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Playing With / Do with Him as You Will

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Basic Trope: Hero leaves the villain at the mercy of their former victims.

  • Straight: Hiro and his friends have just ousted the corrupt official Iwan Tumuchs. Though he could easily execute Iwan himself, Hiro chooses to spare his life...and hand him over to Debora and her family, whom Iwan had tormented.
  • Exaggerated:
    • After breaking Iwan's stranglehold on the town, Hiro turns him over to the mob forming in the main square.
    • The Drifter visits one town after another, defeating any bad guys he finds. He never kills anyone himself, just hands them over to the same people they wronged and leaves...
  • Downplayed: The Team hand Iwan Tumuchs over to the local militia who helped them bring him down in the first place.
  • Justified:
    • Hiro and his party weren't as personally affected by Iwan's crimes, and feel his victims have the right to decide his fate.
    • This is a part of Hiro's Disproportionate Retribution, he's more than glad to torture Iwan without doing the dirty jobs on his own.
  • Inverted: Hiro stops an angry mob from killing Iwan... because he wants the pleasure of killing him personally.
  • Subverted: Hiro hands Iwan over to Debora and her family, expecting them to kill him for how he treated them in the past. Debora instead declares that "We're better than him. We won't stoop that low."
  • Double Subverted: Upon hearing this, Iwan taunts their inability to act until her sister, who suffered the worst at his hands, steps in and skewers him, much to his shock.
  • Parodied: Hiro hands Iwan to a group of kids and gives them BB guns.
  • Zig Zagged: Hiro hands Iwan to Debora and her family, claiming that as his victims, they should be able to be the ones deciding his fate. However, Debora hands Iwan back to Hiro, claiming that as his victor, he should be able to be the one deciding his fate. This goes on until Hiro accidentally throws Iwan to a nearby mob, who proceed to murder Iwan in a horrible and embarassing way.
  • Averted: Hiro always kills the villains himself when he gets the chance.
  • Enforced: "We don't want to portray Hiro as a cold-blooded murderer, since the fans will get the wrong idea. I know! Let's have him hand Iwan over the Debora's family when he's done with him!"
  • Lampshaded: Debora throws a "Not So Different" Remark to Hiro after delivering a Mercy Kill.
  • Invoked: Hiro deliberately breaks Iwan's limbs and throws him to Debora.
    • Debora offers to kill Iwan in Hiro's place.
  • Exploited: Iwan pretended to be powerless so that Hiro would hand him over to Debora's family, where he would finish the whole massacre.
  • Defied: Hiro refuses to hand Iwan over to "mob justice," either killing him outright or throwing him in jail, away from those he wronged.
  • Discussed:
    • "I found his tainted blood disturbing, so, do as you wish and just finish him off already!
    Iwan: "Why do you get to decide whether I live or die?"
    Hiro: You're right, I don't. But I know some people who do."
  • Conversed: "You don't have the guts to spill my blood, do you?" "Perhaps she will?"
  • Deconstructed:
  • Reconstructed:
    • Hiro only did that because he felt that dying to a random stranger wouldn't be as good as dying to those he wronged. Not to mention, if Iwan was spared, he'd only grow more angry and resentful, thus becoming more of a danger and a threat, and hurt more people after making a comeback. And if it's not Iwan, it's definitely his descendants.
    • Hiro hands over Iwan-but makes a point that this is a one-time favor, and he'll be watching to make sure the Deborah's family doesn't go TOO far in their vengeance.
  • Played For Laughs: Iwan's victims condemn him to a Fate Worse than Death: An involuntary makeover, cutting off his hair!
  • Played For Drama:
    • After being violently disarmed, Iwan tries to flee. However, Hiro and his companions deliberately herd him towards the waiting mob.
    • Altenatively, Deborah's evil father kills Iwan himself, to show how dangerous he is.
  • Implied: Iwan dies offscreen, and Hiro's friend asks why Hiro violated his no-kill policy. Hiro says, "I didn't kill him."


Back to Do with Him as You Will, hand this troper to me, we'll deal with him for you.

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