'''Basic Trope''': Nobody in a particular story is safe from death. Not even the main characters.
* '''Straight''': Anybody, even the main characters, can die in a story.
* '''Exaggerated''':
** [[EverybodyDiesEnding Everyone dies at the end]].
*** A ''ApocalypseHow/ClassZ'' apocalypse occurs.
** CharactersDroppingLikeFlies.
* '''Downplayed''':
** Anybody can die, except main characters die less often, and if they ''do'', they get a [[DeathIsDramatic dramatic death]].
** Anyone can technically be "killed", though it's [[DeathIsCheap not necessarily permanent]].
* '''Justified''':
** Anybody can die in real life, so it makes sense for that to continue into the story.
** The setting involves war or mass murder.
* '''Inverted''':
** TonightSomeoneDies.
** EverybodyLives.
** NobodyCanDie
* '''Subverted''': At the beginning, many characters were just introduced to die... but then it stops and everybody else lives in the end, aside from a few {{Red Shirt}}s.
* '''Double Subverted''': It looks like everybody's going to live, but some of them end up dying in the end anyway.
* '''Parodied''':
** The story is just about people standing at a bus stop, but some of them die anyway.
** Even ''TheNarrator'' can die, ending the story instantly, though if there's a replacement narrator to take control, the story is rerailed.
* '''Zig Zagged''': At first the main characters have PlotArmor, but then some major characters die... and then they get their PlotArmor back again, everybody surviving a war even though many {{RedShirt}}s kick the bucket. However, at the end, in the climatic battle with the BigBad, two ''more'' important characters die at his hands.
** or DeathIsCheap plays it's role.
* '''Averted''':
** RedShirts die, but main characters have PlotArmor.
** ImprobableInfantSurvival is applied to child (and occasionally teenaged) characters.
** NobodyCanDie.
* '''Enforced''': "We need to make this feel real! Let's kill off some main characters!"
* '''Lampshaded''': "You know, usually heroes like us don't die. I guess this is a bad day, then."
* '''Invoked''': The BigBad goes out and actively kills the people he considers his greatest opposition.
* '''Exploited''': For some reason, the BigBad knows the main characters have no PlotArmor, so he waits for them to find him and then kill them.
* '''Defied''': A character is aware that anyone can die, and so [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere he runs away from the place of the conflict in hopes he won't be killed instead of keeping in the background ''or'' fighting the big bad]].
* '''Discussed''': "Don't be so reckless. Just because you want to stop [[BigBad Emperor Evulz]] doesn't mean you're immortal."
* '''Conversed''': "It's funny how in stories, the heroes ''never'' die, but in reality... well, I believe we all know that AnyoneCanDie."
* '''Played For Laughs''': The characters start a betting pool revolving around who's gonna get killed off next.
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Back to AnyoneCanDie.
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%% Optional items, added after Conversed, at your discretion:
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%%* '''Implied''': ???
%%* '''Deconstructed''': ???
%%* '''Reconstructed''': ???
%%* '''Played For Drama''': ???