Death Seeker: Difference between revisions

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{{quote|''"I do not wish to live a life with no tomorrow, for a life spent merely for the sake of living is no better than that of a filthy cur. There is only one thing I wish for: to meet that one chosen person in that one chosen battle, and to die remembering who I once was."''|'''Balalaika''', ''[[Black Lagoon (Anime)|Black Lagoon]]''.}}

At some point in the past, a character had a [[Moral Event Horizon|traumatic]] [[Despair Event Horizon|experience]], or found themselves dishonoured, or committed a crime they could not repay or lost everything worth living for. For [[I Cannot Self Terminate|whatever reason]], instead of just [[Driven to Suicide|committing suicide]], they went off seeking battles to fight, hoping to find an [[Suicide By Cop|enemy who would kill them]], and achieve an [[Redemption Equals Death|honourable]], [[Heroic Sacrifice|heroic]] or otherwise acceptable death.

At some point in the past, a character had a [[Moral Event Horizon|traumatic]] [[Despair Event Horizon|experience]], or found themselves dishonoured, or committed a crime they could not repay or lost everything worth living for. For [[I Cannot Self-Terminate|whatever reason]], instead of just [[Driven to Suicide|committing suicide]], they went off seeking battles to fight, hoping to find an [[Suicide By Cop|enemy who would kill them]], and achieve an [[Redemption Equals Death|honourable]], [[Heroic Sacrifice|heroic]] or otherwise acceptable death.

[[Blessed With Suck|Only they]] ''[[Blessed With Suck|suck]]'' [[Springtime for Hitler|at dying.]]

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Another variation is a warrior who, upon finding out that he is dying (from a disease or curse, for example), seeks [[Suicide Mission|a death in combat]] instead, seeing it as a more honorable or at least desirable end on the field of battle than lying on his deathbed.

Another variation is that unfortunate people realize [[Who Wants to Live Forever]] and they want to move on.

Another variation is that unfortunate people realize [[Who Wants to Live Forever?]] and they want to move on.

Another variation is a [[Shell Shocked Veteran]], usually a commanding officer of some sort, suffering from a major case of [[Survivor Guilt]].

Another variation is a [[Shell-Shocked Veteran]], usually a commanding officer of some sort, suffering from a major case of [[Survivor Guilt]].

Compare [[The Berserker]]. Contrast [[Please Kill Me If It Satisfies You]] (a character offers someone to take his life due to remorse) and [[Martyr Without a Cause]]. Also [[Immortality Seeker]], for those seeking immortality instead of death. [[Martyrdom Culture|Martyrdom Cultures]] may regard such a character as a role model. Compare ''and'' contrast [[Not Afraid to Die]], where someone in definitely unafraid of death, but isn't actively seeking it out. Likely to cause a [[Threat Backfire]] to any death threat, for obvious reasons. Also see [[Miles to Go Before I Sleep]].

== [[Anime]] ==

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* {{spoiler|Ovan}} in ''[[.hack|.hack//G.U.]]'' {{spoiler|sees in Haseo the potential to defeat him and effectively manipulates into doing so. This way, they cause the Internet to "reset" and all people whom Ovan involuntarily sent into coma (including his own sister) awaken, though Ovan falls into coma himself.}}

* Suzaku Kururugi's exceptional piloting skills and willingness to put himself in mortal danger in ''[[Code Geass]]'' are revealed to be because he is a [[Death Seeker]] of the [[Redemption Equals Death]] variety: {{spoiler|after he murdered his father, ex-Prime Minister Genbu Kururugi, and doomed Japan to Britannian tyranny because of that, he seeks to be punished for the crime he was never blamed for}}. This gets a whole lot trickier when Lelouch places a [[Mind Control|Geass]] on him instructing him to "Live!" with no duration or parameters. Thus, whenever he tries to do something suicidal, or even just accepts that death will be the result of his current situation, the Geass command forces him to take any action he possibly can to avoid dying. {{spoiler|Given the [[Crapsack World|nature of ''Code Geass'']], this has predictably tragic results.}}

** It doesn't stop him from trying, though, which leads to {{spoiler|Suzaku destroying pretty much the entire Tokyo settlement when he tried to let Kallen kill him while carrying a nuke}}. [[Nice Job Breaking It Hero]] on both sides.

** It doesn't stop him from trying, though, which leads to {{spoiler|Suzaku destroying pretty much the entire Tokyo settlement when he tried to let Kallen kill him while carrying a nuke}}. [[Nice Job Breaking It, Hero]] on both sides.

** However, he does use the Geass to his advantage at one point. {{spoiler|When he fights an enemy with a Geass that allows them to see into the future, Suzaku uses the "Live!" effect to enhance his performance and move too fast for his opponent to keep up.}}

*** [[Lampshaded]] by Lelouch, who comments on how powerful his mental discipline is. The Geass even provides him with knowledge he shouldn't even be able to have; {{spoiler|his reflexes tell him when to throw a spear that will disable a FLEJA nuke}}.

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** Rukia is also one until the end of the Soul Society arc. She thinks she deserves to die for killing her Hollow-possessed mentor before the story starts, and because of that doesn't resist her arrest or execution in any way. [[Big Damn Heroes|Ichigo disagrees]].

* In ''[[Ga Rei Zero|Ga-Rei -Zero-]]'', Yomi, fighting the emotion intensifying effects of the Sesshouseki, attempts to get Noriyuki to kill her since she has become a "taint of evil," as she puts it. However, he repeatedly refuses to, even as she becomes increasingly more sadistic in her attempts to provoke him to do so.

* In part 6 of ''[[Jo ~~Jos~~ Bizarre Adventure (Manga)|Jo Jos Bizarre Adventure]]'', {{spoiler|Weather Report, after recovering his memories. He dies shortly afterward in a not quite successful suicide attack on the [[Big Bad]].}}

* In part 6 of ''[[Jo Jo's Bizarre Adventure (Manga)|Jo Jos Bizarre Adventure]]'', {{spoiler|Weather Report, after recovering his memories. He dies shortly afterward in a not quite successful suicide attack on the [[Big Bad]].}}

* Shinji Ikari (and, to a lesser extent, {{spoiler|Asuka Langley Soryu}} from [[Neon Genesis Evangelion]] could fit this trope to a T, except by the little part that Shinji was fighting to seek his father's attention, and {{spoiler|Asuka was too much of a [[Stepford Smiler]] to give up}}. At the end, {{spoiler|only these two failed to die, presumably. Irony at its best.}}

** {{spoiler|Until episode 18, anyway. After killing and/or maiming his best friend, depending on whether we're going by the anime or the manga, we see him in episode 19, no longer greatly concerned with what his father or anyone else thinks of him. The [[Crazy Awesome]] of the moment--and it is, if you haven't seen it--is muted at the end of the series when we reflect and realize that when he went out to fight, "fangs out and hair on fire," he was almost certainly trying to die.}}

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* Balalaika of ''[[Black Lagoon]]'', as seen in the quote above. {{spoiler|Roberta}} also has elements of this in the latest arc of the manga.

* {{spoiler|Deneve}} from [[Claymore]] was one of these {{spoiler|until Helen knocked some sense into her.}}

* In the latter half of ''[[Toward the Terra]]'', {{spoiler|Matsuka}} worries that {{spoiler|[[Anti Villain|Keith]]}} seems to be "looking for a place to die." These worries are well-founded.

* In the latter half of ''[[Toward the Terra]]'', {{spoiler|Matsuka}} worries that {{spoiler|[[Anti-Villain|Keith]]}} seems to be "looking for a place to die." These worries are well-founded.

* Manji from ''[[Blade of the Immortal]]'' seems like a mix of death seeker and [[The Atoner]]. He needs atonement to finally die. He has to do it by {{spoiler|killing 1000 bad guys}}.

* {{spoiler|The [[Big Bad]] Black Mage Zeref}} in ''[[Fairy Tail]]''. He feels rejected by the world because of his [[Power Incontinence|uncontrollable power]] that [[Walking Wasteland|drains the life from everything around him]]. Realizing that he will always be alone because of this, he wants to die. For some reason he believes that Natsu is the only one who has a chance of killing him. When they meet in 209 and Natsu punches him, his only reaction (after being completely unharmed) is to feel regret.

{{quote| ''' {{spoiler|Zeref}}:''' I see...still. Still. He still...Natsu...still can't break me.}}

* ''[[Immortal Rain]]'': Rain and Yuca BOTH, especially since {{spoiler|[[Suicidal Cosmic Temper Tantrum|Yuca]] made Rain partically to have /him/ kill him.}}

* {{spoiler|Rau Le Creuset}} in [[Gundam Seed]] combines this with [[Woobie Destroyer of Worlds]] and [[Omnicidal Maniac]] for a truly dangerous combination.

* {{spoiler|Rau Le Creuset}} in [[Gundam Seed]] combines this with [[Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds]] and [[Omnicidal Maniac]] for a truly dangerous combination.

* Partially played straight with Guts from [[Berserk]]. While he isn't actively wishing for death, he throws himself into suicidal battles against creatures that greatly exceed the power of man with reckless abandon. It can be argued that he doesn't expect to actually beat the Apostles and Godhand, but is merely killing them off due to his unquenchable hatred until one of them finally manages to best him.

* In ''[[Corsair (Light Novel)|Corsair]]'', [[The Atoner|Canale]] is a former assassin who made a promise not to kill himself, but wishes to die because he thinks he brings misery and destruction wherever he goes. Early on he begs Ayace to do so, but Ayace refuses. Later Ayace makes a promise that if Canale brings destruction on Preveza he ''will'' kill him, so until then he should try living normally, which reassures Canale greatly.

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* [[Zbeng]]! has a character named Stav - an extremely depressed, pessimistic Goth girl, who constantly tries to commit suicide. She does seem good driving others to it, but herself, she is lucky enough to constantly win the lottery despite never buying tickets (she doesn't tend to collect the winnings).

* Dashiell "Dash" Bad Horse from [[Scalped (Comic Book)|Scalped]] has an unconscious death wish. He constantly throws himself in dangerous gunfights with psychopaths and always alone. It's hinted that he suffers from ptsd {{spoiler|(child abuse, fighting in Kosovo and witnessing a massacre)}}, suicidal behaviour {{spoiler|(flashback to a young Dashiell cry and put a gun to his temple, second time he does the same thing when he could've prevented the murder of a young boy)}} and from deep seated anger {{spoiler|(his fists are bruised most of the time and we see him slamming his fists against his own truck)}}. When Dash is confronted by {{spoiler|his father}}, the conversation between them pretty much confirms all of this and more importantly his death wish.

* [[Iron Man|Tony Stark]], to a [[The Woobie|horribly painful degree]]. And, no, it didn't start during/after [[Civil War (Comic Book)|Civil War]], either, though that certainly [[Up to Eleven|made it worse]]. It started when he was struck with [[Survivor Guilt|survivor's guilt]] over the [[My Greatest Failure|death of Yin Sen]] -- that's right, it started with his ''origin story'' -- and [[Hurting Hero|just kind of]] [[It Got Worse|went downhill]] [[Drowning My Sorrows|at breakneck speed]] [[Trauma Conga Line|from there]]. Unfortunately, Marvel [[Darker and Edgier|isn't kind enough]] to just [[Mercy Kill|let him die]] at this point, whether by way of [[Driven to Suicide|suicide]] or [[Suicide By Cop|death by supervillain]] -- though this may be [[Blatant Lies|justified]] by the fact that apparently, [[Running the Asylum|no one at Marvel]] has [[Did Not Do the Research|bothered to crack open a psychology textbook]] to figure out that [[The Mentally Disturbed|someone like Tony Stark]] should probably not still be alive of his own free will. Considering Tony's history of barely caring if he lives or dies, [[Be All My Sins Remembered|as well as his absolute self-loathing]], it's hard to believe that he's still breathing. Hell, if nothing else, it's a goddamned miracle that he hasn't [[Driven to Villainy|become an outright supervillain]], gone [[Murder Is the Best Solution|batshit crazy]], or [[Woobie Destroyer of Worlds|worse]]. Usually, when a character [[Despair Event Horizon|hits rock bottom]], the general procedure is to [[Redemption Equals Death|have them]] [[Heroic Sacrifice|go out]] [[Dying Moment of Awesome|in a blaze of glory]]. Instead, Marvel [[Well Intentioned Extremist|handed him]] [[Kick Them While They Are Down|a shovel]].

* [[Iron Man|Tony Stark]], to a [[The Woobie|horribly painful degree]]. And, no, it didn't start during/after [[Civil War (Comic Book)|Civil War]], either, though that certainly [[Up to Eleven|made it worse]]. It started when he was struck with [[Survivor Guilt|survivor's guilt]] over the [[My Greatest Failure|death of Yin Sen]] -- that's right, it started with his ''origin story'' -- and [[Hurting Hero|just kind of]] [[It Got Worse|went downhill]] [[Drowning My Sorrows|at breakneck speed]] [[Trauma Conga Line|from there]]. Unfortunately, Marvel [[Darker and Edgier|isn't kind enough]] to just [[Mercy Kill|let him die]] at this point, whether by way of [[Driven to Suicide|suicide]] or [[Suicide By Cop|death by supervillain]] -- though this may be [[Blatant Lies|justified]] by the fact that apparently, [[Running the Asylum|no one at Marvel]] has [[Did Not Do the Research|bothered to crack open a psychology textbook]] to figure out that [[The Mentally Disturbed|someone like Tony Stark]] should probably not still be alive of his own free will. Considering Tony's history of barely caring if he lives or dies, [[Be All My Sins Remembered|as well as his absolute self-loathing]], it's hard to believe that he's still breathing. Hell, if nothing else, it's a goddamned miracle that he hasn't [[Driven to Villainy|become an outright supervillain]], gone [[Murder Is the Best Solution|batshit crazy]], or [[Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds|worse]]. Usually, when a character [[Despair Event Horizon|hits rock bottom]], the general procedure is to [[Redemption Equals Death|have them]] [[Heroic Sacrifice|go out]] [[Dying Moment of Awesome|in a blaze of glory]]. Instead, Marvel [[Well-Intentioned Extremist|handed him]] [[Kick Them While They Are Down|a shovel]].

** He ''did'' become a supervillain and died briefly. It was called "The Crossing" and he was replaced by a teenaged version of himself. [[Dork Age|No one liked it]]. [[Death Is Cheap|Adult Tony came back]] and it's been [[Retcon|Retconned]] that [[Not Himself|he wasn't himself]], Teen tony got written out, and it's more or less [[Fanon Discontinuity|ignored]] now.

* Kaine, the imperfect clone of [[Spider-Man]]. He's not the typical death seeker as he sometimes changes his mind or even runs from a fatal fight. In the grim hunt back stories it's revealed he's too much of a coward to commit suicide yet when he has a pre-cog vision about his own death at the hands of Kraven the Hunter he still challenges him.{{spoiler|He finally got what he wanted by duping the Kravinoff hunters into thinking he was [[Spider-Man]]. They sacrificed him to revive Kraven the hunter. Afterwards Kaine is resurrected with tarantula features, and is [[Spider Island|ultimately reborn possessing Spider-Man's enhanced powers from Avengers Disassembled]].}}

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* Lady Shiva of [[The DCU]] is a [[Death Seeker]] like Cassandra Cain {{spoiler|her own daughter}} mentioned earlier. Shiva has always regretted that her sister was killed for the sake of her own potential as a martial artist and confessed to Cassandra that she misses her every day. As a result, Shiva is a mix of a [[Blood Knight]] and a [[Death Seeker]]. She continues to challenge and train gifted martial artists out of a need to validate her sister's death by proving that she is the strongest, but at the same time she secretly hopes to die at the hands of someone better due to her guilt.

* In one [[Star Wars]] story arc, the crooked ex-Senate Guard Venco Autem learns that he has a terminal illness, and so takes on suicidal jobs like assassinating corrupt Senators because he has nothing to live for. At the end of the comic, he places himself in a situation that he has little hope of escaping from in order to kill the Senator, and is indeed shot dead by his brother.

* [[Deadpool]] wants to die. Death is in love with him and vice versa, so jealous [[Thanos]] cursed him with [[Who Wants to Live Forever|eternal life]]. In the Age of Stryfe, an alternate future timeline Deadpool is still alive because of the curse and not his healing factor. The voices in Deadpool confirm his deathwish among other things :the only reason he desperately wants to be accepted is so his friends will care and put him out of his misery. If that doesn't work out he antagonizes them so they can extract their revenge on him.

* [[Deadpool]] wants to die. Death is in love with him and vice versa, so jealous [[Thanos]] cursed him with [[Who Wants to Live Forever?|eternal life]]. In the Age of Stryfe, an alternate future timeline Deadpool is still alive because of the curse and not his healing factor. The voices in Deadpool confirm his deathwish among other things :the only reason he desperately wants to be accepted is so his friends will care and put him out of his misery. If that doesn't work out he antagonizes them so they can extract their revenge on him.

* Kraven the Hunter's main reason for hunting was to escape the harshness of life:"in the midst of pursuit..or a kill...I do not exist..all the petty pain of living falls away..all unrealized desires...until only the hunt is left". In the end he killed himself with a rifle in his mouth but he was resurrected years later against his wishes by the remaining kravinoff members. The ceremony of resurrection was corrupted so Kraven cannot die. Only the antithesis of a hunter (the spider) can kill him, so he hunts down spiders. Looking for a way to die with honor he went after [[Spider-Man]] but he refused to kill him.

* [[X-23]] is pretty much this. Unfortunately for [[Healing Factor|her]].

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** Needless to say, after being {{spoiler|revived by Tiffania}}, he clearly states that at that moment, he really, REALLY, hated her.

{{quote| '''Shirou, {{spoiler|after being revived by Tiffania}}''': "And in that moment, I had never hated anything as fiercely as I did her."}}

* In ''[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3966181/1/The_Prince The Prince]'', a ''[[Death Note (Manga)|Death Note]]'' [[Yakuza]] [[Alternate Universe Fic|AU]] by Neverending Odyssey, Light sees [[Professional Killer|the deaths]] [[Well Intentioned Extremist|he must deal out]] as a burden and truly looks forward to the day L will catch and execute him for it-however since he's not engaging the detective in pitched battle he isn't leaving any clues behind and Ryuk sees a very long lifespan ahead of him.

* In ''[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3966181/1/The_Prince The Prince]'', a ''[[Death Note (Manga)|Death Note]]'' [[Yakuza]] [[Alternate Universe Fic|AU]] by Neverending Odyssey, Light sees [[Professional Killer|the deaths]] [[Well-Intentioned Extremist|he must deal out]] as a burden and truly looks forward to the day L will catch and execute him for it-however since he's not engaging the detective in pitched battle he isn't leaving any clues behind and Ryuk sees a very long lifespan ahead of him.

* ''[[The World Ends With You (Video Game)|The World Ends With You]]'' fanfic, ''[[Eris Game (Fanfic)|Eri's Game]]'', has the titular character trying to become an activist just to die as she's responsible for Shiki's death. However, some mysterious force, {{spoiler|who is Shiki}}, keeps on foiling it. Luckily, her wish is granted in the end of week 1.

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* Louis, in the film version of ''[[Interview With the Vampire]]'', becomes this when his young wife dies in childbirth and the baby doesn't survive either. His willingness to die leaves him open to Lestat's machinations. Note that this is a complete change from the original novel, in which Louis was unmarried.

* Plot of ''[[Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (Film)|Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man]]'' is set in motion when Larry Talbot (the [[Wolf Man]]) is accidentally resurrected and sets out to find the way to keep himself dead permanently.

* Miles Tuck in ''[[Tuck Everlasting]]'', due to losing his wife and children. He's fought in pretty much every war he can find and regularly picks fights, trying ([[Who Wants to Live Forever|unsuccessfully]]) to die.

* Miles Tuck in ''[[Tuck Everlasting]]'', due to losing his wife and children. He's fought in pretty much every war he can find and regularly picks fights, trying ([[Who Wants to Live Forever?|unsuccessfully]]) to die.

* Of the commanding officer's [[Survivor Guilt]]/[[~~Shell Shocked Veteran|~~Shell-Shocked Veteran]] variety, we have [[Pirates of the Caribbean|James Norrington]] in the beginning of Dead Man's Chest. He'd deliberately steered his ship into a hurricane while chasing Jack Sparrow, resulting in the loss of the ship and most of the crew, and his having to resign his commission. The next time we saw him, he was a grimy drunk who seemed to be pretty zealous about his bar fights.

* Of the commanding officer's [[Survivor Guilt]]/[[Shell-Shocked Veteran]] variety, we have [[Pirates of the Caribbean|James Norrington]] in the beginning of Dead Man's Chest. He'd deliberately steered his ship into a hurricane while chasing Jack Sparrow, resulting in the loss of the ship and most of the crew, and his having to resign his commission. The next time we saw him, he was a grimy drunk who seemed to be pretty zealous about his bar fights.

* The WWI pilot in [[The Mummy Trilogy|The Mummy]] wants to go out in a blaze of glory like the rest of his deceased war buddies. {{spoiler|Seeing as he dies fighting a giant face made of sand while successfully escorting Rick and Johnathan to Hamunaptra, it's probably safe to say that he succeeded. His last words?}}

{{quote| {{spoiler|"Here I come, laddies!" and a huge laugh.}}}}

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* Colbey, the main character of the ''[[The Last of the Renshai|Renshai]]'' novels, is a follower of the Norse gods, and must die in battle to reach Valhalla. (Dying while refusing to fight all-out doesn't count, and would get him damned to Hel.) He's in his ''eighties'' by the end of book 1, the oldest person his tribe has ever had, and the best swordsman in history. He's even given the title "Deathseeker" by some. {{spoiler|Eventually, it's discovered that he became "semi-mortal" in his sixties (meaning he can't grow any older) and eventually becomes a god. He still rejoices in a challenging fight centuries later, mind you...}}

* Himei starts out as this in ''[[Sailor Nothing]]'', before [[The Power of Friendship]] gives her something to live for. The premier example, however, is {{spoiler|Dark General Argon. Because of his nature as [[The Heartless]] he's unable to kill himself directly, so he instead ensures that the protagonist will unleash her [[Unstoppable Rage]] on him -- in some of the worst ways possible.}}

* Brox (Broxigar [[First Name Basis]]) of the [[War of the Ancients]] [[War Craft]] novels trilogy fits this trope perfectly, after being the sole survivor of his squad. {{spoiler|He actually gets his wish in the end by performing a [[Heroic Sacrifice]]}}

* Brox (Broxigar [[First-Name Basis]]) of the [[War of the Ancients]] [[War Craft]] novels trilogy fits this trope perfectly, after being the sole survivor of his squad. {{spoiler|He actually gets his wish in the end by performing a [[Heroic Sacrifice]]}}

* Eowyn in ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', whose courageous ride to the Battle of the Pelennor Fields has also been described as a lovesick suicide attempt.

** According to Aragorn, the very object of her unrequited love, her disappointment was just the final straw - personal frustrations and grief having already robbed her of much hope. And then of course there's the apparent hopelessness of the global situation - the entire army rides into battle shouting "DEATH!" after all.

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* Francis Crawford of Lymond throughout Dorothy Dunnett's ''[[Lymond Chronicles]]''. He veers between attempts at [[Heroic Sacrifice]] and plain old [[Driven to Suicide]].

* There is a story by [[Robert Sheckley]] about a planet with humanoid aliens who believe that only violent death leads to heaven. Some deaths are dispensed by the priests, but many people (despite a strict taboo) arrange some accidents (like sawing a thorny tree so that it will fall upon you). They die smiling.

* In the sixth book of ''[[The Hitchhikers Guide to The Galaxy]]'', ''And Another Thing...'' {{spoiler|[[Who Wants to Live Forever|Wowbagger the Infinitely Prolonged]]}} reveals that this is the motivation behind his constant insulting of others.

* In the sixth book of ''[[The Hitchhikers Guide to The Galaxy]]'', ''And Another Thing...'' {{spoiler|[[Who Wants to Live Forever?|Wowbagger the Infinitely Prolonged]]}} reveals that this is the motivation behind his constant insulting of others.

* In Ursula Vernon's ''[[Black Dogs (Literature)|Black Dogs]]'', the elven [[Broken Bird|Sinai]] blames herself for the capture, rape and death of her cousin, at the hands of the evil sorceror Vade. She accepts increasingly dangerous and suicidal missions from the elven nation, and her behavior is so well known that in the elves' native tongue she is known as The Dead Wolf.

* In the [[Andrew Vachss]] Burke book ''Terminal'', it is mentioned at the end that this was the first time Burke was not praying in some way for death.

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* Opie becomes this in the second season of ''[[Sons of Anarchy]]'' {{spoiler|after his wife Donna's death}}

* Logan Echolls of ''[[Veronica Mars]]'' has something of a death wish, highlighted most obviously in 1x22 'Leave It To Beaver' and 3x20 'The Bitch Is Back.' But with his background, can you blame him?

* There was an episode of ''[[~~Mash~~ (TV)|M*A*S*H]]'' which included a Chinese-American soldier trying to get himself killed in battle because he identified both as a Chinese person and an American and thus hated himself for "being" the enemy one way or another.

* There was an episode of ''[[M*A*S*H (TV)|M*A*S*H]]'' which included a Chinese-American soldier trying to get himself killed in battle because he identified both as a Chinese person and an American and thus hated himself for "being" the enemy one way or another.

* ''[[Star Trek (Franchise)|Star Trek]]'' has the [[Proud Warrior Race Guy|Klingons]], whose religion holds that to get into Sto-Vo-Kor (their equivalent of Heaven...or more accurately, Valhalla) one has to die in honorable combat. "Today is a good day to die" is basically the motto of the entire species. A Klingon warrior who lives to old age will tend to get more extreme about this. A specific example of this is shown late in ''[[Star Trek Deep Space Nine (TV)|Star Trek Deep Space Nine]]'', with [[Old Master|Dahar Master]] Kor. During the Dominion War arc he desperately wants to be sent into combat so that he can have a chance to die honorably, but he's made so many enemies over the years that nobody is willing to let him join the war.

** Like the Vikings below, there ''are'' loopholes. For example, when Jadzia dies her Klingon husband, Worf, collects friends and goes into battle in her honor, which in Klingon religion can earn the deceased passage to Sto-Vo-Kor. (Paralleling the medieval Christian doctrine of substitution, wherein if you had committed more sin than you could do penance for in a lifetime, you could work it off by various more active things, like crusading or helping to build a church, which devolved into the outright-purchase papal indulgences Luther found so offensive. Or someone else could transfer ''their'' merit to you, which is why rich people endowed monasteries and where that 'pray for the souls of the dead' thing originates. [[And Now You Know]].)

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** The Imperial Guard has the Penal Legions. Having committed some sin against the Emperor, they are deployed [[Zerg Rush|en masse]] with even less armor and weaker weapons than the standard Guardsman; they aren't really meant to survive, just to swamp the enemy with their numbers or to clear minefields for the [[Tank Goodness|tanks]].

** The non-canon Chapter the [http://www.fightingtigersofveda.com/ Fighting Tigers of Veda] have a similar system with the Grey Tigers, complete with a [http://www.fightingtigersofveda.com/GT1.html short story] about the redemption of Sudra Patel.

* One of the example villains in the old edition of ''[[GURPS]]'' Supers was a disgraced sumo wrestler who couldn't commit seppuku due to his [[Nigh Invulnerability]]. Thus, he sought out other supers to goad them into killing him. His sympathetic backstory, and his history of tracking down and defeating violent supers, make him more of an [[Anti Villain]].

* One of the example villains in the old edition of ''[[GURPS]]'' Supers was a disgraced sumo wrestler who couldn't commit seppuku due to his [[Nigh Invulnerability]]. Thus, he sought out other supers to goad them into killing him. His sympathetic backstory, and his history of tracking down and defeating violent supers, make him more of an [[Anti-Villain]].

** There's also a [[Point Build System|disadvantage]] called 'On The Edge', that basically allows you to play your character as a [[Death Seeker]]. It makes you passively suicidal. You won't off ''yourself'', but if you're, say, [[Curb Stomp Battle|facing down an entire biker gang while armed with a toothbrush]]...

* Chrononauts: Lost Identities features Isaac, a playable character who prevents various tragedies, including his own death at Columbine. One of his win conditions includes allowing the massacre to happen, so Isaac can let himself die.

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** Evidently she's not the only one in the FFXIII world with this mindset, seeing as {{spoiler|Orphan, Barthandelus, and ''every other fal'Cie in existence'' also want to die.}} Even if it means destroying the world and '''''everyone else in it.'''''

*** It turns out that {{spoiler|the Fal'Cie}} want to {{spoiler|destroy Cocoon}}, because that many people dying at once would {{spoiler|bring back the world's god: The Maker, who is also the Fal'Cie's 'parent' who orphaned them when she left the world}}. That many people dying at once would {{spoiler|open the door to the Maker}}, and {{spoiler|Orphan is vital to the upkeep of Cocoon, so it's death would mean the death of Cocoon}}, and all the humans living there.

* Zasalamel from ''[[Soul Series|Soul Calibur III]]'' sought the evil blade Soul Edge to break his [[Blessed With Suck|curse of immortality]] and die a peaceful death. Because really, [[Who Wants to Live Forever]]?

* Zasalamel from ''[[Soul Series|Soul Calibur III]]'' sought the evil blade Soul Edge to break his [[Blessed With Suck|curse of immortality]] and die a peaceful death. Because really, [[Who Wants to Live Forever?]]?

** Great plan. I want to die peacefully, the best bet is to enter a battle to the death-style tournament with a bunch of [[Ax Crazy]] nut-jobs, a handful of demons, and the pure manifestation of good and evil in the world...

*** Justified since his curse of endless reincarnation/violent death is connected to Soul Edge and Soul Calibur.

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* {{spoiler|Kratos}} from ''[[Tales of Symphonia (Video Game)|Tales of Symphonia]]'' is eventually revealed to be a [[Death Seeker]] and has singled out [[The Messiah|Lloyd]] as the one who'll finally kill him -- {{spoiler|which he'll have to do because Kratos' lifeforce keeps a seal on the [[Cosmic Keystone]]}}. Fails miserably, after Lloyd [[Take a Third Option|merely beats]] ''[[Take a Third Option|six]]'' [[Take a Third Option|shades of hell out of him]] during their final encounter, {{spoiler|undoing the seal}}, and then proceeds to chew out his [[Not Quite Dead]] opponent over being so incredibly ''stupid'' in trying to throw his life away.

** Similarly, {{spoiler|Zelos}} spends a good part of the game with a death wish, {{spoiler|his [[Handsome Lech]] personality for the most part [[Stepford Smiler|an act]]}}. Whether he succeeds or not is up to the player.

*** The sequel then gives us {{spoiler|Emil}}. Once he realizes that he is {{spoiler|The Summon Spirit Ratatosk, and responsible for the death of Aster}} he plans to atone by {{spoiler|faking possession by his [[Super Powered Evil Side]]}} and having the rest of the party kill him {{spoiler|so that he can become a core to seal the door to Niflheim}}.

*** The sequel then gives us {{spoiler|Emil}}. Once he realizes that he is {{spoiler|The Summon Spirit Ratatosk, and responsible for the death of Aster}} he plans to atone by {{spoiler|faking possession by his [[Super-Powered Evil Side]]}} and having the rest of the party kill him {{spoiler|so that he can become a core to seal the door to Niflheim}}.

* {{spoiler|Raven}} from [[Tales of Vesperia]] is revealed to be the villainous version, having been plucked from death by the local [[Smug Snake]] and forced to act as his personal [[The Mole|Mole]]. The scene where he realizes that his death is not worth betraying his friends is a [[Crowning Moment of Awesome]].

** {{spoiler|Estelle}} manages to pull one of these as well. Said [[Smug Snake]] {{spoiler|has her under his control and forces her to attack the party, culminating in the line "Kill me." Yuri then fights her and tells her she's not to do it again.}}

* Umbra in ''[[The Elder Scrolls]]: Morrowind'', an orcish hero who has accomplished everything he can in life and waits for a worthy opponent to kill him and claim his [[Infinity ~~Plus One~~ Sword]].

* Umbra in ''[[The Elder Scrolls]]: Morrowind'', an orcish hero who has accomplished everything he can in life and waits for a worthy opponent to kill him and claim his [[Infinity+1 Sword]].

** This is actually Umbra's modus operandi. The sword eats away at the mind of it's wielder, driving them to go all [[Blood Knight]] so it can be fed a constant stream of souls. Eventually, the wielder becomes just an extension of the blade and eventually pick a fight with somebody stronger than them. This just serves to propagate the sword further, as when they finally die the sword is going to be picked up by their killer, an even stronger warrior who can continue the cycle.

*** The worst part? It not only eats the souls of those it kills, but also eats the soul of it's wielder if they die.

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** In the Bloodmoon expansion of Morrowind, there is a Nord who has spent 500 years searching for Sovngarde, an homage to the real life Valhalla of Viking lore. The player can give him a book detailing how Nords may reach Sovngarde: by dying honorably in combat. Delighted, the man asks the player to kill him, but only in real combat (and he's [[Badass Grandpa|remarkably dangerous for a 500-year old man]]).

** Also prevalent in Skyrim. Most notable is the Old Orc, an Orc who is too old to become chief or take a wife but is still strong enough to fight. He would rather die a glorious death than become too old to hold his own in battle. Nords in general also fit this, as they believe that Sovngarde (the [[Fantasy Counterpart Culture]] of Valhalla) awaits all Nord warriors who die in battle, or at the hands of an enemy in general; being executed by a weapon counts, which appears to be why the preferred from of execution is beheading by axe.

* [[No Name Given|The Nameless One]] from ''[[Planescape Torment|Planescape: Torment]]''... Well, he's not exactly a ''straight'' example, mainly because he has [[Laser Guided Amnesia|no idea]] ''why'' he simply [[Nigh Invulnerable|won't stay dead]] or what he was doing prior to [[Waking Up At the Morgue]], but his plot to find out these things {{spoiler|''do'' eventually lead to his [[Final Death]].}}

* [[No Name Given|The Nameless One]] from ''[[Planescape Torment|Planescape: Torment]]''... Well, he's not exactly a ''straight'' example, mainly because he has [[Laser-Guided Amnesia|no idea]] ''why'' he simply [[Nigh Invulnerable|won't stay dead]] or what he was doing prior to [[Waking Up At the Morgue]], but his plot to find out these things {{spoiler|''do'' eventually lead to his [[Final Death]].}}

* Originally, {{spoiler|Atton}} in ''[[Knights of the Old Republic]] II'' had a chance at [[Redemption Equals Death]] by the end of the game, but that sequence got axed.

** He's not the first pilot of the Ebon Hawk to have this streak. "I always figured I'd be dead once Saul was," anyone?

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* Albedo from ''[[Xenosaga (Video Game)|Xenosaga]]''. Since his unique genetic makeup makes it literally impossible to die (as in, his head can be ripped off with no ill effects whatsoever), he gets very upset when he finds out that his two brothers don't have the same ability. This becomes the main driving force behind his actions throughout the first two games--he wants to [[Sealed Evil in A Can|unseal]] the [[Cosmic Horror]] because it's the only thing capable of killing him and ensuring that he and his brothers can be together forever.

* Tsugumi of ''[[Ever 17]]'' leaps into a dangerous situation to save the hero's life, not because she cares about his wellbeing, but because she's hoping it will kill her. {{spoiler|Unfortunately for her, her [[Healing Factor]] makes her more or less immortal.}}

* {{spoiler|Lehran}} from ''[[Fire Emblem Tellius (Video Game)|Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn]]'' was like this, but when he couldn't find any way to die, he resorted to [[Woobie Destroyer of Worlds|trying to bring a goddess's judgment on the entire continent, wiping out himself and everyone else.]] His last words are "I'm dying....at last."

* {{spoiler|Lehran}} from ''[[Fire Emblem Tellius (Video Game)|Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn]]'' was like this, but when he couldn't find any way to die, he resorted to [[Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds|trying to bring a goddess's judgment on the entire continent, wiping out himself and everyone else.]] His last words are "I'm dying....at last."

** In ''Path of Radiance'' both Haar and Tauroneo, thoroughly dissapointed by the turns their lives have taken are like this befroe you recruit them. And then there's [[The Brute|General Bertram]], one of Daien's Four Riders. Drugged up on [[Psycho Serum]] and barely coherent, Bertram spends most of [[Snake Talk|rasping]] about how the other players are going going to "Perisssshhh," and "Me...kill..." Right up until you face him with Ike, that is, when his refrain becomes "Kill...me... ...KILL...M-ME..." Ike does his best to oblige.

** Harken from ''[[Fire Emblem Elibe|Blazing Sword]]'' is a [[Broken Ace]] who became this after {{spoiler|seeing his liege lord and his comrades get killed by the Black Fang}}. He throws himself at your party in order to get killed, though some characters can talk him out of it and he can eventually got better.

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* The ''[[Civilization]] IV'' mod ''Fall from Heaven II'' has a suicidal Lilith [[Captain Ersatz]] named Os-Gabella. Since she's immortal, she's founded an apocalyptic death cult in hopes that destroying the entire world will take her out, too.

* {{spoiler|Kai}} from ''[[Phantasy Star 0]]'' is a likely example of this trope. {{spoiler|On two different occasions, he throws himself into seriously unnecessary situations to get himself killed for the young hunters of the party. This is a result of the deep sense of guilt he feels for his failed expedition as a young hunter, killing countless young people as a result of his hubris. Once with the basilisk creatures before players reach the moon, and when he tries to convince the player to leave him after defeating Dark Force (or Dark "Falz"), despite how easily the party can save him.}}

* [[Dark Skinned Blond|Zevran Aranai]] of [[Dragon Age]] openly attacks the PC (despite his extensive training as an assassin and impressive stealth skills) because he hopes to get himself killed.

* [[Dark-Skinned Blond|Zevran Aranai]] of [[Dragon Age]] openly attacks the PC (despite his extensive training as an assassin and impressive stealth skills) because he hopes to get himself killed.

** When the Warden first offers to release him from his prison in Lothering, Sten from [[Dragon Age]]: Origins says that [[Redemption Equals Death|death will be his atonement]] for the murder of an entire farmhold of people. He later agrees to join the Warden after the latter convinces him of the importance of his/her mission. However, Sten doesn't actually believe the Warden will succeed in defeating the Blight; he just prefers to die in battle than starve to death in a cage.

*** This changes after you get his approval high enough and {{spoiler|return his sword.}} He starts to believe that you have a real shot at defeating the Blight, and he mentions that he would be able to offer a better answer to his superiors' questions about the Blight if he helped you end it first.

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== [[Western Animation]] ==

* An episode of ''[[Samurai Jack]]'' featured a Norseman who was cursed with eternal life by the [[Big Bad]]. He set himself up behind an elaborate death course to weed out anyone who had no chance of ever defeating him, and waited for someone to bring him death. As in the Colbey example, he had to fight all-out to get the afterlife he desired... but Jack did manage to best him.

* Macbeth (yes, ''that'' [[Macbeth]]) of ''[[Gargoyles (Animation)|Gargoyles]]'', with a couple of twists: due to a [[Deal With the Devil]] ([[The Fair Folk|sort of]]), he and fellow antagonist [[Kill All Humans|Demona]] have been granted immortality and eternal youth until one kills the other, but once that happens, ''both'' will die. Since Macbeth is [[Who Wants to Live Forever|tired of life]], and Demona wishes to continue living, they often come into conflict with each other, forcing the usually-homicidal Demona into an awkward fighting position.

* Macbeth (yes, ''that'' [[Macbeth]]) of ''[[Gargoyles (Animation)|Gargoyles]]'', with a couple of twists: due to a [[Deal With the Devil]] ([[The Fair Folk|sort of]]), he and fellow antagonist [[Kill All Humans|Demona]] have been granted immortality and eternal youth until one kills the other, but once that happens, ''both'' will die. Since Macbeth is [[Who Wants to Live Forever?|tired of life]], and Demona wishes to continue living, they often come into conflict with each other, forcing the usually-homicidal Demona into an awkward fighting position.

* [[Proud Warrior Race Guy|Dinobot]] in ''[[Beast Wars (Animation)|Beast Wars]]'' has a few traits of this. {{spoiler|[[Heroic Sacrifice|Wish]][[Dying Moment of Awesome|granted.]]}}

** Confirmed by [[Word of God]].

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* In her memoir ''The Past is Myself'', Christabel Bielenberg recounts a chilling encounter with an SS officer who, in despair at the atrocities in which he had participated, was determined to die in battle as the war neared its end: "...He told me of how he had tried to be killed, but his comrades had fallen around him and each time, by some miracle, he had lived. The ones with the [[Fatal Family Photo|photographs in their wallets]], the frightened ones, and the ones with dreams of the future, they were the ones who got killed, he said. Only those who didn't care, got the Iron Crosses. Now he was going to the front, to his unit if he could reach it, otherwise anywhere, ''anywhere'', did I hear, where he would be allowed to die."

* Siegfried Sassoon, the poet, during the First World War. Along the way he picked up an MC, and the title of "best war poet to survive the war". Detailed in [[The Regeneration Trilogy]]. He had to choose between guilt over leaving his men on the battlefield and guilt over not continuing to protest against the war, and ended up going on patrol without a helmet after going back to the front. {{spoiler|But he lived.}}

* [http://www.badassoftheweek.com/tlahuicole.html Tlahuicole] was the chief of the Tlaxcalan tribe when the Aztecs decided to conquer them. He fought bravely by [[Dual Wielding]] a set of hatchets that were supposedly too large for ordinary men to even lift, but the rest of his tribe didn't make it and he ended up being captured and brought before Montezuma. The Aztec leader offered him mercy after hearing how much of a facewrecker he was (the Aztecs kind of valued that sort of thing), but Tlahuicole believed that since he had disgraced himself by letting himself get captured, he should be sacrificed as punishment for his dishonor. Montezuma basically told him to chill out and had him serve as a war-chief in an ongoing struggle against another tribe. He completely slaughtered them, so Montezuma wanted to make him a full member of Aztec nobility. Tlahuicole felt that doing so would be a betrayal of his people, so he refused. Montezuma ordered him bound to the Stone of Combat, where he would basically act out the end of ''[[The One (Film)|The One]]'' by getting swarmed by Aztec warriors until he died (ordinarily the ritual was designed to let captured soldiers gain their freedom, but he didn't want to take that route). He killed seven of Montezuma's best Jaguar warriors and wounded over twenty more before finally falling, and an Aztec priest finally sacrificed him right as he was about to die anyway.

* [http://www.badassoftheweek.com/tlahuicole.html Tlahuicole] was the chief of the Tlaxcalan tribe when the Aztecs decided to conquer them. He fought bravely by [[Dual-Wielding]] a set of hatchets that were supposedly too large for ordinary men to even lift, but the rest of his tribe didn't make it and he ended up being captured and brought before Montezuma. The Aztec leader offered him mercy after hearing how much of a facewrecker he was (the Aztecs kind of valued that sort of thing), but Tlahuicole believed that since he had disgraced himself by letting himself get captured, he should be sacrificed as punishment for his dishonor. Montezuma basically told him to chill out and had him serve as a war-chief in an ongoing struggle against another tribe. He completely slaughtered them, so Montezuma wanted to make him a full member of Aztec nobility. Tlahuicole felt that doing so would be a betrayal of his people, so he refused. Montezuma ordered him bound to the Stone of Combat, where he would basically act out the end of ''[[The One (Film)|The One]]'' by getting swarmed by Aztec warriors until he died (ordinarily the ritual was designed to let captured soldiers gain their freedom, but he didn't want to take that route). He killed seven of Montezuma's best Jaguar warriors and wounded over twenty more before finally falling, and an Aztec priest finally sacrificed him right as he was about to die anyway.

* [[I'm a Humanitarian|Jeffrey Dahmer]] frequently expressed his [[The Atoner|wish to die for his crimes]] while in prison. When he was attacked by another prisoner who attempted to slit his throat, he refused to press charges and requested to be returned to the general prison population. Only a few months later, he was beaten to death by another prisoner. Perhaps the only thing that kept him from committing suicide outright was that he was a born-again Christian.

* John Henry "Doc" Holliday, dentist turned infamous gunfighter and gambler of the old west, is a perfect real life example of this trope. Diagnosed with tuberculosis in his early twenties Doc Holliday went out west, hoping the drier climate would ease his ailment. However, his hot temper and belief that death by gun or knife was far better than by tuberculosis, led him to a life of adventure, taking part in many shoot outs including the famed OK corral and Wyatt Earp's Vendetta Ride. Despite this lifestyle, his extreme skill, and more-so his reputation of extreme speed, with a revolver kept him alive, he eventually died of his illness at age 36 in the bed of a sanitarium. His famous last words, upon looking at his bare feet in bed, were "Now, that's funny."