Line #45 Main/DeathWail


1	[[quoteright:350:[[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tng_heartofglory_hd_223.jpg]]]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:[[DueToTheDead "Beware, a Klingon warrior is about to arrive."]]]]
3
4	->''"Every firstborn son will die, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sits on the throne, to the firstborn son of the female slave, who is at her handmill, and all the firstborn of the cattle as well. There will be a loud wailing throughout Egypt -- worse than has ever been or ever will be again."''
5	-->-- '''Moses''', [[Literature/BookOfExodus Exodus 11:5-6]], ''Literature/TheBible''
6
7	The "Death Wail". For when words just don't cut it. It's that inarticulate scream of rage and grief when a beloved ally has just become an ex-beloved-ally. It is a sister trope of the {{Big No}}, and if done poorly has an extremely good chance of becoming {{Narm}}. For the animal variant, see HowlOfSorrow.
8
9	See Also:
10	* BigNo
11	* OneWomanWail
12	* SayMyName
13	* TheScream
14	* SkywardScream
15
16	!!As this is a {{Death Trope\|s}}, [[Administrivia/SpoilersOff unmarked spoilers abound]]. [[Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned Beware]].
17	----
18	!!Examples:
19	[[foldercontrol]]
20	[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
21	* In ''Anime/CodeGeass'', Lelouch vi Britannia [[spoiler: tries his best to save his friend (and one of his [[LoveInterest love interests]]), [[AllLovingHero Shirley Fenette]], after she has been fatally shot. But his attempts at using his [[HypnoticEyes Geass]] to will her into surviving fail, and [[DyingDeclarationOfLove she dies declaring her love for him]]. When the finality of Shirley's death finally sinks in for him, he lets out one of ''the'' most anguished screams in anime history as he falls into the DespairEventHorizon]].
22	** [[spoiler:Mrs. Fenette is beside herself with grief as well the next episode, during her daughter's funeral. Noticeably, while everyone else is rather silent, she is bawling her eyes out. A year ago, she lost her husband, and now her daughter is also dead.]]
23	** [[spoiler:In the final episode, Nunnally, Lelouch's sister, succumbs to grief when Lelouch [[ThanatosGambit orchestrates his own assassination]] [[ZeroApprovalGambit after becoming Emperor and posing as a tyrant]]. After tearfully telling her brother's corpse that the only thing she ever wanted was to be with him, she buries her head in her dead brother's chest and wails profusely. Her screams of grief are drowned out by a celebrating crowd as they cheer Lelouch's murderer: Suzaku, who is dressed as Lelouch's alter-ego, Zero.]]
24	* In ''Anime/FutureWar198X'' when the U.S. President realizes that all of his negotiation efforts with the Soviets were for naught [[spoiler: The American Secretary of Defense murders the Soviet Chief Secretary meaning the nukes will go flying.]]
25	* In chapter 35 of ''Manga/DoctorKumahige'', a book writer gets frustrated with how her neighbor Kumahige yells and tosses things around at night every so often. While he's helping her treat her hyperkalemia, she is told that's how he copes with the death of his patients. The chapter ends with her passing away and Kumahige wandering off to scream in rage after learning she had dedicated her last book to him.
26	* In ''Anime/DragonBallThePathToPower'', Goku does this after [[spoiler:Eighter is destroyed.]]
27	* In ''Anime/GaoGaiGar'', Guy does this after [[spoiler:his father Leo is killed.]]
28	* In ''Manga/DeathNote'', Light fakes one [[spoiler: when L dies]]. Good actor, that one.
29	* ''Manga/TokyoGhoul'':
30	** Kaneki does this after seeing [[spoiler:a hallucination of Yamori killing Hide]].
31	** Done again by Juuzuo after [[spoiler:[[ParentalSubstitute Shinohara]] is severely wounded by the One-Eyed Owl]].
32	* In ''Anime/WinterCicada'', Kusaka does this when [[spoiler: Akizuki commits suicide]].
33	* In ''Anime/GuiltyCrown'', Shu does this after [[spoiler: Hare dies.]]
34	* In ''Anime/CarriedByTheWindTsukikageRan'', Meow does this when [[spoiler: her childhood friend turned drug dealer Mei dies.]]
35	* In ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'' Kamina discovers that the skeleton that he and his partners are burying belonged to his father, who had left him behind in the hopes that one day Kamina would be strong enough to follow him to the surface. [[spoiler:Kamina breaks down in tears and bellows: '''"DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADDDDDD!!!"''']]
36	** Later on, Simon does an even bigger one, both figuratively and literally, [[spoiler:when Thymilph kills Kamina in front of him. Simon starts screaming in grief, the entire valley and the nearby mountains erupt in flame and lava, and every Beastman except for Viral, Thymilph, and the latter's Thunder Guard are killed in his rampage. Kamina has to literally will himself back to life to keep Simon from destroying himself, Dai-Gunzan/Dai-Gurren, and everything else around him. When Kamina dies for good at the end of the episode, it's implied Simon screamed again after seeing his corpse.]]
37	* In ''Anime/SCryEd'', Ryuho does this twice, once at the beginning after his family is killed and again when [[spoiler: Scheris dies]]. Hikaru Midorikawa is excellent with such scenes.
38	* In ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'', Homura lets out an absolutely heartbreaking strangled wail when she is [[spoiler:[[MercyKill forced to kill Madoka]] in one of the previous timelines.]]
39	* In ''Manga/{{Bleach}}: Hell Chapter'', Ichigo lets out a particularly heartwrenching one after [[spoiler: he fails to save Yuzu and his friends from Hell.]]
40	* Kiritsugu of ''Literature/FateZero'' has one after he forces himself to kill [[spoiler:his old mentor and mother figure, Natalia]].
41	* ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'':
42	** In ''Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam'', Kamille Bidan does a wail combined with PleaseWakeUp [[spoiler:when Four Murasame dies.]]
43	** In ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEEDDestiny'', [[AntiVillain Shinn Asuka]] screams in anguish twice over the deaths of people he cared for, both events traumatizing him to the same effect. The first instance was in the opening scene of the first episode, when his family was killed in the crossfire between the Freedom and Calamity Gundams during the Battle of Orb. The second was in a callback to [[spoiler:''Zeta Gundam'' and the death of Four]], when [[spoiler:Shinn's LoveInterest, [[SuperSoldier Stella Loussier]], [[DiedInYourArmsTonight died in his arms]] after [[ShootTheDog she and her Destroy Gundam were forcefully taken down by Kira and the Freedom]], who had only done so to stop [[PersonOfMassDestruction her rampage across Berlin]]. Needless to say, Shinn didn't take her death well at all, and only increased his hatred of the Freedom and its pilot]].
44	** In ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam00'', Episode 23 ends with [[spoiler:Setsuna screaming in grief over the death of his fellow Gundam Meister, Lockon.]]
45	** ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamTheWitchFromMercury'':
46	*** [[WhamEpisode Episode 12]] sees Guel Jeturk letting out one [[spoiler:when he realizes he just killed his own father, Vim, who had mistaken his Mobile Suit for a model being used by the Dawn of Fold terrorists. Guel, completely unaware of who the pilot was, merely attacked in self-defense, and was completely blindsided when he found out it was Vim. So [[TheScream his reaction]] was also one of sheer horror in addition to anguish]].
47	*** [[spoiler:Enhanced Person Number Five, coupled with a [[HeroicRROD Permet Link strain]] due to piloting the Lfrith Ur Gundam at the time, lets out a bone-shaking howl of grief and rage after Norea Du Noc -- the girl he'd begun to fall for over the past episodes -- is abruptly shot out of the sky in her Lfrith Thorn by a Beguir-Pente MS of Dominicus Team. In fact, his scream of grief is accompanied by him using the Lfrith Ur to [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge override the Thorn's GUND-Volvas to gun down the Dominicus sniper and his teammate in a rage]].]]
48	* In ''Anime/PsychoPass'', Akane gives a heartwrenching one as [[spoiler:she watched her best friend, Yuki, died in the hands of Shogo Makishima]].
49	* ''Manga/OnePiece'':
50	** Luffy gives a heartbreaking one after [[spoiler:his adopted brother Ace dies]], then suffers a HeroicBSOD. To emphasize the impact, the manga has no speech bubble or dialog to go with it, while the anime ''extends and intensifies it'' as he breaks down.
51	** Law's crying over [[spoiler:his mentor Corazon]] has an extra level of tragedy to it since [[spoiler:Corazon had used his devil fruit power to silence Law and allow him to escape undetected just before he's mortally wounded, so when Law finally hears the sound of his own sobbing [[NoOntologicalInertia he knows that Corazon is dead]].]]
52	** A flashback in the Egghead arc shows that [[spoiler:Dr. Vegapunk violently broke down in tears when he finally completed Kuma's Pacifista modifications as he was forced to, turning Kuma into a mindless cyborg]].
53	* In ''Manga/AssassinationClassroom'', the Class 3-E students finally manage to kill their target and teacher Koro-sensei, fulfilling the goal they had been given. However, by that point, they had grown extremely fond of him, as not only did he help them grow physically, mentally, and emotionally, but he also gave them the love, support, and warmth that the rest of the school and many of their families never gave them. As a result, the entire class breaks down crying, especially Nagisa who did the actual deed.
54	* In ''Manga/PandoraHearts'', [[spoiler: Sharon]] lets out one of these when [[spoiler: Break dies in her and Reim's arms.]] It's particularly heartbreaking due to the fact that she is usually calm, composed, and ladylike.
55	** And [[spoiler: Leo]] does this ''repeatedly'' at random intervals while sobbing after [[spoiler: Elliot dies.]]
56	* In ''Anime/AkameGaKill'', the titular assassin, Akame, having kept up a stoic demeanor for so long, even after having lost so many of her friends and comrades during the revolution, [[spoiler:is forced to kill her beloved little sister Kurome]]. It is then that the weight of her countless losses finally catches up, and Akame soon lets all of her pain out in one big, grief-filled wail as she breaks down completely, sobbing in Tatsumi's arms.
57	* This happens twice in ''Anime/DevilmanCrybaby''. The first time is when Akira yells an anguished PreMortemOneLiner at [[spoiler: the lynch mob after seeing [[CruelAndUnusualDeath what they did to Miki]]]], and the second time is when Ryo screams [[spoiler: Akira's name in sorrow after [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone belatedly realizing that he killed his own friend]]]].
58	* Hayate does this in episode 9 of ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaAs'' after witnessing the death of [[spoiler:Vita (after having already found out about the death of the rest of the Wolkenritter)]], signifying the start of her TraumaticSuperpowerAwakening.
59	* In ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'''s anime adaptation, after [[spoiler: Ceaser's death]] Joseph lets out an anguished cry after seeing his grave.
60	* Pikachu does this in three ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' movies in response to Ash [[DisneyDeath temporarily]] dying -- ''Anime/PokemonLucarioAndTheMysteryOfMew'', ''Anime/PokemonIChooseYou'', and ''Anime/MewtwoStrikesBackEvolution''.
61	* Happens a few times in ''Anime/FullmetalAlchemist2003'' to chilling effect, most famously [[spoiler:Edward howling in pain and sorrow after the death of Nina and Greed]].
62	* In ''Anime/SpaceRunawayIdeon'', after witnessing the death of Commander Camyula and defeating the Buff clan forces that ambushed the base, Cosmo yells in anguish and swears to destroy the Buff Clan. Even the mecha Ideon itself lets a heartwrenching but terrifying roar, giving an indication that it can feel Cosmo's pain.
63	* ''Anime/TransformersArmada'':
64	** In "Crisis", Jetfire wails "OPTIMUUUS!" followed by "I'll never forget you. "NEVEEER!" when he retrieves the Mini-Con Sparkplug and the Matrix of Leadership following Optimus's HeroicSacrifice.
65	** In "Cramp", Fred exclaims "STARSCREAM, NO!" after Starscream is disintegrated by Unicron.
66	[[/folder]]
67
68	[[folder:Fan Works]]
69	* ''Fanfic/AbraxasHrodvitnon'': Overlapping with HowlOfSorrow; when [[InhumanHuman Vivienne Graham]] learns of [[ParentalSubstitute Serizawa]]'s death, she with [[TwoBeingsOneBody her and San]]'s [[ArtificialHybrid half-Ghidorah body]] lets out a particularly loud and terrible scream of grief. One of Alan Jonah's {{Mook Lieutenant}}s mentions they heard their mother produce a similar sound when their sister died.
70	** In [[https://hrodvitnon.tumblr.com/post/187556723434/ this post]] by the author describing an alternate take on the events of ''Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters2019'' where Ghidorah killed Mark Russell instead of Vivienne during the Antarctica scene, Vivienne, in a very parallel fashion to the above, screams in grief after the nuclear detonation caused by Serizawa's HeroicSacrifice in the HollowEarth.
71	* ''Fanfic/AllForLuz'': Luz does an agonising one after [[spoiler:discovering the mangled bodies of her murdered new friends at summer camp]] and succumbs to [[EvilMentor All For One's]] influence in her rage and grief to PayEvilUntoEvil.
72	* ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' fanfic ''[[Fanfic/KingdomHeartsTheAntipode The Antipode]]'': During the fourth installment, most of the main cast save for Kairi is [[DisneyDeath seemingly killed]] at the hands of the [[WesternAnimation/{{Hercules}} Cyclops Titan]], prompting Kairi to fall to her knees and scream in despair.
73	-->''Kairi wailed with brokenhearted abandon. The names of every fallen friend—every death in the family—failed to form on her tongue, drowned by the raw sorrow that she screamed to the heavens. In her shattered mind, the sky seemed to darken with her grief.''
74	* ''Fanfic/MyBravePonyStarfleetMagic'': It isn't so much of a wail but more of a [[FurryReminder neigh]]. Much like with the Klingons, this is regarded as a tradition, being called the [[{{Narm}} "Starfleet Mourn of Loss"]].
75	* ''Fanfic/NewGamePlus2022'': The [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness normally stoic]] Shouto Aizawa gives one after learning that [[spoiler:the Nomu Kurogiri is actually his friend Oboro and that All For One meant to kill him that day instead.]]
76	* ''Fanfic/TheVow'':
77	** One is done after Lady Amelia passes away out of illness. In her grief, Amelia's daughter Lianne isn't sure if the cry comes from her, her father Lord Chang, or both of them.
78	** One of the last chapters ends with Lianne doing this when she's being informed that [[spoiler:her newlywed husband Lord Shen has been defeated and [[NeverFoundTheBody apparently]] perished]].
79
80	* In ''[[{{Fanfic/AceCombatEquestriaChronicles}} Ace Combat: The Equestrian War]]'', Derpy does one after [[spoiler: Carrot Top [[{{DiedInYourArmsTonight}} dies in her arms]]]].
81	* In ''Fanfic/TheCorniceInTheGround'', after witnessing Harry's death, Eggsy screams. This shatters the windows.
82	* ''The Sanctuary Telepath'': when [[spoiler:James dies]] Janine screams ''mentally'', both in grief and in the pain coming from the brutal disappearance of their PsychicLink.
83	[[/folder]]
84
85	[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
86	* In ''{{WesternAnimation/Encanto}}'', a flashback shows [[spoiler:a young Abuela Alma doing this as she witnesses her husband being killed by marauders. Even though we don't hear her scream because of the song "Dos Oruguitas" playing in the background, her expression conveys all the suffering and despair she felt in that very moment, especially given how it contrasts to the relatively calmer expressions she made when the story was first told]].
87	* In ''WesternAnimation/TheBookOfLife'', all Manolo can do when [[spoiler:Maria appears to die of a snake bite]] is throw his head back and howl in anguish.
88	[[/folder]]
89
90	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
91	* ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan'': [[ComicBook/SpiderMan Peter]] lets one out when [[spoiler:Captain George Stacy]] dies from his injuries after fighting the Lizard.
92	* ''Film/CoachCarter'': Upon witnessing his cousin, Renny, was gunned down after a drug deal that goes wrong, Cruz screams in agony while holding the injured Renny.
93	* Michael Corleone's scream in ''Film/TheGodfatherPartIII'' when [[spoiler: Mary is shot]] was supposedly so primal and intense that [[MomentOfSilence the audio had to be cut from the movie]], only keeping the tail end of it.
94	* ''Film/Godzilla2014'': [[Characters/MonsterVerseFamilies Joe Brody]] impressively lets out such a sound [[spoiler:in the film's prologue]], not after but directly ''before'' pulling a ShootTheDog once he's learned his wife has received a fatal radiation dose and he has to lock her in to prevent the entire city being exposed to the same lethal dose.
95	* ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVol3'': Rocket lets out a particularly heart wrenching one when the High Evolutionary [[spoiler: shoots Lylla during Rocket's escape,]] Rocket proceeds to scream and wail in heartbroken despair until the High Evolutionary [[CopycatMockery mimics his cries to cruelly mock him]], which goes... [[FacialHorror less than well for him]].
96	* ''Film/HarryPotter''
97	** ''Film/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix'': Harry's reaction to [[spoiler: Sirius' death]] was so agonizing that the audio of it was cut from the film.
98	** However, they kept the scene of Mr. Diggory's reaction to [[spoiler: his son Cedric's death]] in ''Film/HarryPotterAndTheGobletOfFire'', a series of painful wails that dissipates into heaving sobs as the crowd around him just watches in silent despair. Also, Fleur is the first in the crowd to notice that [[spoiler: Cedric]] is dead, and accordingly shrieks in horror.
99	* In the [[Film/TheHungerGames film version]] of ''The Hunger Games'', Katniss does this after [[spoiler: Rue is killed]], which comes out as a series of shrill, panicked shrieks interspersed with hysterical sobbing. Notably, she doesn't slip into this until after [[spoiler: [[DueToTheDead she decorates Rue's body]]]].
100	* In ''Film/JaneEyre1943'', Young Jane shrieks when she realizes [[spoiler: that Helen is dead.]]
101	* ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings''
102	** In ''[[Film/TheLordOfTheRingsTheTwoTowers The Two Towers]]'', Aragorn lets out one when he finds Merry and Pippin's elven belts on the Orc funeral pyre. [[spoiler: They're not actually dead though, as he later deduces from his [[ScarilyCompetentTracker Ranger tracking skills]].]] In RealLife, it was because Viggo Mortensen had just broken his toe on the orc helmet.
103	** Also, Treebeard's reaction to the destruction of the woods around Isengard.
104	** In the Extended Edition of ''[[Film/TheLordOfTheRingsTheReturnOfTheKing The Return of the King]]'', there is a TearJerker of a scene where Éomer lets out a ''howl'' of grief upon [[spoiler: seeing Éowyn apparently dead on the Pelennor fields.]]
105	* In ''Film/AMightyHeart'' (an adaptation of the memoirs of Mariane Pearl), there is an ''incredibly'' hard-to-watch scene of Mariane (portrayed by Creator/AngelinaJolie) howling in grief after she learns of her husband's death.
106	* ''Film/TheMist'': In the ending, [[Characters/TheMist David]] is reduced to howling and screaming after [[spoiler:shooting his son and the three other survivors with the gun's last bullets]] once they give up hope. Hard as it is to imagine, he ends up letting out an ''even more sorrowful'' scream minutes later, when [[spoiler:the military arrive, clearing away the mist, and he realizes they would've been rescued if they'd just waited a few minutes longer]].
107	* ''Film/RamboFirstBloodPartII'': Averted by editing. After [[spoiler: Co is shot and dies in Rambo's arms]], Rambo originally lets out a wail. When a test screening was [[{{Narm}} met with laughter]], the crew quickly decided to cut the scene.
108	* ''Film/SevenSamurai'' features one from Katsushiro after the PyrrhicVictory over the villains.
109	* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxF3kNmJ7tk Famously]] in ''Film/SupermanTheMovie''. Happens again in ''Film/ManOfSteel'' when Franchise/{{Superman}} is forced to [[spoiler:kill General Zod]].
110	* In ''Film/ThorTheDarkWorld'', Thor lets out one after [[spoiler:he arrives only seconds too late to see his mother slain in front of him.]] There also was a scene where Loki lets out one after [[spoiler:being informed of his mother's death.]] It was cut for some reason.
111	* ''Film/VanHelsing'' features one from Helsing himself. [[spoiler:He accidentally kills Anna when she rushes to him with a syringe of werewolf cure in hand while Helsing was still in werewolf mode, causing him to make a Death ''Howl'' that transitions to a Death Wail as he goes back to human form.]]
112	* ''Film/WilliamShakespearesRomeoAndJuliet'': Juliet forgoes her final speech for one of these.
113	[[/folder]]
114
115	[[folder:Folklore]]
116	* In [[Myth/CelticMythology Irish and Scottish folklore]], the banshee (or [[OurBansheesAreLouder bean-sidhe]]) is a [[TheFairFolk fairy-woman]] and often guardian spirit of the old Gaelic families who can [[PortentOfDoom foretell death]] in "her" family; she [[HowlOfSorrow wails]] and [[OneWomanWail cries]] through the night to warn the family that one of them will soon die; if the family hears her crying three nights in a row, they know that they should begin planning a funeral. As she can foretell death in the family that she protects, the banshee is also grieving for the family as well as warning them of impending death.
117	* Much of Latin America believes in the legend of [[LaLlorona La Llorona]], the spirit of a woman who died after she drowned her children and cannot enter Heaven until she has found them; she is heard crying "¡Ay, mis hijos!" ("Oh, my children!") as she searches for them. Those who hear her crying supposedly are doomed to die soon.
118	* In Myth/ClassicalMythology, the Gorgon Euryale was said to have cried out in anguish when her sister Medusa was slain by Perseus.
119	[[/folder]]
120
121	[[folder:Literature]]
122	* In the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' novel ''Literature/TheFifthElephant'', a noble wolf's death is marked by [[HowlOfSorrow a howl passed on by unseen packs.]] Angua, [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent in human form at the time,]] joins in with a throat-rending primal scream of grief.
123	* When Anakin Solo dies in ''Literature/NewJediOrder'', Leia feels it in the Force and collapses to the floor, wailing and only able to get out the first syllable of his name as she’s doing it. "AAAA..."
124	* ''Literature/WutheringHeights'': After Heathcliff receives the news of Cathy's death, at the end of his famous [[HowDareYouDieOnMe "May she wake in torment!"]] speech, he bangs his head against a tree trunk and howls "like a savage beast being goaded to death with knives and spears."
125	[[/folder]]
126
127	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
128	* ''Series/AllMyChildren'''s Edmund Grey lets out one of these upon being told that his wife Maria is dead (and at the time, the actors were HappilyMarried in RealLife. It's highly likely he was imagining how he would feel if this really happened).
129	* ''Series/BeverlyHills90210'': Dylan screams in agony upon watching his long lost father "died" in a car bombing[[note]]later, his old man's death turned out to be fake[[/note]]. And later he screams in agony again when found out his new wife, Toni, got shot dead by mistake by a hitman (on her own father's order) when said attempted murder was meant for him.
130	* Ari's cry for help after finding [[spoiler:his deceased mother]] in ''Series/ElCorazonNuncaSeEquivoca'' is absolutely heartbreaking.
131	* ''Series/DoctorWho'':
132	** Nyssa screams Adric's name in the final moments of "Earthshock" when it becomes clear that there is no hope of saving him from the doomed freighter.
133	** The Tenth Doctor does one after the Master [[DiedInYourArmsTonight dies in his arms]] at the end of "The Last of The Time Lords".
134	** And the Eleventh Doctor after watching Amy get sent back in time by a Weeping Angel.
135	* Inverted in the ''Series/{{Dune}}'' {{film of the book}} (2000 version), where [[spoiler: Rabban]] does this when he [[OhCrap realizes]] that ''he'' is about to become the metaphorical ex-beloved ally.
136	** [[Series/ChildrenOfDune The sequel]] plays it straight, as [[spoiler: Leto II screams over the corpse of his father, Paul Muad'Dib. It turns into a frightening SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome when his scream suddenly morphs into a sandworm's roar.]]
137	* ''Series/GameOfThrones'': Catelyn Stark gives a heartbreaking one after [[spoiler:watching Robb get killed in front of her]].
138	** In Season 4, Ellaria Sand screams in anguish when [[spoiler:she watched Oberyn Martell being brutally killed by Sir Gregor Clegane during Tyrion Lannister's trial by combat]].
139	* Young [[Series/{{Gotham}} Bruce Wayne]] gives a chilling wail after the death of both of his parents by a gunman in an alleyway.
140	* Heartwrenching one when [[spoiler: Nikki finds ET]] on ''Series/SeaPatrol''.
141	* Seen above in ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'', the standard practice when a Klingon dies in ''Franchise/StarTrek'' is for his/her comrades to hold their eyes open while screaming loudly to the sky to warn those in [[WarriorHeaven Sto-Vo-Kor]] that a great warrior is on his/her way to join them.
142	** Worf does one for his mate, K'Ehleyr, in "Reunion", despite her non-warrior status when he and Alexander find her dying. He howls in rage, then he tells his young son to look upon death and always remember, before going off to take bloody vengeance on her murderer.
143	** He also does this in ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' for [[spoiler:his wife, Jadzia Dax. In this case, though, his wail is less a cultural practice and more of a genuine cry of despair.]]
144	* Series/TeenWolf: In [[spoiler: 3x23 Insatiable: Lydia]]'s absolutely heartbreaking scream of [[spoiler: Allison]]'s name as [[spoiler: Allison is killed by an Oni]], Even ''more'' accurate with this trope, due to [[spoiler: Lydia]] being a [[spoiler: banshee]] and the realization that [[spoiler: she]] ''left the message she did because'' [[spoiler: she]] ''knew'' [[spoiler: Allison - or at least someone-]] ''was going to [[spoiler: die'']] but was trying to prevent it.
145	* ''Series/TwinPeaks'': Sarah Palmer, upon learning of her daughter Laura's death.
146	* Claudia does a heartbreaking one in ''Series/{{Warehouse 13}}'' when she finds Steve's body.
147	* ''Series/{{Westworld}}'': In Season 2, [[spoiler:Teddy commits suicide by shooting himself on the head which is his final conscious decision after he finds out that Dolores forcibly reprogrammed him]]. Dolores drops to her knees beside his body and screams in anguish, realizing [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone what she had done]].
148	* ''Series/QuantumLeap2022'': Upon seeing Ben apparently die in an explosion, his holographic observer and fiancee Addison stumbles out of the Imaging Chamber and into Ian's arms, and she lets out a haunting wail as she collapses.
149	[[/folder]]
150
151	[[folder:Music]]
152	* Andrej Bukas (Андрей Букас) gives a particularly [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_YnKpMunYA heartbreaking example in Seryoga (]]Серега).
153	-->По окнам лупят снайпера.\
154	It was a sniper in the window.\
155	Ну перестаньте ради Бога!\
156	Oh for the love of God, stop!\
157	Там под огнем лежит Серега.\
158	His fire hits Seryoga.\
159	Да будь ты проклята, война!\
160	Stop, you damned war!
161	* The Gaels of Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man have a currently defunct [[DeathWail keening]] tradition, the practice of ritualized singing and wailing for the dead. "Keening" is derived from the Gaelic verb ''caoin'', meaning "to weep, to mourn/lament" and the verb ''caoineadh'' ("weeping") also refers to a musical style, a lament for the dead. A [[OneWomanWail keening-woman]] would be hired by the family of the deceased to lead the community through their grief, with the keening occurring at the graveyard and the keening-woman (or ''bean-chaointe'' in Gaelic) would sing and wail a semi-improvised lament with the rest of the mourners joining at least during the chorus, the whole performance often punctuated with sobs. It was a way of helping the family and the community through their grief as well as a means of ensuring that the soul of the departed with reach Heaven, [[Myth/CelticMythology The Otherworld]], or wherever spirits seek to go. the wealthier the family of the deceased, the more keening-women that they would hire. The ''caoineadh'' usually consisted of stock elements (the illustrious ancestry of the deceased, their good qualities, and the heavy hearts of their surviving family and friends) and was often half-improvised, complete with beating your hands and tearing at your hair.
162	** The keening-woman is the human counterpart of the ''[[OurBansheesAreLouder banshee]]'' (or ''bean-sidhe'', if you speak Gaelic). ''Bean-sidhe'' (plural, ''mná-sidhe'') means "woman of the fairy folk", a guardian spirit of the ancient Gaelic families. She visits "her" family's home in the evening and [[PortentOfDoom wails and sobs through the night to warn the family that one of them will soon die]]. if the family [[RuleOfThree hears her crying three nights in a row]], they know that they should begin planning a funeral. They wail of the banshee might be dreaded, but the banshee herself is only a messenger and she means no harm. If many ''mná-sidhe'' could be heard wailing in chorus, it was a warning that somebody of great political or religious importance would soon die.
163	[[/folder]]
164
165	[[folder:Theatre]]
166	* Theatre/RomeoEtJulietteDeLaHaineALamour: Romeo goes for one of these after Mercutio's death, and again as he confesses to killing Tybalt to avenge Mercutio.
167	* ''Theatre/{{Hamilton}}'': In the live performance, Eliza will let out a loud, heartbreaking shriek after [[spoiler:Phillip dies from his gunshot wound.]]
168	[[/folder]]
169
170	[[folder:Video Games]]
171	* In ''VideoGame/CrisisCore'', Cloud gives such a scream when [[spoiler: Zack dies]].
172	* In a deleted scene from [[VideoGame/TeamFortress2 Meet the Medic]] the BLU Soldier does this for the BLU Sniper [[spoiler: before they all get hit by a train.]]
173	* In ''VideoGame/WarcraftIII'', Grom Hellscream is mortally wounded after slaying Mannoroth. As he lies dying, Grom notices that the demonic rage that had been a part of him ever since he and the other orc chieftains drank Mannoroth's blood is finally gone. He smiles at Thrall, satisfied that he was able to free himself before death. Thrall declares that Grom had freed all of the orcs from their demonic curse, and lets out a mighty roar of grief that echoes through the canyon.
174	* In ''VideoGame/FarCryNewDawn'', [[SinisterMinister Joseph Seed]] has just watched his [[spoiler:[[BastardBastard illegitimate son]] Ethan]] die right in front of him. His response is to let out a SkywardScream and [[PietaPlagiarism carry]] [[spoiler:Ethan's]] body away to mourn.
175	* In Jin Kazama's ''VideoGame/TekkenTagTournament2'' ending, after defeating his mother, Unknown/Jun, she [[DiedInYourArmsTonight fades away to nothingness in his arms]]. After a few moments of silence, Jin angrily transforms into Devil Jin and flies off screaming in rage.
176	* Zero does this in ''VideoGame/MegaManX4'' when [[spoiler: [[ILetGwenStacyDie Iris dies]].]]
177	-->"NO, THIS ISN'T HAPPENING! \
178	THERE'S NO REASON FOR ME TO GO ON! \
179	What am I...
180	-->...'''''WHAT AM I FIGHTING FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOR?!'''''"
181	* In ''VideoGame/HonkaiImpact3rd'' Kiana lets out a shriek when Himeko sacrifices herself to free her from being possessed by her Herrscher's powers.
182	* In ''[[VideoGame/DynastyWarriors Dynasty Warriors 7]]'', Liu Bei is quietly mourning Guan Yu's death and is planning to attack Wu until a messenger came and told him that Zhang Fei was betrayed and murdered by his own men. Liu Bei's reaction to the death of his other sworn brother is so heartbreaking that he split his throne in half with a sword, dropped to his knees, and screamed in anguish.
183	* ''VideoGame/Persona4'': Kanji punches the wall and lets out an anguished scream [[spoiler:upon Nanako's death]].
184	** Also happens in its [[VideoGame/Persona3 predecessor]], where Akihiko lets out a pained yell [[spoiler:while visiting Shinjiro's funeral.]]
185	* In Todo Takatora's story mode in ''VideoGame/SamuraiWarriors 4-II'', he went inside the burning castle to find his former master, Oichi. But when he reached her, she already committed suicide and her husband Shibata Katsuie gave him her last message which is to live on before killing himself. Then, Takatora cried in anguish as he watched the flames engulfed their bodies.
186	* ''VideoGame/GhostOfTsushima'': Jin has two particular moments of these.
187	** The first is when Khotun Khan kills [[spoiler:Taka]] in front of his eyes while stating that he considers Jin for the death. It seemingly takes him a moment to process the events before he lets out a howl of anguish.
188	** The second is when he kills [[spoiler:Lord Shimura, his uncle]], in the second ending of the game.
189	* ''VideoGame/LostJudgment'': Yagami drops to the floor and screams in anguish upon discovering [[spoiler: Yoko Sawa's corpse in her apartment, having been murdered by Soma]].
190	* ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBlazingBlade'': At the end of Chapter 28/30, [[spoiler:Nils lets out one after he snaps out of his trance and sees his sister Ninian dead (after Eliwood accidentally killed her in her dragon form with Durandal)]].
191	[[/folder]]
192
193	[[folder:Visual Novels]]
194	* ''VisualNovel/SteinsGate'': Okabe pulls this off several times.
195	** In the Alpha line, [[spoiler:he does it occasionally whenever Mayuri dies.]]
196	** In the Beta line, [[spoiler:he produces a particularly soul-crushing one when he accidentally kills Kurisu while attempting to protect her from her father. In fact, it's actually integral that he screams so loudly in that instance, as it's what draws his past self up to the room to see her dead body. In the final run when he succeeds in saving her, the scream comes from the extreme pain he experiences forcing open the stab wound in his gut in order to make her appear bathed in blood.]]
197	[[/folder]]
198
199	[[folder:Western Animation]]
200	* ''WesternAnimation/VoltronLegendaryDefender'': In "Reunion", Pidge lets out a wail when [[spoiler:she believes her brother Matt to be dead when she sees a marker for him at a mass grave]].
201	[[/folder]]
202
203	[[folder:Real Life]]
204	* The [[Myth/CelticMythology Irish and Scottish]] tradition of [[HowlOfSorrow keening]] (singing a lament combined with wailing) over the body during the funeral procession and at the burial site is strikingly similar to the death wail of the [[OurBansheesAreLouder Banshee]]
205	** "Keen" comes from the Gaelic verb "caoin", meaning "to cry/weep, to mourn" and its active article "caoineadh" ("weeping", "crying", "wailing") can also be translated as "elegy/lament". The caoineadh itself was often composed and performed in an improvised way, with at least one keening woman (bean chaointe) hired to lead the rest of the mourners, who generally joined with the chorus. The caoineadh generally consisted of [[StockCharacter stock poetic]] elements (the genealogy of the deceased, praise for the deceased, emphasis on the sorrow of those left behind, etc.) set to vocal lament. [[http://www.keeningwake.com/keening-tradition/ The tradition of keening-women is described here, plus a few surviving recordings.]]
206	* In AncientEgypt, particularly for important people like pharaohs, professional mourners (usually women) were actually ''paid'' to do this during the funeral.
207	* In Mayan tradition, when a person dies, their relatives need to do this for the sake of the departed, because it will prevent the Death God Ah Puch from marking the departed soul to be dragged into his Hell to be tortured for eternity.
208	[[/folder]]

Context Main / DeathWail