History Main / SavedToEnslave

!! Examples

* ''Manga/{{Helck}}'': [[spoiler:Rafaed adopts Cless and Helck from the streets, a surprising generosity from a noble. Only later to use Cless [[PoweredByAForsakenChild as fuel]] for the Hero army]] and is disappointed Helck would object to it.]]

* In some Harry Potter fanfic, the concept of Life Debts works like this.

* ''Literature/AStudyInScarlet'': In the backstory, before Sherlock Holmes gets involved, [[spoiler:Ferrier and Lucy are stranded in the desert of Utah after their travelling group is raided. They are rescued from certain death by a Mormon convoy, who demand they both swear loyalty to the Church. Years later, the two try to escape the Mormon community and are killed for it]].
* EvilPrince Ancar makes [[BigBad Mornelithe Falconsbane]] his servant this way in ''[[Literature/HeraldsOfValdemar Winds of Fury]]''.

* ''Series/BreakingBad'': [[spoiler:Todd convinces Uncle Jack not to kill a captive Jesse for being a rat in favor of forcing him to cook meth under inhumane living conditions, killing his girlfriend Andrea when he tries to escape.]]

* In ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'', Fenris' personal quest "A Bitter Pill" ends with [[PlayerCharacter Hawke]] rescuing an [[EnslavedElves elf]] named Orana. Should Hawke offer her work at the Hawke Manor, Fenris, a former slave, will deride him or her for taking her in as a slave. The player's reaction, however, determines if this trope is PlayedStraight or {{subverted}} (by paying Orianne for her work).

--->''"I saved your life, beast. That makes it mine."''

* In ''VideoGame/PlanescapeTorment'', the githzerai live in a world of chaos shaped purely by their thoughts, a world in which self-doubt can be deadly. The Practical Incarnation [[LeonineContract entrapped]] a githzerai named Dak'kon in this way, saving him psychologically by giving him the scripture of Zerthimon. The githzerai swore obedience until the Practical Incarnation's death...but what he didn't know was that the Practical Incarnation was immortal. [[spoiler:At the end of the game, you wind up meeting the Practical Incarnation and get him to admit that the "scripture" he gave to Dak'kon was something he made up purely to get Dak'kon's service because he's the last wielder of the karach blade. You can potentially tell this to Dak'kon, at which point he is finally freed]].

--> '''Fisherman #1:''' Do we need another slave laborer in the cannery?
--> '''Fisherman #2:''' You can never have too many slave laborers.

Compare YouOweMe (Bob reminds Alice that he did her a favor in order to get her to do something she's reluctant to do), LeonineContract (Bob gets Alice to agree to something when she's in no real position to say 'no'), DefeatMeansMenialLabor, RecruitmentByRescue, and VillainousRescue. Contrast IOweYouMyLife, where ''Alice'' insists on serving Bob without any external compulsion or threat of force to make her do so.

** The same game has [[ManipulativeBitch Kreia]] doing this with the insane Wookie Hanharr. Like many things in the game, it's a nasty {{Deconstruction}} of ''Franchise/StarWars'' lore: In this case, the LifeDebt. Hanharr owes a lifedebt to another human, and a combination of InternalCategorism, Hanharr's belief in SocialDarwinism and the fact that he hates humans for enslaving and abusing Wookies (while himself being a slaver and killer) has driven him half-mad. Kreia then adding to it by intentionally rescuing him only adds fuel to that particular fire.

* ''VideoGame/BaldursGate3'': In his backstory, Astarion was rescued from a band of Gur by Cazador, who promptly after 'saving' him turned Astarion into a vampire spawn and enslaved him for two hundred years.

** The same game has [[ManipulativeBitch Kreia]] doing this with the insane Wookie Hanharr. Like many things in the game, it's a nasty {{Deconstruction}} of ''Franchise/StarWars'' lore. In this case, the LifeDebt

-->''"I saved your life, beast. That makes it mine."''

* TheCanKickedHim: J.C. is attacked by a zombie carrying slugs when he goes off to take a leak.

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]

* EvilPrince Ancar makes [[BigBad Mornelithe Falconsbane]] his servant this way in ''[[Literature/HeraldsOfValdemar Winds of Fury]]''.

* ''Literature/TheRedVixenAdventures'': When Alinadar was gravely wounded and the sole survivor of a raiding party that attacked one of the Red Vixen's fueling stations, the Red Vixen enslaved her rather than leave her for dead.
* Pulp hero ''Literature/TheShadow'' has a VigilanteMilitia of agents whom he expects to obey all orders. While some joined voluntarily, others were persons he rescued and then 'impressed.'
* ''Literature/{{Gor}}'': Gorean convention has it that if a man saves the life of a free woman, he has the option to enslave her.

* The ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'' episode "[[RugratsS2E25DrivingMissAngelicaSusieVsAngelica Driving Miss Angelica]]" has Chuckie become Angelica's servant after she saves him from being almost hit by a kids big wheel. Tommy and Chuckie are later able to flip this on Angelica after saving her from being trapped in the closet.

* The ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'' episode "Driving Miss Angelica" has Chuckie become Angelica's servant after she saves him from being almost hit by a kids big wheel. Tommy and Chuckie are later able to flip this on Angelica after saving her from being trapped in the closet.

* In ''ComicBook/AstroCity'', this is part of Infidel's modus operandi -- he travels through time and rescues people from great disasters, then forces them into slavery to "repay" him.
* In ''ComicBook/PlanetHulk'', this is Caiera's backstory. Over time, she became loyal to the Red King for sparing her, until he no longer needed to compel her obedience.

Compare YouOweMe (Bob reminds Alice that he did her a favor in order to get her to do something she's reluctant to do), LeonineContract (Bob gets Alice to agree to something when she's in no real position to say 'no'), DefeatMeansMenialLabor, and VillainousRescue. Contrast IOweYouMyLife, where ''Alice'' insists on serving Bob without any external compulsion or threat of force to make her do so.

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

* In ''VideoGame/PlanescapeTorment'', the githzerai live in a world of chaos shaped purely by their thoughts, a world in which self-doubt can be deadly. The Practical Incarnation [[LeonineContract entrapped]] a githzerai named Dak'kon in this way, saving him psychologically by giving him the scripture of Zerthimon. The githzerai swore obedience until the Practical Incarnation's death...but what he didn't know was that the Practical Incarnation was immortal. [[spoiler: At the end of the game, you wind up meeting the Practical Incarnation and get him to admit that the "scripture" he gave to Dak'kon was something he made up purely to get Dak'kon's service because he's the last wielder of the karach blade. You can potentially tell this to Dak'kon, at which point he is finally freed]].

* ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'': All over the Sith Warrior story, especially if played Dark Side. First up is Vette, who the Sith Warrior saves from a death sentence (she was robbing Sith tombs for artifacts to sell). Vette is the Warrior's property under Imperial law. Second is Jaesa. A lot of her circumstances are up to the Warrior's choices, but after defeating her in battle, the Warrior takes her as an apprentice because she's got a Force ability that is quite useful in ferreting out deceit. And then there's Quinn. His career ([[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness and possibly life]]) were saved by the Warrior's Master, Darth Baras. Quinn offers to serve you as a proxy to Baras [[spoiler: Not quite true. He's still enslaved to Baras and when Baras wants to backstab the Warrior, Quinn has no choice but to obey]]

* In ''VideoGame/PlanescapeTorment'', the githzerai live in a world of chaos shaped purely by their thoughts, a world in which self-doubt can be deadly. The Practical Incarnation [[LeonineContract entrapped]] a githzerai named Dak'kon in this way, saving him psychologically by giving him the scripture of Zerthimon. The githzerai swore obedience until the Practical Incarnation's death...but what he didn't know was that the Practical Incarnation was immortal. [[spoiler: At the end of the game, you wind up meeting the Practical Incarnation and get him to admit that the "scripture" he gave to Dak'kon was something he made up purely to get Dak'kon's service because he's the last wielder of the karach blade. You can potentially tell this to Dak'kon, at which point he is finally freed]].

* A gameplay mechanic in ''VideoGame/{{Rimworld}}''. Occasionally, somebody's transport pod will end up crashlanding in your base, leaving its passenger mortally wounded. You can choose to help them, or take them prisoner, depending on your relative factions, your pawns' religious views, [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential and your own sense of morality]].
* Jedah in the ''VideoGame/{{Darkstalkers}}'' game ''Vampire Savior'' fits this to a T. Not only did he save Lilith from the prison Belial gave her just to use her in his [[RewritingReality plan for recreating Makai]], but Lilith realizing this was enough to [[DeceptiveDisciple get her to double-cross him]] too.

* ''VideoGame/VampireTheMasqueradeBloodlines'': Heather was dying from being hit by a car when the player meets her, and you have the option to give her some of your blood to heal her, making her a blood-bound ghoul in the process. If you choose to keep her, Heather will drop out of school, give you all her money, and lure guys home for you to feed on, all without any sort of prompting from you. Unlike other ghouls you meet, she's unaware of what the blood bond is doing to her sanity, even if you treat her badly.

* he invokes a cultural tradition which says she has incurred a Life Debt and must be his servant until he is satisfied.

* he simply tells her that she belongs to him now, and since she can't swim, she has no choice to submit (for now).

* The [[{{Hentai}} H-manga]] ''Black Moon Prophecy'' is kicked off by an {{Otaku}} who [[NerdsAreVirgins hires a prostitute to lose his virginity]], only for her to reveal herself as [[LiteralManeater a succubus with a taste for human flesh]]. As she slaughters him, the heroine, a sorceress, appears, kills the succubus, and [[TrappedInAnotherWorld transports him back to her world]] where after he recovers from being [[GuttedLikeAFish disemboweled]] and [[AnArmAndALeg dismembered]], she forces him him to be her [[{{Familiar}} familiar]]/[[SexSlave sex toy]].

* The film version of ''Film/TheShadow'' has Cranston putting anyone he saves into his debt -- and service -- claiming that saving their lives means he now owns them. A downplayed example as he doesn't actually ''enslave'' them as such as recruit them as his agents, but nobody says no to him.

* ''Literature/TheRedVixenAdventures'': When Alinadar was gravely wounded and the sole survivor a raiding party that attacked one of the Red Vixen's fueling stations, the Red Vixen enslaved her rather than leave her for dead.

* In ''VideoGame/PlanescapeTorment'', the githzerai live in a world of chaos shaped purely by their thoughts, a world in which self-doubt can be deadly. The Practical Incarnation [[LeonineContract entrapped]] a githzerai named Dak'kon in this way, saving him psychologically by giving him the scripture of Zerthimon. The githzerai swore obedience until the Practical Incarnation's death...but what he didn't know was that the Practical Incarnation was immortal. [[spoiler: At the end of the game, you wind up meeting the Practical Incarnation and get him to admit that the "scripture" he gave to Dak'kon was something he made up purely to get Dak'kon's service because he's the last weilder of the karach blade. You can potentially tell this to Dak'kon, at which point he is finally freed]].