History Main / RunOrDie

* The [[ImplacableMan Hunter]] in ''VideoGame/DeadSpace''. You can attack it if you want, but it won't have any effect beyond briefly slowing him down. In order to escape, you have to lead it to the appropriate place to turn it into a [[HumanPopsicle Mutant Alien Zombie Popsicle]]; later on you have to do the whole thing ''again'', but this time you get to KillItWithFire.
** The second game ''starts'' with this: as Isaac is bound in a straitjacket, his only option is to run the hell away from the necromorphs trying to kill him. Averted later, however: while there are battles that are ''more sensical'' to run from, you can fight any and everything that you come across, and because of closed room traps, you frequently are required to.

** ''VideoGame/PersonaQShadowOfTheLabyrinth'' (which is a spiritual crossover between ''Etrian Odyssey'' and ''Persona'') has your advisors freak out the first time they spot an FOE and beg you to run if you get caught. They aren't being overly cautious - you need to be at levels appropriate for midway through the next ''labyrinth'' before an FOE becomes less of a struggle.
** ''Persona Q'' has a special story example in the Old Doll, a special FOE which appears in the Evil Spirit Club. There are a few enemies which chase the party, but only the Old Doll will do it across multiple rooms. [[OhCrap And it's faster than you.]] Faced with it chasing them, the party have no choice but to run like hell and try to find a way to trap it. [[spoiler:You actually ''have'' to get into a fight with it in order to trap it, as in order to lure it into the trap you have to let it get close enough that it ''will'' catch up. Unless you're on a New Game+, you can't kill it - you have to escape from the battle and ''keep running''.]]

* In ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'', during the Third Ninja War there was a "Flee on sight" order on the Fourth Hokage to-be, with this heavily implied.

* ''WesternAnimation/Castlevania2017'': After Dracula finds out Lisa was arrested on trumped-up charges of witchcraft and executed, his last act of kindness is to tell her elderly neighbor, who came to pay her respects to Lisa's memory, to take her family and run before he unleashes his wrath.

* ''WesternAnimation/Primal2019'': The antagonist of the episode "Plague of Madness" is an ''Argentinosaurus''[[note]]the largest dinosaur ever found in fossil records[[/note]] infected with a [[TechnicallyLivingZombie zombie-like]] plague that turns it crazed and hostile. It's so [[LightningBruiser massive, fast, and vigorous]] that protagonists Spear and Fang, who can normally take on enemies several times their size, cannot do a thing to it and their only option is to run from it or sneak past it while it's dormant.

* ''WesternAnimation/Primal2019'': The antagonist of the episode "Plague of Madness" is an ''Argentinosaurus'' infected with a [[TechnicallyLivingZombie zombie-like]] plague that turns it crazed and hostile. It's so [[LightningBruiser massive, fast, and vigorous]] that protagonists Spear and Fang, who can normally take on enemies several times their size, cannot do a thing to it and their only option is to run from it or sneak past it while it's dormant.

* WebOriginal/TheBackrooms has Level !: "Run For Your Life!" with a very small chance wanderers may warp here by simply warping to a different level. There are 100% reliable methods to reach this level which is good for getting this level out of the way as once cleared, the wander won't be sent here again.

* In ''Webcomic/{{TREVOR}}'', the medical team knows they have ''zero'' chance of killing [[spoiler: Trevor]], and run like hell whenever they get the chance.

** There's one fight in the second game you can't win, though losing that one instead of running away doesn't result in Game Over anyway.

* ''VideoGame/PrinceOfPersiaWarriorWithin'' has your encounters with the Dahaka [[spoiler:except in the true ending, by which point you'll have a weapon that can kill it]]. All you can do is run away and try to find somewhere where it can't get to you.

** The FinalBoss of ''VideoGame/StarWarsJediFallenOrder'' is [[spoiler: Darth Vader himself. Since Vader is in his prime and the player character is an ex-Padawan that only recently regained access to his Force abilities, nothing the player does to Vader slows him down for more than a few seconds. He doesn't even have a health bar, as if to emphasize that fighting him is a death sentence. The only thing left to do is turn and run while Vader slowly follows after you, [[PersonOfMassDestruction shredding the scenery and pathway ahead]] with but a thought.]]

** In the dungeon Halls of Reflection, after beating a couple preliminary bosses the final "boss" consists of running from the Lich King until help arrives.

* ''VideoGame/DynastyWarriors'': If you see Lu Bu, run away. Players new to the series will doubtlessly be cut down as though they were a mook. He is the most powerful character in the series, and once he shows up, your only hope of survival is running away and completing the mission objective before he catches up.

* Anime/{{Pokemon}}:
** While Ash and co. are seasoned Trainers and well capable of defending themselves against wild Pokemon, there are two Pokemon that, when faced with, they'll run their asses off away from: [[BearsAreBadNews Ursaring]] and [[BeeAfraid Beedrill]]. It's notable that other, often stronger Trainers usually share this philosophy as well. The one time Ash tried to fight back against a wild Ursaring, Pikachu landed one solid hit and the bear went '''''ballistic'''''. At that point, the heroes booked it out of there. Beedrill, on the other hand, [[ScaryStingingSwarm attack in swarms]]. Unless you have a pokemon that can attack in a wide range, or even so, you're better off avoiding them.
** They also have this reaction in an early episode when they come up against a [[SeaMonster Gyarados]]. To make things worse, it just evolved from a Magikarp that James had angrily kicked, and it is ''pissed''.

* ''Manga/OnePiece''

** The climax of the Whole Cake Island arc has the focused Straw Hats (Luffy, Nami, Chopper Sanji and Brook along with allies Carrot and Jimbei) doing this when Big Mom goes into one of her hunger-induced rampages after the wedding cake she was looking forward to for Sanji and Pudding's wedding ends up destroyed. One of her children claim Luffy has a spare to keep her from destorying her kingdom, prompting her to chase them non-stop. ''Even using her powers to go after them in the ocean'', along with her family/crew following right behind her.

---> ''Because I am not great or powerful like you, I spent 80% of my life just running away. Hundreds, no, thousands of times I have run, and because I have, I can be even more sure: Now is the time to run!"
* In ''Manga/KenichiTheMightiestDisciple'', Kenichi's masters are furious when Kenichi tries to take on a [[LightningBruiser Master-Class sword-fighter]] by himself, claiming that the only acceptable course of action in that situation would have been to run for his life. Seeing as how even the most worthless Master-Class fighter could easily [[OneHitKill kill Kenichi in one hit]] and that he survived that fight mostly through sheer luck, this is an understandable reaction on their part. Though in his absence they praise him for being able to survive that and for having the guts to try that.
* In ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'', during the Third Ninja War there was a "Flee on sight" order on the Fourth Hokage to-be, with this heavily implied.
* Invoked in ''Manga/{{Sekirei}}''. When the [[RedBaron Black Sekirei]], [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Karasuba]], decides to fight the weaker duo of Mitsuha and Akitsu, the latter tells the former to run or she'll die. Mitsuha ignores the warning and is [[CurbStompBattle quickly killed]] while Akitsu [[KnowWhenToFoldEm ran away and lived]].
* ''Manga/TokyoGhoul'' has two legendary figures that bring this trope into play.
** The One-Eyed Owl, a legendary Ghoul that rarely leaves survivors when fought. The mother of Akira Mado and the father of Kuki Urie each died performing a HeroicSacrifice to allow their respective squads to escape the Owl, as simply ''running'' isn't possible. Without someone to stay behind and fight, there would be no way to outrun the Owl's SuperSpeed and FlechetteStorm.
** Special Class Kishou Arima, a legendary Investigator known as the "Undefeated Investigator". He is the one person even the Owl cannot defeat, causing it to flee rather than continue fighting. His other alias, "CCG's Reaper", explains perfectly how feared he is among the Ghoul population. Even [[spoiler: protagonist Kaneki cannot accomplish more than ''scratching his cheek'', and is left on the verge of death after encountering him]].

* This is pretty much the only option that most people have when ComicBook/LadyShiva is after them. Even then, running isn't always enough, and one just has to hope against hope that she decides to spare them [[BlueAndOrangeMorality for her own inexplicable reasons.]]

* ''Fanfic/CheatingDeathThoseThatLived'': [[CrazySurvivalist Dollar]] has this reaction to seeing Claudia inject herself with the G Virus in the zombie arena. She does face the muttation that used to be Claudia later on, but only after getting a ''really'' powerful weapon.

* In ''[[Film/IT1990 It (1990)]]'', when the Losers return to Derry as adults, Pennywise appears before each of them, warning them to get out while they can. IT explicitly states to Richie that he and the rest of the Losers are too old to stop IT now. Later, when they enter the sewers at the film's climax, IT warns them again to leave by threatening to drive them all insane.

* The tagline for the ''Literature/{{Goosebumps}}'' book "How to Kill a Monster" is "Step One: Run. Step Two: Run Faster."

** [[Recap/DoctorWho2019NYSResolution "Resolution"]]: Soldiers confront an "unknown drone" detected flying through restricted airspace. After the "drone", a [[spoiler:Dalek recon scout in ImprovisedArmour]], [[NoSell No-Sells]] all of the soldiers' small-arms fire and reveals it has rockets, the soldier in charge orders his troops to run for it.

* ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'':
** On a typical match, if you see a Pyro taunting with the phlogistinator, in the middle of battle, and the weapon is glowing, run away. The Pyro is literally invincible until the taunt is finished, and when it's finished the Pyro will unleash [[CriticalHit crits]]. Which means if you're dumb enough to stay right next to him, you die. Pretty much instantly. Your body will become ashes.
** You are doing good on the game and you turn around a corner and see... An ubercharged Heavy. What makes this worse is the visual effect that it gives to both the Medic and his partner, which is their entire body with it's team color with a very, very terrifying eye and expression.

* Anyone who's played the ''VideoGame/EtrianOdyssey'' games long enough to encounter a [[BeefGate FOE]] (which [[NintendoHard isn't very long]]) will tell you that unless you're massively overleveled for the floor you're on, you ''run the hell away'' from them. One particular case in ''Heroes of Lagaard'' is [[BonusBoss Salamox]], who's nest you need to steal a MacGuffin from for a mission early on in the game. The chancellor, as well as the game itself, warn you that if you try to fight past it, you will die. [[CurbStompBattle They aren't kidding.]]
** ''VideoGame/PersonaQShadowOfTheLabyrinth'' (which is a spiritual crossover between ''Etrian Odyssey'' and ''Persona'') has your advisors freak out the first time they spot an FOE and beg you to run if you get caught. They aren't being overly cautious - you need to be at levels appropriate for midway through the next ''labyrinth'' before an FOE becomes less of a struggle.
** ''Persona Q'' has a special story example in the Old Doll, a special FOE which appears in the Evil Spirit Club. There are a few enemies which chase the party, but only the Old Doll will do it across multiple rooms. [[OhCrap And it's faster than you.]] Faced with it chasing them, the party have no choice but to run like hell and try to find a way to trap it. [[spoiler:You actually ''have'' to get into a fight with it in order to trap it, as in order to lure it into the trap you have to let it get close enough that it ''will'' catch up. Unless you're on a New Game+, you can't kill it - you have to escape from the battle and ''keep running''.]]

* ''VideoGame/GuildWars'':
** In ''Prophecies'', the last part of the "Great Northern Wall" mission has the character running away from a large group of Charr.
** Later, one mission has you running from an army of Mursaat. If you attempt to fight, the party will die in ''seconds'', due to the Mursaats' ridiculously powerful Spectral Agony attack. It is only after you have your armor "Infused" with spells to neutralize that attack that you can fight them on equal terms.
** In Eye of the North, the quests in Kamadan, Kaineng, and Lion's Arch that take the character to the Eye of the North areas end with the player running away from destroyer groups.
* ''VideoGame/PrinceOfPersiaWarriorWithin'' has your encounters with the Dahaka [[spoiler:except in the true ending, by which point you'll have a weapon that can kill it]]. All you can do is run away and try to find somewhere where it can't get to you.
* In ''VideoGame/MetroidFusion'', the SA-X is ridiculously overpowered compared to Samus, being comparable to your power level at the end of ''VideoGame/SuperMetroid'' [[note]]it came from the X within [[JustifiedTrope Samus' infected Power Suit components]][[/note]] and Samus being gimped by her new weakness to cold and a suit that doesn't protect her much. Your friendly AI commander actually gives you this instruction in as many words. As you progress through the game, you go from hiding, to running from, to preventing from following, and finally fighting at the very end of the game.
* The [=E.M.M.I.=] from ''VideoGame/MetroidDread'' are plated with some of the strongest stuff in the universe, and the second Samus encounters shrugs off several Power Beam shots and a Missile she fires at it before chasing after her. You will have to deal with seven of them total, the first of which is partially busted. If you have the Omega Cannon (and the Omega Stream for later E.M.M.I. encounters), find a long hallway and blast its face off with it; if not, this trope is in full effect.[[note]]You have a ''very'' narrow window when it catches you to Melee Counter it and escape while it reboots; blow it, and [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice Samus gets skewered]].[[/note]]
* True to the film series, the video game adaptation of ''Film/TerminatorSalvation'' treats the T-600 series like this, especially the first few times you run into them. They're insanely durable, have [[GatlingGood mini-]][[MoreDakka guns]] as their default weapons, and just ''keep coming''. If you try and stay and fight the first time just ''one'' shows up, it ''will'' kill you. Later battles are only possible to win because you have lots of cover, [[StuffBlowingUp explosives]], and [[MoreDakka gun emplacements of your own]].
* Every enemy in ''VideoGame/AmnesiaTheDarkDescent''. You have no means of self-defense, so if you encounter a monster, your only hope is to run as fast as you can and hide until the monster stops chasing you.
* The "Tycoon Wil" scenario in ''VideoGame/SagaFrontier2'' - it's a HopelessBossFight in which all you can do is defend until the "Run" option comes up enough times for the ending cutscene to trigger.
* The [[ImplacableMan Hunter]] in ''VideoGame/DeadSpace''. You can attack it if you want, but it won't have any effect beyond briefly slowing him down. In order to escape, you have to lead it to the appropriate place to turn it into a [[HumanPopsicle Mutant Alien Zombie Popsicle]]; later on you have to do the whole thing ''again'', but this time you get to KillItWithFire.
** The second game ''starts'' with this: as Isaac is bound in a straitjacket, his only option is to run the hell away from the necromorphs trying to kill him. Averted later, however: while there are battles that are ''more sensical'' to run from, you can fight any and everything that you come across, and because of closed room traps, you frequently are required to.
* After the planetary shield drops in ''F.A.K.K.[[superscript:2]]'', tough new enemies appear and Julie straight up declares that fighting them with her current weapons is futile. They technically can be killed, but it requires the better part of your current arsenal's ammo cap to down even one, so it's pretty awesome when [[SoLastSeason your shiny new toys later in the game can grind them to hamburger]].
* In one of the third round of missions in ''[[VideoGame/DarkForcesSaga Jedi Academy]]'', a mutated rancor appears and you have to run away from it through the entire level (while fighting dozens of dark Jedi) until you can achieve an environmental kill. In an earlier level, you have to help prisoners escape from a rancor pit, usually by leading the rancor away from their group while they Run Or Die.
* The first two ''VideoGame/PaperMario'' games have Clefts. If examined, you'll be warned that sometimes there's no shame in running, as they have so much defense that you can potentially find yourself incapable of harming them at all without the right items or moves ready. The truest example of this would be the "Invincible" Tubba Blubba from the first game, as if you battle him prior to finding out his weakness, you'll be completely incapable of harming him, thus making escape your only option.
** There's one fight in the second game you can't win, though losing that one instead of running away doesn't result in Game Over anyway.
* ''VideoGame/{{Mother 3}}''. The Chimera Factory. The [[OneHitKill Ultimate Chimera.]] If it touches you or any member of your party, that's it. No HopelessBossFight, just a cutscene where the Chimera chomps down and the screen quickly turns red before you get to the Game Over screen. [[spoiler:It shows up again on the bathroom floor of the Empire Porky Building, just to give you a JumpScare.]]
* VideoGame/LiveALive. The Behemoth, present in Cube's chapter, acts like the above trope: facing it doesn't even prompts you a HopelessBossFight, just a grim Game Over screen. Granted, this chapter is emulating a survival horror setting, and your PlayableCharacter, being a maintenance robot, is very ill-equipped for dealing with any kind of threats. To the point that the Behemoth can be defeated eventually, [[spoiler:but by an NPC, not you. Said NPC being an armed soldier tasked with this creature's escort, so it's justified plenty.]]
* ''VideoGame/FatalFrame'' final boss ghosts are like this whenever you encounter them prior to the end of the game. All of the games have a sequence where the main character must just run the hell away from the invincible ghost, lest she catch you and end your game instantly (interestingly, with the exception of the Kusabi, all of these ghosts are female). The third game has the FinalBoss as a {{random encounter|s}} throughout (hint:RUN!), and also reintroduces the Kusabi from ''II'' in the [[NostalgiaLevel Minakami Village]] areas. Though you can fight him off once or twice, it's really a better idea to just flee. [[BossInMookClothing He's freaking tough.]]

* ''VideoGame/Pikmin2'' features the [[MurderWater Waterwraith]] in one dungeon, which cannot be killed except with a Pikmin variety that cannot be brought in and can only be created at the last floor. Once it drops down, you haul ass to the exit.
* ''Videogame/{{Outlast}}'': Before you even begin playing the actual game, you get a bit of expository text at the beginning that gives a little bit of background information on the PlayerCharacter Miles, and states, in no uncertain terms, that he cannot physically fight back against the threats he encounters, and that running and hiding are your only methods of survival. This is also true for the protagonists of the Whistleblower DLC and ''VideoGame/OutlastII'', Waylon and Blake respectively.
--> "You are not a fighter; to navigate the horrors of Mount Massive and expose the truth, your only choices are to run, hide, or die."
* ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork'': Randomly encountering a stronger version of a boss you've defeated in the past when you're not prepared for it is quite likely to become a case of this, as they tend to be ''much'' tougher then the previous version. In a rather sadistic design choice, the option to flee was removed in the fourth game, making it entirely possible to suddenly end up stuck in a battle with something that can kill you in one or two hits on top of potentially having more HP then the final boss. They weren't nice enough to make you not get a game over for losing, either.
* In ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', the Reapers, at least in the Galaxy Map. As you explore the Galaxy looking for {{Plot Coupon}}s and War Assets, you run a risk of attracting the Reapers' attention every time you use your ship's sensors (without the sensors, you can't find anything). When the Reapers finally notice you, [[HellIsThatNoise the Reaper Horn blares]], and it's time to run. Getting caught by one of the Reapers is an automatic NonStandardGameOver, no matter how good of an AcePilot [[MemeticBadass Joker]] is. There are only three missions in the game where you can directly engage the Reapers, and it's always with some kind of outside help from allied forces.
* In a secret mission in ''VideoGame/StarCraftIIWingsOfLiberty'', you awaken [[spoiler:a Protoss/Zerg hybrid]] just after setting the base's generators to overload. You don't have the firepower to take it down (and even if you did, it's invincible), so you're forced to run from it as you try to make your escape from the secret base. For the most part, it's an AdvancingBossOfDoom, and it's possible to slow it down [[spoiler:using an alien-tech "Chrono Rift Device"]], and other delaying actions are also possible. At one point, however, the invincible foe disappears from sensors, which [[NothingIsScarier is actually worse than knowing where it is]]; when it inevitably reappears, it does so ''very'' close to you.
* In ''VideoGame/Persona3'', as you explore [[EvilTowerOfOminousness Tartarus]], if you linger too long on any given floor, TheGrimReaper will show up. He can be fought, but it's a very, very bad idea. One of Elizabeth's last Requests is to kill him; it's doable by that point, but unless you know how to cheat the system, you're still likely to die a few (dozen) times.
** The same thing happens in ''VideoGame/Persona4 Golden'', but somewhat differently: if you open 20 chests in a single dungeon run (without going back to the entrance), then you'll hear the chains rattling. From that point on, any chest ''may'' contain the Reaper as a BonusBoss, but the game is nice enough to warn you prior to opening the chest that it seems like a ''really'' bad idea. If you're foolish enough to open the chest without being ready, then you should probably run away. Or die.
** ''VideoGame/Persona5''; if you dick around too long on one floor and you start hearing chains, it's time to haul ass in the other direction. ([[WeaksauceWeakness Unless he's sick with the flu, in which case 72,050 free experience for you!]][[note]]But ''Persona 5 Royal'' fixed this so that the Reaper can't get the flu. Ever. Good luck![[/note]]) You ''really'' have to be trying for it, because the levels are short, and the timer is ''very'' long.
* At the end of the prologue in ''VideoGame/BaldursGate'', the beginning-level PlayerCharacter and their mid-level mentor Gorion are ambushed by the BigBad Sarevok and some minions. Gorion stays to fight while telling the PlayerCharacter to flee, which they do. He kills or disables the others and holds off Sarevok for a while, but hasn't really got a chance. When you actually fight Sarevok at the end of the game, at least he's got only about two to two and a half times your levels...
* At a couple points in ''VideoGame/Condemned2Bloodshot'', the interface itself says "'''RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!'''", most memorably [[spoiler:when you first encounter the [[BearsAreBadNews rabid grizzly bear]]]].
* In ''VideoGame/TheLordOfTheRingsOnline'', there's the Session Play Instance "The Fall Of Moria". You play as a dwarf alongside Durin and break down a cave wall to find Mithril. [[OhCrap Only to end up trapped, facing the Balrog]]. Yes, the same one that Gandalf fights in the future, mentioned above under Film. Your quest objective? ''Survive'' then, ''Escape''.
* Nemesis and Tyrant T-101 come close to this in ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil'', but you actually can fight them. The Ustanak in the sixth installment plays this ''very'' straight in his first appearance: When he shows up, you run your ass off.
** The remake of ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil2'' upgrades the Tyrant into an unstoppable stalker-type enemy. At best you can knock him down for ''eight seconds'', at the expense of enough ammo to render the game unwinnable on harder difficulties if you do it too much. Your only real option once he’s found you is to book it.
* ''VideoGame/ClockTower2'': When you hear [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSMKSrnJtIo this]], you run for dear life until you find either a place to hide or a means to drive him away.
* ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'' opens with the player in Helgen as it's attacked by a dragon. There's no hope of fighting it, since being a condemned (possible) criminal, you have no weapons, magic, or armor, your hands are bound so you cannot use the weapons of those who die against the dragon, and it's invincible anyway. And if you stay in the open long enough, it'll kill everything else then notice and come after you. [[spoiler:Said dragon turns out to be none other than Alduin, the BigBad himself, and he had come to Helgen to kill you specifically]].
* In ''VideoGame/{{OFF}}'', a few turns into your first fight with Enoch, the Batter will warn you that he's too huge, and urge you to flee. [[spoiler:When you do run, he begins chasing you down the hallway from his office, and the process is repeated if he catches you.]] Defeating him is technically possible, but he has 99999 HP (over eight times as much as [[BonusBoss Sugar]]) and higher Defense and Spirit than anything/anyone else in the game other than [[spoiler:Hugo]] and the Ballmen, but [[spoiler:Hugo]] doesn't attack you, and [[spoiler: you don't fight the Ballmen as the Batter.]] You get no experience/credits/items for attempting to fight him, and the game continues as though you fled.
* ''[[VideoGame/FirstEncounterAssaultRecon F.3.A.R]]'' features the appropriately named multiplayer mode [[PrecisionFStrike "Fucking Run"]], in which you must... well... run to escape a supernatural Wall of Death and reach safe zones. Fans and critics alike praised the mode for being downright ''intense''.
* In ''VideoGame/SpookysJumpScareMansion'', your only real option when faced with one of the Specimens (other than the harmless Specimen 01) is to keep running until you lose it. You eventually get an axe, but it's effectiveness ranges from barely flinching a foe to stunning it for a room to ''[[NiceJobBreakingItHero mutating it into a stronger form]]''.
* In ''Videogame/Fallout4'', during an early mission for the Railroad, Deacon gives the player this advice regarding Coursers, elite model [[KillerRobot synths]]. Generation 1 and 2 synths are obviously-mechanical (though [[EverythingIsAnIPodInTheFuture sleek, white, and rounded]] as opposed to the RetroFuture look of other robots) and are deployed as MechaMooks, while gen 3 models are indistinguishable from humans and used to gather intelligence in the wasteland. Coursers are gen 3s that are programmed purely for combat -- basically making them an {{Expy}} for Franchise/{{Terminator}}s -- and they are every free synth's worst nightmare, charged with hunting them down and taking them back to be "retained" by the Institute.
* ''VideoGame/DynastyWarriors'': If you see Lu Bu, run away. Players new to the series will doubtlessly be cut down as though they were a mook. He is the most powerful character in the series, and once he shows up, your only hope of survival is running away and completing the mission objective before he catches up.
* ''VideoGame/DawnOfWar: Retribution'': The second level of the campaign sics a ''[[TankGoodness Baneblade]]'' on your heroes before there's any chance to bring troops. It also handily serves to introduce the "Fall Back" mechanic (your units move a lot faster towards the closest rally point, but are uncontrollable), as well as the CastFromMoney revival when one hero is inevitably killed. The Baneblade keeps pursuing you until the very end of the level, where you hack some heavy turrets to turn it into scrap.
* ''VideoGame/WarcraftIII'': In the second level of the Blood Elf campaign, you start with several barely-defended bases on the mainland that are immediately attacked by vastly more numerous and fully-upgraded undead forces.
* ''VideoGame/EmpireEarth'': One Greek campaign mission starts you on a small island. The island's resources are only there to get you a few boats so you can leave, as an unstoppable army makes landfall soon after.
* Averted in ''VideoGame/GoldenSunTheLostAge'' with the Serpent bossfight. It can be fought as soon as you enter its lair, but it regenerates 200 HP per turn (there's only one other boss who regenerates that much, the horrifying Dullahan BonusBoss). Going through the dungeon to shine light onto it weakens it until it eventually regenerates a much more reasonable 30 HP.
* The survivors can't do any damage to a killer in ''Videogame/DeadByDaylight'', at most stunning them with a barricade or flashlight. They also run slower than the killers, forcing them to rely on misdirection and quick wits to outsmart them.
* If at any point in ''VideoGame/{{Evolve}}'' you are the last hunter alive, this is a necessary gameplay mechanic. While certain hunters may be able to evade or slow the monster down for a while, the only real recourse it to survive long enough for the rest of your team to respawn.
* If you happen to come across Chester, a ventriloquist dummy dressed up in a business suit in ''VideoGame/EmilyWantsToPlay'', the first thing you have to do is to run to the next room before he catches you.
* In ''VideoGame/KirbyPlanetRobobot'', [[BookEnds levels 1-1 and 6-8 both end with Kirby getting chased down by a mechanized Whispy Woods]], and you have to flee to safety to the left. [[spoiler:If you defy the trope to stand and fight, he's actually killable; he drops the first Gold Sticker in 1-1 and the final Code Cube in 6-8.]]
* ''VideoGame/LetItDie'': If you stay on any floor too long, the Jackal Gang will arrive - each one is ''Level 200'' and has a corresponding fully-upgraded set of gear to match. They become killable if you can get close enough to their level - until you reach floor 42 and they skyrocket to '''Level 300'''.
* The ''VideoGame/Borderlands2'' DLC Mr. Torgue's Campaign of Carnage features a sidemission that partially subverts this. It requires you to allow a fiery badass skag to chase you in a rough circle across the map as exercise. You can kill it as easily as any other badass skag (which may not be that easy depending on the difficulty mode), but that will piss off Tina, its owner, and fail the mission, requiring you to start it over. The mission objectives for each waypoint humorously play this straight.
-->''FOR THE LOVE OF TORGUE, RUN FASTER!!''
* The FinalBoss of ''VideoGame/StarWarsJediFallenOrder'' is [[spoiler: Darth Vader himself. Since Vader is in his prime and the player character is an ex-Padawan that only recently regained access to his Force abilities, nothing the player does to Vader slows him down for more than a few seconds. He doesn't even have a health bar, as if to emphasize that fighting him is a death sentence. The only thing left to do is turn and run while Vader slowly follows after you, [[PersonOfMassDestruction shredding the scenery and pathway ahead]] with but a thought.]]
* In the penultimate level of ''VideoGame/VampireTheMasqueradeBloodlines'', your objective is to survive being chased by a werewolf. In this universe, werewolves are highly resistant to vampiric powers and they ''despise'' the species. Gameplay-wise, this means your powers and weapons are useless. Even worse, the werewolf ''ignores'' the console codes that make you invulnerable and invisible. Your only recourse is to run and try to survive the four minute coutndown. [[spoiler: There ''is'' an alternative way to put the werewolf down, however.]]
* ''VideoGame/{{Oakwood}}'': In the event that she hasn't already managed to evade them in some other fashion without getting seen by them beforehand, the only option of survival available for player character Madison in the event she is successfully seen by any of the dinosaurs she encounters is to run as fast as she can and hope that she makes it to a safe location in time to avoid getting eaten.
* ''VideoGame/MegaMan8BitDeathmatch'' has the confrontation with [[spoiler:Evil Robot-possessed Sunstar.]] While you still have access to your weapons, the boss will NoSell everything you throw at them until they begin to charge up a big energy blast that envelops the entire room. The gate leading to outside the boss room opens up and you begin your escape from the [[spoiler:Wily Star]], dodging crumbling ceilings and the place falling apart along the way.

* ''Webcomic/{{Roza}}'': [[http://www.junglestudio.com/roza/?date=2007-05-08 "You can't beat this guy. Just run!"]]

In VideoGames, may be a HopelessBossFight where dying doesn't result in the plot continuing. If the ''only'' option you ever have is running, then it's probably an EndlessRunningGame. Compare DontAskJustRun.

* ''Fanfic/CheatingDeathThoseThatLived:'' Dollar has this reaction to seeing Claudia inject herself with the G virus in the zombie arena. She does face the mutation that used to be Claudia later on, but only after getting a ''really'' powerful weapon

* In the UsefulNotes/{{P|layStation2}}S2 remake of ''VideoGame/TalesOfDestiny'', if you run around in one place with all your party members set to Auto for grinding purposes, bonus boss and ''Tales Of Destiny 2'' antagonist Barbatos Goetia will eventually show up and exclaim that he's giving you the choice to run away or die. He's not kidding, since even if you ''do'' somehow manage to get his HP to zero, he'll just keep on fighting.

* ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'': In the dungeon Halls of Reflection, after beating a couple preliminary bosses the final "boss" consists of running from the Lich King until help arrives.

* ''VideoGame/{{Pikmin}} 2'' features the [[MurderWater Water Wraith]] in one dungeon, which cannot be killed except with a Pikmin variety that cannot be brought in and can only be created at the last floor. Once it drops down, you haul ass to the exit.
* Before you even begin playing the actual game, you get a bit of expository text at the beginning of ''Videogame/{{Outlast}}'' that gives a little bit of background information on the PlayerCharacter Miles, and states, in no uncertain terms, that he cannot physically fight back against the threats he encounters, and that running and hiding are your only methods of survival. This is also true for the protagonists of the Whistleblower DLC and ''VideoGame/OutlastII'', Waylon and Blake respectively.

* In the ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork'' series, randomly encountering a stronger version of a boss you've defeated in the past when you're not prepared for it is quite likely to become a case of this, as they tend to be ''much'' tougher then the previous version.
** In a rather sadistic design choice, the option to flee was removed in the fourth game, making it entirely possible to suddenly end up stuck in a battle with something that can kill you in one or two hits on top of potentially having more HP then the final boss. They weren't nice enough to make you not get a game over for losing, either.

** When facing down [[http://www.goblinscomic.com/03252011/ Mr. Fingers]], an [[EldritchAbomination undead monstrosity]] from whom [[http://www.goblinscomic.com/04082011/ one touch]] will [[http://www.goblinscomic.com/04152011/ melt you]] [[BodyHorror to purple goo]], there's really only [[http://www.goblinscomic.com/04262011/ one]] [[http://www.goblinscomic.com/04292011/ response.]] Ironically it does end up being fought... and goes down. [[spoiler: At a tragic cost.]]

** ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemPathOfRadiance Path of Radiance]]'': Stepping past a certain threshold in chapter 11 prompts [[HeroKiller the Black Knight]] to mosey onto the field. Due to his stats and literal PlotArmor making him an [[ImplacableMan walking wall of death]], it'd be best to run to the escape point. Subverted the next time he pops up in chapter 24, where he will stand at the start of the map and just observe so long as no one goes into his range. [[spoiler:Can possibly be played straight again when the time comes for Ike to [[DuelBoss duel with him]] - if his stats are simply not good enough to survive 5 turns with the Knight, you have the option of just booking it.]]

* In ''VideoGame/MetroidFusion'', the SA-X is ridiculously overpowered compared to Samus, being comparable to your power level at the end of ''VideoGame/SuperMetroid'' and Samus being gimped by her new weakness to cold and a suit that doesn't protect her much. Your friendly AI commander actually gives you this instruction in as many words. As you progress through the game, you go from hiding, to running from, to preventing from following, and finally fighting at the very end of the game.

* ''Fanfic/{{Traveler}}'': If someone happens across a [[PhysicalGod Legendary]], the answer is almost always to simply run like hell. Even though most aren't actively malevolent, they're so ungodly powerful that fighting them simply isn't an option.
** During the Ice Time (a time when every water and ice type in the Seafoam Islands is empowered), Ash barely defeats a Dewgong only to come across four others with pups, marking them as mothers. Ash doesn't even try to fight and simply flees as fast as possible. He later passes on the same advice to Gary when the latter decides to train there.

* ''FanFic/MegamiNoHanabira:'' [[spoiler: The girls' first encounter with an Archangel goes disastrously for them: the only reason they weren't killed before they could even draw their phones is that they were fortunate enough to be up against an absolute {{Sadist}} who preferred to toy with them rather than simply killing them outright. Even then, once they actually manage to land a solid enough hit on the Archangel to do any damage, it simply inspires a devastating [[FantasticNuke Megidolaon]] attack that they have no choice but to run from. From that point forward until they get [[OlympusMons Fiends]], the girls resolve to stay as far away from the Archangels as they possibly can.]]

--> '''Neville:''' You are going to fight ''that?''
--> '''Henri:''' No, we are going to try surviving that.
* ''FanFic/TheWeaverOption'': After Lelith reveals her actual power in Commorragh and her true history is revealed, Lelith's WantedPoster is revised. Where before it recommended only engaging her with the backup of a Primarch and their entire ''Legion'', it now simple states "Flee on Sight".