Death Is Cheap/Playing With

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


Basic Trope: In a fictional work's universe, various mechanics make it to where dying isn't permanent and is easily fixed.

  • Straight: Alice kills Emperor Evulz for real, but his constituents resurrect him and he's back terrorizing the populace next week.
  • Exaggerated: Alice kills Emperor Evulz every other day, to the point where she doesn't even notice the resurrections anymore.
  • Justified:
    • The Empire has resurrection technology, and they can't wait to employ it on their leader.
    • The leader is an Immortality Seeker who knows how many people want him dead, and has invested in a huge number of secret Soul Jars.
  • Inverted: The work is about the undead, and whenever someone gets resurrected, they're dead next time.
  • Subverted: That new "Emperor Evulz" was actually the Emperor's son, who began masquerading as his father to avoid the backlash that comes with an emperor dying.
  • Double Subverted: That was just the story that the Emperor gave. It really is him, but he doesn't want his possession of secret resurrection Phlebotinum to be common knowledge.
  • Parodied: No one goes to anyone's funeral because they know they'll be alive the next day. If You Die, I Call Your Stuff is thrown around like "shotgun".
  • Deconstructed:
    • A world where everyone can come back to life after death is portrayed realistically. People who really shouldn't be around anymore are back, and there's very little that can be done about it. Alternatively, the unchecked population growth of such a world leads to the collapse of society from overpopulation and struggle for resources.
    • Alternatively, repeated deaths result in complications, such as brain decay, leading frequently-killed characters to Take a Level in Dumbass.
    • Or people were allowed to come back by some form of Eldritch Abomination, and are now forced to serve it.
  • Reconstructed: However, the upsides are shown as well. Grandma can come back, for instance. As well, overpopulation problems can give rise to many willing explorers who go out and settle in unknown areas, leading to a new age of exploration.
  • Zig Zagged: That new "Emperor Evulz" is the previous one's son; but it's just a masquerade made up by Evulz. However, there are only so many times he can die and come back.
  • Averted: When people die, they stay dead. (All Deaths Final, Killed Off for Real)
  • Enforced:
  • Lampshaded:

Bob: "Does anyone actually die in this series, or what?"
Carl:"Only if they're mooks."

  • Invoked: The Empire begins researching resurrection technology.
  • Defied:
    • The chief scientists of The Empire, who actually hated Evulz and were being forced to work under him, decide not to bring him back in the hopes that a better ruler will come about.
    • People turn to God (or some being of comparable power) to bring back the dead. Said being says "no" and deconstructs this trope along with a Hannibal Lecture.
  • Discussed: "Doesn't anyone stay dead anymore?"
  • Conversed: "This show can't seem to kill anybody off!"
  • Played For Laughs: They Killed Kenny. Or the Butt Monkey dies a painful death, only for God to send him back to suffer more, either because he's so funny for him, or because he's enough of a Jerkass to deserve it.
  • Played For Drama: A very popular, very high-powered character in a superhero team is not only used for the Worf Effect, but actually killed by the villain. "How can we ever fight Emperor Evulz without BOB?! And if he can kill BOB, what chance do we have?!" Despite being one of the publishers' biggest hits, he either stays dead for the duration of the Story Arc, or comes back as a Deus Ex Machina to finish off the weakened villain during the final battle.

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