My Queen, all you say is true. But Rhaegar lost on the Trident. He lost the battle, he lost the war, he lost the kingdom, and he lost his life. His blood swirled downriver with the rubies from his breastplate, and the Usurper rode over his corpse to steal the Iron Throne. Rhaegar fought valiantly, Rhaegar fought nobly, Rhaegar fought honorably. And Rhaegar died.
— Jorah Mormont, A Storm of Swords
Why do you have to die to be a hero?
It's a shame a legend begins at its end
Why do you have to die if you're a hero?
When there's still so many things to say unsaid...
-Judas Priest, "Heroes End"
"I'm pretty sure he's dead."
"Hmm... I guess that's the end of the game then."
"What with him being the main character and all. Funny, I didn't think you could die in LucasArts™ adventure games."
"Maybe they're trying something different."
Oh, I'm not going to die. It's always the Grey Wardens that die. Did you not read the stories as a child? The hero always dies...unless the hero has a trusty sidekick with him. Then...mmmmm...then the sidekick dies instead. I knew there was a catch!
— Zevran, Dragon Age: Origins
The hero dies in all the best stories. Anything else just sounds so implausible.
— Dorian, Dragon Age: Inquisition
"There are so many stories where some brave hero decides to give their life to save the day, and because of their sacrifice, the good guys win, the survivors all cheer, and everybody lives happily ever after. But the hero... never gets to see that ending. They'll never know if their sacrifice actually made a difference. They'll never know if the day was really saved. In the end, they just have to have faith. Ain't that a bitch?"
— Epsilon, Red vs. Blue season 13 episode 20
The path of Grannvale's great unrest, arising from the conflict with Isaach, has led one young man to his grim fate. His sorrowful tale, and those of countless other valiants, are now lost to the world.
We interrupt this broadcast for a special report. Sad news, tonight...the hero known as Spider-Man...has died.
The day he fell asleep... We brought him back to our dorm, fear beginning to well up within us. And the next morning, our fears became reality, and he was lost to us. For some time after that, I fell into depression, and began seeing the same dream night after night... A dream where I run after him, calling his name... but can never catch up. When he was alive, I promised to protect him, and I made that my reason for living. That promise is gone... unfulfilled.
— Aigis, Persona 3 FES: The Answer
"Sometimes, the hero dies in the end."
— Samael to War and Death on different occasions, Darksiders and Darksiders II
"This is why I hate horror games, too. So many times they just kill your ass at the end. 'Thanks for playing. You're dead.' 'Congratulations surviving all of the monsters; you're now fucking dead. Eat shit.'"
"...That's it? After all those adventures he just BITES IT?!"
