History Main / SacrificialLion

Finally, where the Sacrificial Lamb tends to die relatively early in the story, the Sacrificial Lion tend to hang around for longer, and their death often times either signal the beginning of the story (or StoryArc)'s endgame, the advent of the DarkestHour, or at least a simliar point of no return in the plot.

* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': Volume 3 ends up having Pyrrha Nikos, one of the secondary characters from Team JNPR, and the de-facto protagonist of that season, killed by [[TheHeavy Cinder Fall]] in a CurbStompBattle.

* Lieutenant Bradley from ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'', when an attack on the tank he was flying resulted in it losing power, leaving the tank to destroy property and/or kill innocents when it finally came down unless something was done about it. Other toughs have died as well, but this guy got a ''lot'' of character development, being in the cast since pretty much the beginning of the comic, and getting a lot of screen time in the process.

** * Another Terry Pratchett example in ''Men at Arms'' with Cuddy, who achieves major character status within the book and was set up for some sort of OddCouple relationship with Detritus the troll.[[note]]If you're not a Discworld fan, it's trolls that dwarves have a longstanding racial grudge against instead of [[ElvesVersusDwarves elves]]; see that page for more details[[/note]] But then, just as they've both gone through a bit of CharacterDevelopment and become FireForgedFriends, Cuddy gets killed. And Detritus does ''not'' take it well.

* In Creator/AnneMcCaffrey's ''Literature/TowerAndTheHive'' novel, ''Damia'', Larak Raven (younger brother and closest relative of the title character) dies when he absorbs the brunt of a psychic attack meant for another. A good amount of the book is spent establishing that Larak his coming into his own as an adult, contrasting the conflicted, unsatisfied life of his sister.

* In Terry Pratchett's ''Literature/{{Night Watch|Discworld}}'', the main action is kicked off by Carcer's murder of Sergeant Stronginthearm. Stronginthearm was a dwarf who was leading a riot against the trolls and was drafted into the new Watch by Captain Carrot in the second of the Watch novels. Since then, he rose through the ranks, eventually becoming a mainstay of the City Watch, as evidenced by his rank. His death, while not as shocking as that of a first or second tier character, managed to effectively communicate just how dangerous Carcer was, and how the story was about to take a turn for the worse.

* Another Terry Pratchett example in ''Men at Arms'' with Cuddy, who achieves major character status within the book and was set up for some sort of OddCouple relationship with Detritus the troll.[[note]]If you're not a Discworld fan, it's trolls that dwarves have a longstanding racial grudge against instead of [[ElvesVersusDwarves elves]]; see that page for more details[[/note]] But then, just as they've both gone through a bit of CharacterDevelopment and become FireForgedFriends, Cuddy gets killed. And Detritus does ''not'' take it well...

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[[folder: Western Animation]]

* ''Literature/{{Dragons}} The Last Dragon Chronicles'':

** Well, Snow isn't lesser evil than anything...he kills plenty of kids over the course of the Games (not solely; the Gamemasters and indeed every Capitol citizen share responsibility). He would never kill Prim because it wouldn't gain him anything, that's all. He doesn't murder and torture for fun, he isn't crazy; he does it for power and strategy.

* In ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'', this happens to [[TheHero Roy]] (though later subverted as [[BackFromTheDead he got better]], establishing that actually DeathIsCheap). However, it ''really'' happens to Durkon, who (at least technically) gets killed, and whose death is certainly not cheap.

* In ''Webcomic/SlightlyDamned'', Sakido gets sniped by a demon-slaying arrow just as the story setting moves from Hell to the mortal realm. WordOfGod has actually stated that Sakido's entire purpose was to have the readers grow attached to her only to see her cruelly picked off right when she, Rhea and Buwaro were about to [[EarnYourHappyEnding earn their happy ending]].
* In ''Webcomic/CuantaVida'', Gabry (better known simply as Red) is clever, vivacious, and determined. He's also the lover of Liam (the BLU Sniper) and the guy masterminding the entire escape plan - generally the guy most of the cast is counting on despite his quirkiness. Then, [[http://tf2.skyscrapersoup.com/?p=166 this happens]].

* In ''Webcomic/{{Fite}}'', Guz is one of the two main characters and Lucco's HeterosexualLifePartner, and he eventually is killed by a Frogera while Lucco is fighting the {{King|Mook}}. Guz is then [[FusionDance absorbed]] by Lucco, and seems to be a SpiritAdvisor to him after he wakes up.
* Pauline, from ''Webcomic/OurLittleAdventure''. Her murderer wasn't the BigBad, but she was the first non-recoverable casualty in Julie's quest. Julie of course does [[HeroicBSOD not take it well]], at least until Pauline's funeral which gives Julie and her friends a chance to good bye properly.
* In ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'', this happens to [[TheHero Roy]] (though later subverted as [[BackFromTheDead he got better]], establishing that actually DeathIsCheap). However, it ''really'' happens to Durkon, who (at least technically) gets killed, and whose death is certainly not cheap.

* In the first arc of ''Webcomic/{{Goblins}}'', a lot of characters die to show that really AnyoneCanDie. Then, for a long time, no major protagonist dies. Later, in book 4, a main character dies on both story arcs: K'seliss and Chief.

* In military thriller ''Literature/{{Victoria}}'', Col. John Kelly plays this role, going down fighting the UN-sponsored Islamic radicals. He even gets to take [[{{Qurac}} Ayatollah Ghorbag]] down with him, as the latter comes to inspect his captive in person.

* To prove that [[NothingIsTheSameAnymore that the show's tone is going to change drastically]], ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'':
** Volume 3 ends up having Pyrrha Nikos, one of the secondary characters from Team JNPR, and the de-facto protagonist of that season, killed by [[TheHeavy Cinder Fall]] in a CurbStompBattle.
** Volume 7 deals a similarly brutal reminder after a HopeSpot episode. The volume's penultimate episode ends with the death of [[MeaningfulName Clover]] Ebi, a charismatic Huntsman with a Good Luck semblance. His death heralds things getting ''much worse'' for the cast, with BigBad Salem herself arriving to attack the city.

* ''Webcomic/SleeplessDomain'' was about Team Alchemical, a team of MagicalGirls with ElementalPowers. Until Chapter 2, when Alchemical Air, Fire and Earth are killed in action, and Alchemical Aether saves Water at the cost of her own powers. Then the comic becomes the story of Undine (Water) and Tessa (Aether) moving on with their lives as best they can.

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Lastman}}'', Dave [=MacKenzie's=] death kickstarts the plot and Richard's involvment in order to help Siri.

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Lastman}}'' Dave [=MacKenzie's=] death kickstarts the plot and Richard's involvment in order to help Siri.

* In Terry Pratchett's ''Discworld/NightWatch'', the main action is kicked off by Carcer's murder of Sergeant Stronginthearm. Stronginthearm was a dwarf who was leading a riot against the trolls and was drafted into the new Watch by Captain Carrot in the second of the Watch novels. Since then, he rose through the ranks, eventually becoming a mainstay of the City Watch, as evidenced by his rank. His death, while not as shocking as that of a first or second tier character, managed to effectively communicate just how dangerous Carcer was, and how the story was about to take a turn for the worse.

* Granch in ''ComicBook/AmethystPrincessOfGemworld'' was an ally of the titular protagonist in the first half of the original maxi-series. As the story progresses, he rallies together his siblings for an attack on the BigBad Dark Opal (Granch and his siblings were Dark Opal's children, but they were rejected by him due to their deformities, and Opal instead adopted Carnelian to replace them). In the end, all of Granch's siblings are killed, and Granch himself dies in battle against Dark Opal himself. This is at the half-way point of the series.

* To prove that [[NothingIsTheSameAnymore that the show's tone is going to change drastically]], ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'' Volume 3 ends up having Pyrrha Nikos, one of the secondary characters from Team JNPR, and the de-facto protagonist of that season, killed by [[TheHeavy Cinder Fall]] in a CurbStompBattle.

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Lastman}}'' Dave MacKenzie's death kickstarts the plot and Richard's involvment in order to help Siri.

* Mindfuck, from ''Comicbook/{{Empowered}}'', whose death leaves Sistah Spooky barely this side of catatonic and Emp herself with a heaping dose of survivor's guilt.