Exploring the notion that "Thou Shalt Not Kill" in Fan Works.
Crossovers
- Godzilla Junior in The Bridge is his world's Big Good, but doesn't abide by this rule despite not being an Anti-Hero. He does know restraint against situations that don't require lethal force or may be a misunderstanding. But if the situation is dire he will kill his opponent, such as the Gyaos flock attacking Canterlot intending to devour the populace if they burst through Celestia and Luna's shield. Unfortunately, a large chunk of the populace does believe in this rule for heroes and thus doesn't buy that he's good natured kaiju.
- Child of the Storm: Zig-Zagged.
- The Avengers generally not killing while 'on-duty', partly because they are acutely aware of how much they could (and do) scare people. When they are 'off-duty', or someone has pushed them too far and declared war, the gloves come off. Certainly, none of them have a problem with it, where necessary, but it isn't done lightly.
- A more generally adhered to rule is not killing humans (or other beings with souls), unless they're so far gone/transformed that they no longer qualify.
- Clark Kent, quite typically, holds to his rule and is a bit upset about how many of his opponents tend to, ah, self-dispose. He's also horrified when he sees how Harry, a near Identical Stranger who does not hold to this rule, casually turns a baker's dozen of ghouls to icy kibble in the blink of an eye. While ghouls are more or less Always Chaotic Evil and renowned for eating people, they still mostly look like people. As a result, he throws up. Harry is sympathetic and explains why he did it, but does understand Clark's views.
- The younger heroes are a mixed bunch: by the end of the first book, Harry is willing to kill in a fight but only if he has to and considers his thoughtless obliteration of the 'Red Army' clones to be My Greatest Failure. Carol is a bit more ambiguous, but leans towards not killing. Clark is definitely not killing. The young X-Men definitely don't kill (the older ones are more willing to bend). Maddie may or may not kill, but is capable of worse, being a former Human Weapon. Ron and Hermione are fairly alien to/horrified by the idea beyond Ron's semi-abstract hatred for HYDRA (he's not yet been confronted with the reality of killing). Diana and Uhtred have no problem killing their enemies in a fight, being raised in warrior cultures. And Jean-Paul is a frighteningly expedient version of the Flash, who really prefers not to fight, but sees no point in holding back when he does (which is repeatedly noted to be terrifying).
- Citadel of the Heart:
- Ash Ketchum simply refuses to outright kill someone, no matter how heinous their crimes are; he can render someone in stasis and thus achieving a Loophole Abuse, as what happens to the Red Genesect named Geneshine, or even a tad darker example with not considering Ghetsis worth saving and leaving him to rot in whatever fate awaits him. Alternatively, non-sapient drones of Genesect can be killed, considering due to them not even being anywhere alive such as the five unique Genesect, that's a Loophole Abuse that Ash can utilize to keep his own hands clean in case anybody asks him about it.
- Grandis, even though he makes tons of threats to kill someone when he's angered, is notorious for having developed an all bark and no bite attitude even if admittedly a select few learn the hard way that he does indeed have bite. Grandis refuses to actually kill people since it's part of his Character Development; the only time he ever killed anyone he ultimately regrets it both on a moral level, but also the fact the person in question took so much knowledge to the grave that Grandis could've used to save more people had he known about this information. Whenever Grandis' hand is forced to have him live up to his threats, though, he typically just picks up his opponent and throws them into the nearest dumpster as a metaphor to where Grandis ultimately thinks they belong if they keep trying to provoke him into killing them to no avail.
- Code Prime: Downplayed. Optimus is relaxing the rules due to the fact Britannia has the technology to fight the Autobots on equal footing, plus some of the Britannians being just as evil as the Decepticons. Civilians are still off-limits.
- In the Justice League/Naruto crossover Connecting the Dots, the superheroes have a very hard time getting the ninjas (who are essentially underage soldiers) to understand this concept. One scene that stands out is where Robin and Cyborg are for this trope, Neji and Sakura are against it and Naruto as devil's advocate after Neji killed Dr. Light. Just a taste of that talk:Robin: You killed him.
Neji: Yes?
Robin: We don't...you weren't supposed to do that?
Neji: He was required for interrogation then? My apologies. I assumed termination was the objective.
Robin: Termination is NEVER the objective! Not with us! We don't kill!
Neji: (puzzled) But the fight necessitated the need for lethal action. Cyborg (points at him) knocked him off a 10 story building with intent to kill.
Cyborg: Well yeah, but... Dude, we knock people off buildings all the time! They just never actually fall, they always catch themselves!
Neji: So it was a distractionary measure? But I thought you didn't know he had that jetpack. And Beast Boy destroyed it shortly after, he could have died from either of those falls.
Cyborg: Dude, the point is that a fall NEVER actually kills anyone.
Neji: Yes they do. I've killed several people that way.
Robin: The point is that Beast Boy and Cyborg didn't aim to kill him. You did.
Neji: Yes.
Robin: Look. In our line of work, you're not supposed to kill, understand? Not by accident, definitely not by intent. Regardless of the circumstances, you do NOT use lethal force.
Naruto, Neji and Sakura: Why?
Cyborg: You... you just don't! - In the Doctor Who/Teen Titans crossover Equilibrium
, the Titans all immediately reject the idea of using vinegar against the Slitheen once the Doctor explains what it does to them, instead defeating the Slitheen scouts and driving them off Earth. - Downplayed in Imaginary Seas. Percy is familiar with slaying monsters and is ready to kill his foes, human or not, without hesitation. But that doesn't mean he feels nothing about killing others and is especially disturbed to learn that he's been summoned to destroy an entire world, killing everyone living on it in the process.
- Justice League of Equestria: Rainbow Dash/Supermare strives for this. That said, she comes very close to breaking that rule when Brainiac almost kills her mother — she unleashes a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown on him and is barely talked down by Thunderlane before she goes too far.
- Justice League of the Rebellion: The Justice League refrains from killing just like their comic counterparts. Lelouch explains to Kallen that when he was training under Barda and Scott, Scott told him that by becoming the most skilled fighter, he was becoming the greatest of the Emperor's children. Lelouch was horrified of that fact until Scott gave him idea: that by fighting with all his strength but refraining from killing, he insults everything about Charles's belief of survival of the fittest.
- Last Child of Krypton: Subverted. In this crossover Shinji is Superman. He holds back when fighting humans... but when he fights Eldritch Abominations he has no compuctions about killing.
- A Loud Among Demons: While he has no problem with letting I.M.P kill people, seeing as how that's part of their business, and isn't afraid to get his hands dirty if the situation calls for it, Lincoln refuses to kill. Both out of a moral conscious (he's a 12-year-old boy trapped in Hell against his will) and because he fears he'll develop a taste for murder.
- Exploited in My Hero Academia: Unchained Predator during the Steel Sabers arc. As Nine points out, the hero's moral code is their Achilles' Heel, meaning that by the time all was said and done, all the hostages and heroes alongside All Might are dead, All for One gets the QAH and loads of support items, and the heroes are permanently put on the backfoot as both the former and current holder of One for All are on I-Island.
- Averted for the Slayer, who views Thou Shall Not Kill on the Steel Sabers as an insult to those who died by their hand and resolves the Steel Saber problem alongside VEGA his way.
- In My Huntsman Academia, Huntsmen like Izuku are fully willing to shoot their opponents because of Aura and leave them bleeding with broken bones. But they find it distasteful to kill needlessly and generally try not to go overboard. Izuku in particular tries his best to adhere to this due to his Chronic Hero Syndrome. He disengages the safeties on his boots just as he's finishing his opponent off so he doesn't blast their heads off. The same night, he dives into freezing waters to save another one of his foes who tried to kill him with a pair of Hand Cannons, suffering hypothermia in the process.
- New Vegas Showtime: Discussed and downplayed. The Phantom Thieves, the Token Evil Teammate notwithstanding, try to uphold their no-killing rule. Unfortunately, they ended up in the Mojave Wasteland, where, as one character puts it, "Some thugs and highwaymen shoot first and ask questions never". Two characters (not including said Token Evil Teammate) end up being forced to kill people in self-defense within hours or minutes of appearing in the Mojave.
- RWBY: Epic of Remnant: Ruby Rose believes heroes don't kill people and is horrified when EMIYA Alter tries to kill Roman Torchwick and Cinder Fall by shooting down their Bullhead. Glynda Goodwitch lectures her that sometimes, killing can't avoided, then reminds her that Roman and Cinder tried to kill them.
- Shadows over Meridian: When Jade explains how she plans to use Miranda and Cedric's skills to destroy the Guardians' lives, she clarifies that she does not want to kill them, but instead to ruin their credibility both as Guardians and as normal Earth girls.
- Superwomen of Eva 2: Lone Heir of Krypton: Subverted. Asuka is Supergirl and she holds back when facing common criminals, but when going up against the Angels or a supervillain like Brainiac or Parasite she shows no compunctions about killing.
- In the multi-crossover A Spark of Genius, Green Lantern insists that Leviathan (secretly a Xander Harris who's been magically made into the grandson of Agatha Heterodyne) is nothing but a murderer after he killed a group of soldiers and mercenaries. Said soldiers and mercenaries invaded his country, killed several civilians, and kidnapped a young woman with the intent of raping her before turning her over to Lex Luthor for the miracle cure running through her veins. Superman even points out that by international law, killing them and invading their country is completely justified, especially since Leviathan isn't a superhero but the leader of a nation.
- Subverted in Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Supergirl crossover The Vampire of Steel. Supergirl herself refuses to kill but she won't stop Buffy from staking vampires. She also killed an eldritch abomination, although she didn’t like it.
- Blood Moon: Even after all the suffering she went through in the waterbender prison, Katara doesn't have it in her to kill the prison guards. Averted when she deals with Hama, though.
- Broken Code averts this; Batman kills the Joker, with the story empathizing that doing so doesn't mean that Bruce is suddenly going to go completely off the deep end and become an insane serial killer.
- Subverted in Priorities where Faith believes the Scoobies hold a no killing policy towards humans, and thus ran after accidentally killing Deputy Mayor Allan Finch. Xander later explains to her (while they prepare for a Zombie Apocalypse) that Willow is the only one of them who hasn't definitely caused someone's death and she's still a bit iffy. Buffy pushed the Mad Scientist swim coach into his monstrous creations' pen, Xander tackled a deranged zookeeper into a hyena enclosure, and all of them stood by and watched as vampires fed on Ford.
- In Power Girl fanfic A Force of Four, the Amazon Mala suggests maybe they should execute the four defeated villains, but Hippolyta insists that the Amazons will not kill as long as they can find a better way.Hippolyta: Since the Krypts are the last men from your planet, both groups decided to let you decided what should be done with them. We'll decide about Badra afterward.
Mala: Not even a Venus girdle can withstand that one for long. Though such is against our nature, O queen, perhaps execution is in order.
Hippolyta: Not while alternatives exist, Mala. She will remain in stasus till we find a means of imprisoning her for life. We will find that means. Our hands will not be stained with blood... even hers. - Subverted in Hellsister Trilogy. Supergirl has to face up to the likes of her own evil counterpart, Mordru and Darkseid, so she's willing to break her "No Killing" rule.
- Here There Be Monsters: The Marvel Family do not kill their enemies. Captain Marvel acknowledges their philosophy has its drawbacks, but they are not going to change it.Marvel worked his tongue in his cheek. The Red Crusher, an Asian Communist mutant-being the size of a building, had crossed swords with the Marvel Family on several occasions. They thought they'd put him away during the last go-around, but the Marvels didn't kill their enemies. Sometimes that put them at a disadvantage, but they weren't about to change. They were heroes, not executioners.
- In Kara of Rokyn, villain Blackflame does her best to talk heel wrestler Jara into killing Kara during a match. Still yet Jara doesn't want to, out of personal reasons (she's not a killer) and practical ones (she doesn’t want to kill her career together with her rival)Jara: I want to fight her, sure. I wouldn't mind even sending her to the med-center for a few days. But I'm a wrestler, not a killer, Zora. If I really hurt her, there goes my license and a shot at the movies.
- In A Prize for Three Empires, Captain America admits he killed people when he was a soldier, but he doesn’t want to kill anymore; and he doesn’t like heroes who kill, either. Part of it is because he is worried that killing becomes regarded as an easy solution rather than a last resort.Captain America: I'm thinking of stepping out, Carol. This new age seems to be an age for killers— the Punisher, Wolverine, U.S. Agent. I've only killed one person in recent times. Flag-Smasher manipulated me into it. I didn't like it. I'm not a killer anymore.
Carol Danvers: But that's just why they do need you, Cap. To keep them from going down that slope anymore. I don't think we feel the same way about killing... but I won't do it unless there's no other way. I agree, I don't think the Avengers should become killers. You may be the only guy that can make sure they don't.
Cap: They weren't killing a man, and they were killing a killer. But I'm more worried that they might come to see this as a solution. Super-villains outnumber super-heroes by at least a 3 / 1 ratio, Carol. But guys like the Punisher never seem to have trouble with repeat offenders.
Carol: Guys like the Punisher end up hunted down as murderers. I don't want that to happen to the Avengers. - Shall never kill no matter what illustrates the dangers of upholding such a rule when Batman's strict enforcement of this results in the death of a young child. Oliver Queen then furiously upbraids both Batman and Superman, accusing them of being willing to let innocent people die just so they won't have to kill themelves.
- Discussed in Superman of 2499: The Great Confrontation. The descendants of Superman and Supergirl hold steadfast to the rule. So, when Klar Kent suspects one of his sons murdered a man, he's aghast. His wife points out the Family killed the Anti-Monitor in the past, and Klar replies he refuses to believe any of his sons couldn’t contain a Terran without killing him.
- In Frozen Hearts (Sakume), Johan Jorgen, a pirate, albeit a nobler sort, has this principle, which is why he is disturbed when Hans admits to trying to kill Elsa.
- In The Mermaid and the Genie, Ursula manages to basically gain permanent control of Genie by wishing that he will have to obey her so long as she is holding the lamp, but Ariel gets the chance to take the lamp back when Genie affirms that he still can't kill anyone.
- A key point of Gine's character in Dragon Ball Reboot is her extreme unwillingness to take a life. In fact, the entire reason she left Bardock's squad and became a kitchen worker was because she couldn't find it in herself to kill anyone while on the battlefield. She even chooses to spare the life of a criminal who kidnapped and attempted to murder her son, despite being in full Mama Bear mode and seeming just about ready to drop him off a cliff.
- This is commonly used when bashing Dumbledore, as he and his followers tend to view any sort of death as immoral and dark.
- For instance, in the story Harry Potter and the Curse's Cure, he is horrified by Hermione's OC uncle Dan Granger's killing off several death eaters with a gun despite the fact that they were there to kill and rape Hermione and her family.
- In the story The Harem War, he refers to Harry as dark when he kills Dolores Umbridge and two Death Eaters with a gun, despite the fact that the universe that Harem War exists in explains that Death Eaters have to kill in cold blood and rape to join, and the fact Dolores sent a squad of them into the innocent country that Harry ruled (of course, this Dumbledore is evil however).
- Not to say there aren't fanon Harrys who believe in this rule, but it really depends on the writer and who they are dealing with. It is more acceptable among the fandom to mock a "no killing" policy when the people not being killed are Death Eaters as opposed to less utterly despicable characters.
- A shared trait among the Higashikata family in This I Promise You is a strong avoidance to killing. When Josuke tells his mother Tomoko about everything that happened in Part 4, including how her father Ryohei was actually killed by Angelo, he admits he wanted to avoid killing just as his grandfather did when he was a policeman. Tomoko replies that even though Angelo's fate of being fused into Angelo Rock is terrifying, she's relieved that her son didn't kill Angelo for revenge. She remarks that her and Josuke's belief that killing shouldn't be done is a result of being raised by a man who thought no one, even the worse of criminals, deserved death.
- Mako in Natural Selection heavily against the idea of killing and refuses to do any more damage than what is necessary. In all the time she's defended Honnouji Academy's Safe Zone, she's never killed a single person who attacked it.
- "All I Really Want" has Shego reveal that she originally left Team Go after she killed an opponent by accident and everyone else basically acted as though she did it on purpose. Shego affirms that since then she's always vowed to never kill again, admitting that attempts to put Kim and Ron in death traps have never been serious because either she knows they can get out or she has a back-up plan that would allow them to escape while still making it look as though it was the result of Drakken making a mistake.
- In So the Trauma, Kim momentarily thinks about getting revenge on Shego by kicking her into an electrical tower. She, however, doesn't let her emotions get the better of her (plus, she'd get in trouble for murder if she killed Shego). Toying with her was wrong, but Shego doesn't deserve death for it. Instead, Kim lets Shego get arrested by the police.
- The Ace Savvy Extended Universe: With the exception of the demons seen in "Spade of Spells", the Full House Gang avoids killing the villains.
- FIRE! (DarkMark): Played with. Most of heroes are against killing, but the situation is so dire than they are willing to make concessions. So, Sunfire gets into trouble for wanting to execute a fallen enemy, but Captain America takes Red Skull with him when he gets poisoned by the latter.
- In Mega Man: Defender of the Human Race, ProtoMan has a self-imposed policy to not kill. He breaks this vow in episode 9.
- Miraculous: Tales of Scarlet Beetle & Ikati Black: Anti-Villain variant with Nathaniel/Monarch, who firmly is against killing in his quest to get the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous orders his akumas not to do so. This is especially the case after Dark Blade's minions killed several of Nathaniel's classmates in front of him.
- The Gunslinger Hero: Flintlock:
- Japanese heroes follow this policy as closely as possible, as their hero culture makes them a mix between celebrity and non-lethal law enforcement.
- Subverted with Izumi. Her time in America taught her that when a criminal or villain is dead-set on using lethal force, or the threat is too severe to chance it, you need to be willing to figuratively (or literally, in Izumi's case) pull the trigger to prevent innocent lives from being lost.
- Heroes Never Die: Heroes in general try to avoid killing, but Izuku absolutely refuses to do so in any circumstances. Partly because he knows he can keep trying until he gets it right, but also because he knows how terrible dying is. This is also because he doesn't wish to return to the mentality he used to have as a child, as in one of his earliest loops, he finally snapped from Bakugo's abuse and beat the other boy to death with a rock. And then he kept killing him. Over and over and over...
My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic
- Death is forced to take a vacation: An unusual rule, but a binding one, for Reapers. Light Peanut explains to Fall Harvest that one of the biggest rules governing their Role is that Reapers collect the souls of the newly deceased, but they never take a soul before its intended time, and doing so results in serious punishment.
- In Pony POV Series, Princess Celestia explains that all of ponykind have a natural instinct to never kill. Only a few like Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Shining Armor can overcome it (in desperate situations to protect their loved ones) without turning evil. Celestia herself will never kill, though when pushed, she has no problems with giving bad guys a Fate Worse than Death. She however understands that sometimes others may have no choice but to kill and tells Rainbow and Rarity that they have permission to kill if they absolutely have to.
- Androgyninja's A Drop of Poison: Naruto's belief in this is treated as childish naivete. Due to events unfolding slightly differently, his experiences during the Wave Mission don't serve as a wake-up call about how harsh and unforgiving the lives of shinobi can be; when he finally learns that Sakura was forced to kill during that mission, and has killed several times since then, he angrily calls her out. Sakura turns it back around on him, bitterly noting that while he's had the luxury of being able to avoid using lethal force, she can't say the same, and won't apologize for the Crime of Self-Defense.
- In This Bites!, Cross has a notable aversion to actually killing anyone. He panics initially taking down a Baroque Works Mook in Whiskey Peak, and a Marine Mook in Alabasta, until he confirms that they're alive. It's solidified, however, when he has Mr. 13 at his mercy, the assassin having just tried to kill him. Even considering the fact that he's just an otter ultimately isn't enough, and he settles for simply knocking him out...albeit brutally. Chapter 37 reveals that he's well aware of the fact that he'll need to kill one day, but he refuses to let the Unluckies be the ones that drive him to it. He's finally forced to cross the line when banished to the World Nobles' private Hellhole Prison for the Time Skip, and has to kill some of the deranged prisoners in self-defense.
- A story that has since been deleted (as the site it was on was voluntarily taken down) had Blossom facing a bank robber, who temporarily blinds her with gunfire. Flailing her fists wildly, Blossom punches the robber in the chest. The blow proves to be fatal. Blossom goes into a Heroic BSoD, turns herself in voluntarily and eventually gets released on time served. She spends the bulk of the story emotionally crippled until she saves a blind man from being robbed. The man proceeds to explain about forgiveness to her.
- The four in With Strings Attached, being Actual Pacifists, are very much committed to this stance, sometimes to the point of having to get really creative to solve a problem because the opponent's death, or even the opponent's ass-whooping, is not an option. The irony is that collectively they have been gifted with enough power to wipe out a city before breakfast.
- Though at least two of them were not averse to handing out a good nonlethal ass-kicking in revenge for heavy abuse (of themselves or their True Companions) at the hands of some baddies.
- The problem is far more acute in The Keys Stand Alone: The Soft World, when the four are thrown into an exceptionally violent situation and have to almost literally fight to find nonlethal solutions to serious problems.
- Empath in Empath: The Luckiest Smurf tries to adhere as best as he could the Smurf rule of honoring all life, which also includes no killing, but in the story "The Innocence Of A Smurf", he reveals that he had killed a Psyche during a training battle where killing is mandatory for all Psyches that undergo this training. That earns him a death sentence on the day that he and his fellow Smurfs must swim across the Pool of Souls to judge his innocence, as he ends up dying during his swim. Fortunately, he only suffers a Disney Death as the spirits of the pool judge that he didn't kill the Psyche out of malice and thus he deserved a second chance.
- Risk It All:
- Enforced by the skill of the same name. Thou Shalt Not Kill prevents Ren from ever killing his opponents so long as their brains are intact. This means that attacks that would otherwise lead to massive internal bleeding and death will "merely" cripple his opponent. He initially considers selling this, but after seeing the results of Soul-Crushing Strike firsthand, he opts not to, as he simply isn't mentally or emotionally prepared to end someone's life.
- He also discusses the trope while mulling over his reasons for becoming a superhero in the first place. To him, all life has intrinsic value and it doesn't feel right for him to play judge, jury, and executioner. But at the same time, not all life is sacred, and he believes that some people do deserve whatever horrible fate is coming to them. When he realizes that Black Mask is just going to be sprung from prison within hours of being apprehended, Ren decides to end the threat the mobster poses permanently by crushing his rib cage, lungs, and spine, leaving Black Mask in unspeakable agony, but alive thanks to Thou Shalt Not Kill. The sight of this still leaves Ren nauseous, but he doesn't see any other way of keeping Black Mask down.
- While the superheroes generally try not to kill their enemies in Young Justice: Darkness Falls, there are several notable exceptions. Doomsday is killed, and nobody in the League has any problem using lethal force on the Parademons and Jockeys. Also, when fighting on War World, none of Jason Todd's gang holds back.
