Basic Trope: A villain begs for mercy.
- Straight: Emperor Evulz is defeated, and Hiro is preparing to finish him. Evulz starts begging for his life.
- Exaggerated:
- The second Hiro walks in the room, Evulz throws himself down on his hands and knees and sobs pitifully for his life.
- The heroes in this setting are firm believers in Thou Shalt Not Kill, and Hiro's The Cape. Sparing Evulz was a forgone conclusion.
- Downplayed:
- Evulz kneels before Hiro, and stoically asks Hiro if he can please spare him. When Hiro says no, Evulz sighs and is resigned to his fate.
- Evulz doesn't ask for mercy, but he keeps quiet in hopes he will be spared.
- Justified:
- Evulz’s entire plot was a ploy for immortality as he is terrified of death. Upon his defeat, all he can think of is getting just a few seconds more of sweet, sweet life.
- Evulz is just a Dirty Coward.
- Evulz, whatever his villainy, hasn't killed anyone, even when it would've been easier for his goals. It's natural he'd ask the same courtesy.
- Evulz wants to pull a Heel–Face Turn and to become an Atoner for his evil acts.
- Inverted:
- I Cannot Self-Terminate
- Evulz spews bombastic curses and makes grand gestures even as he dies.
- Heroes Want Mercy: As Evulz defeats Hiro and is preparing to go for the final blow on the hero, Hiro begs for mercy and pleads for anything but death.
- Evulz attempts to corrupt the typically-merciful hero with a cry of "Strike Me Down with All of Your Hatred!".
- Subverted:
- Evulz crouches in a pose of supplication, and it looks like he’s begging for mercy, but he’s actually quietly praying to his god.
- Evulz begs for mercy as leadup to a sudden and inevitable betrayal.
- Double Subverted:
- When Hiro draws his sword, and walks closer, Evulz pathetically clings to his leg, begging the hero to spare him.
- When it turns out Hiro is willing to give him one last chance despite this treacherous attack, Evulz is so moved he breaks down in tears and aks for forgiveness.
- Parodied:Evulz: PLEASE! SPARE MEEEEEE!
Hiro: No. Also, fuck you.
Evulz: [shrugs] Worth a shot. - Zig Zagged:
- Evulz begs Hiro to kill him instead.
- Evulz is Not Afraid to Die, and is perfectly willing to take the punishment brought onto him, but he does beg to only have the retribution on him; The rest should be spared.
- The stress of Evulz impending death causes him to snap. In his hysteria, he rapidly alternates between pitiful begging and fearless mocking.
- Averted:
- No-one begs for anything.
- Evulz gets mortally wounded, but instead of begging, a hammy last performance, or an attempt at corruption, he simply remarks, "Well... You got me. You got me good." before dying.
- Enforced: The creator wants to make Evulz pathetic and miserable after every crime he did. He also does that for Catharsis Factor.
- Lampshaded:
- “Spare this poor villainous old fool!”
- “After what you’ve done, I don’t think I have any left.”
- "You want mercy? Here's my mercy." (shoots Emperor Evulz)
- Invoked: Evulz decides to beg for mercy upon defeat ahead of time, believing Hiro is gullible enough to fall for it.
- Exploited:
- Hiro uses Evulz’s fear of death to extort him, saying he’ll let him live on one condition…
- Hiro invokes Cruel Mercy or a Fate Worse than Death upon Evulz, he did say he didn't want death.
- The plea for mercy was an attempt to get Hiro to let down his guard; when he does, Evulz backstabs him.
- Defied: "If you expected me to beg on my knees like a dog... Then you should probably keep your nose out of those childish fantasy novels. Go on, take your revenge. I'm right here."
- Discussed:Hiro: What the hell makes you think that you, of all people, deserve mercy?
Evulz: I don’t deserve it; that’s why it’s mercy. - Conversed: "Man the villain is such a wimp."
- Deconstructed: Hiro's utter disgust at Emperor Evulz begging for his life seals Hiro's decision to end their life.
- Reconstructed: Before Hiro can off Evulz, a companion of Hiro calls him out for attacking somebody wanting mercy, resulting in Hiro sparing Evulz.
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