Anime and Manga
"Just as I thought, you are unqualified to go to Gun Blaze West. You don't hold back or show mercy to those who are weaker than you. But against one who is stronger, you try to win by resorting to numbers. You are "super-human" in name only. You are a typical human being. A weak, pitiful human being."
— Armor Baron to Sarge Thunderarm after the latter calls reinforcements to win against the former, Gun Blaze West
Audio Plays
"[Sarcastic Clapping] Bravo, Madame Salvadore, bravo! I had no idea that your instinct for self-preservation was so finely-honed."
— Mr. Seta, Big Finish Doctor Who: Dust Breeding
Comic Books
"Trust Macendale to create even greater methods of running away!"
— The Kingpin on Jason Macendale Jr aka Hobgoblin IV, Spider-Man
Fan Works
Hago: You can't escape us now.
Zazu: Actually, I could always fly away.
Simba: And leave us behind? You chicken!
Zazu: When things get very serious, I look out for my own best interests. In a situation like this, I find you very irrelevant.
Nala: You are a chicken! You'd leave us to die just so you could save yourself?
Zazu: I'd love to say no, but unfortunately the answer is yes.
Zazu: Actually, I could always fly away.
Simba: And leave us behind? You chicken!
Zazu: When things get very serious, I look out for my own best interests. In a situation like this, I find you very irrelevant.
Nala: You are a chicken! You'd leave us to die just so you could save yourself?
Zazu: I'd love to say no, but unfortunately the answer is yes.
— The Lion King Adventures, Zazu's in Charge
Film - Animated
[Mansley has just ordered a nuclear strike on the Iron Giant]
Rogard: That missile is targeted to the Giant's current position! WHERE'S THE GIANT, MANSLEY?!
[Mansley looks back to see the Giant right behind him, and cringes and sucks in air through his teeth as he realizes his foolish mistake]
Mansley: ...W-we could duck and cover! There's a fallout shelter right there. If we can—
Rogard: There's no way to survive this, you idiot!
Mansley: You mean... we're all going t—
Rogard: To die, Mansley. For our country.
Mansley: Screw our country! I WANNA LIVE!
[Mansley steals an army jeep and attempts to drive away, but the Giant stops him with his hand, upon which Mansley is surrounded by soldiers]
Rogard: Hold him, men. Make sure he stays there like a "good soldier".
Rogard: That missile is targeted to the Giant's current position! WHERE'S THE GIANT, MANSLEY?!
[Mansley looks back to see the Giant right behind him, and cringes and sucks in air through his teeth as he realizes his foolish mistake]
Mansley: ...W-we could duck and cover! There's a fallout shelter right there. If we can—
Rogard: There's no way to survive this, you idiot!
Mansley: You mean... we're all going t—
Rogard: To die, Mansley. For our country.
Mansley: Screw our country! I WANNA LIVE!
[Mansley steals an army jeep and attempts to drive away, but the Giant stops him with his hand, upon which Mansley is surrounded by soldiers]
Rogard: Hold him, men. Make sure he stays there like a "good soldier".
"Let me go! Let me go, please! Don't hurt me! I'll do anything! ANYTHING!"
— Gaston, Beauty and the Beast
"Ah! Is this a robbery? 'Cause the lady across the hall has way better stuff than me."
— Hal Stewart, Megamind
"COME BACK HERE, YOU COWARDS!!! DON'T LEAVE!!!"
— Hopper to his gang, A Bug's Life
"It wasn't just the money the Drej were offering. It was the health plan that came with it. They'd let me live, provided I kill all of you before they get here. They should be here shortly!"
—Preed, Titan A.E.
Film – Live Action
Brave Sir Robin ran away.
Bravely ran away away.
When danger reared it's ugly head,
He bravely turned his tail and fled.
Yes, brave Sir Robin turned about
And gallantly he chickened out.
Swiftly taking to his feet,
He beat a very brave retreat.
Bravest of the brave, Sir Robin!
Bravely ran away away.
When danger reared it's ugly head,
He bravely turned his tail and fled.
Yes, brave Sir Robin turned about
And gallantly he chickened out.
Swiftly taking to his feet,
He beat a very brave retreat.
Bravest of the brave, Sir Robin!
"Johns was like most mercs. They look all stand up and do right, until you cut them open and you find something missing. In his case, a spine."
— Riddick, Pitch Black
"General Grievous will run and hide as he always does. He is a coward."
— Mace Windu on General Grievous, Revenge of the Sith
The Interrogator: Is Kingsman worth dying for?
Charlie Hesketh: No it fucking isn't! Shit! I'll tell you what you want, please! Chester King's Arthur! Arthur's head of the secret spy agency! It's called Kingsman! Get me out of here!
Charlie Hesketh: No it fucking isn't! Shit! I'll tell you what you want, please! Chester King's Arthur! Arthur's head of the secret spy agency! It's called Kingsman! Get me out of here!
"Fortune smiles on the brave and spits on the coward."
—Don Lope de Aguirre, Aguirre, the Wrath of God
"I'm not gonna take that kind of a chance when we've got a safe place! We lock up into a safe place, and you're telling us that we gotta come up here and risk our lives just because somebody might need help, huh?"
—Harry Cooper, Night of the Living Dead (1968)
"Look! You two can do whatever you like! I'm going back down to the cellar, and you'd better decide! 'Cause I'm gonna board up that door, and I'm not going to unlock it again no matter what happens!"
—Harry Cooper, Night of the Living Dead (1968)
"Would it help to confuse it if we run away more?"
—Sir Robin, Monty Python and the Holy Grail
[Alfrid is found disguised as a woman in an attempt to avoid going to battle]
Woman: Alfrid Lickspittle! You are a coward.
Alfrid: Coward!? Not every man's brave enough to wear a corset!note
Woman: You're not a man! You're a weasel.
Woman: Alfrid Lickspittle! You are a coward.
Alfrid: Coward!? Not every man's brave enough to wear a corset!note
Woman: You're not a man! You're a weasel.
Scorpio: You tried to kill me!
Harry: If I tried that, your head would be splattered all over this field. Now where's the girl?
[Scorpio starts crying]
Scorpio: I want a lawyer.
Harry: I said where's the girl?
Scorpio: I have the right for a lawyer!
Harry: Where's the girl?
Scorpio: I have the right for a lawyer. Need to go to the doctor, please. I have rights...
[Harry puts pressure on Scorpio's leg wound using his foot]
Scorpio: ...for a LAWYE-E-E-ER!
[Scorpio keeps screaming and crying as Harry tortures him and the camera zooms out]
Harry: If I tried that, your head would be splattered all over this field. Now where's the girl?
[Scorpio starts crying]
Scorpio: I want a lawyer.
Harry: I said where's the girl?
Scorpio: I have the right for a lawyer!
Harry: Where's the girl?
Scorpio: I have the right for a lawyer. Need to go to the doctor, please. I have rights...
[Harry puts pressure on Scorpio's leg wound using his foot]
Scorpio: ...for a LAWYE-E-E-ER!
[Scorpio keeps screaming and crying as Harry tortures him and the camera zooms out]
Carol: He might attack someone!
Barnes: You're right - me!
Barnes: You're right - me!
Cesar: You make up your mind, Carlos. You are with them, or you are with us.
Carlos: Is that loaded?
Cesar: Of course.
Carlos: I am with us.
Carlos: Is that loaded?
Cesar: Of course.
Carlos: I am with us.
Literature
Magwich: Is it my fault I'm a weak-willed traitor at heart?
Jack: Well, that's honest enough.
Jack: Well, that's honest enough.
"Harry, this piece of vermin is the reason you have no parents. This cringing bit of filth would have seen you die, too, without turning a hair. You heard him. His own stinking skin meant more to him than your whole family."
"Kryten was about to ask him where he'd got to, but it would be a pointless question. As soon as Rimmer had seen a fight start, he'd performed his famous impression of a whippet with a sphincter full of dynamite. Kryten had long since ceased to wonder why a man who was already dead could be such a relentless coward."
—Red Dwarf: Backwards
"At one time or another we have been able to turn every other sin into a source of pride for humans. We have never yet found a way to make them proud of cowardice. It is horrible to contemplate, horrible to experience and horrible to remember."
I don't lack moral fiber, it just gives me the runs.
— Trunk and Disorderly, by Charles Stross
Now Meglin was afeared that even the secret token which Melko had given him would fail in that direful sack, and was minded to help that Ainu to the fulfilment of his promises of safety. No doubt had he however of the death of Tuor in that great burning, for to Salgant he had confided the task of delaying him in the king's halls and egging him straight thence into the deadliest of the fight – but lo! Salgant fell into a terror unto death, and he rode home and lay there now aquake on his bed; but Tuor fared home with the folk of the Wing.
Live-Action TV
"Your civilization is one of the oldest in the galaxy; now I see why. Your cowardice isn't quaint, it's sly... aggressive. That’s how that gene of gutlessness has survived while so many others have perished. Well, not today. No one else dies today. Right? Brilliant."
— The Doctor, Doctor Who, "The God Complex"
Ohila: [disgusted] He's running away.
General: Where is he running to?
Ohila: Same place he always does: Away. Just... away.
General: Where is he running to?
Ohila: Same place he always does: Away. Just... away.
— Doctor Who (on the Doctor)
Mark: He thinks we can't hide forever.
Jeremy: He doesn't know us at all, does he?
Jeremy: He doesn't know us at all, does he?
"You know what I think? I think, that maybe the only reason that you ever wanted Frank dead, was so that you can pretend that he never made you feel like a man about to die."
— Billy Russo to William Rawlins, The Punisher (2017)
Rimmer: Shoot him!
Lister: What? In the back?
Rimmer: Of course in the back! It's only a pity he's awake!
Lister: You mean, You could happily kill him if he was asleep?
Rimmer: I could happily kill him if he was on the job, shoot him!
Lister: What? In the back?
Rimmer: Of course in the back! It's only a pity he's awake!
Lister: You mean, You could happily kill him if he was asleep?
Rimmer: I could happily kill him if he was on the job, shoot him!
"Know this about me. Like general George S. Patton, I believe in reincarnation. It is my firm conviction that in all my previous lives has been a soldier. A bold warrior soul, who unfortunately in this incarnation, has been given the body of an abject coward. So excuse me gentlemen, while I have a humiliating panic attack underneath the scanner table."
— Rimmer, Red Dwarf
Rimmer: The way I see it, we have two options: 1, take it on and kill it, or 2, run away. Who's for 2?
Kryten: Two sounds good to me, sir
Cat: Always been my lucky number.
Kryten: Two sounds good to me, sir
Cat: Always been my lucky number.
Hugh: I'm going to take a fucking stand on this one and I'm buggered if I'm going to let you down now. I'm going to go to the PM, and I'm going to tell him straight up, this bill is a load of old bollocks!
Glenn: No, you're not.
Hugh: No, I'm not, but it'd be great if I did, wouldn't it?
Glenn: No, you're not.
Hugh: No, I'm not, but it'd be great if I did, wouldn't it?
Music
"I ran away, I ran away
Danger stared me in the face and I ran away
Whenever I was challenged I collapsed like a souffle
But I'm still alive to sing this song 'cause I ran away!"
Danger stared me in the face and I ran away
Whenever I was challenged I collapsed like a souffle
But I'm still alive to sing this song 'cause I ran away!"
— I Ran Away, The Arrogant Worms
"Go out walkin', just us two
Ain't much in this world I wouldn't do for you
And if a man with a knife said, 'Your money or your life!'
I wouldn't think twice
And I'd stand my ground and not give an inch
Coiled like a spring, I wouldn't even flinch
I would stare into the eyes of that son of a bitch
And this is what I'd say...
Do anything you want to the girl, just don't hurt me!
I might be crazy, but I ain't reckless
She's got a diamond ring, she's got a necklace
Look in her purse, she's got the keys to a Lexus
May I be on my way?
Do anything you want to the girl, just don't hurt me!
What a funny ol' way to measure love
Find out where you stand when push comes to shove
'Cause right now it ain't you that I'm thinkin' of
It's me. It's me. It's me, me, me, me
I LOVE ME!
Do anything you want to the girl, just don't hurt me!
Two's company, but three's a crowd
I was thinkin' maybe we should break up anyhow
I could use some space from you, especially right now
So help yourself, mister. I ain't no hero
Her bank card PIN number is four-one-three-zero!
Do anything you want to the girl, just don't hurt me!
Do anything you want to the girl, just don't hurt me!"
Ain't much in this world I wouldn't do for you
And if a man with a knife said, 'Your money or your life!'
I wouldn't think twice
And I'd stand my ground and not give an inch
Coiled like a spring, I wouldn't even flinch
I would stare into the eyes of that son of a bitch
And this is what I'd say...
Do anything you want to the girl, just don't hurt me!
I might be crazy, but I ain't reckless
She's got a diamond ring, she's got a necklace
Look in her purse, she's got the keys to a Lexus
May I be on my way?
Do anything you want to the girl, just don't hurt me!
What a funny ol' way to measure love
Find out where you stand when push comes to shove
'Cause right now it ain't you that I'm thinkin' of
It's me. It's me. It's me, me, me, me
I LOVE ME!
Do anything you want to the girl, just don't hurt me!
Two's company, but three's a crowd
I was thinkin' maybe we should break up anyhow
I could use some space from you, especially right now
So help yourself, mister. I ain't no hero
Her bank card PIN number is four-one-three-zero!
Do anything you want to the girl, just don't hurt me!
Do anything you want to the girl, just don't hurt me!"
— Otis Lee Crenshaw (Rich Hall), "Do Anything You Want to the Girl (Just Don't Hurt Me)"
Myths & Religion
"The wicked flee when none pursueth."
— Book of Proverbs 28:1
Tabletop Games
"Better to live in atrocity than to die in glory."
— Gix, Magic: The Gathering: The Thran
A tale is told of two Skaven, birthkin from the same breeder. While scouting the woods above their home, they encountered a ravenous Minotaur. Wisely, they fled the beast, but it gave chase and pursued them for many miles.
"Surely," said the first Skaven, panting, "we cannot-cannot-cannot outrun this horrible creature."
The second chittered his agreement. "Nor do we have to," he replied.
Unsure of his birthkin’s motive, the first Skaven asked, "What do you mean?"
By way of response, the second Skaven tripped his companion, answering, "I-I-I only need to outrun you!"
—A fable from the Lessons of the Horned Rat, Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay: Children Of The Horned Rat - A Guide To Skaven
Theatre
"When, to evade Destruction's hand,
To hide they all proceeded,
No soldier in that gallant band
Hid half as well as he did.
He lay concealed throughout the war,
And so preserved his gore, O!
That unaffected, undetected, well-connected warrior,
The Duke of Plaza-Toro!"
To hide they all proceeded,
No soldier in that gallant band
Hid half as well as he did.
He lay concealed throughout the war,
And so preserved his gore, O!
That unaffected, undetected, well-connected warrior,
The Duke of Plaza-Toro!"
— The Duke of Plaza-Toro, The Gondoliers
Video Games
Ayah: Helicopter!
Farah: It's Barkov!
Darine: The coward is leaving!
Farah: What do you expect from a spineless dog?
Farah: It's Barkov!
Darine: The coward is leaving!
Farah: What do you expect from a spineless dog?
— Farah Karim to her comrades about General Roman Barkov's act of cowardice, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019)
Sora: Iago, you're supposed to be our friend, but you've been playing both sides just to make sure you save yourself!
Donald Duck: I knew you were still a bad guy!
Donald Duck: I knew you were still a bad guy!
— Sora and Donald calling out on Iago for betraying their trust, Kingdom Hearts II
Kai Leng: Still too slow, Shepard!
Shepard: I'm only slow because I'm not running! You ran away on the Citadel, on Thessia — all you can do is run!
Kai Leng: Sh-shut up!
Shepard: I'm only slow because I'm not running! You ran away on the Citadel, on Thessia — all you can do is run!
Kai Leng: Sh-shut up!
"Oh God, please don't make me die today! Tomorrow would be so much better!"
— Traditional Spathi prayer, Star Control 2
"We're right behind you! (But the second the going gets rough, we BAIL!)"
— A Goomba, Super Paper Mario
"Hey! Brad! Where the hell's he going?!"
— Chris Redfield as Brad "Chickenheart" Vickers leaves his squadmates for dead, Resident Evil
Dr Eggman: S-Sonic! (Falls down on his knees and begs) I-I'm sorry! R-really! L-look, go easy on me! I'll turn over a new leaf, I swear! Just give me a chance!
Sonic: Well, this is new. Showing remorse, Eggman? If you played nice, I wouldn't have to break all your toys.
"She found a weak point and exploited it. That is how she appears to operate, based on what we've seen so far. If it serves her strategy, she won't even hesitate to sacrifice her own soldiers. She's merciless. And just as in battle, she sends soldiers in as her shield while she hides away someplace safe. She's as cowardly as she is cruel, like no one we've yet encountered."
— Anna on Letizia ordering a raid on the heroes' supply convoy, Fire Emblem Heroes
Starscream: So Megatron has been revived... This means you have either failed me, or betrayed me. Neither option bodes well for you.
Construct-A-Con: Barricade was right, you are a coward! Megatron conquers to obtain power... you just steal it.
Starscream: You are such a disappointment, my protégé.
Construct-A-Con: Barricade was right, you are a coward! Megatron conquers to obtain power... you just steal it.
Starscream: You are such a disappointment, my protégé.
—Transformers: Decepticons, "Sibling Rivalry"
Web Animation
Yang: I'm sure you'd figure it out. You're not one to back down from a challenge, Blake.
Blake: But I am! I do it all the time! When you learned I was a Faunus, I didn't know what to do, so I ran! When I realized my oldest partner had become a monster, I ran! Even my Semblance! I was born with the ability to leave behind a shadow of myself; an empty copy that takes the hit while I run away!
Blake: But I am! I do it all the time! When you learned I was a Faunus, I didn't know what to do, so I ran! When I realized my oldest partner had become a monster, I ran! Even my Semblance! I was born with the ability to leave behind a shadow of myself; an empty copy that takes the hit while I run away!
—RWBY, "Mountain Glenn"
Raven: I’ve stared death in the face over and over again! And every time I’ve spat in that face and survived, because I’m strong enough to do what others won’t!
Yang: Oh, shut up! You don’t know the first thing about strength! You turn your back on people! You run away when things get too hard! You put others in harm’s way instead of yourself! You might be powerful... but that doesn’t make you strong.
Raven: Who do you think you are, lecturing me?! Standing there, shaking like a scared little girl?!
Yang: Yeah, I'm scared. But I'm still standing here. I'm not like you. I won't run.
Yang: Oh, shut up! You don’t know the first thing about strength! You turn your back on people! You run away when things get too hard! You put others in harm’s way instead of yourself! You might be powerful... but that doesn’t make you strong.
Raven: Who do you think you are, lecturing me?! Standing there, shaking like a scared little girl?!
Yang: Yeah, I'm scared. But I'm still standing here. I'm not like you. I won't run.
—RWBY, "Haven's Fate"
Webcomics
Thief: Hey guys. Did I miss anything?
Black Mage: Thief?! I thought you ran off like you the coward you are!
Thief: And you wouldn't have run for it?
Black Mage: Don't change the subject.
Black Mage: Thief?! I thought you ran off like you the coward you are!
Thief: And you wouldn't have run for it?
Black Mage: Don't change the subject.
Lich: You can't run away forever!
Red Mage: Oh, you'll be surprised what cowardice has done for us so far.
Red Mage: Oh, you'll be surprised what cowardice has done for us so far.
"I'm not fighting someone who can fight back! #%&@ this!"
—Flash Man, MS Paint Masterpieces
Western Animation
"I did a bad thing! I know I did and you deserve revenge, so why don't you take my mother? That would be fair!"
— Yon Rha, Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Southern Raiders
"Hey, this is between you and Stewart. Get him!"
"I surrender and volunteer for treason!"
— Zapp Brannigan, Futurama
Opera Bender: Save Fry! Save Fry!/Godzilla/Will devour him!/As for me I must be off/To have my doctor check this cough!/Goodbye!
Bender: I don't recall ever fighting Godzilla, but that is so what I would have done.
Bender: I don't recall ever fighting Godzilla, but that is so what I would have done.
— Futurama
"I surrender! Here, eat my friends! Just give me one more second of sweet, sweet life!"
— Bender, Futurama
"Six on six... forget it!"
— Janja, The Lion Guard
"Don't eat me! I have a wife and kids! Eat them!"
— Homer Simpson, The Simpsons
Milhouse: I can't go on. You two go ahead. And carry me with you.
Bart and Lisa:[Groans] Oh, come on, man.
Milouse:[as Bart and Lisa carry him] Hurry! They're catching up!
Bart:[They reach a cliff. Bart hands Milhouse a vine] Here, Milhouse. You go first.
[Milhouse swings across]
Bart: Okay. Now throw the vine back.
Milhouse:[Runs off] There's no time.
Bart and Lisa:[Groans] Oh, come on, man.
Milouse:[as Bart and Lisa carry him] Hurry! They're catching up!
Bart:[They reach a cliff. Bart hands Milhouse a vine] Here, Milhouse. You go first.
[Milhouse swings across]
Bart: Okay. Now throw the vine back.
Milhouse:[Runs off] There's no time.
Grim: Nothing matters because we're all gonna die someday!
The Boss: [appears holding a gun] Hey!
Grim: [gets down on his knees] No, no, no. Please don't kill me. Please. I don't want to die. Please don't kill me! Please don't! [breaks down sobbing while pissing his pants]
The Boss: [appears holding a gun] Hey!
Grim: [gets down on his knees] No, no, no. Please don't kill me. Please. I don't want to die. Please don't kill me! Please don't! [breaks down sobbing while pissing his pants]
Dr. Eggman: As my great aunt used to say, "No retreat. no surrender."
(one of his robots gets destroyed)
Dr. Eggman: RETREAT! SURRENDER! (everyone runs away)
(one of his robots gets destroyed)
Dr. Eggman: RETREAT! SURRENDER! (everyone runs away)
— Sonic Boom, "Curse of the Cross-Eyed Moose"
"Please! Don't fire! I-I-I was wrong. I shouldn't have done it. Please, don't shoot!"
— Starscream, The Transformers
"Every time we flash the Die Fledermaus signal, he unplugs his phone and skips town for a week."
— Mayor Blank, The Tick
Sylvia: What'll it be? Number 19? Number 46?
Ryder: I'm thinkin' number one. As in, lookin' out for. (shoves Sylvia aside) So long, Syl. Told you you'd come in handy. (Gets zapped)
Ryder: I'm thinkin' number one. As in, lookin' out for. (shoves Sylvia aside) So long, Syl. Told you you'd come in handy. (Gets zapped)
Sir Mortimer: Out of my way, squire.
Mickey: But you're a knight! You're suppose to protect the Queen!
Sir Mortimer: No, I'm a coward. And I don't wanna die.
Mickey: But you're a knight! You're suppose to protect the Queen!
Sir Mortimer: No, I'm a coward. And I don't wanna die.
"After all, I was me or him, and, obviously, it couldn't be me. It's a simple matter of logic. I'm not like other people. I can't stand pain. It hurts me!"
"I might be old, but I've lived long enough t' see the world rise against yer tyranny. Admit it, yeh big oaf! You're scared! The Samurai is still out there, inspirin' people by the thousands! After all these years, you're powerless against him! You've been shiverin' like a wee baby hidin' in yer crib, afraid to show yerself, 'cause you know he's out there— and you can't do anything about it! Bwahahaha! You're just a big baby! Why don't you go cry to yer mama?!"
— The Scotsman, Samurai Jack
