NIGERUNDAYOOOOOOOOOO!Translation
"Run away, run away
Run away and save your life
Run away, run away
Run away if you want to survive
It's time to break free (oh oh oh oh)
Run away (oh oh oh oh)"
Run away and save your life
Run away, run away
Run away if you want to survive
It's time to break free (oh oh oh oh)
Run away (oh oh oh oh)"
— Real McCoy, "Run Away"
When you gotta go, you gotta go. Here are some tropes about daring escapes— from fleeing the scene of a crime, to masterminding a prison break.
Many of these stem from, or lead to, a Chase Scene.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have some very unpleasant people on my tail. Just need... some place to hide...
See also Distraction Tropes and Insecurity System.
Tropes:
Also see:
- Alone-with-Prisoner Ploy: A disloyal guard bluffs their way into some alone time with the prisoner in order to help them.
- Always Close: The video game shows the player escaping in the nick of time, even if there was plenty left on the clock.
- Air-Vent Passageway: Someone escapes by climbing into an air vent.
- Anuscape Plan: Someone is inside a living thing, and the anus is brought up as either an escape option (regardless of whether it's actually used as an exit or not) or the only way out.
- Balcony Escape: Someone makes it in, out, or between windows by leaping amongst balconies or ledges.
- Bathroom Break-Out: Someone escapes through the bathroom.
- Beast in the Maze: A person has to reach the end of a maze while also evading a creature that intends to harm them.
- Bedsheet Ladder: Someone gets out of a building they're imprisoned in by climbing out of the window with a ladder made of bed sheets (and/or other material that can be tied together, such as clothes).
- Bench Breaker: Escape being tied to a seat by breaking it.
- Big Damn Fire Exit: An environment that's falling apart has an improbably perfect route to make a dramatic escape.
- Big Heroic Run: A hero dramatically runs, possibly to make an escape or bring about someone else's.
- Bodybag Trick: Escape by posing as a corpse in a bodybag.
- Bring the Anchor Along: If restraints can't be broken, haul along what they're tied to.
- Broken Heel: A minor impediment slows an escape.
- Cacophony Cover Up: Hiding the sounds of escape with even louder noises.
- Casual High Drop: Escape via a long fall and the ability to survive the landing.
- Chopper on Standby: Escape via handy helicopter.
- Come with Me If You Want to Live: An unexpected helper suddenly shows up to help with the escape.
- Convenient Cranny: Escaping to a small space the pursuer can't get into.
- Convenient Decoy Cat: A cat that takes the suspicion off your escape noises.
- Convenient Escape Boat: A boat just waiting around to be borrowed when escaping near water.
- Conveniently Timed Distraction
- Conveniently Timed Guard
- Covering for the Noise
- Crisis Catch And Carry
- Cult Defector
- Curtain Camouflage
- Cutlery Escape Aid
- Defector from Paradise
- Disposable Vehicle Section
- Distract and Disarm
- Dumbwaiter Ride: Escaping from a pursuer in a dumbwaiter.
- Ejection Seat
- Elevator Escape
- Elopement
- Emergency Temporal Shift: A character evades danger via time travel.
- Escape Artist: A performer whose acts involve managing to escape the most secure of death traps.
- Escape Battle Technique
- Escape from the Crazy Place
- Escape Pod
- Escape Route Surprise: The way out of danger is suddenly revealed to be dangerous.
- Escape Sequence: In a video game the player is required to run away from an undefeatable enemy.
- Escaped Animal Rampage: Animals escape from confinement and go on a rampage.
- Escaped from Hell
- Escaped from the Lab
- Escape Route Surprise
- Exit, Pursued by a Bear: The story ends with the villain fleeing from a creature that will most likely harm them.
- Extradimensional Emergency Exit: A character avoids a crisis by escaping into another dimension.
- Fakeout Escape
- Fake-Out Make-Out: Characters evade capture by pretending to be amorous bystanders.
- Fleeing for the Fallout Shelter
- Getaway Driver: An escape is prepared by having someone with a car ready to drive the person out of the area before they can get caught.
- Giving Them the Strip: Someone escapes by removing an article of clothing that got caught onto something or has been grabbed by a pursuer trying to capture them.
- Great Escape: Escaping from imprisonment.
- High-Dive Escape
- Hooking the Keys: A prisoner uses a hook to grab the ring of keys that will let them out of the cell.
- Hunting the Rogue: A rogue agent deserts from an organization they served and they're chased as a result.
- Hyperspeed Escape
- I Shall Return: Character must leave others behind to escape, but promises to come back for them.
- Imminent Danger Clue
- Indy Escape: Running in a straight line away from a charging, unstoppable threat.
- Indy Hat Roll: Escaping by sliding under a closing door.
- Infernal Fugitives: Someone escaped Hell and Satan's enforcers are chasing them for it.
- Infraction Distraction: A smaller crime is committed to distract from a bigger one.
- Invading Refugees
- It's Probably Nothing
- Land in the Saddle
- Life-or-Limb Decision: A person gets trapped and is forced to escape by cutting off one of their limbs because the only alternative is to remain trapped until they die.
- Locking MacGyver in the Store Cupboard
- Losing a Shoe in the Struggle
- Lost in a Crowd: A character evades pursuit by hiding among look-alikes.
- Make It Look Like a Struggle
- Mercy Lead: Someone is given a head-start by their pursuers.
- Must Let Them Get Away: For whatever reason, the hero deliberately avoids going after the villain when the villain escapes.
- Narrow Annihilation Escape: When a location is destroyed or affected enough that characters cannot even attempt to return to it, after just barely escaping.
- No Escape but Down
- Not So Great Escape
- Outcast Refuge: A place for the oppressed to escape to.
- The Outside World
- The Patient Has Left the Building
- Pet Gets the Keys: Getting an animal to bring you the key to your cell.
- The Precarious Ledge
- Prison Escape Artist: Someone known for escaping imprisonment.
- Protector Behind Bars
- Rail-Car Separation
- Reed Snorkel
- Right Under Their Noses: Hiding in plain sight.
- Run for the Border
- Short-Lived Aerial Escape
- Sick Captive Scam
- Sleeping Dummy
- Slipped the Ropes
- Smoke Out: Using smoke or other visual chaff to cover an escape.
- So Long, Suckers!: As the individual makes their escape, they have the audacity to taunt the people they are abandoning or fleeing.
- So Much for Stealth
- Step One: Escape: When escaping is the initial goal.
- Terrifying Rescuer
- Throwing the Distraction
- Thwarted Escape
- Time Travel Escape: Someone gets away through the use of time travel.
- Train Escape
- The Trap Parents: A character is adopted, but their new parents turn out to be evil, so they have to escape.
- Trick-and-Follow Ploy: Allowing a prisoner escape so you can follow them and find their Home Base.
- Tricked into Escaping: Escaping is the mistake they want you to make.
- Trojan Ambulance
- Try and Follow: Evade capture by going where pursuers won't or can't go.
- Tunnel King: Digging an underground tunnel to break out of confinement.
- Underground Railroad: A network of good Samaritans help slaves or fugitives escape.
- Underside Ride
- Uvula Escape Route
- Vehicle Vanish
- Villain: Exit, Stage Left: After the villain is defeated, the fiend escapes before the hero and/or the authorities can capture them.
- Vulnerable Convoy
- A Way Out of a Cave-In
- We Will Meet Again: The villain promises that they will return to fight the hero another time as they make their escape, though this can also happen if the villain has been successfully captured.
