History Main / LikeABadassOutOfHell

* HellHasNewManagement: A character who takes over Hell.
* DevilsJobOffer: A character who gets a job in Hell.
* DemonOfHumanOrigin: A character who becomes a demon in Hell.

* BarredFromTheAfterlife: A character who is kicked out of Hell.

* ToHellAndBack: A character who intentionally journeys into Hell.

* EscapedFromHell: A character who escapes from Hell.

* OrpheanRescue: A character who is rescued from Hell.

->'''Black Mage:''' I'm dead, so this is some kind of egoscopic projection of myself?\\
'''Lord of Hell:''' Correct, but I hardly see what--\\
'''Black Mage:''' So without any fleshy meats to slow me down, how long do you '''really''' think it'll take me to usurp your entire kingdom?\\
''[Beat]''\\
'''Lord of Hell:''' I have the entire legions of Hell at my command.\\
'''Black Mage:''' Enjoy it while you can, skippy.\\
-- ''WebComic/EightBitTheater''
%% One quote per page is sufficient; put the rest of them on the Quote tab.

Even when there's no Clerics around to cast a convenient revive/resurrection spell, even when [[AllDeathsFinal All Deaths Are (otherwise) Final]] ... some customers are just too tough to stay in the afterlife after they've checked out of the land of the living. Hell is supposed to be the ultimate prison, but can ''any'' prison be truly called escape-proof?

There are a few ways in which this can happen:

* '''Fought His Way Out:''' The guy proves to be [[VideoGame/{{Doom}} too tough for Hell to contain]] and breaks himself out, carving a bloody path through TheLegionsOfHell (and frequently [[TookALevelInBadass taking a level in badass]] on the way).
* '''Got A Job:''' {{Satan}} recognizes the sheer badassery of the newest customer, and offers him a DealWithTheDevil -- usually by offering him a second chance if only the guy can do a few things for him, like pack and ship a few more souls for his collection (although sometimes the task is more [[CelestialBureaucracy bureaucratic]] in nature). This has a good chance of [[FaustianRebellion backfiring on the Devil]]... even though the devil [[GenreBlind should know better already]].
* '''Kicked Out:''' He's such a monster that [[EvenEvilHasStandards even Beelzebub doesn't want him around]]... and since {{Heaven}} obviously won't accept him, he's unceremoniously kicked out of {{Hell}} and BarredFromTheAfterlife. [[TheProblemWithFightingDeath This can result]] in a FlyingDutchman situation, but the stories where this happens rarely explore the consequences that far ahead.
* '''Took Over:''' Satan doesn't want the guy in Hell because [[EvilerThanThou the guy will freakin' TAKE OVER]]. Or maybe he already has -- Hell needed a change of leadership anyway, and this guy provides it! Exactly what happens to the previous boss often isn't explored, but whatever the case may be, the BigBad just got bigger.
* '''Forced To Take Over The Job:''' Something of a combination of the second and fourth. The hero just wanted to get rid of the Ultimate BigBad, really. But in the spirit of HeWhoFightsMonsters and YouKillItYouBoughtIt, is seems that AsLongAsThereIsEvil demands that there always be an Ultimate BigBad. Thus, the next qualified applicant is the hero that slew the old one, whether they like it or not. Rarely, they TakeAThirdOption and go to breaking the laws of the universe. This would best be hit with a TheEnd to the story to save the FridgeLogic.

Related to the FlyingDutchman and TooSpicyForYogSothoth. If it's the heroes taking a voluntary trip into Hell to wreak some havoc, it's ToHellAndBack (and possibly a BrutalBonusLevel, if it happens in a VideoGame.) Often happens with a hero who's committed a FaustianRebellion. Compare OutOfTheInferno, with which it sometimes overlap. It can also happen if TheHero somehow ends up accidentally getting sent there.

Not to be confused with a BatOutOfHell or Music/{{Meat Loaf}}'s album ''Bat Out of Hell''.

----
!Examples:

[[foldercontrol]]

!!Fought His Way Out

[[folder: Anime & Manga ]]
* In ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'', the Skull Knight did this upon [[spoiler: rescuing Guts and Casca from the Godhand and their Apostles during the Eclipse]]. Having a sword that can [[spoiler:slice through dimensions]] definitely helps.
* This is basically the plot of the 4th ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'' movie.
* At the end of ''Manga/GreatTeacherOnizuka'', [[spoiler:Onizuka]].
* In ''Manga/KingOfThorn'', [[spoiler:Marco Owen]] is being taken away by TheGrimReaper after deciding BetterToDieThanBeKilled when he changes his mind and decides to go back. He outruns the reaper and returns to his thoroughly-wrecked body. A HeroicSacrifice by another character patches him up, and HesBack.
* In ''Anime/DragonBallZ'', Son Goku lands in [[strike:Hell]] [[{{Bowdlerise}} the Home For Infinite Losers]] after falling from Snake Way. However, it's PlayedForLaughs. Instead of going into total {{Badass}} mode, he uses his superpowers to beat the Oni in [[MundaneUtility sumo matches and games of tag]] in order to be let out.
** In ''Fusion Reborn'', thanks to Janemba imprisoning the Other World Check-In Station, breaking down the borders between the world of the living and the world of the dead, ''every single villain'' the Z-Fighters have ever faced escape Hell. However, while the heroes have trained and become far stronger in the meantime, [[VillainForgotToLevelGrind the villains haven't]], making dispatching them far easier.
** In ''Anime/DragonBallGT'', it happens again, this time thanks to Dr. Gero and Dr. Myuu opening a portal as part of their plot.
* In ''Anime/YuGiOh5Ds'', [[spoiler: a trap sprung by Rudger after Yusei defeats him sends him falling into the Old Momentum generator, and he ends up in a hellish place where he is assaulted by the spirits of everyone who was killed in Zero Reverse. Fortunately for him, one of these spirits is his father, who helps him escape.]]
* In the manga adaptation of the ''VideoGame/{{Kirby}}'' series, Kirby dies and is sent to Hell after eating all the food in Heaven. There he defeats the Devil (played by Nightmare) and makes Hell more "fun", with attractions such as a mountain-of-spikes ring toss and a lake of boiling red wine instead of blood. This becomes obnoxious and Dark Mind is relieved when Kirby leaves (somehow by holding on to the tongue of Gooey).
* In ''Anime/MartianSuccessorNadesico'' ShowWithinAShow ''Gekiganger III'', Jou suddenly appears from Hell in the final episode, piloting Gekiganger III and giving Gekiganger V a Gekigan Blade to perform a final attack to destroy all evil. Akito officially makes this the worst episode of the bunch and drives home the fact that [[spoiler:using the series (any series) as basis for life is pretty dumb]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Comic Books ]]
* Comicbook/GhostRider does this [[MemeticBadass about every five seconds]]. Indeed, this was the first thing Johnny Blaze's Rider did in the first issue of his 2006 series.
* Lobo.
* Doctor Doom was such a badass, he fought his way ''into'' of Hell and then back out in ''Triumph and Torment'', managing to get his ally Comicbook/DoctorStrange out with him [[spoiler:and rescue his mother's soul]].
** And again after the end of the ''Unthinkable'' arc. About five minutes after, in fact, due to the concurrently occurring [[ComicBook/TheMightyThor Ragnarok]] punching a hole through Hell.
* {{Wolverine}} has been sent to Hell in the first story of his recent ongoing series. He managed to escape with the help of ComicBook/AlphaFlight member Puck, who was there for some reason. Puck ended up taking over Hell after he and Logan killed the devil. He later gives up his position to get back to life and save his teammates.
* In ''Comicbook/IronMan: Legacy of Doom'', Doctor Doom betrays Tony and traps him in [[{{Hell}} Mephisto's Realm]], where Mephisto declares that Tony will be trapped there '''''[[LargeHam FOREVER]]!''''' Tony's response to this is to fight off both the minions of hell and [[ShapeShifterGuiltTrip a demonic apparition of his father]], and then use the power of [[ScienceHero technology]] to escape. All in the span of about thirty minutes, which may or may not set some sort of record where {{Badass Normal}}s are concerned.
-->'''Mephisto:''' I ''hate'' it when that happens. Really.
* In ''Comicbook/{{Aquaman}}'', near the end of Peter David's run, Triton has killed Poseidon and is kicking the crap out of Aquaman and friends. Aquaman lets Triton kill him, so he can get to the afterlife. Once there, he decks Charon, rallies the souls who didn't have boatfare, jacks Charon's boat, runs Charon over with his own boat, storms the literal Gates of Hell, cuts off one of Cerberus' heads, marches right up to Pluto and demands Poseidon back, ultimately convincing Hades with a very solid BatmanGambit. On his way out, Cerberus is back, and Aquaman has just one word for the titanic guardian of the underworld: [[spoiler: "Stay."]]
* ''ComicBook/GodzillaInHell'' has Godzilla drop into Hell and try to fight his way through demonic versions of his old foes and TheLegionsOfHell and the The Legions of Heaven and Hell itself. [[spoiler: Godzilla destroys them all and makes it back to Earth.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Fan Works]]
* In ''DragonballZ'' FanFic/HonorTrip, this is averted in a ''very'' satisfying way with [[spoiler: Future]] Cell in Chapter 49. He tries to escape, but is initially stopped by [[AlmightyJanitor Enma Daimaou]], & immediately after is on the receiving end of a 3-way NoHoldsBarredBeatdown from the heroes.
* Happens in the ''FanFic/PonyPOVSeries'' when [[spoiler:Fluttercruel finds herself being judged by a JuryOfTheDamned, who sentences her to lose her sentience. She realizes Fluttershy still needs her help to be saved from the darkness and refuses to fade away until she's [[TheAtoner made amends for causing her]] StartOfDarkness [[NiceJobBreakingItHero in the first place]]. She has to fight her way out of the court, getting clawed up pretty bad in the process, to make it back to the world of the living to make her BigDamnHeroes moment and help the Mane Cast save Fluttershy from herself.]]
** Ironically, in the [[BadFuture Dark World]], [[spoiler: that timeline's version of Fluttercruel has to fight off a Thestral that tried to escort her to Pony Hell after Rarity killed her, feeding it it's own wings, then [[BodySurf possessing]] Sparkler. Since, as stated below, Chaos Verse!Fluttercruel also ended up having to escape Oblivion (with her father Discord's help), this means ''every'' known Fluttercruel has done this at least once.]]
* Happens as well in the spin-off ''Fanfic/PonyPOVSeriesChaosVerse''. Discord goes to Oblivion in "Not One Of A Kind" to save Fluttercruel and makes it back out again.
** [[spoiler: [[BigBad Nightmare Phobia]] is killed by Discord and Fluttercruel and goes to Oblivion, but pretty much ''eats'' the Shadows of Oblivion to go OneWingedAngel and escapes.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Film]]
* John Milton of ''Film/DriveAngry'' breaks out of Hell to rescue his granddaughter. Toyed with, as after he finishes this, [[spoiler:he is willingly taken back without a fight. Though he comments that he'll break out again.]]
* ''Film/LittleNicky'': Satan's oldest sons aren't happy that he thinks they're too aggressive to succeed him in [[BalanceBetweenGoodAndEvil balancing good and evil in the universe]], so they freeze Hell, starve their dad of condemned souls, and decide to corrupt Earth into a new Hell.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* ''Literature/JirelOfJoiry'', the first pulp fantasy heroine, fought her way out of Hell. [[spoiler:Repeatedly, in several variations.]]
* ''Literature/IncarnationsOfImmortality'': When Satan tricks Mym, the Incarnation of War, into Hell to keep him out of the way while he enacts his plans, he successfully leads a revolt.
* This is how really powerful undead are created in the ''Literature/OldKingdom'' series. The farther down into the afterlife they fight their way back from, the stronger they are when they pop out and find a body to possess.
* A major part of the plot of Alan Campbell's ''Literature/DeepgateCodex'' trilogy.
* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrowing_of_Hell Jesus might count as this.]]
** At the very least, he qualified as having done this in ''Literature/TheDivineComedy'' - At several points, references to the Harrowing of Hell are made by residents, and Dante sees the level of destruction that was done by Jesus at a few points.
** In the ''Literature/The Bible'', Jesus is closer to the Took Over scenario, [[UpToEleven Up to Eleven]], with a side order of [[BeenThereDoneThat Been There, Done That]], which he also takes [[UpToEleven Up to Eleven]]: he never had to actually do anything to take over hell, because he was already in charge of the place (Acts 10:42, 2nd Timothy 4:1, see also John 10:18) from the beginning, by virtue of having created it, along with the rest of the universe (John 1:3).
* Satan himself had to escape from Hell before he could truly rule it in Milton's ''Literature/ParadiseLost'', doing so by making a bargain with Sin and Death, who had been placed there to guard the exit.
* In the fifth book of ''Literature/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians'', Percy and Nico go 'downstairs' [[spoiler:to take a dive in the River Styx.]] When Hades finds Percy, he is pretty pissed. Using his new badass upgrade, Percy hacks through the legions of the Underworld and ends up ''threatening the lord of the dead''.
* Even better in the sequel series ''Literature/TheHeroesOfOlympus''. [[spoiler: Nico di Angelo manages to escape ''Tartarus'' in "Mark of Athena", and later Percy and Annabeth fall down there as well. They fight through the Greek mythological hell pit and manage to escape!]] It's as terrifyingly awesome as it sounds.
* In ''Literature/SandmanSlim'' by Richard Kadrey, the main character is a modern-day magician, betrayed and sent to hell where he kills countless demons in the fighting pits until he is recruited as an assassin of demon lords and ultimately escapes. The book begins when he first returns to earth, [[TookALevelInBadass looking for revenge]].
* In ''Literature/{{Pact}}'' this is a standard origin for Revenants, the restless dead, who are driven to return to earth by ThePowerOfHate no matter how many times they are killed. Bogeymen have a similar origin; generally victims of catastrophes or those who have otherwise been forgotten and slipped through the cracks of society and the world, they end up trapped in the Drains, an EldritchLocation where they are ground down to the most basic aspects of their being and then claw their way back to the real world.
* Within the first thirty pages of the first book of the ''Literature/TomoeGozenSaga'', Tomoe dies and fights her way back up from Yomi.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Live Action Television ]]
* In ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'', [[spoiler:John Winchester]] seizes the opportunity to claw his way out of Hell when [[spoiler:the Hell Gate opens]] during the season 2 finale.
* [[spoiler:Buffy]] does this in the third season of ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', though as hells go, this one was more like Satanic factory than eternal fire, and it did have a simple two way door.
* [[HeelFaceRevolvingDoor Cole]] from ''Series/{{Charmed}}'' manages to escape hell by [[PowerCopying absorbing the powers of other fallen demons]] until he became {{Nigh Invulnerab|ility}}le, even becoming able to kill the massive worm that feasted on the souls of the damned there. Unfortunately for him, since his newly-obtained powers were [[BadPowersGoodPeople evil by nature]], Phoebe, the woman he loved and married, ended up divorcing from him because he now brought her more harm than good, leaving him [[ICannotSelfTerminate unable to even kill himself]] out of the grief.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Mythology]]
* Myth/ClassicalMythology: Hercules was such a badass, he actually went to Hell (well, the Underworld, which was Hell for anyone who'd done something bad) to cause trouble on his own, got away with it, and may have done so ''twice''.
** The first time he didn't have a choice. His Twelfth Labor required him to kidnap Cerberus and bring the hound back alive. Hades let him try on one condition - he had to do so unarmed. He actually did it. (And compared to what Hercules did to a lot of other monsters, Cerberus got off lucky.) While he was there, he rescued his cousin Theseus, who Hades had bound to a bench along with his friend Pirithoos as punishment for trying to kidnap Persephone. (Theseus was only guilty by association, so Hades was willing to let him go.)
** The second time - though this isn't always agreed upon - was when he wrestled [[TheGrimReaper Thanatos]] to save the soul of Queen Alcestis, a brave woman who sacrificed herself so her husband, Hercules's friend King Admetus, could live. (This may have actually happened on Earth and not the afterlife, but since the myth always claims that Thanatos had already taken Alcestis' soul, it is possible.) Whatever the case, Heracles was successful this time too.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Music]]
* Music/{{Gwar}} in Beyond Hell.
* "[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvAmUKgH7HI Hell]]" by Music/{{Disturbed}}
* Music/{{Alestorm}}, ''The Huntmaster.
--> Out of the bowels of hell he sailed
--> Wielding a tankard of freshly brewed ale
* The Dark Avenger from Manowar's "Dark Avenger".
* The main character from Slayer's "Raining Blood".
* Music/{{Gustav Mahler}}'s first Symphony details the life of a hero, including his funeral in the third movement. The final movement is him fighting his way out of hell to ascend to heaven.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Tabletop Games ]]
* This may be possible in the D&D setting ''TabletopGame/{{Eberron}}''. The first stage of the afterlife (no one knows about what comes after you've faded away there) is simply another plane. A plane that will quickly sap you of the will necessary to leave it and has lots of powerful guardians, but a regular plane nevertheless. And considering the setting's pulpy larger-than-life attitude towards heroes...
** D&D 4 has this as one of its Epic Destinies. Most destinies can cheat death in some way, but perhaps the coolest variant is the Dark Wanderer. At a certain level, he can travel within 24 hours to any location from any other location - explicitly including the afterlife.
* Characters of the TabletopGame/OldWorldOfDarkness game ''TabletopGame/WraithTheOblivion'' can under certain circumstances claw their way back into the lands of the living as Risen. Even though they just reek of ''Franchise/TheCrow'', the white face paint is not obligatory.
** This is how the [[TabletopGame/KindredOfTheEast Kuei-jin]] are born. They are souls condemned to the Thousand Hells who've fought their way back into their (or sometimes, someone else's) bodies, only to become a sort of chi vampire.
** In the TabletopGame/NewWorldOfDarkness, [[TabletopGame/MageTheAwakening death masters and archmasters]] are famous for kicking down the doors and walking back out with reinforcements after they've technically (due to previous fiddling with death/life/time magic) or actually (with pure death magic, cheating and willpower) died.
* Sigmar Heldenhammer in ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'' Fantasy Battles did this when he entered the afterlife (which isn't really hell) was attacked by an army of daemons, summoned an army of spirit warriors and got out.
** While never actually entering the realm of chaos, Volkmar the Grim was killed, brought back to life and tied to a demon banner and carried around by a demonic legion. Then he breaks loose and slaughters demons with his magical chains.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Video Games ]]
* Inverted in ''VideoGame/CaveStory''. You've just penetrated through Hell, killed what is basically Wizard-Satan, and then... Balrog jumps into hell (he's known for an unexplained ability to get anywhere) to rescue you in the nick of time, to fly away, onto the Good Ending! Huzzah!
* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' Sepiroth comes back after refusing to die and return to the planet.
* Kratos did this in ''VideoGame/GodOfWar'', and again near the beginning of ''God of War II'' - although that time, he wasn't really ALL the way down there before he turned around and clawed his way back out again.
** ''God of War: Chains of Olympus'' had him [[spoiler: do this with the Greek equivalent to hell ''and heaven'', though this was a semi-deliberate act, since he was charged by the gods to find Helios (god of the sun), and Hades was where his search led him. It fits, instead of being just a ToHellAndBack scenario, as he's killed ''by Charon'' shortly after arriving]].
** At least in the first ''God of War'', this is {{justified|Trope}} because Kratos has the blessings of the gods, including Hades himself, as all the Olympians are united that Ares must be stopped. Presumably, Hades allows Kratos to leave if he can make his way to the border with the mortal world. Plus, even in real Greek mythology, several heroes walk in and out of Hades.
** And let's not forget the Barbarian King, who beat up the guards of hell with his giant hammer and rode out the gates on his fleshy fire horse. I don't care if he is the man who made Kratos what he is today; I felt sorry having to send him back to Hades.
** Kratos does this once again in ''God of War III'', this time [[spoiler:making sure to kill Hades.]] By this point Kratos doesn't even seem remotely concerned about finding himself dead; it's not like it has ever bothered him yet.
* Godot in ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' claims that he has 'come back from Hell to do battle' with Phoenix Wright. Given the potential for ghosts and spirit channeling in the series, he might well be telling the truth. [[spoiler: Although he actually just came out of a five year poison-induced coma.]]
* The Marine from ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'' gets honorable mention here. He dies at the end of the first episode. Three episodes later, he finds a portal back to Earth as the ending text says he was "too tough for Hell to contain".
** Moreover, in the sequel the Marine goes back to Hell and puts the lord of evil, as well as Hell itself, out of business for good, wondering afterwards where bad people go when they die.
** The {{Nintendo 64}} installment of the game has the Marine going to Hell a third time, and this time ''[[YouKillItYouBoughtIt staying there]]'' to ensure no more invasions from [[TheLegionsOfHell its legions]].
* A way to do LevelGrinding in the old [[AppleMacintosh Mac]] game ''VideoGame/TaskMaker''. When you die, you have to make your way through a fiery maze in FireAndBrimstoneHell without your weapons back to the living, while avoiding respawning devils. ....however, you get sent to Hell [[WhatTheHellPlayer if you "cast a spell" with a swear word in it.]] (Or use an item like a Hell Scroll or Adam's Apple that RandomlyDrops). Ironically you get to keep your weapons in this case, and you ''can'' fire a weapon through the fire "walls" and the devils don't go through them. If you hit a devil with a boomerang enough times, they'll die....
* In the first ''[[VideoGame/WildArms1 Wild ARMs]]'' game, Metal Demon (in this case, it refers to a cyborg alien) Boomerang is killed defending the heroes by his fellow Metal Demons. But he comes back in the MonsterArena as a BonusBoss. He explains that he fought his way from Hell. In the original, he turned his patron deity Guardian of Desire into a sword, in the remake it's summon magic like the other Guardians.
* This is how the first and second ''VideoGame/KidIcarus'' games start -- Pit has fallen into Hades and must fight his way back up.
* Playing as a Lost Soul in the {{roguelike}} ''VideoGame/TalesOfMajEyal'', one has to fight their way from the Halls of the Dead. It's...very unlikely that you succeed, but if you do, you'll be WELL on your way to leveling up enough to beat the game.
* [[Franchise/MortalKombat Scorpion]] initially fell under version 2, when he made a deal for revenge. Since then, however, whenever he dies, he just claws his way back out, presumably under version 1, with knowledge of the path out that he was given before. Johnny Cage is a special version. He didn't so much claw his way out of hell as he followed Scorpion out once.
* In ''VideoGame/LegendOfMana'', the player character has to fight their way out of the Underworld each time they go there (though the last "obstacle" is just a friendly Shadole who offers you a free ride back to the world of the living), and also manages to ''prevent'' a BigBad from making his takeover of the place permanent.
* An interesting heroic case in ''VideoGame/SuperPaperMario'': Mario and friends are thrown into the afterlife, and Mario fights his way in the Underwhere to find his brother Luigi. Queen Jaydes, who is not actually an evil person, allows them to return to the living world, and the duo continue to Chapter 7, which is... you guessed it, the afterlife again; but this time Mario and Luigi have to find Bowser, who is imprisoned in the Underwhere, and Peach, who is somewhere in the [[FluffyCloudHeaven Overthere]].
* The player characters in ''VideoGame/GuildWars Nightfall'' sort of do this in the Realm of Torment. While they do not try to fight their way out at first, they do fight to free some spirits, and find some help against the BigBad. [[spoiler: They eventually succeed at defeating, and replacing, the bigBad, replacing him with a non-evil version, making this also an example of Taking Over]]
* The Bannor in the ''VideoGame/{{Civilization}} 4'' mod ''VideoGame/FallFromHeaven'' have this as a backstory.
* Ryu Hayabusa of ''VideoGame/NinjaGaiden'' is an interesting example. His clan being responsible for preventing hell from taking over, he spends a lot of time fighting his way INTO hell and BACK OUT again.
* [[spoiler: [[TragicVillain Ammon]] [[DiskOneFinalBoss Jerro]]]] from ''VideoGame/NeverwinterNights2'' is implied to have done this after [[spoiler: having been killed in a battle with the King of Shadows many years ago.]] It helps that he already had several demons from the lower hells under his control, though.
* Played with in ''VideoGame/GuitarHero III''. [[spoiler:Your band's manager is actually [[LouisCypher Satan]], and your contract states that your soul now belongs to him. Cue rocking out in Hell like nothing happened, followed by a [[AwesomeMusic guitar duel]] with an enraged (and probably jealous) Satan. You win, the stage collapses, and [[RuleOfCool your band flies up to Heaven. On motorcycles.]]]]
* To quote [[spoiler: Sarevok]] from ''VideoGame/BaldursGate'', "I swore I would scratch and crawl my way back into the world of the living, and I. HAVE. DONE IT!! HAHAHAHA!!!". Not mention getting killed TWICE before doing this.
** Also, [[spoiler:the PlayerCharacter themselves is sucked into Hell when they kill the BigBad of the second game. S/he promptly proceeds to kick the ass of everyone in his/her way, kills the BigBad DeaderThanDead, and marches out.]]
* ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'': in Halloween of 2011, a second boss monster was introduced called MONOCULUS! who had the power to drag nearby players into the underworld. Luckily the underworld is only about 100 square feet, and if you can reach the exit before your health is drained (or before victims on the other team kill you) you escape back to the mortal realm with full health and temporary invincibility, damage, and speed buffs.
* ''You'' do this in ''VideoGame/NeverwinterNights: Hordes of the Underdark''.
* Happens in ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'' whenever you venture into the Nether.
* In ''VideoGame/DonaldInMauiMallard'', everyone's favorite hothead, Donald Duck (oh, [[ExecutiveMeddling sorry]], Maui Mallard), gets DraggedOffToHell when a life is lost. When out of lives, he uses his pistol to blast his way out to the continue screen.
* In ''VideoGame/LufiaCurseOfTheSinistrals'', when Idura threatens to pull the party through a portal into a hellish dimension, Dekar makes an HeroicSacrifice and pulls Idura along with him. Dekar not only fights his way out, but ''destroys the entire dimension'' while doing so and shows up just when Bound Kingdom needs him the most.
* A mechanic in ''VideoGame/{{Dominions}}'', as units banished to Kokytos or the Infernal plains have a chance of escaping, either through power or just plain luck.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Webcomics]]
* In ''Webcomic/{{Narbonic}}'', the minor character Seth is dragged into hell by a visiting demon. Several years later, he returns when a gate is opened into the beyond. Apparently, [[TookALevelInBadass he's picked up SEVERAL levels in badass]] on the way. Not to mention a really big axe.
* While she wasn't in "Hell", Morganna, the mystical BigBad of the webserial ''Literature/TheDescendants'' managed after falling into [[AnotherDimension Faerie]]. She mustered an army by defeating and cowing various creatures until she had a big enough army to challenge the local demons -- who decided to cut a deal with her.
* Not technically Hell, but in ''Webcomic/TheAdventuresOfDrMcNinja'', Dr. [=McNinja=] fights his way out of the afterlife [[spoiler: by double-teaming Death with the dual manifestations of his doctor and ninja personas.]]
* In ''Webcomic/{{Sinfest}}'', [[ShrinkingViolet Criminy]] braves the depths of hell, just to be with his girlfriend, the [[HornyDevils succubus]] [[HeelFaceTurn Fuchsia]]. [[{{Satan}} The Devil]] almost gets him, but...[[http://www.sinfest.net/view.php?date=2010-10-03 Punch it, Forky!]]
* Parodied in ''Webcomic/ProblemSleuth'', where upon dying, characters are sent to the Afterlife (where they play various board games with Death), which they can simply [[DeathIsASlapOnTheWrist open the door to and return to the land of the living]], no "Fighting your way out" required (although [[spoiler: Bumblebee Prof.]] gets sent to a different afterlife that doesn't seem escapable, and a more traditional FireAndBrimstoneHell is shown at some point). Later on, [[spoiler:the door gets blocked, preventing any further escapes]].
* [[http://i.imgur.com/8HtMYQZ.jpg Well, close enough.]] (Found uncredited on Imgur.)
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* In April Fool's episode of ''WebAnimation/IfTheEmperorHadATextToSpeechDevice'', [[spoiler:Horus]] returns from the dead to [[spoiler:kill his father, this time for good]].
-->''My undying wish to destroy you allowed me to return!''
[[/folder]]

!!Got A Job

[[folder: Anime & Manga ]]
* LittleMissBadass Ai Enma from ''Anime/HellGirl''. [[spoiler: During her dying breath, she cursed the villagers that sacrificed her and her parents to their mountain gods. That same night, she came back to life and burned the whole village down, killing everyone in it. After that, she was sent to hell, and the Lord of Hell forced her to take the job of Hell Girl or else she and her loved ones would suffer in hell eternally. The job comes with a powerful set of powers, and over the course of 400 years she gains enough mastery of it to be able to confront the Lord of Hell, as seen in the end of Season 1. She manages to get off the job at the end of Season 2... and after a complicated set of events, takes the job back at the end of Season 3.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Comic Books ]]
* Occasionally this has happened to a Comicbook/GhostRider, though not usually by their own will in the main series, such as with Johnny Blaze and Zarathos. In the UltimateUniverse though, being the Devil's bounty hunter is the Ghost Rider's default.
* The man who would become the Saint of Killers from ''Comicbook/{{Preacher}}'' went to Hell for shooting through a hostage -- but his hatred was so cold that it froze the flames to ice. [[{{Determinator}} The Devil couldn't stop his hatred]] -- so instead, [[TheGrimReaper the Angel of Death]], who was never really cut out for being The Reaper, makes a deal: the man will become the Saint of Killers, taking over the Angel's job, and leave Hell in order to serve as Heaven's enforcer. The Angel's sword is melted down and forged by the Devil into a pair of Walker Colt revolvers that will never miss, never inflict anything less than a lethal wound, and never have their hammers fall on empty chambers... And thus, the Saint of Killers is born. As he leaves hell, he [[spoiler: kills the Devil himself]]!
** As well as [[spoiler: all the angels in heaven, Genesis, and Almighty GOD]] to boot!
--> '''The Saint:''' [[BadassBoast There ain't worse than me in all of Hell.]] [[PreMortemOneLiner Go 'an look.]]
* ''Comicbook/{{Spawn}}'' struck a DealWithTheDevil to get back out. Numerous retcons make it hard to get the details straight, though.
** FridgeLogic: Isn't a DealWithTheDevil ''supposed'' to be a convoluted, hard to grasp contract that is anything but airtight and can be interpreted in any number of (in)convenient ways?
* Anton Arcane from ''Comicbook/SwampThing''. He brought several other damned souls out with him, although it's unclear if they were likewise allowed to return, or just hitched a ride to ''sneak'' out.
* In ''[[Franchise/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica JLA]]: Comicbook/TheNail'', the Joker returns from Hell, complete with new infernal powers, to try to drag Batman back with him. He almost did, too, except... well, he's Franchise/{{Batman}}.
** Batman was saved by the spirits of Robin and Batgirl, who due to the break down in the dimensional barriers also were freed long enough to rescue their mentor and break him out of his Heroic BSOD over their tortured murders before his eyes. It was also in the sequel, Another Nail, that that occurred.
* Happens as a major plot point in the 1990's ''Comicbook/{{Vampirella}}'', where Vampirella is killed and ends up in Hell, which is fortunately ruled by her mother Lilith, who gives her a mission to fight vampires on Earth just before she is killed. (This was a mild retcon, since Lilith was recently killed, but this implied that she had been in Hell all along and didn't get there recently.)
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fanfiction]]
* In the ''Literature/GoodOmens'' fic ''Fanfic/ParadiseThwarted'', the sequel to ''FanFic/ManchesterLost'', [[spoiler: when [[TheAntiChrist Adam]] is killed, he ends up getting a job in hell. He didn't have a hard time getting the position, though]].
-->'''Satan:''' *''sneer''* It's you.
-->[[spoiler:'''Adam:''']] *''sigh''* Listen. If I'm gonna be stuck down here, I might as well make myself useful.
-->'''Satan:''' We have the position of "Prince of Hell" still open.
-->'''[[spoiler: Adam:]]''' Brilliant.
* In the ''Manga/DeathNote'' fic ''Fanfic/ThePrinceOfDeath'', Light becomes Prince of the Shinigami Realm.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Film]]
* In ''Film/DeadInTombstone'', Satan releases Guerrero from Hell with a promise to return him to life he can deliver the souls of his six betrayers to Hell within 24 hours. At the end of the film, Guerrero [[spoiler:fails to meet his deadline by two minutes. Satan allows him to remain on Earth so long as he continues to send the souls of outlaws to Hell]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* In Kenneth Oppel's ''Literature/{{Silverwing}}'' series, the cannibal bat Goth is sent back to Earth to re-teach the living cannibal bats about Cama Zotz. May be a slight inversion in that he's not quite sent back by Zotz himself, just told about the two living bats in the Underworld so that he can kill one to take the life into himself and live again.
* In Creator/AnneRice's ''[[Literature/TheVampireChronicles Memnoch the Devil]]'', Lestat is given a tour of the history of mankind and the afterlife, including Heaven and Hell. In Hell, the Devil (Memnoch, in case you missed it) [[spoiler:offers him a job as his "right-hand man/vampire". Lestat declines and runs screaming out of Hell]].
* In ''Dilvish, the Damned,'' Creator/RogerZelazny's half-Elvish hero Dilvish inadvertently interrupted a dark ritual. The sorcerer performing it turned his body to stone and banished his soul to Hell ''out of annoyance''. He got out, [[DealWithTheDevil but only with help]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Live Action Television]]
* In ''Series/{{Brimstone}}'', a tough-as-nails cop who went to Hell, for the cold-blooded killing of the man who had raped his wife, is allowed to return to earth to hunt down 113 damned souls who've escaped from Hell...
* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}''.
** Subverted when Dean takes a job and spends ten years torturing souls in Hell, except that a) he doesn't get to leave, b) he's gone through thirty years of torture himself, already, and c) it scars him for life, what with it being the most incredibly angsty show on earth.
** This is how demons are created on the show however - essentially anyone who goes to hell will eventually end up with a job there, as their humanity is stripped away and they become a demon. Dean just got yanked out before he could get proper job security. The quality of the position is pretty directly based on how {{badass}} the person in question is; Hell is a pretty AsskickingEqualsAuthority place, and the only person with a guaranteed spot, Satan, is both [[TailorMadePrison out of circulation]] and an archangel, meaning he outranks the rest of them so totally he could probably ash the whole place alone.
* ''Series/LegendOfTheSeeker'', unlike the [[Literature/SwordOfTruth source material]], has Banelings as dead people the Keeper allows back into the realm of the living, provided that they kill at least one person every day. The first day they don't, he takes them back.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Music]]
* The Music/{{Manowar}} song "Dark Avenger" is the story of a man who was horribly wronged by local village elders, and eventually killed. When he enters Hades, the "Gaurdion of Lost Souls", (voiced by Creator/OrsonWelles) offers him a job. The man is equipped with a magic blade which was forged in brimstone and tempered in the tears of the unavenged dead, as well as a pitch-black horse with flaming eyes to carry him back to Earth the Guardion tells him to "seek payment, not only for thine own anguish, but vindicate the souls of the Unavenged". The song than is told by the Dark Avenger's perspective, which he mostly spends listing the fates of his targets.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Tabletop Games ]]
* In ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'', during the events of the Literature/HorusHeresy, a World Eaters Space Marine [[http://uk.games-workshop.com/chaosspacemarines/kharn/ known as Khârn]] racked up an insane body count during the final siege of the Imperial Palace on Terra. He was killed during the battle, but Khorne, the Chaos God [[GodIsEvil of war, blood and carnage]], was so impressed by his showing that he brought Khârn back to life so he could continue to spill blood and collect skulls. It should probably also be mentioned that Khorne isn't particularly concerned about whose skulls Khârn collects, hence his nickname of "The Betrayer"
** [[http://uk.games-workshop.com/chaosspacemarines/typhus/ Typhus]] and the entirety of the Death Guard are another example. Stricken down with a terrible plague on their way to said final siege of Terra, the entire legion of disease resistant super soldiers is struck down by Nurgle... until Typhus makes a deal. Nurgle restores them to life, with the caveat that they will never be free of their diseases and must spend all of eternity bringing Nurgle's plagues to others.
** And just in case you were thinking that was it, [[http://uk.games-workshop.com/chaosspacemarines/lucius/1/ Lucius the Eternal]] of the Emperor's Children has a similar story. Renowned for both his arrogance and sadism, he was eventually slain, but his god, Slaanesh, approved of his debauchery so highly that he returned him to life, with the curse that anybody who dares kill Lucius will, if they take any pleasure in the deed whatsoever, be transformed into Lucius that he may live again.
** The character of [[http://uk.games-workshop.com/chaosspacemarines/ahriman/ Ahriman]] is slightly similar to the above three examples; however, when Tzeentch picked him to be his herald of Change, he simply 'arranged' matters into giving Ahriman a lifestyle that suited him -- just like he did when he brought the rest of his legion into his fold centuries earlier. Having a MagnificentBastard for a patron deity will do that to you.
** Many of the Primarchs of the Traitor Legions; after fleeing into the Eye of Terror (Hell on Earth... in Space) they were "promoted" to Daemon Princes.
* In the ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' ''TabletopGame/{{Planescape}}'' setting, when you die, you become a petitioner on the Outer Plane most suited to your alignment, and lose all memories of your previous existence. However, many petitioners who are sent to Baator (LawfulEvil Hell) and the Abyss (ChaoticEvil Hell) are selected (essentially at random) to join TheLegionsOfHell as the diabolic or demonic equivalent of privates. From there, it is theoretically possible that if the petitioner is both evil enough and {{Badass}} enough, then he or she could eventually rise up the ranks to become an [[DemonLordsAndArchdevils Archdevil or Demon Lord]]. This is rare, but possible: the demon lord Orcus began his career as a lowly dretch, and he's now the second or third (depends who you ask) most powerful being in the Abyss.
* In ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'', the Solars of the First Age were killed off in the Usurpation because many of them had become mad, monstrously inhuman tyrants, the rest weren't far behind, and they were ''getting worse''. The ghosts of thirteen of them are now the Deathlords, one of the most dire threats contemporary Creation has ever known.
** In the Shard known as Burn Legend, Yamajin come about when an Akuma is killed and proves him or herself worthy to the Yomi Kings in the Thousand Hells. They get spiffy new moves, including the option to go OneWingedAngel, at the trivial expense of having their presence in an area gradually taint it with Hellish energies. But hey, who cares about that when you can hit like a tank?
** Also shows up as a possible option in ''Return of the Scarlet Empress'' for [[spoiler: the [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen Scarlet Empress]] herself. In this option, the Empress dies, but the [[EldritchAbomination Neverborn]] were so impressed with her that they decided to turn her into a Deathlord when she became a ghost.]] This isn't the only option, however. See "Other" for the other option.
* All player characters in ''TabletopGame/GeistTheSinEaters'' are this version of the trope. They are pacted and merged with super-ghosts because they were too hard-assed, too willful, or just insufficiently partied out to stay dead. And now they get to take it out on non-superpowered ghosts.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Video Games ]]
* Kain from the ''VideoGame/LegacyOfKain'' series struck a deal with a necromancer to escape hell, and was returned to Nozgoth as a vampire for it.
** And in the sequel ''Soul Reaver'', his childe Raziel strikes a similar deal with the Elder God and returns as a soul-devouring apparition.
*** And then Kain does it ''again'' in ''Defiance'', after Raziel [[spoiler: rips his heart out]]. This time without anybody's help.
* ''VideoGame/KidIcarus'' gives us Medusa. Goddess of Darkness, [[DrunkOnTheDarkSide completely wasted]], [[EvilIsSexy hot as hell]] and gets kicked there. Then she allies herselves with the forces of Hades themselves and traps Pit - giving him a chance to pull a type 1 (see above).
* Subverted in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII''; Hades offers Auron out if he kills Hercules. His response?
-->'''Auron''': This is my story and you're not part of it.
-->'''Hades''': Did you forget who you're talking to! I am the Lord of the dead!
-->'''Auron''': [[DeadpanSnarker No wonder no one wants to die.]]
** [[spoiler: And then he gets out anyway]], I mean, how BadAss is that?
* [[spoiler: [[TheStarscream Lord Brigan]]]] from ''VideoGame/OdinSphere'' was released from the underworld by Odette [[spoiler: to possess Odin]] after [[spoiler: Gwendolyn killed him]] -- only to be [[spoiler: beaten out of Odin and banished for good by Gwendolyn]].
** [[spoiler:Oswald]] went into Odette's service as well during his brief tenure there (not that he had much choice, what with her owning his soul and all...), [[spoiler:until Odin gave him a better offer]].
* ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIIINocturne'' has a rather interesting example. [[spoiler: Rather than dying, you have been welcomed into [[{{Hell}} the Labyrinth]] [[BonusLevelOfHell of Amala]] by Lucifer himself, who has a proposal for you, involving destroying the Ten [[TheGrimReaper Incarnations]] [[HorsemenOfTheApocalypse of Death]]. Once you reach a certain level in the Labyrinth and he has given you [[MoreThanMindControl all the info he wants you to have]], he makes you an offer - prove yourself to him, and get a job triggering a Class Z ApocalypseHow by killing God's embodiment in the Vortex World.]] Either way, entering, and more importantly, ''[[NintendoHard breaking out]]'', counts. ''Especially'' if you decide to take on the resident bosses.
* [[spoiler: Judas]] in ''VideoGame/TalesOfDestiny2'' was ''offered'' a job by the resident DarkMessiah, but he [[FaustianRebellion rejected it]] and somehow was just sent back to earth instead of getting shipped back to hell.
* The second half of ''VideoGame/SuperColumbineMassacreRPG'' is about Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold doing this after they killed themselves following [[UsefulNotes/{{Columbine}} their rampage at Columbine High School]]. [[spoiler:At the end, they take on Satan himself, defeat him, and [[DefeatMeansFriendship become his minions]].]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Webcomics]]
* In ''Webcomic/DominicDeegan'',
** When The Infernomancer (aka 'TIM') is sent to Hell by the white magic of Gregory Deegan, he strikes a (new) deal with Karnak to return to the land of the living. Actually, Karnak was bluffing, but TIM didn't know that...
** Lord Siegfried Gunther Aern Damaske von Callan (or Siggy) dies killing the Royal Seer and immediately becomes the lieutenant of Karnak, who had moments before killed every high level demon in Hell, so high-quality damned souls were in high demand.
** Karnak himself, who was a human who averted a war in hell by attacking the Demon of War. He was carried down to hell, became a Demon Lord and eventually after another hell war, King of Hell. The storyline has basically been ignored since then.
*** Karnak did another in which he and Siegfried had a hugely dramatic fight which he ended by doing GrievousHarmWithABody using Siggy as an EpicFlail and a BreakingSpeech, after which Siggy was reduced to a scorched, weeping shell of a thing and Karnak had an epiphany marked by a paraphrase of Rorschach's famous "you're all trapped in here with me" line. There were great revelations and the first redemption of a soul from Hell in extant memory. As an ''unintended side effect'' of Karnak's big speech and provoking his epiphany.
*** Incidentally, we learn here that Karnak didn't grab Siggy just because he was handy and came into circulation then--Karnak has ''huge'' personal beef with the Damaskes. If Siggy's father hadn't decided to massacre his (adopted) clan for fun on the pretext they were holding a human youth prisoner, he'd have been comfortably at home chomping boiled-to-hell roots when the portal to Hell opened, and unavailable for HeroicSacrifice as TheAtoner. Lord Siegfried got to Hell on his own due to being a violent ass who learned hate from his father and murdered orcs to amuse said father when he was a teenager, as well as due to betraying [[TwoGuysAndAGirl one of his best friends with the other]] months before he died when ''keeping faith with them was pretty much his only shot at redemption''...but, you know, we kinda liked him.
* In an odd preemptive version of this trope in ''Webcomic/{{Darken}}'', the main character, Gort, dies on [[http://darkencomic.com/?webcomic_post=20031216 the first page]], killed because he [[http://darkencomic.com/?webcomic_post=20031229 cut a deal]] with Mephistopheles to serve him in exchange for a mortal victory, and then he needed to die so Mephistopheles can put his mark on him before being sent back.
* The titular character of ''TheKarnakHatesEverythingShow'' is the ruler of Hell, having taken that title from the previous ruler, Ohmdalar. In one plotline, a mysterious portal forms, confusing the hell out of the cast until Ohmdalar comes ripping through and takes the place back, banishing Karnak to the void. In a wonderfully-executed double example, Karnak eventually comes back through the same portal, then proceeds to instantly reclaim power using the unstoppable force of a legal document.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Western Animation ]]
* Slade in ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans''. [[spoiler:Then he goes back down into the depths of Hell to steal back his soul.]]
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheBoondocks'' episode "Stinkmeaner Strikes Back", the spirit of Colonel H. Stinkmeaner was released from Hell by Satan (after training himself against Satan's demons, in the process somehow gaining sight and "three-stick nunchucks"), and possessed Tom Dubois to exact vengeance upon the Freemans for killing him. Honestly, this entry could be listed as either "Got a Job" or "Kicked Out" because Satan almost did just that after Stinkmeaner called him a "bitch-ass nigga". Offering him a job was the more sensible way to get him out of his hair.
* Him (who is technically {{Satan}}) in ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls'' brings back the Rowdyruff boys to kill the titular girls.
* "Devil's Feud Cake" was a ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' short composed of footage of previous shorts, all of them involving Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam, put together with story connecting them. The connecting story went as follows: After being sent to Hell after being outfoxed by Bugs, Sam was offered a chance to go back, so long as he sent Bugs there to take his place. After trying and failing several times, Sam got sick of it, and decided he'd rather stay in Hell.
[[/folder]]

!!Kicked Out

[[folder: Anime and Manga ]]
* In ''Anime/MagicalPokaan'', Yuuma is kicked out of Hell after deciding that, since she won't die, she might as well enjoy herself and become extremely obnoxious towards the demons supposed to torture her.
* In ''Manga/SaintSeiya'' Phoenix Ikki mentions that the creatures of Hell don't want to hear about him (after coming back from it)
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Comic Books ]]
* [[RunningGag In the Ghost Rider comics]]: Noble Kale is kicked out of hell for being too benevolent a ruler. He proceeds to [[PowerIncontinence rampage throughout New York]] until Dan Ketch takes control of him and the Ghost Rider is reborn again.
* Lobo, sort of: when he died, Hell protested so much that Heaven took him in, but after five minutes of wild parties, massive damage to angels and property, and ''corrupting anyone in sight'', he was sent to Hell... Where he proceeded to kick the devil and all his demons out first, and accepted leaving only when Heaven brought him back to life.
* Comicbook/HarleyQuinn. In her own title, she was killed and sent to Hell, but was banished from the place due her focus on joy and love. (Clearly, in a place where you're supposed to "Abandon All Hope", the staff doesn't like having someone like that around.)
* Also in Franchise/TheDCU: Karnevil for annoying/freaking out the demons by constantly pointing out better torture methods, and SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker for being the Joker. The villainous Dr. Light was also kicked out after his death in ''Comicbook/SuicideSquad''.
* ''Comicbook/JohnnyTheHomicidalManiac'' didn't fit in in his universe's version of Hell, and Mr. Satan simply said he didn't belong there, and helped him come BackFromTheDead.
* The Saint of Killers from ''Comicbook/{{Preacher}}'' applies here as well. His hate-filled heart was so cold that it literally froze over the fires of Hell and the devil was unable to break him. He simultaneously got kicked out and got a job. [[spoiler: Oh, and on the way out, when Satan threw an insult at his back, The Saint ''[[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu shot and killed the devil himself.]]'']]
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Fan Fiction ]]
* [[StepfordSmiler Zirah]] in the ''Literature/GoodOmens'' FanFic ''FanFic/TheSacredAndTheProfane''
--> ...did he really think a few thousand years on Earth could have changed Zirah? ...[Hastur had] forgotten... that they had kicked Zirah out of Hell because ''they hadn't wanted him there.'' Because everybody was ''scared'' of him.. The way Zirah's face, [[DissonantSerenity oddly angelic even after the Fall]], had looked in the light of the flames. How he'd curl his lip whenever there was a particularly juicy bit of torture going on, and then absent-mindedly tear out some sufferer's voicebox because its screaming was getting on his nerves. Beelzebub, saying, "Fuck, make Zzzzirah go up. Bloke givezzz me the williezz."
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Film]]
* ''Film/TheProphecyII'': Satan decides that Gabriel would cause too much trouble in Hell and kicks him out. "Only room for one of them."
* ''Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean'': Legends say that Captain Barbossa was so evil hell itself spat him back out again. The legend likely arose from the fact the he and all his crew look like skeletal zombies under the light of the full moon. [[spoiler:Amusingly enough, Barbossa is revived from death in the second movie, so one could say that hell indeed spat him back out.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Rango}}'': When told to "go to Hell," Rattlesnake Jake replies, "Where do you think I come from?"
* Though not part of the plot, implied in the title of ''Film/TheDevilsRejects''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* Subverted in one of the [[Literature/{{Discworld}} Tiffany Aching]] books. The Nac Mac Feegles arrive at the river Styx (or Discworld equivalent) and the ferryman doesn't want to take them ''into'' Hell because they were such a pain the last time they were there. But since they're the best six-inch-fighters you'll ever find, he ends up taking them anyway.
* Sinner, a character from the Literature/{{Nightside}} novels, was kicked out of Hell because his presence was ruining the ambiance. He'd sold his soul for true love, found out once he got to Hell that his beloved had been a heartless succubus, yet he still loved ''her'' and was satisfied with his lot... so satisfied, it made a mockery of Hell's purpose.
* The subversion of this trope is the whole point of the the poem ''Tomlinson'' by {{Rudyard Kipling}}. The eponymous character is kicked out of first Heaven, and then Hell, not because he's too evil for hell to bear, but because he's never actually done anything, good or evil, in his life.
--> "Do ye think I should waste my good pit-coal on the hide of a brain-sick fool?"
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Music]]
* The traditional song ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-DytJkA-c4 "Killieburn Brae"]]'' tells the story of a wife who is taken off to Hell by the Devil. On arriving, she sets about all the little devils with her stick, so the Devil carries her back to her husband "...for the likes of herself [they] would not have in hell."
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Mythology and Folklore]]
* There is a fairytale about a badass tailor who had an encounter with your standard Stupid Devil. It ended very painfully for the Devil. When the tailor died and was condemned to hell for badassery, the Devil locked Hell and didn't let him in. Even made it into a folksong, and the variants of the story are so numerous it has its own Aarne-Thompson number.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Newspaper Comics]]
* ''ComicStrip/{{Alex}}'': After being sent to Hell in the "It's a Wonderful Crisis" arc, Alex and Clive are kicked out of Hell making a GFC-sized mess of Hell's Soul Market. The Devil and an archangel undo all of the events starting with Cyrus's suicide so that Alex and Clive never end up there in the first place.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Religion]]
* Jack, as in Jack O'Lantern. After being refused entrance to Heaven, the legend states that Jack tried to enter Hell, but for what he'd managed to do to the devil while alive, he was refused entry. (According to some versions of the legend, Satan was apparently scared he'd trick his way into running the place.) Given that he's barred from both eternal destinations, he wanders the earth, his path lighted by a coal he takes from hell. (Usually is given, sort of 'here, take it, now GET OUT!') The coal, of course, is the light for the titular lantern.
* According to one version, the first thing the bodhisattva Guanyin did upon her first death is to start preaching. Immediately she was converting demons and sending them to the Western Paradise. Lord Yama, the boss down there, was afraid she'd empty the place and told her to go back to the world of the living.
* JR "Bob" Dobbs, leader of the Church of the SubGenius, has died many times, and has escaped from Hell every time. How many times? He's returned to life so often, every day of the year is his birthday.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Comics]]
* Once again in ''Webcomic/{{Narbonic}}'', Mell ends up in Hell after getting kicked out of Heaven. It takes her a whole week to get kicked outta THAT place...
* Seth, one of the main characters of ''Webcomic/{{Sorcery 101}}'' was - according to one myth about his background - kicked out of hell SPECIFICALLY because they were afraid he might take over...
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Web Original ]]
* J.R. "Bob" Dobbs, of the ChurchOfTheSubgenius, went to Hell after he was "assassinated" in Dallas (mainly because he'd never been baptized as a child.) Once in Hell, he seduced and bedded Satan's bride -- giving Satan a "second set of horns" -- and was kicked out of Hell. As he has nowhere to go after dying this gives him a form of NighInvulnerability -- and necessitates that he be followed by an elite guard of churchgoers to keep him from getting baptized by accident.
* [[spoiler: Brock]] of ''PokemonTheBridgedSeries'' [[spoiler: bred Satan]], and was kicked out because they thought [[spoiler: he]] was going to do it again. [[spoiler: He was.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Western Animation ]]
* In ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'', Saddam Hussein, through a sexual relationship with Satan, makes various attempts to take over the world and/or Hell. Eventually, he is kicked out, but sent to Heaven as punishment. He continues his scheming from there.
** Which (since Saddam was dead years earlier in South Park continuity than in RealLife) led to the US seeing Saddam's Weapons of Mass Destruction... in Heaven.
*** Well where was he supposed to go - Detroit?
* In ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' The Flying Dutchman kicks [=SpongeBob=] out of Davy Jones' locker 30 seconds after arriving there, due to his constant blabbering.
* Done beautifully in one episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}''. The Warner siblings end up in Hell when they take a wrong turn, and subject it to their brand of mayhem. After they freeze the whole place, Satan literally kicks them out.
--> "Do you have any idea how long it takes to get the pilot lit?!?"
* Mc Pee Pants from ''WesternAnimation/AquaTeenHungerForce'' gets booted out of hell by Satan in a second attempt at a world domination scheme. By the third time he's revived, Satan is apparently so sick of him his ''entire next plot'' is getting a vampire to bite Pee Pants just so he's immortal and won't be sent back to hell, [[TooDumbToLive then he gets sent back anyway when he goes out during the day]].
[[/folder]]

!!Took Over

[[folder: Anime and Manga ]]
* After dying, [[spoiler: Shishio Makoto]] of ''Manga/RurouniKenshin'' declared his intent to overthrow the King of Hell. [[spoiler: Depending on how you interpret it, Shishio may or may not have succeeded in this endeavor when he visits the catatonic Kenshin in the latter's living hell during the Jinchuu arc.]]
** The scenes with Shishio and Yumi on the heaps of skulls in Hell are the ''only'' supernatural content in the series not filtered through someone's consciousness. There are a couple of ghosts that could be hallucinations, but Shishio going off to conquer Hell is just ''shown'', like anything else that happens.
* Subverted in ''Manga/DragonBall Z'', when Dabura dies. King Enma is afraid that if he is sent to Hell (as he rightly SHOULD be, considering his sins), he'll just end up growing stronger from it. (After all, the main characters use being dead as a training arena often enough.) In an effort to improve him, King Enma sends Dabra to [[IronicHell the most peaceful part of Heaven.]] Later in the series, Dabura is seen again, and has turned into a character so peaceful and loving that the protagonists are actually ''creeped out'' by him.
** And at the end of ''Anime/DragonballGT'' Piccolo had died, but is later seen in Hell, bringing order to the endless chaos and protecting Hell's leaders, becoming more of an authority figure than they ever were.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Comic Books ]]
* Nobel Kale takes over hell after slaying Mephisto and Blackheart, then sends Dan Ketch back to Earth, releasing him from his Comicbook/GhostRider duties.
* When Doctor Doom was dragged down to Hell, [[Comicbook/FantasticFour Reed Richards]] undertook an elaborate plan to pull him back out before he took the place over, which he estimated would have taken a matter of ''weeks''.
* There was a DC miniseries called ''Human Defence Corps'' about a bumbling everyman in a military group who deals with JLA-style emergencies. Their first adventure is against vampires (nebbish everyman takes one for the team). Their last adventure involved going to Hell, taking down the Devil, then using the now-vampiric bumbler to institute a ''regime change''.
* As of the ''Comicbook/CaptainBritainAndMI13 Annual'', [[spoiler:[[BewareTheNiceOnes Meggan]]. She led a band of rebels and then helped forge them into a new country in order to spread hope in Hell.]]
* Christopher Rudd actually manages to go from damned soul to sextoy for the nobility of Hell into one of the nobility himself and eventually ruler of Hell in ''Comicbook/{{Lucifer}}''.
* Stagolee, the "terrible mucker" currently hunting Lee Wagstaff in ''{{Bayou}}''.
* ''ComicBook/LadyDeath'' was originally a mortal woman named Hope who made a bargain with a demon to renounce her humanity and serve Hell if the demon rescued her from death. Arriving in Hell, she discovered a civil war was raging. Lady Death led an uprising against the Lords of Hell. During the final battle, Lucifer cursed her never to return to Earth while the living walked. Lady Death swore an oath that she would circumvent Lucifer's curse by exterminating all life on Earth. Lady Death finally ended Lucifer's control over her by casting him through Heaven's Gate (a place where evil cannot go), and in doing so became the new ruler of Hell.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Fan Fic ]]
* In the ''Literature/{{Redwall}}'' fanfics by [[http://www.fanfiction.net/u/614754/QuinlanofRedwall Quinlan of Redwall]], the first BigBad, Hardin, is dead by the end of the first story. [[spoiler:Then, in the latest, we find out he overthrew Vulpuz as the Lord of Hellgates.]]
* In the simply epic ''ComicBook/TheAvengers'' fanfic named ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6199168/1/Legends Legends]]'', the one who has taken over hell is [[spoiler: Doctor Doom. He's naturally pissed when he sees his killer, Arcade, arrive. His proposed punishment? A millennium of torture until the new Deadpool arrives to hand him over to Dormammu.]]
* In the ''Raditz redemption series'' by [[https://www.fanfiction.net/u/7068/Dragoness-Eclectic Dragoness Eclctic]] the ''entire Sayian race'' has done this, and are doing a better job than the old administration.
* A number of C.G fics involving a Peggy Sue concept mention this trope, suggesting that as a reason not to send Lelouch vi Britannia to hell (though fanfics are divided as to where exactly to send him, nor as to how the afterlife even works in the CG verse)
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Film]]
* In ''Film/LittleNicky'', the BigBad briefly does this.
* Pretty much the plot of ''Film/ForbiddenZone''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Jokes]]
* MargaretThatcher dies and arrives at the pearly gates. St. Peter tells her, "I'm sorry, you're not on the list here. Your place is downstairs in hell." Thatcher trudges off to hell. A week later, St. Peter gets a phone call: "Hello, Pete, it's the devil. You'll have to take that bloody woman. She's only been here a week, and she's shut down half the furnaces to reduce supply!"
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* In Creator/TanithLee's ''Death's Master'', the Queen of Hell (or "Innerearth") was a human queen, Narasen, who owed Death 1000 years of servitude. However, she was too much of a queen to act as anyone's servant, and Uhlume, lord of Death, instead abdicated much of his role to her. He decided he liked roaming the Earth, but the inhabitants of Hell want him to come back and relieve them of Narasen's harsh rule.
* In ''Literature/DarkHeart'', the backstory of the evil god Vraxor. He was originally a demon created to torment the inhabitants of Hell, but organized a revolt and took over.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live Action TV]]
* ''Series/XenaWarriorPrincess'' defeated the previous ruler of Hell, Mephistopheles, and learned that as a result, she either had to rule Hell or let all of the demons loose on Earth. She decided to TakeAThirdOption and, in a CrowningMomentOfAwesome, corrupted Lucifer and had him take her place. Her justification was that his HolierThanThou act was hypocritical anyways.
* This is technically what ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'''s Crowley did, in incredibly slow motion with a few hundred years of bureaucracy, backstabbing an otherwise Machiavellian business after the 'get a job' one. He died, went to Hell, became a demon, worked his way up the ladder to head of purchases, survived the demises of pretty much every other major demon in Hell in the countdown to Apocalypse as all Lucifer's faithful raced into the fray to assure his victory...and then defected to Team Free Will and helped seal the [[TheDevil head honcho]] back in his cage and save the world. In the absence of significant competition he promptly established himself as King of Hell. Three seasons later, after angering pretty much every other being more powerful than himself that still ''exists,'' he still holds this position. Rather responsibly, too. "This isn't Wall Street, this is Hell. ''We'' have [[TakeThat a little something called]] ''[[Funny/{{Supernatural}} integrity]]''!"
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Music]]
* Music/TomSmith's "Sheep Marketing Ploy" is a song pitching a series of horror movies named ''Death Sheep'' following Fenton, a sheep who takes over Hell after being pulled down there by Lucifer.
* A lyric in the Music/{{Manowar}} song The Power:
-->The power in the darkness to see without my sight
-->Walk among the living, free of wrong or right
-->The power of the magic, the power of the spell
-->Not to serve in Heaven, but one day rule in Hell
* Steve Earle's "The Unrepentant" ends like this.
-->Now he's standin' at hell's door \\
With a bad attitude and a .44\\
The devil said, "What's up man, now what you come here for?"\\
He said, "Man, let's just get to it"\\
He said, "I always heard that you were the bad one\\
There's a few places I ain't been, a few things I ain't done\\
You got your pitchfork and I got my gun..."
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Mythology]]
* In the [[Myth/HinduMythology Hindu Vedic tradition]], Yama, the lord of the dead, is said to have been the first mortal who ever died, giving him his office by right of seniority... and that, of course, makes this OlderThanFeudalism.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Radio]]
* SmugSnake EvilGenius Roland Kingworthy attempts this in season 5 of ''Radio/OldHarrysGame'', bringing the demons onto his side with his effortless charm. Satan talks his army out of attacking, and Roland immediately claims he was attempting to expose the treacherous demons. Satan doesn't believe a word of it, and has an abyss he's been saving specially...
-->'''Satan''': I never trust anyone who puts that much effort into his effortless charm.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Tabletop Games ]]
* In most ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' settings, Asmodeus is the Overlord of Hell, but some sourcebooks suggest that he was not the first. A few ''TabletopGame/{{Planescape}}'' sourcebooks about Hell mention the "Ancient Baatorians", creatures that ruled Hell before he came along and exterminated most of them. The ''Elder Evils'' sourcebook says that this was definitely the case, claiming that Asmodeus' predecessor was an EldritchAbomination named Zargon and giving playable statistics for him. (Which, given that it is possible for him to be killed by mortals, suggests that his power has greatly degenerated since Asmodeus kicked him out.) TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}} goes all-out and states that Asmodeus unseated [[{{Satan}} Lucifer]] himself to rule hell.
* Hidetsugu of TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering's Kamigawa block is an interesting example. Unlike some examples of this trope, Hidetsugu charged into hell in the first place to give the All-Consuming Oni of Chaos a piece of his mind after it chickened out after O-kagachi soundly defeated it. He isn't heard from again until the end of the book, where he shows up, [[FauxAffablyEvil gives a respectful greeting to the Plane's new guardians]], and demonstrates that he's absorbed his former master's essence by dealing out a much needed comeuppance to the Chessmaster behind the whole mess.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Video Games ]]
* In ''[[VideoGame/LaPucelle La Pucelle: Tactics]]'', Prier can become a Demon Overlord if she goes too far deep into the Netherworld and kills the present one. She appears as such in the ''Franchise/{{Disgaea}}'' series as a BonusBoss. This is apparently based on a legend in Japanese mythology where one will become a youkai (demon) if they "bathe in the blood of 1000 youkai."
** Similarly, in ''VideoGame/MakaiKingdom'', the backstory of Seedle, the Overlord of the Underworld, is that he was once a Samurai who got lost down there - and ended up taking over the place. Actually, he was killed by a woman he was about to rape, but he still took over. Said woman was burned at the stake for killing a "hero" but she also took over her own Netherworld after her death.
** In ''{{VideoGame/Disgaea 2|CursedMemories}}'' it's revealed that the "God of Demon Overlords'' got so powerful from killing hundreds of other Demon Overlords that [[spoiler:she started becoming an EldritchAbomination. To escape this fate, she gave herself EasyAmnesia and reincarnated herself.]]
** Happens in ''{{VideoGame/Disgaea 3|AbsenceOfJustice}}'' if [[spoiler:You kill the final boss with just human Almaz alone, he becomes an Overlord, in style much like Prier.]] The Final Boss himself is an [[spoiler: "Evil God" due to being a Hero who killed countless Overlords.]]
** Also occurs in ''VideoGame/{{Disgaea 4|APromiseUnforgotten}}'' if [[spoiler: you lose to Fuka during your battle with her. She decides to take over the Netherworld before she takes over the human world, and enlists the defeated Valvatorez and Fenrich as her servants in the process.]]
** Occurs in another Atlus game, [[spoiler: Catherine. If the player has made Chaos choices for the duration of the game and answered all of the final questions with freedom in mind, he asks Catherine, a succubus, to marry him... And she agrees. He wakes up in Hell the next morning and decides to strap on a sword and start killing demons wearing nothing more than his boxers... And eventually grows so powerful that everybody knows who he is and he uses Catherine's father (himself a powerful demon) as a seat. While he's making out with the guy's daughter and several other succubi.]]
* In the expansion for ''VideoGame/NeverwinterNights'', [[spoiler:the protagonist can use [[BigBad Mephistopheles']] true name to force him into slavery and take over the demon lord's hell dimension him/herself.]] Alternately, [[spoiler:they can choose to rule together, though in that case the epilogue implies Mephistopheles betrays them]].
* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyII'', killing the Emperor the first time doesn't particularly help, he takes over Hell and returns to Earth, raising Hell's capital from the earth to serve as his new base. In the remakes, it turns out this is the "evil side" of his soul doing the work - the "good side" ascends to Heaven and takes over that, too.
** The novelization even depicts the Emperor meeting {{Satan}} after he dies; who is about to take his soul; so the Emperor kills him.
* ''Franchise/MortalKombat'':
** The game's manual states that Shinnok became ruler of the Netherworld by deposing Lucifer, which is probably the only reference to Judeo-Christianity in the entire series.
** Also, Noob Saibot (who is, of course, [[spoiler: the original Sub-Zero]], resurrected under Quan Chi's control as a 'Revenant' warrior) has this as his Arkade Ending in ''{{VideoGame/Mortal Kombat|9}}'' (no, [[NamesTheSame the OTHER one]]) - with his powers boosted by Quan Chi in order to assassinate Shao Kahn, he is able to break free of Quan Chi's control, and make a secret deal with the rival Realm of Chaos. After the Realm of Chaos severely weakens the Netherworld in a surprise attack, Noob Saibot seizes control and becomes the new King of Hell...
** Liu Kang's ladder ending in ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX'' has him taking over the Netherrealm following his victory over Shinnok. [[spoiler:He and Kitana also co-rule the Netherrealm in the story mode's ending.]]
* In the ''VideoGame/{{Onimusha}}'' games, UsefulNotes/OdaNobunaga makes a DealWithTheDevil in the first game of the series, just prior to the heroes killing the Demon King. He then takes command of the Demonic Realm for the next two titles of the series (and the GameBoyAdvance game.)
* In ''VideoGame/SengokuBasara'', Nobunaga claims to have taken over when he returns to the mortal realm in the third game. In this case it's questionable whether DemonKingNobunaga was truly human to begin with, even the first time around.
* Beautifully subverted in ''VideoGame/BloodRayne'', the backstory of which says that Satan became the ruler of hell, by usurping the throne from the game's villain Belial.
* The dream match of the ''VideoGame/SamuraiShodown'' series (Tenkaichi Kenkyakuden) pits you for a final stage against a Demon-possessed Gaoh, who has apparently taken over Hell by abusing his demonic power. The first picture that greets you before fighting him is him ''stomping the head of Lucifer''.
* What the VideoGame/{{Overlord}} does in the end of ExpansionPack Raising Hell. However by the end of the game he's trapped in the realm, but has TheLegionsOfHell at his command.
* If your daughter in ''VideoGame/PrincessMaker 2'' is skilled in magic and fighting but has a lot of sin, she'll eventually kill the Lord of Darkness but end up taking his place.
* The protagonist of the original ''VideoGame/{{Diablo}}'' becomes the Dark Wanderer in the sequel after losing his battle of wills to contain the evil by embedding Diablo's soulstone in his forehead, eventually being entirely possessed and mutating into Diablo Himself. Something very similar happened with Tal-Rasha and the Lord of Destruction, Baal.
* When the [[TheLegionsOfHell Hidden Fun Stuff]] in ''VideoGame/DwarfFortress'' gets unleashed, it usually spells the end of a fortress. But some fortresses not only beat back the demons, but take the next step and launch a full scale invasion of Hell and take the place over, such as what happened in {{LetsPlay/Waterburned}}, the succession game hosted on [[Wiki/TVTropes This Very Wiki]].
* In ''VideoGame/OdinSphere'', [[spoiler:afer Odette is slain by Gwendolyn and Armageddon begins]] the Halja release King Gallon and pledge themselves to his service since [[spoiler:Odette's death has left them bereft of a master]] and Gallon is the most powerful being in the underworld. Gallon leads the armies of the dead in an omnicidal campaign against the living, fulfilling his role in Armageddon as one of the Five Disasters.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Comics]]
* Tycho of ''WebComic/PennyArcade'' gives a very [[http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2006/04/10/ articulate description]] of how he will do this if Gabe continues to call ''VideoGame/WarhammerOnline'' a [[OlderThanTheyThink ripoff]] of ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft''. And it was [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome awesome.]]
* Black Mage of ''WebComic/EightBitTheater'' managed to pull this off when he was killed by Lich. But since he's the universe's ButtMonkey, it didn't last very long.
** From this point on the entire universe, including ''all'' TheLegionsOfHell, have a [[CosmicPlaything vested interest in keeping him alive]]. When '''[[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2004/03/20/episode-397-portents/ this]]''' is the reaction to his arrival on the mortal plane, it's no wonder. Everyone, ''everyone'' knows they are completely and utterly screwed if he gets back down to Hell.
--->'''White Mage:''' Did you hear that?
--->'''Black Belt:''' What?
--->'''White Mage:''' A great disturbance in the order, as if a million voices cried out to say "[[OhCrap Oh shit]]."
--->''[elsewhere]''
--->'''Matoya:''' Stupid Light Warriors must've broken my crystal. I keep asking for lotto numbers and all I get is "The destroyer is manifest."
* In ''Webcomic/DominicDeegan'', Karnak fell into Hell after fighting back the Demon of War, Dal Balor, several years before the beginning of the webcomic. Though he was mostly involved in small-time evil, his badassery jumped to epic levels during the War in Hell arc. In a few days, Karnak rips through thousands of Mooks with a bloodied sword, an in-depth knowledge in demonic spine removal and [[ShirtlessScene no shirt on]]. After a quick detour due to bad weather, Karnak travels to the top of a mountain, kills several demon lords, destroys all the souls of the Chosen and subsequently nukes Hell. At the end of the arc, Karnak turns from a lower demon lord with no followers left to the only demon left standing. He becomes the King of Hell due to the lack of adequate competition.
** Even more impressive considering [[spoiler: he's not even a real demon.]]
*** Well he is, at least, distinguished by being ''alive''. And as the Demon of Wounds, the line between living and dead appears to be vague for him.
** Since then there were several reveals and he had an epiphany, declared he wasn't trapped in Hell with the damned so much they were trapped in there with him, and closed off Hell to implement his unspecified new policies. He sent Miranda a goodbye projection first.
*** Incidentally, while accepting that you deserve to be in Hell and repenting and abjuring your old crimes utterly is apparently the only way to even get back into ''samsara'' circulation from Hell--as ''grass'', no less--in this setting, it is currently somewhat unclear whether Karnak was damned for some hidden fault or not. Mookie does have double standards in favor of women's rights, but a jealous betrayal of his best friends he regretted within minutes which did no one any permanent harm is literally the worst thing he ever appears to have done before jumping.
*** Perhaps he earned his place there afterward--he was alive, if in Hell, as he became a demon, but at this point he's done ''loads'' to earn it. Before CharacterDevelopment, we had no reason not to loathe him. (Mind you, if the people I cared about most in the world had gone on to be happy together after I threw myself into Hell for at least one of them, and then talked to and about ''me'' when I CameBackWrong the way Miranda and Donovan do to Karnak in his first appearance, I'd do everything I could to hurt them, too.) Karnak is a MagnificentBastard, a DeadpanSnarker, and an impressive {{Determinator}}, but he ''is'' long since an absolute bastard.
** Points for Karnak's name being an old orcish term for the Morning Star.
* Happens in [[OhCrapThereAreFanficsOfUs a fanfic Mal reads]] in ''Webcomic/HeadTrip'', wherein Mal [[spoiler: falls in love with the Devil Guy and attacks Satan so they can be together.]]
* In the most recent story of ''Webcomic/TheGodsOfArrKelaan'', Ronson is trapped in hell. His weapon, the rubber mallet, semi-inadvertently kills Satan... and Ronson gets stuck with the job. [[spoiler: Until he figured out it was a scam and managed to close it down.]]
* Referenced in ''Webcomic/GrimTalesFromDownBelow'' - during a flashback to the days of ''WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy'', Mandy outright states that she doesn't mind in the least that Grim will eventually take her - she knows that she's going to hell, but she's already planning how to take over when she gets there. As it turns out, however, she doesn't have to kill anyone to become the Empress of the Deadlands - she marries into the position instead.
* In ''Webcomic/ScaryGoRound'', Erin Winters is literally PutOnABusToHell, but she later [[TheBusCameBack makes an unexplained return]] in ''Webcomic/BadMachinery''. A bonus strip reveals that she defeated Robot Hitler with "[[PluckyGirl girlish pluck]]" (and [[MiniMecha Battle Armour]]) and became Queen of Hell, but got bored after a few years and defeated a ThresholdGuardian demon to get back to the surface.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Web Original ]]
* This is humanity's stated goal in the first novel of ''Literature/TheSalvationWar''. And they don't plan on [[RageAgainstTheHeavens calling it a day after that, either.]]
** Done, now on to [[RageAgainstTheHeavens blasting the Big Guy upstairs...]]
* [[http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/471343 This]] ''Film/PressStart'' episode has Count Vile rather humorously beaten Satan in a duel (via slipping on banana peel and getting a ring out) and claimed his right to rule Hell.
-->'''Vile''': Hey Vlad... guess what I just did!
* Some [[WebVideo/HitlerRants Downfall parodies]] feature Hitler winding up in hell, and it's usually implied that he's now running the place.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Western Animation ]]
* On ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' a church carnival had a mirror that showed what people would look like in hell. While it showed Lisa in rags and being tormented by fire, it showed CorruptCorporateExecutive Mr. Burns in a crown and flowing robe, and eating a human head. "Excellent!"
* In ''WesternAnimation/UglyAmericans'' it appears that Satan is not one being, but a title for position that has been filled many times in history by different demons. Exactly how this is done is not known.
[[/folder]]

!!Other

[[folder: Anime and Manga ]]
* Hao Asakura from ''Manga/ShamanKing'' got past the seventy five Lords of Hell and gained the ability to resurrect the dead and reincarnate himself at will. He did this while living.
* ''Manga/NininGaShinobuden'' parodies [[{{Pun}} the hell out of this]] in episode 5, simultaneously lampooning almost every aspect of this trope. Onsokumaru gets killed and sent to hell, where he meets some ninja ogres. He becomes their leader. They then attempt to invade heaven on the pretense of delivering a pizza, but the people in heaven are so annoyed by him that they kill him again, sending him back to earth.
* [[Manga/KatekyoHitmanReborn Mukuro Rokudo]] uses the 'Six Paths of Reincarnation' which gives him six different skills. In the anime, he claims that he had gone through all six paths to Hades, thus granting him six different skills. (In the manga, he states that he had six past lives instead.)
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Comic Books ]]
* Asmodeus and Comicbook/GhostRider had a race out of Mephisto's realm with each one promised a gift if they won. [[ILied Ghost Rider obviously won and got nothing.]]
* The eponymous ''Jack of Comicbook/{{Fables}}'' makes a deal with the devil to the effect that when he dies he won't go to hell. He assumes that means he'll automatically go to heaven. He's wrong, and is doomed to spend eternity wandering as a headless corpse. He gets better [[spoiler:-by making another deal with another devil. It doesn't end there.]] Related to a form of the old Jack O'Lantern story.
* ''ComicBook/{{Chew}}'': Poyo probably could have fought his way out, but instead the government used [[WeCanRebuildHim a nuclear-powered artificial heart, a jet engine and enough power to black out North America to bring him back.]]
-->'''{{Satan}}''': He's not retreating, he's [[MemeticBadass merely seeking more fertile ground for conquest.]] Mark my words --Somedaw, Somehow-- He will Be back. And upon his return, Shake the very foundation of Heaven and Hell. Irrevocably, irredeemably... [[SophisticatedAsHell Because that is one bad-ass-mother-fuckin' bird!]]
* Subverted and inverted in ''Comicbook/TheSandman'', when Morpheus goes to Hell loaded for bear, to release an ex-lover he'd damned out of petty spite millennia ago. When he gets there, Lucifer has emptied Hell of all the damned and diabolical and formally abdicates, peaceably leaving Morpheus with the Key to Hell.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Fan Works]]
* The Olympics plot of ''Roleplay/DCNation''. A combination of a ChekhovsGun placed with Troia and a Type 1 starts a big battle. Troia triggers the ChekhovsGun and it summons a horde of fallen allies to rocket up from the underworld and join the brawl. Everyone from former ComicBook/TeenTitans (including WildCard Terra, who decides to betray Hades!) to Easy Company...even a cadre of 9/11 First Responders. Leading the horde is Hawkman. Arsenal is on his left. Nightwing is on his right, announcing the entrance with a very loud "TITANS TOGETHER!" and a narration joke about literally being a Bat out of Hell.
* In the ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' {{Continuation}} fic, the ''FanFic/ElementalChessTrilogy'', Roy Mustang becomes extremely ill in the second part. He doesn't die, but when Edward Elric pays a bedside visit, he asks if he's died and gone to hell. Ed invokes the trope by retorting that hell wouldn't want Roy if he died, because he'd probably take over.
* In a fan-made Alternate Ending of ''Manga/DeathNote'' [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ue8fM2FBL_A&feature=fvw seen here]], Light ends up in the Shinigami realm where he is punished for using the Notebook by experiencing every death he ever caused before he will [[CessationOfExistence cease to exist]]. After a very short VillainousBreakdown, he leaves with Ryuk with plans to become the Shinigami King's [[TheDragon Dragon]] and eventually [[TheStarscream take over the realm.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* Since they're demons, in Literature/ReturnOfTheReaper, all of the Seven count, along with the Reaper and Death in the Wind.
* In Broms TheDevilsRose the protagonist and antagonist are both this. The former was employed to hunt the latter who broke out, bringing the souls of three killers with him.
* There's the curious cases of the ghosts in the third ''Literature/HisDarkMaterials'' novel. First off, the place they are escaping is really more like an especially hellish (because it is so damn... ''boring'') version of Limbo. Secondly, the ghosts the reader is primarily concerned with are indeed BadAss, but they are also good guys. Anyway, they turn out to be the ultimate fighting force against an army of {{Eldritch Abomination}}s.
* Dante in ''Literature/TheDivineComedy'' simply walks through hell. (Debatable example: he has a safe-conduct from God, which is used in a number of cases to get past demons. Also, he has a guide who's a magician capable of commanding demons and damned souls in his own right.)
* Near the end of ''[[Literature/TheElminsterSeries Elminster in Hell]]'', the eponymous epic-level wizard [[spoiler:gets rescued from Hell by his lover Alassra Silverhand. The Simbul herself inverts type 1, blasting her way ''into'' Hell.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Live Action Television ]]
* Connor from ''Series/{{Angel}}'' seemed to be partway between fought out and took over. On the one hand, he left at the first opportunity. On the other, he was being called something like "The Destroyer, Bringer of Pain and Death" by the demons that came out of the portal first in an attempt to get away from him.
* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'':
** Dean Winchester was dragged out of Hell by Heavenly forces. The angel Castiel "gripped [him] tight and raised [him] from Perdition". Also, while down in the pit, [[spoiler:every day he was offered a chance to escape the torture he was subjected to if he would inflict it on others. After 30 years, he takes the deal, and spends 10 years as a torturer, beginning to enjoy it as an outlet for his anger issues]]. Slightly different in that, while his return was related to the job in question, he did not come back on Hell's terms.
** Sam also miraculously escapes Lucifer's Cage because [[spoiler:Castiel raises him, but unfortunately misses his soul. The soul is later rescued by Death and inserted into Sam's body, but it's almost completely broken by Lucifer's endless torture]].
** [[spoiler:Bobby was sent to Hell after he died (apparently, Crowley managed to threaten/bribe a Reaper into sending him into Hell) but was rescued by Sam and ascends to Heaven]].
* In ''Series/{{Reaper}}'', it's Sam's job to capture souls who had escaped Hell and bring them back. Exactly ''how'' they escaped isn't revealed until later in the series: [[spoiler:the demon [[TheMole Gladys]] was helping some escape]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Myth and Legend]]
* After Emperor Nero died, it was rumored that he wasn't dead but [[HesJustHiding hiding]] in Parthia and would return to conquer Rome. In some versions of the story, however, he ''had'' died, but would return anyway.
* Sisyphus from Myth/ClassicalMythology talked his way out of Tartarus. ''Twice''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Tabletop Games ]]
* The escape of Lord Soth (formerly of ''Literature/{{Dragonlance}}'') from TabletopGame/{{Ravenloft}} is quite possibly the weirdest case of this trope ever. He escapes from Ravenloft (essentially, a trap for various 'darklords') '''by not giving a crap'''. To elaborate: Soth basically accepts that he deserves to be tormented by the Dark Powers and admits his failures. He refuses to rise to anything they present him with, be it despair or hope; eventually, realising that it's pointless to keep him around since he won't respond to anything they do, the Dark Powers release him from Ravenloft.
* In the ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'' adventure book ''Return of the Scarlet Empress'', there are a few options for what happens if [[spoiler: the Empress herself dies. One option is that her ghost ends up running LaResistance in the Underworld and fighting against the Deathlords with an army of holy-powered ghosts under her command.]] For the other given option, see "Got a Job."
* Valkia the Bloody, a Warriors of Chaos character in ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'', entered the Realm of Chaos to present a demon's head to Khorne, only to die along the way. Khorne got so pissed off that she'd died before he wanted her to that, in an extremely rare turn of events for a Chaos God, he ''resurrected her'' and reshaped her to be a guide for the souls of worthy Chaos Warriors.
* In ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' this trope in general is why people take up an Evil lifestyle even though the existence of hell is a known fact to many. They think they will be able to claw their way to freedom, power, etc. in hell. "No tyrant looks upon a wretched lemure and thinks this will be their afterlife."
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Video Games ]]
* ''VideoGame/NeverwinterNights: Hordes of the Underdark'' has multiple endings. Chapter 3 centers around you breaking out of Cania, the eighth circle of hell, and if you have his [[IKnowYourTrueName True Name]] several interesting options open up with the Big Bad, its lord Mephistopheles. You can order him to wait tables at a tavern you're planning on opening, to turn control of Cania over to you and be your lackey, or to rule it with you as a partner. A good-aligned character is more likely to either order him ''back'' to Cania and never return, or order him to ''die''.
* ''VideoGame/{{Painkiller}}'': the player slays through hordes of demons in limbo, goes down to the bottom of Hell killing Lucifer's four generals and Lucifer himself. Then in the expansion - with a little help from Eve - he fights his way out and kills the demon now ruling hell who has manipulated him into killing Lucifer and is offered the chance to rule with Eve. Which he promptly refuses...
* The ''VideoGame/{{Reincarnation}}'' flash series of {{Adventure Game}}s shows that escaping hell is actually really easy since it just require taking a portal back to the human world. The player is an imp tasked by "[[{{Satan}} Luke]]" to find the "reincarnies", find proof that they're still evil (they always are) and MakeItLookLikeAnAccident.
* ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' opens with the PlayerCharacter being killed (after a HeroicSacrifice). Cerberus brings him/her back to life via pioneering and very expensive medical procedures. While Shepard doesn't remember what happened while dead, even [[TheLancer Garrus]] invokes this trope in one conversation when talking about Shepard: "Hell, the Collectors already killed you once, and all they did was piss you off. I doubt they'll succeed a second time."
* [[MultipleEndings Depending on which ending you're going for]], the Demi-Fiend from ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIIINocturne'' can either fight his way out [[spoiler: or become Lucifer's most powerful general and lead an army against {{God}} himself.]]
* Asura from ''VideoGame/AsurasWrath'' [[spoiler: climbs up a massive tower in the underworld ''four times''. The first time it takes 12,000 years, and the second time takes only 500 years. The third time he gets killed he comes back in a couple of days, and the fourth time he's on his feet in a couple of hours. Rage is a ''hell'' of a motivator.]]
* Kyril from ''VideoGame/HeroesOfMightAndMagic VI'' does a type 1, 2 AND 4 all at the same time. After walking alive into Sheogh, the local equivalent of Hell, to bodyguard an angel, he is betrayed and used as a bargaining-chip, his soul sold to one of the local Arch-Devils. Enraged, he fights his way out, conquering a significant territory in Sheogh on the way, and forming a reluctant alliance with the Arch-Demon he was sold to, ensuring that when he bursts back unto the surface, he does so at the vanguard of a horde of demons. He even finds himself attracting further demonic allies even after that point, solely due to his ever-increasing badassitude, since demons follow the rule of AsskickingEqualsAuthority.
* In ''Videogame/DawnOfTheDragons'', the flavor text of the Grand Crusader set describes an attempt at a Type 4. In retaliation for an attack on the town of Wenshire by demons, High Cleric Ludmun began a crusade to invade Hell itself. The story is continued in the flavor text of the Hell Hunter set. The crusaders enjoy success at first, but venture too deep into Hell and encounter the mighty archdevils and demon lords who rule it. The crusade is quickly routed and most of the crusaders suffer excruciating deaths [[FateWorseThanDeath and worse]]. High Cleric Ludmun's fate was so horrible that the crusaders who witnessed it immediately committed suicide to escape the sight. In the end, the SoleSurvivor Isabelle becomes a Type 1 by becoming as ruthless and pragmatic as Hell's demonic residents.
* Early in ''VideoGame/JadeEmpire'', the PlayerCharacter is told that as a result of the BigBad's actions, the path to the afterlife proper is blocked, causing all the miscellaneous wandering spirits you have to fight throughout the game. But when they're struck down at the end of Act 4, this also means that the Spirit Monk isn't quite down for the count just yet. Eventually, with the help of the Water Dragon, they're able to return from limbo not as a ghost, but in their original physical form (or presumably a good copy). One of the Spirit Monk's companions, who is himself a heavenly spirit, flatly says that they ''don't do that'', not ever, not for anyone -- but the culmination of the Water Dragon's epic plans require it, so there it is. It's not just a gift; in order to come back, the Spirit Monk has to cleanse the Water Dragon's temple by killing (the avatars of) an EldritchAbomination defiling the grounds.
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[[folder:Webcomics]]
* In one ''Webcomic/SomethingPositive'' strip, R. K. Milholland drew [[http://www.somethingpositive.net/sp02132008.shtml what he thought might happen]] when {{the Grim Reaper}} comes to collect Creator/AlanMoore.
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[[folder: Western Animation]]
* It's unclear whether or not she ever really was in Hell or if it was just a rumour and/or hallucination, but [[spoiler:[[Music/{{Gorillaz}} Real!Noodle]] is back and [[GirlWithPsychoWeapon packin' sufficient heat to take down several helicopters]], so it's not unlikely she broke out if she was.]]
* A classical mythology variant in the ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' episode "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E25TwilightsKingdomPart1 Twilight's Kingdom Part 1]]", since Lord Tirek escaped from Tartarus.
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Not to be confused with a BatOutOfHell or Music/{{Meat Loaf}}'s album ''Bat of of Hell''.

* The game's manual states that ''Franchise/MortalKombat'''s Shinnok became ruler of the Netherworld by deposing Lucifer, which is probably the only reference to Judeo-Christianity in the entire series.

* In ''SpongebobSquarepants'' The Flying Dutchman kicks [=SpongeBob=] out of Davy Jones' locker 30 seconds after arriving there, due to his constant blabbering.

* In ''ComicStrip/TheBoondocks'', the spirit of Colonel H. Stinkmeaner was released from Hell by Satan (After training himself against Satan's demons, in the process somehow gaining sight and "three-stick nunchucks"), and possessed Tom Dubois to exact vengeance upon the Freemans for killing him. Honestly, this entry could be listed as either "Got a Job" or "Kicked Out" because Satan almost did just that after Stinkmeaner kicked his ass and called him a "Bitch-ass nigga". Offering him a job was the more sensible way to get him out of his hair.

* SelfDemonstrating/{{Lobo}}.

* SelfDemonstrating/{{Lobo}}, sort of: when he died, Hell protested so much that Heaven took him in, but after five minutes of wild parties, massive damage to angels and property, and ''corrupting anyone in sight'', he was sent to Hell... Where he proceeded to kick the devil and all his demons out first, and accepted leaving only when Heaven brought him back to life.

* SelfDemonstrating/DoctorDoom was such a badass, he fought his way ''into'' of Hell and then back out in ''Triumph and Torment'', managing to get his ally Comicbook/DoctorStrange out with him [[spoiler:and rescue his mother's soul]].

* In ''Comicbook/IronMan: Legacy of Doom'', SelfDemonstrating/DoctorDoom betrays Tony and traps him in [[{{Hell}} Mephisto's Realm]], where Mephisto declares that Tony will be trapped there '''''[[LargeHam FOREVER]]!''''' Tony's response to this is to fight off both the minions of hell and [[ShapeShifterGuiltTrip a demonic apparition of his father]], and then use the power of [[ScienceHero technology]] to escape. All in the span of about thirty minutes, which may or may not set some sort of record where {{Badass Normal}}s are concerned.

* When SelfDemonstrating/DoctorDoom was dragged down to Hell, [[Comicbook/FantasticFour Reed Richards]] undertook an elaborate plan to pull him back out before he took the place over, which he estimated would have taken a matter of ''weeks''.

* '''Fought His Way Out:''' The guy is tough enough to simply [[VideoGame/{{Doom}} break himself out]], carving a bloody path through TheLegionsOfHell (and frequently [[TookALevelInBadass taking a level in badass]] on the way).

* This is humanity's stated goal in the first novel of ''TheSalvationWar''. And they don't plan on [[RageAgainstTheHeavens calling it a day after that, either.]]

* In April Fool's episode of ''WebVideo/IfTheEmperorHadATextToSpeechDevice'', [[spoiler:Horus]] returns from the dead to [[spoiler:kill his father, this time for good]].

* In ''Manga/SaintSeiya'' Phoenix Ikki mentions that the creatures of Hell don't want to her about him (after coming back from it)

*** In ''Fusion Reborn'', thanks to Janemba imprisoning the Other World Check-In Station, breaking down the borders between the world of the living and the world of the dead, ''every single villain'' the Z-Fighters have ever faced escape Hell. However, while the heroes have trained and become far stronger in the meantime, [[VillainForgotToLevelGrind the villains haven't]], making dispatching them far easier.

* In the expansion for ''NeverwinterNights'', [[spoiler:the protagonist can use [[BigBad Mephistopheles']] true name to force him into slavery and take over the demon lord's hell dimension him/herself.]] Alternately, [[spoiler:they can choose to rule together, though in that case the epilogue implies Mephistopheles betrays them]].