History Main / MakingTheChoiceForYou

!!Examples
[[AC:AnimeAndManga]]

* A [[NightmareFuel horrifying example]] occurs in ''Manga/TokyoGhoul''. TheProtagonist Kaneki Ken has been captured by [[BigBad the Aogiri branch]] and is being tortured by [[AxCrazy Yamori]]. To further break Kaneki, Yamori brings in a captured human lady and her daughter and tells him to choose which he'll spare. Kaneki, being a AllLovingHero whose [[ExtremeDoormat afraid to hurt people and believes it's better to "be hurt then to hurt others"]], can't make the choice. [[spoiler: Yamori, angered by this, murders both.]] This scene was changed in the Anime. Instead it's a Ghoul couple who'd promised to help rescue him that he has to choose between and just like the above example, [[spoiler: Kaneki refuses to decide, so Yamori kills them both]].
* The main issue of the first season of ''Anime/PsychoPass'' is what TheHero Akane Tsunemori should do about the BigBad Shogo Makishima. On one hand Akane believes he's too dangerous to be kept alive but on the other [[spoiler:if he becomes part of the Sibyl System it could lead to the system becoming much more capable of fixing what flaws it does have]]. Ultimately though Akane never personally makes the final say; [[spoiler: Shinya Kogami is the one who kills Makishima]].

[[AC:{{Film}}]]

* When, in ''WesternAnimation/PussInBoots'', Puss has to choose between [[spoiler: saving Humpty and the golden goose from falling, Humpty lets go and falls to his death. He even says: "I won't make you choose."]]

[[AC:{{Literature}}]]

[[AC:LiveActionTelevision]]

* ''Series/{{Jessica Jones|2015}}''. In "AKA 1,000 Cuts," Hope realizes that Jessica's biggest hurdle in taking down [[BigBad Kilgrave]] is that Jessica wants to take him alive so she can prove his powers in order to exonerate Hope, who killed her parents under Kilgrave's direction. Hope takes this dilemma out of Jessica's hands by [[spoiler: killing herself.]]
* ''Series/SamuraiGourmet'': Kasumi is ''just'' about to tell off the noisy café patrons for [[JapanesePoliteness bothering everyone]], but the waitress beats him to it. Thus she gets to be the real "samurai" of the episode.

[[AC:VideoGame]]
* ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening''

** {{Defied}} during the FinalBoss. [[spoiler: Sorey and Mikleo are faced with a SadisticChoice of killing Gramps, who Heldalf has absorbed, or try to defeat Heldalf which means they'll leave him to suffer in agony till Heldalf dies. Rose attempts to do it for them but [[ThisIsSomethingHesGotToDoHimself Sorey and Mikleo prevent her because they want to save Gramps]].]]
* ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'' can potentially have this happen twice, and both times it's the same character doing it for you.
** During the Landsmeet, regardless of how well you did things [[spoiler:Loghain]] forces a DuelBoss against you (unless you messed up badly, in which case it's a absolute chaotic battle between everyone) and after he's defeated you are presented with a choice: Kill him, or make him a Grey Warden. [[spoiler: However, if Alistair is the one you pick to fight him, Alistair outright kills Loghain without any chance for the player to decide.]]
** In the normal ending, you have to decide who among the Grey Wardens in your party (your PlayerCharacter, Alistair, or [[spoiler:Loghain]]) will sacrifice their life in order to kill the Archdemon for good. [[spoiler: However, if you have romanced Alistair, did not order him to participate in Morrigan's ritual, and did not leave him behind to hold the Denerim gates, he will charge off to kill the Archdemon on his own, denying you the option to sacrifice your life for him.]]

[[AC:WebComics]]
* ''Webcomic/StandStillStaySilent'': A massive-scale version is revealed to have happened in the JustBeforeTheEnd era. [[spoiler:At some point, the options with dealing with the Rash were letting the patients die or give them an unfinished cure whose side effects are ultimately lethal. The "possibly turning into a zombie" complication attached to the Rash made people in charge decide to get the cure to as many people as possible without informing anyone of the side effects.]]

* ''Fanfic/TheLastSon'': Subverted in the climax of Book 3, after the heroes manage to lead General Zod into a trap to depower him, they're left with the problem on how they're going to deal with him, since he's too dangerous to be kept alive but at the same time Superman [[ThouShaltNotKill does not want to kill him]]. Wolverine is more than willing to finish him off instead, but the choice is rendered moot when General Lassider decides to launch a Kryptonite nuke at them. Superman does manage to TakeAtThirdOption, ordering Sentrius to open a Phantom Zone singularity and giving Zod the choice to get inside to save his own life, or stay out and get killed by the nuke, while he and the other heroes escape from ground zero.

This is what we call Making The Choice For You. See SadisticChoice for examples of what puts a character here. Compare and contrast TakeAThirdOption where a character is able to find a solution that exists outside the two obvious choices. When someone is presented with options but they both force you to make the same choice, see ButThouMust. If the villain or TokenEvilTeammate themselves make the choice for the hero, see BadGuysDoTheDirtyWork. When this is used to solve a MoralDilemma, it's an example of a DebateAndSwitch. When someone accepts slavery because this trope will be in play and they find it liberating, it's FreedomFromChoice.

* ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' episode "The Empath": The Vians give Captain Kirk a SadisticChoice: which of his officers will be subjected to torture. If Dr. [=McCoy=] is chosen there's an 87% chance he will die, but if Spock is chosen there's a 93% chance he will suffer permanent insanity(a FateWorseThanDeath to the intellectual Vulcan). Dr. [=McCoy=] makes the decision for Kirk by injecting him with a sedative, then injects Spock with a sedative when he decides to sacrifice himself and go.

* ''Series/{{Jessica Jones|2015}}''. In "AKA 1,000 Cuts," Hope realizes that Jessica's biggest hurdle in taking down [[BigBad Kilgrave]] is that Jessica wants to take him alive so she can prove his powers in order to exonerate Hope herself. Hope takes this dilemma out of Jessica's hands by [[spoiler: killing herself.]]

This trope is often used for RuleOfDrama but can also be used for RuleOfFunny. The situation itself does not have to be fatal, so long as a tough decision is made by another character. Due to the nature of this trope, be warned for spoilers.

* During the final battle of Part 4, ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureDiamondIsUnbreakable'', of ''Franchise/JoJosBizarreAdventure'' , the BigBad [[spoiler: Yoshikage Kira, puts a bomb onto the body of Josuke's friend Okuyasu thanks to his Stand, Killer Queen. Josuke wants to use the HealingHands power of his Stand to save Okuyasu before he dies for real, but since he would need to touch Okuyasu to do, he'd be blown up by it and die. Torn between trying to heal his friend and very likely die, or let Okuyasu die, Josuke isn't sure what to do at first. Seeing this, [[TagAlongKid Hayato]] leaps and grabs Okuyasu, blowing himself up, which allows Josuke to heal him right away, thus allowing him to heal Okuyasu safely.]]