History Main / AMillionIsAStatistic

* In DC's ''ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths'', individual characters are acknowledged according to popularity (with [[Characters/TheFlashBarryAllen The Flash]] and ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} getting covers and lengthy eulogies). The entire ''universes'' destroyed by the Anti-Monitor (in infinite numbers if the title is taken literally, and several universes, some established and some new, are destroyed on-panel) pack far less emotional punch. (The destruction of Earth-3 is notable for the innumerable innocents counting for less than the handful of ''villains'' who go down trying to save it.)

** Lelouch both plays it straight and subverts it at times.

* Light Yagami from ''Manga/DeathNote''. Certainly [[spoiler:L's death]] evokes a stronger reaction from the audience than the thousands of others killed before (and the even greater number killed after). This is somewhat justified, however, in that the majority of the people he killed were not just faceless masses but also [[AssholeVictim criminals]] killed for the sake of Light's ambition to [[WellIntentionedExtremist make the world a better place]], while the named characters he takes out are done for the sake of saving his own ass.

* Inverted and lampshaded by Kyubey in ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica''. Kyubey has [[LackofEmpathy no empathy]], and cares a lot more about a million deaths than about one. In a more meta sense, Kyubey serves as a fine demonstration of this trope, as [[spoiler:despite having a pretty sympathetic motivation (delaying the end of the universe), he sits firmly among the most hated anime villains ever, simply because the heartless manipulation of vulnerable victims he engages in feels very "personal".]]

* ''ComicBook/{{Miracleman}}:'' An earlier example from Creator/AlanMoore also sees this trope subverted, though in a decidedly [[BloodierAndGorier different manner]]. Specifically, during the climax of Book 3, and really the whole of Moore's run, [[spoiler:13-year-old Johnny Bates releases his EvilAlterEgo Kid Miracleman during a [[BullyingADragon brutal]] [[RapeIsASpecialKindofEvil assault]] by the other children in his group home.]] He wastes no time in massacring huge amounts of Londoners in an attempt to get Miracleman's attention- the problem is, he's [[NiceJobBreakingItHero not around]]. By the time he gets there, [[spoiler: Kid Miracleman]] has turned the city into his personal nightmarish playground. This is shown completely [[https://afewidlemusings.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/mm15-20-21.jpg on-panel]], and almost every corpse among the countless thousands displays evidence of a different [[TorturePorn but equally creative]] brutality. Some of the standouts include a chessboard with severed breasts as the pieces, a child impaled on the top of a church tower so the wind blowing through his throat [[HellIsThatNoise makes him wail]], and what is described as a 'field of baby skulls'. It is highly effective at communicating scale without sacrificing the horror.

*** During the battle of Narita, Lelouch and Kallen destroy a small town and kill everybody in it. They only think about how many enemy soldiers they just killed. Only when they find out the father of a classmate was also killed, they feel remorse about it. C.C. calls him out on this, asking if he thought this was somehow a unique instance, and pointing out that all of the soldiers they killed also had loved ones who are now grieving for their loss.

* [[ZigZaggingTrope Zigzagued]] in ''Manga/{{Bokurano}}'', particularly the manga. Tens of thousands of people die as collateral damage from HumongousMecha battles [[spoiler:and tens of billions as enemy casualties]], and every character has their own take on it. Some pilots ignore civilian casualties and only pay attention to their own plight, some stall the battle and risk losing to give civilians time to evacuate, some get [[HeroicBSOD Heroic BSODs]]... it goes on. In the last battle in the manga, [[spoiler:a main character has to murder the population of a planet in order to win. He insists on killing each person individually, to make it as painless as possible, but that doesn't make it any easier for him]].

** There's a scene that subverts this trope in the episode "[[Recap/BabylonFiveS02E21ComesTheInquisitor Comes the Inquisitor]]", when G'Kar and Vir are on an elevator together. When Vir apologizes (for his species' attempted genocide of G'Kar's), G'Kar cuts his palm.

** Averted differently in the "No capes!" sequence. It's played for laughs as a SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome bit to the viewer, but in-universe they're discussing the horrific deaths of lost friends (who also appear at the wedding and on the DVD extras) and Edna is visibly upset.

** [[AvertedTrope Averted]] in Film/AvengersEndgame. The death of half the universe hangs over the heads of every character. When Scott Lang/Ant-Man is trying to figure out what happened (in San Francisco after being stuck in the Quantum Realm), the memorial to the dead has every dead person's name (presumably only those in San Francisco) listed.