Go Out with a Smile: Difference between revisions

The [[Mercy Kill]] may have the dying person evince some self-awareness to show this; similarly, this might be part of [[Dying as Yourself]].

 

 

 

 

== Anime and Manga ==

* In ''[[One Piece]]'', anybody who has the "Will of the D." (as exposed by having D. as their middle initial) is guilty of this.

** Gold Roger, shown in the flashback that starts every one of the first hundred episodes or so.

* [[Key Visual Arts]] loves this stuff.

** {{spoiler|Misuzu Kamio}} of ''[[AIR]]''. Her final smile {{spoiler|for her true mother Haruko}} is so full of love and so darned ''adorable''.

*** It also occurs in the [[Kyo Ani]] adaptation, only subtler.

** {{spoiler|Makoto}} in ''[[Kanon]]'', as well as {{spoiler|Ayu}}, although the latter was [[Not Quite Dead]] after all.

* {{spoiler|Ryoko Asakura}} of ''[[Haruhi Suzumiya]]'', who despite her {{spoiler|evil intentions of slicing Kyon to bits with a knife}} maintains a smile throughout most of her battle with Yuki and even keeps a smiling face as she is being dissolved by Yuki. That just makes her ''more'' frightening.

** Actually, she doesn't really see the importance of death. In her [[Image Song]], she even states that ''heartbeats are nothing more than trivial, wave-like patterns''.

* Done brutally in ''[[Alive: The Final Evolution]]'', when victims of the 'suicide virus' gleefully kill themselves, sometimes relenting long enough to do something important to them or encourage others to do the same. Those who are infected with the virus but have yet to succumb to it, and witness the suicides aren't sure whether to be terrified or be jealous.

* {{spoiler|Princess Emeraude}} in the finale of the first season of ''[[Magic Knight Rayearth]]''. {{spoiler|She}} even gets to ''thank'' the Knights for killing {{spoiler|her}}, which means {{spoiler|she's free from the curse that her life as the [[Barrier Maiden|Pillar]] was}}.

** If you want to get literal, GN Rei in [[End of Evangelion]] does this.

** {{spoiler|Rei 2}} as well in the series. Just as {{spoiler|her Eva}} is about to detonate, she hallucinates a smiling Gendo and tearfully smiles back before the kaboom.

* Misty Honey from ''[[Cutey Honey]]'' does after delivering a cheering speech to the main heroine

* Keisei in ''[[Shikabane Hime]]''; if he didn't, he'd have turned into an undead monster.

* In ''[[Higurashi no Naku Koro ni]]'', this is both played straight and subverted. {{spoiler|Shion smiles (a sad one albeit) in Meakashi-hen when she is falling to her death and mentally promising to not repeat her mistakes; however, it quickly turned into shock when she neared the ground.}} Played straight with {{spoiler|Rena in Onikakushi-hen. She tries to give a delusional and paranoid Keiichi a [[Cooldown Hug|hug]], but is beaten to death.}}

* ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh (anime)|Yu-Gi-Oh]]'': Following her [[Heroic Sacrifice]], Kisara smiles as she [[Died in Your Arms Tonight|is cradled in Seto's arms]] and reaches up to tenderly touch his face, just before falling limp.

** {{spoiler|Bruno isn't so lucky. Having declared that the loser of his duel against Yusei will disappear, he pushes his Delta Eagle to its limits just to get Yusei out the Black Hole they're in and back to the Arc Cradle. While Yusei calls out to him and reaches out, Bruno just smiles in the last shot we get of him.}}

* In Rukia's flashback in ''[[Bleach]]'', {{spoiler|Kaien smiles in her arms after being {{spoiler|run through by her sword}}, saying that he's [[Tear Jerker|glad that he can leave his heart there with her.]]}}

* ''[[Ranma ½]]'': Before Akane's eyes close completely, signifying her death, she smiles at Ranma, then lets herself go. It's followed shortly by an [[Anguished Declaration of Love]] from Ranma. [[Disney Death|Of course she wakes up 5 minutes later, but...]]

* ''[[The Idolmaster (anime)|THE iDOLM@STER]]'' - Parodied by Ami when she has to leave for an interview and left her sister to take care of finding out who stole the [[It Makes Sense in Context|pudding from the freezer.]]

 

== Comic Books ==

'''Parademon:''' HAHAHA! See? I told you you were funny... }}

** Made even sadder later when Ragdoll says Parademon was his best friend.

 

== Fan Works ==

{{quote|{{spoiler|'''Carrot Top'''}}: Smile, Derpy... I don’t want... to see... to remember your face... being sad... when I will sleep... [[Tear Jerker|Please..... smile]].}}

 

* {{spoiler|Ray the firefly}} in ''[[The Princess and the Frog]]''.

* Surprisingly perhaps, the titular individual in ''[[The Iron Giant]]'' qualifies. Although it turns out he is [[Not Quite Dead|able to reassemble himself]].

** In the censored version, Joker dies via electrocution, and it's mentioned that he did indeed have a smile on his face.

** On the other hand he does laugh hysterically when the titular character of ''[[Batman: Mask of the Phantasm]]'' prevents his escaping a massive explosion. He survives, of course, thanks to [[Joker Immunity]], but at the moment it didn't seem like he had any means to get out alive.

{{quote|'''[http://www.empireonline.com/features/movie-finishing-moves/default.asp?m{{=}}12 Empire Magazine]''': There can't be too many gentlemen of a heterosexual persuasion who, if asked how they'd want to die, wouldn't tick the box marked 'crushed to death between Famke Janssen's thighs'.}}

* In ''[[Sin City]]'', while Kevin is being cut up and fed, he's still smiling. That's not a tear jerker, though, that's just ''intensely fucking creepy''.

* In the 1962 movie version of ''[[Billy Budd]]'', you get this for the villain, but it's definitely not the "sniff sniff" version. The SOB dies with ''a smile of victory'', knowing the hero who pwn'd him is doomed. Add that said character is played by Robert Ryan. The guy was really creepy.

* In the 2010 version of ''[[Clash of the Titans]]'', this happens when [[Cynical Mentor]] Draco aids Perseus in his climactic battle with Medusa. He knowingly sacrifices himself to stall her by impaling her tail with a stalactite. As she turns her petrifying gaze towards him, he calmly tells the hero to tell all that "men did this," before smiling smugly as he is turned to stone. An enraged Medusa shatters his petrified form afterward.

* ''[[Star Trek Generations]]'': "It was... ''fun.'' Oh my..."

* In ''[[The Fountain]]'', Tom the space traveler finally achieves peace with death moments before the nearby star goes nova. He's smiling as he's vaporized.

** Of course, he lives through this.

* [[Redemption Equals Death|Sydney Carton]] from [[Charles Dickens]]'s ''[[A Tale of Two Cities]]'': "I am the resurrection and the life, saith the Lord?"

* In ''[[Dracula (novel)|Dracula]]'', every vampire that gets killed leaves a smiling corpse, with the implication that their vampiric nature was a curse they're glad to be free of. (Even Dracula himself, in the moment between his death and his body crumbling to dust.) Van Helsing stated that this was the main reason he was able to keep executing the helpless brides—because he was saving their souls by doing so. {{spoiler|Quincy Morris died this way as well after taking down Dracula and saving Mina's soul from his taint.}}

{{quote|{{spoiler|"And, to our bitter grief, with a smile and in silence, he died, a gallant gentleman."}}}}

* In ''[[Jurassic Park]]'', Malcolm, after chapter upon chapter of getting angry at Hammond's ignorance and scientists in general, dies with a smile. {{spoiler|He gets better, though.}}

 

* Subverted in the ''[[Supernatural (TV series)|Supernatural]]'' episode "No Rest For The Wicked". Dean might have smiled at his crying brother but it's one of those smiles that you do when you're trying to be brave, trying not to throw up from fear and trying not to cry yourself. And then he sees the Hellhound come to kill him, freaks and runs into another room with Sam and Ruby, and is torn apart in there a few minutes later while Sam watches helplessly.

* In ''[[Smallville]]'', right before Jonathan Kent succumbs to his heart attack, he attempts to smile one last time to his family and tell them "I love you." [[Tear Jerker|Oh geeze]]...

* {{spoiler|Philip}} in ''[[Kamen Rider Double|Kamen Rider W]]''. Large portions of the episode are devoted to the characters wanting to make sure he does so, rather than go out in pain.

* {{spoiler|H.G. Wells}} in ''[[Warehouse 13]]'' does this for {{spoiler|Myka after safely sealing her and Pete and Artie in a force field to protect them from an impending explosion but leaves her unprotected to be hit full force by the blast.}}

 

== Music ==

''I'm never giving in''

''On with the show!'' }}

 

== Video Games ==

* Just before being [[Ret-Gone|erased out of existence]], [[The King of Fighters|Ash Crimson]] smiles one last time for his childhood friend Elizabeth.

* Although he doesn't die, [[Dawn of War|Sergeant Cyrus]] believes in this. As he knows that he will die one day in battle, regardless of his skill or experience, he's come to realize that death is not exactly the best thing to do. When Sergeant Thaddeus asks him, Cyrus merely tells him to save some of the victory feelings he gets when he has beaten a very tough opponent, so that when the end does come, you can remember the feeling you got when you won and not have bad things to consider.

* After an [[Best Boss Ever|epic battle]] with his pupil [[Asura's Wrath]], {{spoiler|[[Old Master|Aug]][[Blood Knight|us]] dies smiling, content that his last battle was as exhilarating as he had hoped, even [[Graceful Loser|giving Asura his blessing]]}}.

** {{spoiler|Yasha dies smiling after his last battle with Asura, in hope that the now powered up Asura can save the world.}}

** Also in ''Mass Effect 3'': {{spoiler|Anderson dies with a peaceful smile after telling Shepard how proud he is of her/him. Shepard seems just about ready to do the same before a call from Hackett and an intervention from the Catalyst pull her/him out of it.}}

 

* In ''[[Ribbon of Green]]'', the Good ending has {{spoiler|Hanyuan fade away with a smile}}. Subverted as she is [[Dead All Along]].

* In ''[[Fate/stay night|Fate Stay Night]]'', both the Fate and Unlimited Blade Works' scenarios endings. {{spoiler|Archer}}'s death in UBW is perhaps made more poignant by the fact that {{spoiler|he knows very well that he's going back to his own Special Hell where he'll see the evils of humanity over and over again}}, but still smiles and reassures his ex-partner that he'll be fine.

** Even {{spoiler|Gilgamesh}} gets one in the Fate route; as he lies dying from {{spoiler|a direct hit from Excalibur}}, his last act is to smile, compliment {{spoiler|his killer}} Saber on her beauty, and say that his interactions with her were 'truly fun'.

* ''[[Tsukihime]]'' plays it straight in {{spoiler|Hisui's True Ending with Akiha}}. It then completely subverts this when {{spoiler|Kohaku [[Driven to Suicide|kills herself]]; Kohaku dies smiling, but she just revealed that [[Emotionless Girl|she can't feel anything]].}}

 

== [[Web Comics]] ==

* Pauline from ''[[Our Little Adventure]]'' dies this way, probably because she knows she will be able to be with her husband and son who were murdered some time before.

* {{spoiler|1=[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20061215 Lars]}} from ''[[Girl Genius]]''. Although she wasn't in love with him, Agatha did not [[Heroic BSOD|take it]] [[Roaring Rampage of Revenge|well.]]

 

== Web Original ==

* In ''[[Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog|Doctor Horribles Sing Along Blog]]'', {{spoiler|Penny}} dies with a slight smile on her face while attempting to reassure Billy that "Captain Hammer will save us."

* [[Half Life: Full Life Consequences|"John Freeman had Gordon Freeman and saw eyes shut and the breath stopped but Gordon Freeman had smiles on face."]]

** Craig Hoyle pulls one of these off as well, causing quite a bit of pain for his accidental killer, Nik Kronwall.

 

== Western Animation ==

* In the ''[[American Dad]]'' episode "Rapture's Delight" {{spoiler|Stan}} takes a shot meant for {{spoiler|Jesus}} and also sets off a time bomb meant to destroy the lair of the Anti-Christ. While he is offered the chance of being raptured to Heaven {{spoiler|Stan}} turns it down because the bomb will go off before {{spoiler|Jesus}} can perform the spell. After kissing Francine {{spoiler|Stan}} is left alone with a cigar and a grin just as the bomb goes off, promptly killing him.

* ''[[Samurai Jack]]'', "Jack and the Lava Monster" - '''FREE'''.

 

== Real Life ==

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Death Tropes]]

[[Category:Smile Tropes]]