Sorting Algorithm of Deadness
Using the scientifically Infallible power of the Sorting Algorithm of Deadness, who do you think is the next in line for being brought back from the great Bus in the sky?
To use the Algorithm, simply add the Column's "Death Value", and divide by the number of applicable rows.
If the character hasn't died yet (but seems likely to), see Sorting Algorithm of Mortality. All of this is trumped by the First Law of Resurrection.
Currently, Shirley from Code Geass and the real Caulder from Advance Wars: Days of Ruin have scored 4, the highest possible. The latter is more notable by having 4 in every category instead of getting the CLAMP bonus that the former got. No characters have got the lowest possible score of 1 yet, but Davros and The Master are joint leaders in the death defying derby at 1.75, even beating South Park's Kenny.
Baseline Example: The death of Superman.
Cause: Heroic Sacrifice, so he's not coming back from that too quickly, or the sacrifice will be cheapened. 3.
Average: So add it up... we get a pretty high score, 19! Since it's not a videogame, divide by 7, and we get... 19/7 = 2.7, meaning supes isn't coming back for at least a few months, maybe even years. In actuality the Death Of Superman happened in January 1993 and he came back some time before May 1994.
Now let's make a prediction with the recent death of Batman in Final Crisis.
Average: 21.5/8= 2.7. A semi-high score, and DC seems to be sticking to this one for a while. Still, he'll definitely be back, likely before the end of 2010 at the latest.
Cause of death? He got directly hit by a massive satellite laser - no one could survive that.
Genre? Killed Off For Real - many main characters die.
Body found? It was assumed to be vaporized.
Reaction? The GDI wrote him off as dead, and Nod thought so too began fighting among themselves - a He's Dead Jim.
Characterization? Archvillain.
When did he die? Same arc - he dies at the end of the game. 14/6 = 2.3.
Conclusion? Kane appeared at the beginning of the game's sequel. In terms of playing time, he was never really out of the running - in the game's universe, however, he was "dead" for about 20 years. Close enough to Back Next Episode.
And by the time we start getting into the later games, it becomes evident that his big shtick is the dying over and over and over...
Fire Emblem 4's mass slaughter of the player's allies at the Battle of Barhara
Let's start with Levin
Cause: Bridge Drop. 4
Genre: Fire Emblem is noted for it's perma death, but Jugdral is the one universe where the power to bring back the dead can be used more than once. 3
Body Found: Not mentioned.
Reaction: His kids are pretty miffed, 2.
Last words:Not applied
Character: Regular 2
When: Over 10 years between the 2 generations. 4
Died and come back: The player can use the Valkyrie staff on him, but that only happens if they screw up badly enough to get a Holsety user killed, which is very rare. Not yet: 4
20 and 6: 3.3 It takes divine intervention to get him back
Now someone who isn't confirmed Ira
Cause: Same. 4
Genre: same. 3
Body found: The 5th game says at least some of the women at the battle were alive... and got turned to stone. Frozen. 2
Reaction: again, 2nd gen is quite annoyed, 2
Last words: ?
Character: Unlike Levin, not a holy weapon holder, so I'd rank her a 3
When: again, over 10 years in game AND about 10 years IRL, 4
Come back: Again, not yet. 4
22 by 7: 3.142. Hey Levin lives (and is forced to abandon his children granted) with a higher score... Given her popularity she has a chance if an FE4 (preferably combined with FE5) remake is done.
For comparison, let's do someone who has come back in the series: Michalis in FE1, FE3 book 1 and Shadow Dragon.
Cause of death: Killed by Marth's army (FE3 says that canonically his sister defeated him but couldn't kill him). Given that it wasn't until latter that story units got unhealable wounds instead of dieing, reaching 0 HP in Fire Emblem is pretty dead. 2?
Genre: Anyone can die. 4
Body found: No mention is given to what happened to it in the original, but said to be cared for by his sister in FE3. 1
Reaction: 3 (We really need examples of what warrents what for villain deaths)
Last words: "Aaagh… I am finished… Forgive me…my people…" 4?
Character: Major enemy, but this is his first time actually appearing: 3.5
When: 4 out of universe, 5 in. 3
Deaths: Not yet 4
Back for a redemption equals death
Now for said death
Cause: 3
Genre: 4
Found: Yep, I think it's just abandoned given it's a battlefield. 1
Reaction: Marth just shouts his name. 2?
Last words: "Your highness... I leave Maria’s fate to you..." 3?
Character: I can say he at least somewhat counts as a "loved one" now though. 4.
When: 6 years between the original and remake, same arc between his "death" and comeback in story. ?
Deaths: once, 3.
20+ "when"'s result. Either a 3 or a 1. 2.8 or 2.6 and he's back in the remake if you do it right.
And Hardin
Cause: Redemeption (technically not him that was evil, but counts) 3
Genre: 4
Found: ?
Reaction: Not mentioned for a bit, but Camus gives a "He's dead Jim" in the final. 3
Genre: Killed Off for Real in the initial release of the game, but FES and P3P muddy the waters considerably. 2.5, maybe?
Body Found: "The Answer" makes this more or less a 4.
Reaction: "The Answer" is all about the other characters' efforts at coping. 4.
Characterization: 1.
Last Words: "Don't cry," or "It'll be okay." 3.
Time of Death: End of the game. The Persona games are loosely connected rather than sharing casts or storylines, so this is almost but not quite equivalent to a Series Finale. 3.
Died and Come Back: Had a Disney Death during the final battle; we'll say 3.
Average: 23.5/8 = 2.94. Might be back. Persona 4 mentions that Elizabeth has gone in search of a way to save him from the burden of being the Great Seal, which gives some support to the possibility.
Body found: Yes, but it never reverted from its transformation into a High Dragon. 3.5
Reaction: Even her Codex entry doubts that she's really dead. 1
Last Words: "It is a dance Flemeth knows well. Let us see if she remembers the steps." 1
Characterization: Centuries old sorceress of myth. 1
When did they die?: Most players won't be strong enough to kill her until late in the game. 2.
"Died" and come back?: Repeatedly resurrected herself via her daughters through the generations. 1
Average: 1.722. Looks like we'll be seeing more of her. In Dragon Age II, it's revealed that she cheated death by using a Soul Jar to create a copy of herself.
Last words: Not really words, but there is a 'oh shit' look on his face as he realises he's about to be buried alive, and he spends most of the cutscene begging for his life. Oh Crap. (4)
Characterisation: C-List Fodder (3) (at my count there's 10 antagonists, and Dane Vogel would be the Big Bad.)
When?: Most recent game, so Same Arc (1).
Come back already?: Nope. (4)
Average: 21/8: 2.625, Akuji's next in line after Lin!
Cause of death: deintegrated by trying to control his own power. 4
Genre: Mostly Killed Off for Real, but Mature and Vice kinda resurrected in KOF XIII, so 2.5
Body found? Nope, he was deintegrated. There wasn't any body left. 4
Reaction: None. 4
Last words: "I'll be back". 1
Characterization: Archvillain. 1
When did he die? Hard to tell, really, but two arcs have passed without him resurrecting. So 3.5
Died and come back? Never in canon. 4
Average: 2.875. He won't be back at least until SNK forgets about his son... or until another Dream Match.
Let's take a look at Luca Blight, arguably the greatest RPG villain ever.
Cause: Bombarded with arrows, attacked in three consecutive melee battles, bombarded with arrows again, and finally defeated in one-on-one with The Hero. No One Could Survive That=2.
Body: Well, his body was pretty clearly found, and was riddled with arrows to boot, but was never actually seen being disposed of in any way, so...3.5.
On the other hand, it's already been established that Magic-users can be reincarnated. So if they do another 800 year time skip...
Advance Wars series examples. Let's start with Sturm in Black Hole Rising:
Body: A passing reference that he was in a plane crash hints at this in the first place, and his murderer—the clone that was running around—watched him die - 4
Reaction: His clone found "watching yourself die" fascinating - 4
When: before the start of the game, quite possibly before the meteors - 4
Come back before: no, and there barely any hint that the Caulder you fight is a clone - 4
Average: 32/8 = 4. You got first place.
And finally, Dr. Caulder himself, or rather, the clone:
Cause: Death by Irony (hey, I think I'll not try to escape the player who just turned my Scrappy Level into a joke so that he toys with me and doesn't blow up the last of the lasers right away to destroy the level when he can easily do so any time he pleases, because he must find it...fascinating) - 4
Body: either the disease rotted his flesh away, or he got burned by the breath of the red dragons. Either way, The Body's gone: 4
Reaction: It's Personal for King Wrynn, and causes a major War between the Alliance and the Horde: 2
Characterization: Former Boss of Stormwind and major Character in Wrath of the Lich King: 2
When: Same year: 2
Died and come back: nope: 4
Average: 19/7 = 2.71. Will probably come back in one of the next patches (possibly as a Boss in Icecrown Citadel)
Saurfang jr.:
Cause: Got his soul sucked out of him by the games trademark Artifact of Doom: 2
Genre: See above: 3
Body: See above: 4
Reaction: It's Personal. The Horde ain't to happy about his death.: 2
Characterization: Recurring Character: 3
When: Same year: 2
Dead and back: Again, no: 4
Average: 20/7= 2.85. A bit deader than the above, but still likely to be a future boss encounter.
For kicks, I'll do some counting on Capcom fighting game deaths....
Hyo Imawano, Project Justice (Rival Schools 2)
Cause: Body ravaged by being possesed by his dad's spirit. Considering that point in the story he's trying to undo his dad's influence on his views, this is Death by Irony. 4
Body: Pretty much dies in Kyosuke's arms, but like his twin himself, the body has seemingly disappeared. Unless a future RS game shows a funeral, we'll split the difference again. 3.5
Cause: According to Guile's A3 ending, holding back M. Bison long enough to allow explosives set up by Guile and Charlie to blow up Shadaloo's base. Mix of No One Could Survive That and Heroic Sacrifice. 2.5
Characterization: Possibly a loved one. I'll just call it a 3
Died and came back: Again, first appearance: not applicable.
When: Same year again. - 2.
14/5 = 2.8 He's unlikely to come back. Given that he's in the same possibly-canon ending as GLaDOS, if she survives that means he probably does. Of course, that doesn't mean it would actually show him.
Cause: Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome, and pretty gratuitous as well, going from being able to punching out Cthulhu to getting killed by some panther furry. I'd say that counts as a Bridge Drop. 4.
Genre: Well, judging from the first game, Death Is Cheap, but Chrono Cross tries to establish an Anyone Can Die sort of mood, so we'll just average 4 and 1 and say 2.5.
Body: Never Found. 3.
Reaction: Definitely It's Personal for Kid. 2.
Last Words: We never actually hear them, but she does leave a parting letter, so... Final Speech. 3.
Characterization: One of the three main protagonists of the last game, though it could also count as a loved one. This time, I'll lean toward Protagonist and say 1.
When Did They Die?: More than ten years before the start of Chrono Cross... 4. Uh oh.
Came Back?: Not yet... 4.
Total: 23.5/8 = just under 3. That's pretty high, but it doesn't totally rule out a return for Chrono 3... if they ever get around to making it.
When: same arc, becomes same year before it is bothered with again - 1.5
"Died" and come back: nope - 4
Average: 22.5/8 = 2.81. Of course, the sequel ups the score by 1 for Genre (Killed Off for Real; he's even a ghost there), 2 for Reaction (Montage, being buried at the Gorgisburg Mausoleum), and 1.5 for When, totaling 27/8 = 3.37. He's not coming back.
And next up is the second game's death victim A-Qira:
Cause of death: Bridge Drop (his drink was poisoned by Vlad) - 4
When: same arc, same year by the end of the game - 1.5
"Died" and come back: nope - 4
Average: 22.5/8 = 2.81. Assuming we don't see him pull a Tsar Gorgi in the next game if it is made, there's still hope for our good admiral. Though his last words reduce his chances.
Countess Ingrid from the first game:
Cause of death: Hard to call. The character was beyond salvation, so I guess it would be redemption - 3
Last Words: Famous Last Words ("You have made a grave error in coming here, Empress!") - 3
When: Same year - 2
"Died" and came back: No - 4
Average: 21 points, or 2.625. Given the fact that she's entombed with the Iron Legion, essentially, it's not too farfetched to see this character coming back.
Alright, now that Batman: Arkham City been out for a while, it's time to fill the deadness algorithms for the killed of characters.
Audience Expectation: Disney Death most likely considering Scarecrow and some others appeared to have survived their apparent deaths in Arkham Asylum, and there's an established method by which characters could come back from the dead; the Lazarus Pits. Although Like You Would Really Do It is in full effect, so 1 is the best answer.
Body Found?: Found but not buried. The Joker gets a 3 here.
Reaction: Believe it or not, something close to a Really Dead Montage, since the cutscene following his death puts a big emphasis on the reactions of Joker'smooks to his death.
Last Words: Difficult to say, though Famous Last Words fits best, 3.
Characterization The Big Bad, 1.
When did they die?: Difficult to say, though since Arkham City concludes its arc, same year would be the best bet. 2
Died and Come Back: While hisComic Book incarnation has died and come back countless times over the years, the time Joker faked his own death in the Arkhamverse was to lure Batman into a false sense of security near the beginning of the game, so a 3.
Final Verdict: Ultimately The Joker averages out to 2.625, so its quite possible that Joker's body will find its way Into a Lazarus Pit, or already has., though its completely conceivable that this is curtains for the Killer Clown.
Next up is Ras Al Ghoul. Will his body find its way to a Lazarus Pit or not?
Body Found: We see the body, but it quickly goes missing, so its a 2.
Reaction: Faux Death to some extent, not because Batman doubts that he's dead, but because of the aforementioned ability to come Back from the Dead using the Lazarus Pits. 1.
Last Words: Technically an Oh Crap, but Ra's outlasts his "Last Words" by about 20 seconds, during which he's completely fine physically and attempts a Taking You with Me. So a 3 here.
Audience Expectation: Since She lacks the Joker Immunity of the two previous characters, its quite possible that Talia might be dead for real in the eyes of the audience. 2 because of other characters apparently cheating death.
Body Found?: Like her father's body Talia's disappears during the boss fight following her apparent death, so 2.
When Did He Die?: Three years ago in-universe, otherwise inapplicable
Died And Came back? No - 4
Average: 2.5
The results favor Luke.
After 15 years, Resident Evil 5 subverts Joker Immunity and finally lets you fight and kill series Big Bad Albert Wesker. Will he stay dead?
Cause Of Death: Dropped into boiling lava just prior to taking two simultaneous rocket launcher shots to the face. No One Could Survive That. 2.
Genre: Kind of tricky, as the series has both a whole bunch of Disney Deaths (it's a B-horror game about zombies and supersoldiers, for crying out loud!) and yet also many major supporting characters who were Killed Off for Real. I'll split the difference and give it a 2.5.
Body Found?: Finding the body would be a little hard, considering he was dropped into a volcano. Never Found the Body. 3.
Reaction: Surprisingly, none. Then again, by that point the heroes were probably just too damn tired to do much of anything except collapse in exhaustion. No score.
Characterization: The series' Big Bad. Particularly significant, as he's been a thorn in our sides for 15 years running. 1.
When Did They Die?: In the most recent game in the series, but there's often a 2 to 6 year timeline gap between games. Can't really score this until a sequel comes out.
Died and Came Back?: Once, infamously. 3
Average = 2.3 - They'll bring him back as Sealed Evil in a Can after a few more games.
Alternate result: once you take into account that Wesker was assumed to already be dead by the main character after a plot-relevant encounter inbetween games, the average comes out slightly differently: (2 + 2.5 + 3 + 1 + 2)/5 = 2.1 - Not much difference though, the only question is how long he'll actually be out of commision.
Steve
Cause of Death: He sacrificed himself for Claire. 3
Audience Expectation: 2.5
Body found: Stolen by Wesker, thus never found. 2
Reaction: Varies. Darkside Chronicles has an It's Personal reaction whereas Code Veronica doesn't show what happened. (Though it's implied that she was crying.) 2.5
Last Words: His final speech. 3
Characterization: Mauve Shirt, seeing as how he was created specifically to die. 4
When Did He Die: 10 years ago. 3
Died And Came Back?: Never. 4
24/8= 3. Seeing as how most of the side characters are put on a bus, he may come back. Who knows?
Mega Man X:
Sigma, Mega Man X (SNES)
Cause: You blow up his body, which is then in an exploding base, which then crashes into the ocean No One Could Survive That. 2.
Genre: Anyone Can Die, for those with characterization 3.
Cause Of Death: Blows himself up in a massive explosion at the end of each game. In the latest game, Time Crisis 4, he had a ton of metal debris dropped on his head before blowing himself up. No One Could Survive That. 2
Body Found?: The heroes never bother to look. After all, the guy just exploded. Never Found the Body. 3
Reaction: None (it's an arcade game, not Shakespeare). No score.
Characterization: Although nominally The Dragon, he's the series' only recurring character and has sort of become the series' mascot, so I'll go ahead and list him as the Arch-Villain. 1
When Did They Die?: The last game, and based on his rate of aging there seems to be a 5-10 year gap between each game, so I'll go with that. 4.
Died and Came Back?: Yes, to put it mildly. 1.
Average = 2. Honestly, this should be lower, but still it's no surprise Wild Dog will just keep coming back for more. Interestingly, he's visibly aging with each game, so I suppose eventually Father Time will do what countless bullets to the face and several massive explosions have failed to do so far.
Body Found: Crashed with his ship, but possibly retrieved for burial..4
Reaction: Mengsk doesn't care that Kerrigan killed his second-in-command. He's mostly angry because she betrayed him.3
Characterization: Regular. 2
When: 10 years ago. 3
Died and Came Back: Never. 4
Average: 3.143.
The one important character to die) of Raidou Kuzunoha vs. The Soulless Army. (Note: I wasn't sure which genre the game falls into. If someone can recalculate this with genre included, it would be appreciated.)
Characterization: Archvillan initially (except he actually isn't) - 1.5
When: Same arc - 1
Died and come back: No - 4
Overall: 3. He comes back immediately after.
Well, not so much him as the implants that Sovereign gave him. By that point, Saren's either already gone or in an And I Must Scream situation.
And, just for fun since we knowthe outcome, the first time Commander Shepard dies at the beginning of ME2.
Cause: Do they make bridges big enough to drop on entire ships? That said, Shepard died trying to save Joker, so maybe we could count this as a Heroic Sacrifice, as well. 3.5
Died and Came Back: Maybe once if you count that Disney Death at the end of ME 1. 3
So 22/8 gives us 2.75. Pretty high score for a main character, and I was being light on some of them.
Let's do Shepard again, this time for really screwing up the suicide mission. Word Of God is that you can't import a save where Shepard died into 3, so let's keep that in mind.
Cause: Looks like a Heroic Sacrifice to me. Joker probably would've kept on trying to hold off the Collectors and gotten killed either by them or the explosion that takes out the Collector Base, no news would've been brought back. 3.
Genre: ME2 is reasonably far into Anyone Can Die territory, so 4.
Body: Depending on your choice in the endgame (destroying the Collector Base or handing it over to Cerberus), he either fell a huge distance and then got nuked, or just fell a huge distance. 3?
nuked either way, the question is whether it's a giant bomb or just a giant radiation pulse intended to kill everything but leave their tech.
Reaction: Get the feeling this is a 3. Judging by the ending, Joker is pretty crushed.
Last Words: "Joker, you have to tell them!" Putting this as a 2.5.
Characterization: THE hero, pretty much. 1
When: A bit more than two years ago, but at the very beginning of ME2. Putting this as 1.5.
Died and Came Back: Once, so 3. They do make a big deal out of how people do NOT come back from the dead, and how reviving Shepard is an insane exception, however.
Sgt. Johnson's death from the very end of the Halo Trilogy.
Cause of Death: He makes it to the very end of the trilogy, only to be killed off completely out of left field by Guilty Spark to set up the final battle. Sounds a lot like they Dropped a Bridge on Him, but he also uses his last shot to save Master Chief from Spark, so it might count as a Heroic Sacrifice instead. I'll give him a 3.5.
Genre: Nominally Killed Off for Real, although by the end pretty much everyone is dead except for Chief, Cortana, and Arbiter, so might count as Anyone Can Die also. Again, I'll split the difference and give it a 3.5.
Body Found?: Died in Master Chief's arms. Chief never bothered to take a pulse, but I'll assume he's not an idiot and had some way of knowing Johnson had expired and not simply passed out. And then the Halo he died on blew up, although see below... So, Deader than Dead. 4.
Characterization: Started out as a Red Shirt in Halo, but was made a series Regular in Halo 2. 2.
When did they die?: Doesn't really count, since the series ends after his death. No score.
Died and came back?: There was that little matter of being on a giant Ringworld just as it gets blown up in a massive explosion, yet coming back alive and well for the sequel. So a definite yes, he's done it before. 3.
Average = 3.17. Rest in Peace, Sarge. "You were one hard-core son of a bitch".
A fun contrary example: Private Antony Carmine from Gears of War.
Cause of Death: Got sniped in the head because a) he was wearing a helmet (and thus lacked peripheral vision), and b) he was dumb enough to stand up in the middle of a firefight. Definitely Death by Irony. 4.
Genre: Not really Anyone Can Die, as the only characters to die are the ones expected to (the Red Shirt, the Squad Leader, and the Big Bad). Otherwise, though, death is handled realistically, so, Killed Off for Real. 3.
Body Found?: We see his head burst (or at least blood splatter), but the actual body is left behind for dead (the squad was being shot at and chased off at the time), so somewhere between Never Found the Body and Deader than Dead. I'd say 3.5.
Reaction: No real reaction other than brief surprise, since the surviving squad members are busy being shot at. I'm gonna say not applicable.
When did they die?: Gears of War 2 takes place, what, a year after the original game? 2.
Died and came back?: Nope. Realistically, this is a Killed Off for Real genre. 4.
Average: 3.42. He should be just another forgotten dead Red Shirt. And yet Word Of God is that he's coming back in the sequel... How's that for accuracy, folks?
Although "a" Carmine joined Fenix's gang in Gears of War 2, it was not the original Carmine; it was his brother.
Dr. Breen in Half Life 2
Cause: Last seen trapped in a teleporter device about 50 feet below the epi-center of a massive explosion, so definitely No One Could Survive That. 2.
Genre: No major characters have died yet (Eli's fate is still in limbo until Episode 3 comes out). Alyx was pretty much dead, but brought back to life by the Vortigaunts, so Back from the Dead. 1.
Body Found?: Nope. See Cause. 3.
Reaction: Almost none at all, actually. The protagonists don't celebrate (or even really remark on) his death, although one civilian does miss his show (he used to have jugglers!). No score.
Characterization: Main antagonist (although ultimately he was just a tool of the Combine), so 1.
When did they die: Technically, Episodes are expansion packs to Half Life 2, so Same Arc. 1.
Died and Come Back?: Never happened, because no one's died yet. 4.
Average: An even 2. I guess we'll be seeing him in Episode 3, so literally Back Next Episode. There's good money that the Combine Advisor in Episode 2 is his new "host body".
Eli Vance, last seen being cranium-raped by a giant alien slug in the Downer Ending of Episode 2.
Cause: Well, he gave Gordon his final orders, then attacked the Advisor to distract it, so a Heroic Sacrifice. 3.
Genre: Same series, so 1 (see above).
Body Found?: Episode 2 fades out just as you reach his body, so there hasn't been time to check for a pulse, but he really looks Deader than Dead. 4.
Reaction: The game fades out with Alyx's hearfelt sobs over her father's body. This is obviously It's Personal, to get us in the mood to kick Advisor ass in Episode 3. The rather down mood also kind of makes it He's Dead, Jim, too. I'll say 2.5.
Cause: just plain killed in a duel by the player character. I think that's about 3.
Genre: High Fantasy. Technically in this universe death isn't cheap, but godlike beings tend to pop back into existence more or less often. Let's give her a 2.
Body Found: Left for dead in the Clockwork City. A clear-cut 1.
Reaction: No one believed she's dead. 1
Last Words: a "Piece of cake" speech about how she's going to off Nerevarine. 2
Character: archvillainess / fallen heroine. 1
When: In Skyrim's times it's about 200 years after her death. 4
How many times: Not yet. 4
Score: 2,57. Something between "Be back soon" and "Maybe back later".
Hades from Kid Icarus Uprising
Cause: Overkill including but not limited to getting his torso chopped off, his head ripped off his body, and getting blasted to ashes, 4
Characterization: Serves as the Big Bad of the last two-thirds of the game, 1
When: He just died, 1
Died and Come Back: As far as we know, this is the first time Hades died, 4
Score: 22/8 = 2.75 Hades may come back since he probably has at least 25 years before the next game comes out; that's plenty of time to figure out a way to come back.
