History Main / DeathIsDramatic

Thus, if a main character dies in a decidedly undramatic or anti-climactic way, the creators are often accused of having DroppedABridgeOnHim, even if they were [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome shooting for realism]] and trying to subvert the notion that Death Is Dramatic. Typically, "deaths" like that are a major clue that NoOneCouldSurviveThat and that the hero will [[UnexplainedRecovery be back shortly]]. So when such a death turns out to be ''[[KilledOffForReal permanent]]'', the fans feel cheated. This will generally cause a tidal wave of [[HesJustHiding revisionist]] FanFic.

* In ''Film/TheMatrixRevolutions'', Trinity and Neo both receive exaggerated death scenes. Trinity is impaled by metal beams after she crashes a ship into the Machine City, and spends more than five minutes saying her goodbyes to Neo before dying, and as for the title character himself, he is carried away on a metal platform, while other machines look on, because he finally managed to destroy the entire Agent Smith program. Of course he got an overly dramatic death scene. [[FauxSymbolism He's Jesus.]]

* Kaiser Ryo's death via heart failure in ''Anime/YuGiOhGX'' starts with a failed HeroicSacrifice, and as he lays dying, he finally manages to snap Protagonist Juudai out of his HeroicBSOD, something that ''three'' other separate HeroicSacrifices had failed to do. He's given an amazing send-off in the duel beforehand.

This is why the faceless {{Mooks}} and RedShirt characters [[RedshirtArmy die in droves]], while the BigBad gets a [[LastSecondChance second chance]] at [[RedemptionEqualsDeath redemption]], or at least is taken out in the most spectacular blaze of glory the FX budget allows. Main characters get to go out with a bang instead of a whimper, complete with HeroicSacrifice and [[FinalSpeech final dying speech]]. (And then the [[AMillionIsAStatistic reaction is proportional to the drama]].) Unless someone was DistractedFromDeath, anyway.

Related to the RuleOfCool. Reactionary FanFic will usually invoke HesJustHiding. Also related to PlayerDeathIsDramatic where it's a videogame that makes the death of the player character a big deal.

Contrast SurprisinglySuddenDeath and DroppedABridgeOnHim, which don't have the same qualms about portraying death as unexpected and unceremonious. Compare WringEveryLastDropOutOfHim, when a character is on the brink of death, but takes a long while to actually die, and InverseDialogueDeathRule, when important characters take longer to die.

Contrast SurprisinglySuddenDeath and DroppedABridgeOnHim, which don't have the same qualms about portraying death as unexpected and unceremonious. SuperTrope of WringEveryLastDropOutOfHim, which is when a character is on the brink of death, but takes a long while to actually die.

Contrast SurprisinglySuddenDeath and DroppedABridgeOnHim, which don't have the same qualms about portraying death as unexpected and unceremonious. Compare WringEveryLastDropOutOfHim.

[[folder:Film]]

* Averted in the ''Series/{{Dollhouse}}'' finale, when Ballard takes a no-fuss, no-warning stray bullet in a gun battle.

'''As a DeathTrope, all spoilers will be unmarked ahead. Beware.'''

* There's a nice subversion in the ''Series/DoctorWho'' story ''The Caves of Androzani'' where a major character is taken out like a third-rate extra.
** Played straight in the new series episode "Amy's Choice". Amy, Rory, and the Doctor are trapped within two different worlds, one of which is real and one of which is fake, which they switch between at random. In one of these, parasitic aliens called the Eknodines have taken over a bunch of old people. The Eknodines can make people disintegrate by breathing some sort of poisonous gas on them. When they attack a random person, he dies instantly. When they attack Rory, he dies a slow and dramatic death in Amy's arms, which causes her to realize that that was the dream world, because she didn't want to live in a world without Rory. Of course, it turns out that both worlds were dreams.
** The death of Ten. After expressing relief that he survived [[spoiler: the return and banishment of the Time Lords, The Master's SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome]] and a large explosion, the prophecy surrounding The Doctor's death comes true.
-->'''Carmen''': He will knock four times.
-->'''The Doctor''': I could do so much more!
** As the first companion to be KilledOffForReal in 30+ years, companion Clara Oswald's HeroicSacrifice in "Face the Raven" plays this trope to the hilt: The Doctor rages at the woman partially responsible for her impending doom, Clara ponders her fate and gives him a loving speech to motivate him ''not'' to seek revenge, he is driven to tears, they (in their own unique ways) express their love for each other one last time, and finally she heads out to face her fate. The death itself happens in slow motion with no sound effects, just background music.
* In a nice ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' touch, none of Dean's onscreen deaths in ''Mystery Spot'' are dramatic/demonic-related. Especially his final death, where he gets shot by a mugger. No going out in a blaze of glory, it could have been easily prevented and nothing heroic about it whatsoever.

** Played straight and subverted. Joyce and Tara's deaths come out of nowhere. Jenny Calendar's death scene left her fate in doubt until the last second. Buffy's HeroicSacrifice, on the other hand, is much more dramatic - though even that has barely two minutes of buildup.
** Played straight and subverted in the same ''episode'' even. In "Chosen" Spike gets a long, drawn out, dramatic death (which doesn't stick) while Anya gets a quick slice through the torso.
** Mocked thoroughly with [[TheDragon Amilyn]] in the film, who milks his death so hard and so long [[spoiler:BigBad Lothos dies before he does]].

* Usually played straight in ''Literature/WarriorCats'', where AnyoneCanDie, the villains get creative send-offs that combine CruelAndUnusualDeath and SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome, and the heroes always manage an [[TearJerker emotional]] FinalSpeech before they expire, sometimes by HeroicSacrifice. However, this was subverted by Hollyleaf, who after several chapters of a [[SanitySlippage massive psychological breakdown]] is [[DroppedABridgeOnHim suddenly killed off by a rockslide]]. However, general fan consensus is that she is NotQuiteDead.
** [[spoiler:She wasn't dead.]]
** Another notable subversion occurs in ''Bluestar's Prophecy'', where some important characters simply expire between chapters.

Related to the RuleOfCool and KillEmAll. Reactionary FanFic will usually invoke HesJustHiding. Also related to PlayerDeathIsDramatic where it's a videogame that makes the death of the player character a big deal.

* Averted in [[Anime/FullmetalAlchemist the 2003 anime version]] of ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'': In the penultimate episode, Edward dies an extremely quick and wholly undramatic death at the hands of Envy (despite being brought back in the next episode).

* In ''Anime/LegendOfGalacticHeroes'', important characters who die tend to die dramatically, such as [[spoiler: Siegfried Kircheis]]. However, there are subversions as well, most notably [[spoiler: Yang Wen-li, who bleeds to death alone after being shot by an unnamed cultist, and Reinhard von Lohengramm, who ends up succumbing to a ''disease''.]]

Contrast SurprisinglySuddenDeath and DroppedTheBridgeOnHim, which don't have the same qualms about portraying death as unexpected and unceremonious. Compare WringEveryLastDropOutOfHim.

Contrast SurprisinglySuddenDeath, which doesn't have the same qualms about portraying death as unexpected and unceremonious. Compare WringEveryLastDropOutOfHim.

[[folder:Comicbooks]]

[[folder: FanWorks]]

->''"Margaret Sullavan was a star whose deathbed scenes were one of the great joys of the Golden Age of movies. Sullivan never simply kicked the bucket. She made speeches, as she lay dying; and she was so incredibly noble that she made you feel like an absolute twerp for continuing to live out your petty life after she'd ridden on ahead, to the accompaniment of the third movement of Brahm's First Symphony."''

Contrast SurprisinglySuddenDeath, which doesn't have the same qualms about portraying death as unexpected and unceremonious.

Thus, if a main character dies in a decidedly undramatic or anti-climactic way, the creators are often accused of having DroppedABridgeOnHim, even if they were [[RealityEnsues shooting for realism]] and trying to subvert the notion that Death Is Dramatic. Typically, "deaths" like that are a major clue that NoOneCouldSurviveThat and that the hero will [[UnexplainedRecovery be back shortly]]. So when such a death turns out to be ''[[KilledOffForReal permanent]]'', the fans feel cheated. This will generally cause a tidal wave of [[HesJustHiding revisionist]] FanFic.

* ''Film/TheBaaderMeinhofComplex'' (or Der Baader Meinhof Komplex, depending). A young conservative shoots Rudi Dutschke three times at close range for his communist ideals. The first shot hits Rudi in the temple, knocking him against a wall. He gets up, and is shot a second time, now in the chest. After he falls down, the gunman tries to shoot him in the head, but hits him in the cheek. After the gunman runs away, Rudi spits up blood and then lurches unsteadily down the street muttering nonsensical phrases until he collapses.

* ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' averts this with your entire crew. There are ten ([[DownloadableContent possibly]] twelve) characters besides you and the fellow with PlotArmor, thus their deaths are [[DroppedABridgeOnHim very sudden and not dwelled upon at all]], {{Justified|Trope}} by the fact that you are [[RagtagBunchOfMisfits up to thirteen foot-soldiers]] taking a single frigate to [[StormingTheCastle invade the enormous space station]] from which the designated {{Hero Killer}}s launch attacks using a cruiser [[FrickinLaserBeams armed with a decidedly deadly laser cannon]]. There simply isn't time to mourn in this critical a mission. [[PlayerCharacter Commander Shepard]] is the only member of the crew who can receive a dramatic death, and ''that'' can only occur after the mission has been completed.

[[folder:Videogames]]

* In Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}, this is actually a ''requirement'' for players who have [[RPGMechanicsVerse reached the god-tier]]. They become immortal - unless their death is either just or heroic. Essentially, they're ''only'' allowed to die if it's dramatic. Other than that though, this trope is often averted. Deaths are usually dramatic in context and InUniverse, but the deaths themselves are nearly always undignified and often even comical.