on what ending you get and whether you consider Madison or Morgan the true protagonist.
** If you consider Madison, the officially advertised protagonist and the one you play as most often, to be the main character, then this trope is zig-zagged. Near the end of Chapter 2, the BigBad tricks Madison into running out into a blizzard and freezing to death, but [[CuteGhostGirl Abigail]] saves Madison's soul. In two of the three endings, Madison comes BackFromTheDead, but in one bad ending, the death of Geladura, the Fairy Queen, means that Madison, the temporary Fairy Queen, must play that role in her stead. As a result, Madison and Abigail disappear after the final battle and are never seen again, although Tara believes that the two of them are still alive in a sense.
** If you consider Morgan the main protagonist, since she's the one who makes all the critical player decisions that determine the ending, the other bad ending sees Morgan perform a HeroicSacrifice to defeat her mother.
** The GoldenEnding averts this, since [[EveryoneLives all of the heroines survive]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Animation]]
* ''WebAnimation/BrokenSaints'' ends with two of our four heroes committing {{Heroic Sacrifice}}s
* In ''WebAnimation/RedVsBlue'', all three "versions" of the central character, Leonard Church, are killed by the end of Season 13. The original human and [[BigBad Director of Project Freelancer]] commits suicide at the end of Season 10, the Alpha AI based on him gets caught in an electronic "{{emp}}" explosion at the end of Season 6, and the final reincarnated Epsilon AI destroys himself to give Tucker the power to run Maine's armour and potentially save the Reds and Blues from Charon's {{last stand}} at the end of Season 13. The trope and its effect on the hero involved are even discussed by Epsilon before his aforementioned HeroicSacrifice:
-->'''Epsilon''': There are so many stories where some brave hero decides to give their life to save the day, and because of their sacrifice, the good guys win, the survivors all cheer, and everybody lives happily ever after. But the hero... never gets to see that ending. They'll never know if their sacrifice actually made a difference. They'll never know if the day was really saved. In the end, they just have to have faith. Ain't that a bitch?
* In ''[[WebAnimation/CPUChampionshipSeries CPUCS]]'' , in the GrandFinale of The Vincent Saga, ''Endgame'' the main hero [[TheAce Vincent]] dies to [[HeroKiller Blood Falcon]] who also claims [[EnsembleDarkHorse King Dedede]] and his GoodCounterpart Parsec Captain Falcon. However, in [[LighterAndSofter Season 4]] Blood Falcon fails at killing anyone, with [[TheAtoner Tony]] [[TheDeterminator refusing to die]] in ''[[SeasonFinale Everest]]'', and [[FutureBadass Rosalina]] and [[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou JoSniffy]] being sent to the [[BadFuture Dark]] [[DarkWorld Realm]].
* Raku dies in the finale to ''WebAnimation/NekoSugarGirls'' due to [[DeathByDespair a broken heart]] caused by Hitoshi rejecting her LoveConfession.
* ''WebAnimation/LlamasWithHats'': Carl kills himself in the final episode after realizing he's killed his former best friend. This is more of an iffy example since Carl is really just a likable VillainProtagonist, and is ''far'' from a hero.
* In ''WebAnimation/{{Shift|2016}}'', Jonah is fatally wounded by the Captain, and [[HeroicSacrifice thus remains behind onboard the ship to cause it to self-destruct and prevent it from deploying]] DeadlyGas [[HeroicSacrifice into the atmosphere of the planet.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Comics]]
* Nana from ''Webcomic/NanasEverydayLife'', who dies alone in an abandoned alley. Considering how much of a living hell her life was, being allowed to die in peace is almost a mercy.
* Captain Kaff Tagon and Seargent Schlock in ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'' (arguably the two primary characters) are killed and stripped of all memories/former self, respectively. Averted via time travel.
** ...eventually. The strip ran for quite a while looking like leadership of the Toughs was going be by Kevyn, with a degree of awkward mentoring from Tagon's father. Technically, the time travel was mostly required to avert the death of ''everyone in the galaxy''.
* ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'':
** John Egbert's physical self ends up getting killed by Jack Noir. He gets better when his Dream Self replaces him, and in fact this event allows him to reach the [[CameBackStrong god-tiers]]... and then his god-tier self is ''also'' easily killed by Jack Noir. Fortunately, god-tiered characters have [[KarmicDeath conditional]] ResurrectiveImmortality.
** All of the kids and all of the trolls, except Gamzee, have died at least once. As of the current plot a lot of characters have died twice, and most of these second deaths have proved to be permanent.
** Act 6 invokes this trope with the apparent death of a newly introduced main character. After about a month, it turned out that she actually did not die, but the fact that the event came out of nowhere certainly [[WhamEpisode shocked readers]].
** In the Meat route of the dubiously canon ''Literature/TheHomestuckEpilogues'', John is KilledOffForReal taking down [[BigBad Lord English]] once and for all.
* In ''Webcomic/IrregularWebcomic'', Death is [[DeathIsCheap Both Cheap]] and a RunningGag. That said, one particularly notable example is when the author announced that he was going to permentantly kill off a major character, and ends up doing so to ''himself'' (not in real life, obviously).
* In ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'', Roy confront [[BigBad Xykon]] solo during the epic Battle of Azure City. [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0441.html It]] [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0442.html doesn't]] [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0443.html end]] [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0444.html well]]. Luckily for Roy, the story takes place in a TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons-based world, where death in battle is a temporary setback as long as somebody cares enough (and can find enough money) to resurrect you.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Videos]]
* Bree Avery sacrifices herself in the first ''WebVideo/{{lonelygirl15}}'' SeasonFinale.
* Maddison Atkins and Adam Wilmott died in the original version of ''WebVideo/MaddisonAtkins''.
* In ''WebVideo/MarbleHornets'', after over eighty entries recording his progress to the world, Jay is shot by his old best friend [[TheDragon Alex]] and left to be taken by [[BigBad the Operator]]. [[{{Deuteragonist}} Tim]] becomes the new protagonist after this and finishes what Jay started.
* ''WebVideo/AskThatGuyWithTheGlasses'': Ask That Guy literally explodes with joy after someone asks if ''he'' has a question.
* The whole point of [[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqgBAvEFtEhUNt391hkr8dd91BuxOIoXr deathbed videos]].
* ''WebVideo/TheVampireDiariesADarkerTruth'': Jason is the lead character who is trying to find the vampire who killed his sister. The last episode has him killed by that same vampire- Damon.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* Franchise/{{Transformers}}: [[LegacyCharacter Optimus]][[InNameOnly es]] die a ''[[http://tfwiki.net/wiki/The_many_deaths_of_Optimus_Prime lot]]''... [[labelnote:*]]Seriously, he's like the robot version of [[Series/TheXFiles Mulder]]![[/labelnote]]
** Special mention goes to WesternAnimation/BeastMachines, where [[TheHero Optimus Primal]] does indeed get KilledOffForReal at the end. At least he takes Megatron II with him and turns Cybertron into a technorganic paradise... and then he leaves Cheetor in charge.
** ''WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime'' has several cases of near-deaths for Optimus Prime, but nothing permanent. Until he dies for real in a HeroicSacrifice at the GrandFinale of the series. Unlike most versions of the character, his death is the final scene of his respective series and his death also heralds the end of the Prime lineage itself, as he leaves no successors in his name. Then subverted ''again'' in ''WesternAnimation/TransformersRobotsInDisguise2015'', where he returns in a new, more powerful body, and thus [[MerchandiseDriven a new toy]] for the kids.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Amphibia}}'': After using up all three Calamity Gems to defeat [[BigBad The Core]], Anne Boonchu] eventually [[TooMuchForManToHandle succumbs to the Gems’ power]] and gets ReducedToDust. Thankfully, due to being the only person to use them Gems’ power for good, the GuardianOfTheMultiverse gives her a second chance and a new body, ressurecting her.
* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'': [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderAvatarAang Avatar Aang]] is killed by a lightning blast to the back from [[HeroKiller Azula.]] While Aang ''was'' resurrected a few minutes later, his death had disastrous consequences. Namely, the Fire Nation took over the Earth Kingdom (their only obstacle to world domination besides Aang himself) and Aang was rendered unable to use the [[SuperMode Avatar State]] until the final episode.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'':
** Korra's uncle Unalaq kills the previous incarnations of the Avatar and the Avatar spirit and ends the reincarnation cycle. Korra survives and defeats Unalaq but the Avatar as we know it is dead (Korra does reunite with a reformed Raava at the end of the episode, however.).
** Although this was a ForegoneConclusion, Avatar Wan dies on a battlefield at the end of his [[WholeEpisodeFlashback two-part flashback episode]], immediately followed by the [[BirthDeathJuxtaposition cry of the baby Airbender Avatar]].
* All eight protagonists of ''WesternAnimation/DrawnTogether'' are permanently killed by an eraser bomb thanks to Spanky Hamm's antics in, "[[FinaleMovie The Drawn Together Movie: The Movie]]".
* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}: Bender's Big Score'', a future version of Fry named Lars dies because he is doomed by a TemporalParadox. Time clones being doomed (DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMEEEEEED) is in fact central to the plot.
** Fry also falls to his death a number of times in "Meanwhile" while trapped in a time loop.
** In "The Late Phillip J. Fry", another future version of Fry is crushed to death by a time machine.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'': The Venture Brothers are killed off in the first season finale. They return in the second season after their memories are put into identical clone bodies. In fact, it's revealed that they've died several times before the start of the series: the boys are so [[TooDumbToLive accident-prone]] that Dr. Venture has an entire room of clones ready in case they die.
* ''WesternAnimation/Primal2019'': Spear succumbs to burn wounds he received from fighting the demonically empowered Viking chieftain.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'':
** The episode "[[Recap/TheOwlHouseS1E11SenseAndInsensitivity Sense and Insensitivity]]" primarily focuses on Luz and King working together on a novel starring their own self-insert characters for a writing contest. King ends up rewriting the story behind Luz's back and kills off her character, which understandably leaves her feeling rather bitter.
** [[Characters/TheOwlHouseLuzNoceda Luz Noceda]] herself eventually falls prey to this in the GrandFinale when she ends up blocking one of Belos's attacks to protect the Collector, though unlike with King's story [[DisneyDeath it isn't permenant]].
[[/folder]]
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