Sacrificial Lamb - Television Tropes & Idioms

alt title(s): The Sacrificial Lamb

It's the first episode of a brand-new show. Aware that their TV-savvy audience needs to be impressed — and fast! — the writers decide to show in the first episode that this is not just any TV series. Ohhhh, no — this is the kind of show where Anyone Can Die.

For that reason, they wheel on the Sacrificial Lamb. He or she is given plenty of screentime, usually playing an important part in the plot or being shown developing a relationship with the show's stars, and perhaps filling a character archetype (love interest, best friend, etc.). The opening credits may bill the lamb equally with the other non-lead characters, implying that they form part of the regular cast.

Then, in a shocking twist, the lamb is slaughtered in that same first episode - by episode five, tops. The law is laid down: On this show anything can happen. You have been warned.

In the worst cases, this is followed by everyone forgetting that the lamb even existed in the first place, and with five seasons of increasingly predictable, safe plotting. (i.e. Dropped A Bridge On Him) And of course, if the lamb turns out to be an Ensemble Darkhorse, they may end up Back From The Dead very quickly.

Compare to the Sacrificial Lion, who usually makes it past Act One but gets killed halfway through, receiving more Character Development in the process. Also see the Red Shirt, who is not so much a character as he is a practice dummy for the villains.

See also Dead Star Walking, First Episode Resurrection. Related to Stuffed Into The Fridge, Doomed Hometown, which are meant to affect the protagonist rather than the audience, and Player Punch for the videogame version.

As a Death Trope, all Spoilers will be unmarked ahead. Beware.

Examples:

Anime

Both Elfen Lied and Mospeada boast first episodes with lots of Lambs.
Sven from Voltron. Uniquely, though he died in the original GoLion, he was merely wounded in ''Voltron'', so he was able to come back in later episodes and in the modern comic book.
Gai Daigouji from Martian Successor Nadesico.
"Hot Ice" Hilda from Outlaw Star. Clearly a case of being Too Awesome to Live.
One of the most infamous Lambs in all anime is Musashi Tomoe from Getter Robo. He's not nicknamed "Kenny" just for the lulz, huh. He did make it through the entire original Getter Robo before making his Heroic Sacrifice, but later versions would kill him sooner- Shin Getter Robo vs. Neo Getter Robo makes his Heroic Sacrifice the opening scene.
- Not surprisingly, Mazinger Z also has a lamb. Two Words: MORIMORI-HAKASEEEEEEE!!!!!
- Musashi's replacement, Benkei, doesn't fare any better in the Getter Robo manga by Ken Ishikawa either. Ryoma even lampshades the fact.
Sophie Oswald (Leon's sister) and Aaron Killian (Yuri's father)]] from Kaleido Star.
Got used to seeing Akane and Kazuya happily in love with one another in Mai-HiME? Don't get too attached...they're both put out of commission before the end of the first Story Arc.
Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni subverts and uses this by killing Mion, Rena, Keichii, Takano and Tomitake in the first arc, only to see them back again because of the Groundhog Day Loop. They die again in other arcs too. Frequently. Except for Takano, who never actually died, and never actually does.
- Similarly the next installment of the When They Cry series, Umineko No Naku Koro Ni.
Professor Goh in Transformers Super God Masterforce - Shuta's father and a good friend of Metalhawk, he was set up to function as The Professor and Mission Control for the series. Died in the third episode.
The apparent Big Bad of Code Geass, Clovis, is killed within the first few episodes. By the protagonist. And he is in no way the last.
- In an interview, the show's head writer commented that Clovis didn't last as long as originally planned, while the Ensemble Darkhorse (the one with the page image) lasted a lot longer than intended.
In Ga Rei Zero the entire cast is one of these, killed at the end of the first episode. Then we meet the real cast, at *their* death scene, then we go back in time.
Kurokami quickly knocks off the main character's mother, one of his classmates and that cute kid from next door in rapid order (although the first one was during a flashback), all during the first episode.
Darker Than Black has a serious case of this, setting up a ludicrously obvious Meet Cute and then smashing the whole thing to tiny little bits at the end of the second episode. That lady who looked like a love interest? The one who everyone was looking for and who knew a lot about the Gate? She was actually a doll programmed with the original's personality as a trap for Hei, and the main reason for his repeated rescues (not to mention flirting) was so that he could get information out of her. The original Chiaki was dead the whole time. By the end of the second episode, Chiaki has had this happen to her twice. It says a lot about the series that someone so obviously set up as a major character had been used as a human shield within two episodes of their introduction.
- Nika plays this role in the second season. He's a friend and possible crush for Suo, not to mention the other person among their friends to suffer from becoming an Un Person. Not to mention the possible drama of him interacting with friend-turned-Contractor, Tanya. Nope, he's just horribly murdered by Tanya, which serves the purpose of unleashing Suo's Superpowered Evil Side.
- Subverted with Suo's dad, who also gets killed off very shortly into the second season— the one Hei killed was actually a copy made by Shion's power, and the original escaped.

Comic Books

Similarly, in the Bronze Age revival of the X-Men comic, Thunderbird is killed two issues after he's introduced.
A recent example is MVP in Avengers: The Initiative. Though recently it turned out he's been cloned.
In Milestone Comics' Blood Syndicate, team leader Tech-Nine turns out to be the lamb, spontaneously disintegrating from a Phlebotinum Breakdown at the end of the first arc.
Kole, of the Teen Titans comics, was created just so she could die in the original Crisis On Infinite Earths.
All but one of the members of the X-Force revamp later known as the X-Statix were killed at the end of the first issue - including the team leader and narrator.
Blink of Generation X dies in the team's first real mission (via Heroic Sacrifice). She's remained "dead", despite said death (She used her powers to "blink" apart a giant enemy, but couldn't get herself clear) being ready made for a Never Found The Body return. (The Blink starring in Exiles is from the Age Of Apocalypse timeline)
In X-Men 2099, Serpentina (easily the most likeable character) is killed in the third issue.
100 Bullets: Lee Dolan is the second recipient of Graves' attache case that we see. He gets a headshot from the target of his revenge.

Film

Children of Men gives Julianne Moore star billing only to have that character Killed Off For Real roughly ten minutes into the movie, clearly establishing it as an Anyone Can Die film.
Steven Seagal's character in Executive Decision. On some posters, Seagal was given equal billing with Kurt Russell, making his death a real shock.
Drew Barrymore's casting as Casey from Scream, who is one of the first ones to die in the movie, gave the first major sequence of the movie some much-needed Emotional Torque.
Franka Potente's character in The Bourne Supremacy is killed off almost immediately even though she got second billing. Doubly surprising as in the Ludlum novels the Bourne series is (loosely) based on, nothing happens to her character.
Starship Troopers 3: Marauder actually has an innocent-looking female aide-de-camp called Lamb. Guess who gets executed for sedition?
Angie from Vantage Point
The Empire Strikes Back gave us Dack, Luke's gunner. Luke apparently knows him better than we do.
Employed massively in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek, which launches a new continuity (and, tentatively, a new trilogy) with the destruction of 24th century (prime timeline) Romulus and 23rd century Vulcan. And yet the ending is surprisingly upbeat.
Both segments of Grindhouse use this trope:
- In Planet Terror, we get to know Dr. Block's lesbian lover just long enough to care when she gets eaten.
- Death Proof takes this trope to 11 by setting up an entire protagonist cast and then smoking them in one fell swoop.

Literature

So far, every prologue (and epilogue) character in A Song Of Ice And Fire has died. Chett was lucky enough to have an offscreen death.
- Eddard Stark would probably fill the role too, at least to establish the Anyone Can Die setting.
The elven guards in the first chapter of The Inheritance Trilogy. Paragraphs of detailed, important-sounding description... boop, gone.
In the spinoff of the CHERUB series, Hendersons Boys a young boy named Hugo become part of the plot in the first book, only to get shot in the back by a Nazi officer 10 chapters later and die.

Live Action TV

The special double-length pilot episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer introduces Jesse, best friend of Xander, the show's Plucky Comic Relief. It seems that Xander and Jesse will be a regular pairing throughout the show, mirroring the Buffy and Willow friendship. Then Jesse is turned into a vampire and Xander is forced to kill him. But that's okay, because he's never mentioned again.
- Joss Whedon actually planned to bring Jesse back as a ghost or form of the First Evil talking to Xander in the final season, but real-life problems prevented it. (This happened a few other times: He also had to have the late Cassie speak for the also-late Tara in one episode because Tara's actress thought having the First appear as Tara was too cruel, and then had to completely scrap an episode idea to bring Tara Back From The Dead because the actress wasn't available... among others.)
The Buffy Spin Off Angel plays a similar trick in its pilot episode, in which Angel is tasked with saving the life of a beautiful young woman. Unfortunately, she is killed by that episode's villain before they can become romantically entangled.
- Doyle also had this role, in the long-term perspective because he was killed off in the ninth episode of the first season because of his actor's drug habits. At least he died with his boots on.
CSI began with a Naive Newcomer character who basically served to introduce the various members of the show's cast. With that out of the way, she caught two in the back of the head, turning into the second victim and confirming her status as the New Meat.
When the Doctor Who Spin Off Torchwood was being developed, the crew went further than usual by casting a well-respected actress as the Sacrificial Lamb and involving her character, Suzie, heavily in pre-publicity (including a special feature in the Radio Times), to increase the shock when she bought it. The show then got more mileage from both character and casting by bringing Suzie Back From The Dead temporarily for a later episode.
MI 5 had Lisa Faulkner, who was sacrificed in the second episode, but shocking nonetheless.
- Helped by the fact that Spooks (as the show is known in the rest of the world) does not have opening or closing credits, meaning that audience has no way of knowing who's a regular cast member, who's recurring, who's a guest, etc.
The Shield began with Detective Terry Crowley being assigned to an LA police department's Strike Team to secretly investigate rumours of corruption and brutality. The episode ended with the show's protagonist, Vic Mackey, finding out and blowing the back of Terry's skull off. In a break with Lamb tradition, Crowley's death came back to haunt Mackey several times in the following seven years, and the character appeared in flashbacks.
The original script for the Lost pilot established Jack as the leader... only to kill him at the halfway point and force Kate into the role. Network executives shot down the idea.
The TV series Stargate SG-1 had the character of Major Charles Kowalski infected with a Goa'uld parasite in the pilot episode, and killed off in the episode immediately following it. This was done after he had played a significant role in the original movie on which the show was based. Furthermore, the real use of the character is to have a situation where the defector, Teal'c, gets to prove his worth and loyalty to the Earth authorities.
- And its sister show Stargate Atlantis gave us Colonel Sumner, who was supposed to be the military head of Atlantis... until he's captured by the Wraith, has his life sucked out, and has to be put out of his misery by then-Major Sheppard.
- Stargate SG-1 started long before that, offing the entire Five Man Band in the first episode, in order to introduce a Five Man Band with four slightly more interesting characters.
Supernatural had a love interest of Sam's be a Sacrificial Lamb in the pilot.
Andy Renko (played by Charles Haid), one of Hill Street Blues ' major characters, wasn't originally even supposed to make it to episode two. The plan was that at the shootout at the end of the pilot, Renko would be killed, and only his partner Hill (played by Michael Warren) would survive, to try to adjust to a new partner (Jake Mitchell, who had been in the same show with Warren before, Paris). However, in test screenings, the camaraderie between Warren and Haid was universally felt to be a special strength of the show, so Haid got a contract as a regular (and an "And X as Y" credit), and Mitchell had to settle for a single guest appearance.
Hustle did this in the premiere, by shooting the group leader through the head, and then subverted it by revealing it to be Faking The Dead.
Firefly subverts this — for a minute, it looks like Kaylee is going to be a Sacrificial Lamb, but it turns out that Mal was playing a rather psychotic joke on Simon when he told him that she was dead. "I'm a bad man," he admits.
ER was supposed to start like this, with Julianna Margulies's character committing suicide in the pilot, but test-market audiences liked her so much that they decided to keep her in the show (she had overdosed on pills, so they just had her pull through instead of dying).
On the first episode of Shark somebody got fired. The only real character to die on the show wasn't until the end of the first season.
In Regenesis, Hira Khan is killed three episodes in.
A bit longer lasting than most, but Simone Deveaux of Heroes basically fits this trope.
Kirk's BFF Gary Mitchell in the second Star Trek The Original Series pilot "Where No Man Has Gone Before".
In The Phone pilot, the first team was introduced and competed against the second team per a normal Reality TV show until about maybe half an hour (tops) into it when they don't complete the given task and are subsequently eliminated and DROWNED.
Subverted in Hill Street Blues, where a pair of cops just happen to walk in on the wrong group of nervous drug dealers and are anticlimactically shot. The aftermath is played with appropriate drama, sending the message that, as in real life, no one is completely safe. But just as the plot of the episode has been resolved and it would be fairly easy to let it set at that, Furillo receives word that they're alive, but in critical condition...
Uncle Marty plays this role in Harper's Island, as apparently his actor was one of the biggest names in the cast (he's killed in the first episode).
Reg Cox in East Enders.
Failed Brit daytime soap The Royal Today began with three nurses fresh from college doing their first hospital shift. The blonde one got stabbed by a crazy in episode one and bled to death, but then what did you think was gonna happen?
Power Rangers Lost Galaxy did this in the second episode (two-part season premiere) with the character Mike, leaving his brother Leo to take his place as the Red Ranger for the season.
Robin Hood killed off outlaw Roy four episodes in. Somewhat diluted by the fact that after that episode, he was never mentioned again.

Video Games

In Gears Of War, Carmine is the first squad member killed. He's also the only one without a unique face, just wearing a helmet.
- His name is a shade of red, no wonder he's a Red Shirt.
- Lieutenant Kim from the first game also counts, as he had his own character model, and thus actually had a chance of being a reccuring character.
- His Backup ''Quadruplet'' brother shows up in the sequel only to get killed off too.
Corporal Richard L. Jenkins in Mass Effect. And then Nihlus, who has previously been built up as an elite super-soldier.
Zero from Mega Man X fits this to a T, including being the Ensemble Darkhorse and returning in the sequel ASAP.
- Though he's not really much of an Ensemble Darkhorse, considering he was supposed to be the main character.
The way Super Robot Wars: Original Generations was set up, probably Lamia Loveless was turned into a Sacrificial Lamb to add suspense in OG Gaiden. So you get acquainted with her a lot in the OG 2 portion. Then in the bonus segment... she's shot down dead. Of course, when OG Gaiden comes out, it turns out to be just a set up for Cliff Hanger and she came back... well enough. She's not an Ensemble Darkhorse like Zero, though.
In Persona 3, a large bulk of the games boss fights come from the Full Moon Shadows, extremely powerful Shadows that each represent a different Tarot Arcana. You fight them all...except for Magician, the first to show appear, who is quickly killed by the Main Character in a cutscene.
The sequel Persona 4 Has Saki Konishi, 3rd year student and potential love interest of the Main Characters new buddy Yosuke. She hangs out with them for a bit gives them info on the first murder and seems to be set up to be the wise Sempai to the team much like Akihiko and Mitsuru in Persona 3. Then she becomes the 2nd victim of the murder case, there are no upperclassment to help you out in Persona 4 you are the upperclassman and in charge. To make matters worse when the team finds the place where she died lingering thoughts of her inner self reveal she always found Yosuke annoying and was only acting nice because he was her bosses son. Despite knowing that inner thoughts aren't a total representation of the character due to interaction with his own inner self Yosuke becomes convinced she loathed him for the rest of the game.
Ling in Chinatown Wars is a very odd case of this, where she is on the cover of the game box, and the poster inside the game is practically a pin-up of her, and then she dies the second mission in.
Hinawa from Mother 3 is found dead with a Drago fang through her heart in the first thirty minutes or so of gameplay.
- This one's extra special as she's actually one of the characters you name at the beginning of the game.
Technically, they've already finished their role in the story and also their character development. But Caster, Assassin, Lancer, Shinji (non fatally) and Kuzuki? That sure shows that Heavens Feel route is not going to be like the previous two. People are dropping like flies, because this is only the first couple days and the entire route can be summarized as it got worse.
- Of course, it only looks like it's Anyone Can Die, and later turns out to be more of an extremely egregious Deus Angst Machina. That's what you get when you switch the character in the heroine role at the last minute.
  - Actually, Nasu always intended to do a Sakura route. The Ilya route would have been additional (although, parts of it were clearly added into Heaven's Feel). And, all of these characters die in the other two routes, too.
Wedge and Biggs' death in Final Fantasy VI served to show us how powerful the Espers are.
In The World Ends With You, Rhyme serves this purpose. From up until then, the game was fairly lighthearted, if not slightly confusing. But that one event opens up a whole can of worms and is the final push to set the rest of the plot into motion.
Elia/Aria from Final Fantasy III fits the trope perfectly. She's the first character to appear once you leave the Floating Continent (starting the game properly), gets about half an hour of character development, and is killed by the first boss you encounter.
Duncan in Dragon Age dies right right after the Warden's initiation.
- Not to mention that Daveth is killed at the start of the Joining just so Jory loses what little nerve he had and the Warden is the only one who survives.

Web Comics

Richard from Earthsong. Killed (well, sent home, but close enough) inside the first 25 pages.
- Played with, in that he is in fact a bad guy. Also provides the important point of explaining WHY they fight the bad guys.

Western Animation

Morph on the X-Men cartoon series, who came Back From The Dead due to popularity.
Cat in the Sonic The Hedgehog "SatAM" series.
Most of the Monarch's Henchmen in The Venture Brothers only last a single episode being brutally killed by Brock Sampson or another threat, until recently only Henchmen 21 and 24 survived. And now 24 is dead.
2 of 9 is the first of 9's kind he meets, fixes 9's voice, tries to defend him from a monster ten times his size and half-cat skeleton half-machine, gets caught and carried off by it, is revealed to have been rather well-loved by his group, is subject to a rescue mission by 5 and 9, and gets killed as a result of 9 having a Too Dumb To Live moment as soon as it looks like he's in the clear. All within the first fifteen to twenty minutes of the movie.
Felicity in Felidae