History AnyoneCanDie / VideoGames

!!As a DeathTrope, all spoilers are unmarked. Tread with care.

* ''VideoGame/AzureStrikerGunvoltSeries'' is notorious for having bosses (with few exceptions) die after they are introduced to their respective stages, including those who are sympathetic. In the first game, Gunvolt and Joule are killed by the BigBad which leads to an AlternateTimeline where even the protagonists aren't safe. Only ''[=iX2=]'' and ''3'' avert this; the former as they are robots that can be rebuilt, unless one goes for the normal ending, and the latter as they are either knocked out (Berserk Adepts) or protected by a septima (ATEMS Knights).

** It's even worse in the [[VideoGame/TheLastOfUsPartII sequel.]] Want another perfect example? They killed off Joel in the game's first hour.

** Season 3 spices things up by introducing a new protagonist, [[PapaWolf family-man Javier Garcia]] while relocating Clementine to a deuteragonist. Having a family to take care of in the apocalypse, the game enforced this trope even further by [[BoomHeadshot killing Javier's teenage niece, Mariana at the end of the first episode.]] But that's nothing compared to the last major decision in Episode 5, where at least one (or two, if you really fucked up your choice) family member has to die, whether it'd be [[BloodBrothers his brother David]], [[DumbassTeenageSon his nephew Gabriel]] or his brother's wife Kate.

* The first ''{{VideoGame/Yakuza}}'' game has nearly ''every'' major character die. The number of important characters that live can be counted on one hand, as opposed to the numerous ones that end up dying. There's also Majima, who ''appears'' to die (and by all means should have, considering his injuries), but ends up living.

* ''VideoGame/MetalGear''. The trend started with ''VideoGame/MetalGear2'' where only two characters survived the mission, and by ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4'' all but eight characters who appeared in more than one game are dead, with one only having a few months to live.

** ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' structures its entire premise around this. Shepard prepares for a mission so dangerous it's considered a OneWayTrip, and spends the game 1. recruiting up to 12 PlayerParty members (two of which are DLC), 2. helping them wrap up their UnfinishedBusiness so they can approach the SuicideMission with a clear head, 3. assigning them specific tasks during the end game. Any combination of characters can live or die during the VeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon, depending on your decisions. It's possible to get a GoldenEnding where EverybodyLives, a BadEnding where EverybodyDies ''including Shepard'' (though this counts as a GameOver and does not qualify for an OldSaveBonus for the third game), and anything in between.

* Many characters can and often do die in the story mode of ''Franchise/BlazBlue''. Thanks to the GroundhogDayLoop, no one ''stays'' dead until the Groundhog Day Loop is broken at the end of the second game, ''[[VideoGame/BlazBlueContinuumShift Continuum Shift]]''. So far, only Lambda-11, Trinity and Hazama count as genuine deaths; Nu-13 was killed off in the ending of ''[[VideoGame/BlazBlueCalamityTrigger Calamity Trigger]]'' but has been brought back for ''[[Franchise/BlazBlueChronophantasma Chronophantasma]]''. Then ''[[VideoGame/BlazBlueCentralFiction Central Fiction]]'' comes. By the end, Terumi/Susanoo, Nine, Celica and Ragna all kick the bucket, while Hakumen, Relius and Arakune have vanished into the Blue.

* Many characters can and often do die in the story mode of ''VideoGame/{{Blazblue}}''. Thanks to the GroundhogDayLoop, no one ''stays'' dead until the Groundhog Day Loop is broken at the end of of the second game, ''Continuum Shift''. So far, only Lambda-11, Trinity and Hazama count as genuine deaths; Nu-13 was killed off in the ending of ''Calamity Trigger'' but has been brought back for ''Chronophantasma''.
** And then Central Fiction comes. By the end, Terumi/Susanoo, Nine, Celica and Ragna all kick the bucket, while Hakumen, Relius and Arakune have vanished into the Blue.

* ''VideoGame/AsurasWrath'' is pretty much this! The first three chapters bring in every character with a major role. It started with Emperor Sparda and Durga, then it goes to [[FatBastard Wyzen]], [[EvilOldFolks Kalrow,]] [[BloodKnight Augus,]] [[MoralityPet the girl,]] [[TheDragon Sergei,]] [[BigBad Deus,]] [[EldritchAbomination Vlitra]] and in the true episode 18, [[TheDarkChick Olga]]. In the DLC, it finally hits hard with [[TheLancer Yasha]], Chakravartin, finally ending in [[PapaWolf Asura]]. The only character alive after all of this is Mithra!