Go Out with a Smile: Difference between revisions

Sometimes, however, the pain of seeing you cry hurts the one who is about to depart more than imminent death itself, and in spite of agonizing pain or being crippled beyond saving, summons up all their courage to ''sincerely'' smile one last time for you (or alternatively laughing); a final gesture that beyond all doubt affirms their love for you. If the one smiling in question is a girl (especially if she is an Anime or Video Game character), her final smile will be the single most painfully ''cute'' thing you will '''ever''' see besides a [[Cute Kitten|box of kittens]].

 

 

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

NOTICE: It is highly likely that simply reading through the examples will be a [[Tear Jerker]] for the reader. It is recommended that a box of tissues be handy. And it should go without saying that, being a death trope, '''THERE WILL BE SPOILERS'''.

 

 

== Anime and Manga ==

** Although his face can't be seen because of his helmet, {{spoiler|Mu La Flaga}} laughs during his [[Heroic Sacrifice]] at the end of ''[[Gundam Seed]]'' {{spoiler|(although it turns out in ''Gundam SEED Destiny'' to have been a [[Disney Death]]).}}

*** Immediately following him, {{spoiler|Natarle Badgiruel}} smiles serenely as {{spoiler|the Archangel destroys the Dominion, content in the knowledge that she's taking [[Complete Monster]] Azrael out with her.}}

***** ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam The 08th MS Team (Anime)|Mobile Suit Gundam The 08th MS Team]]'' did the same kind of thing with {{spoiler|Ginias Sakhalin, who goes out with a particularly creepy and detached [[Psychotic Smirk]].}}

* In ''[[Mobile Fighter G Gundam (Anime)|Mobile Fighter G Gundam]]'', Schwarz Brudder and {{spoiler|Domon's brother Kyouji, who he is robot replica of,}} smile as Domon destroys the core of the Devil Gundam.

* In ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn (Anime)|Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn]]'', {{spoiler|1=Daguza Mackle enacts a plan that traps the Sinanju and gives Banagher an opportunity to activate the NT-D. After successfully trapping it in with Banagher (if only for a short while) and damaging its Search Eye, Full Frontal retaliates with a his shield-mounted beam saber, and Daguza uses what time he has left to turn to Banagher with a salute and a smile.}}

* In ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam Age (Anime)|Mobile Suit Gundam Age]]'', {{spoiler|Yurin}} bears a [[Tear Jerker|heartbreaking smile]] as she died.

** {{spoiler|Jolyne}} from Part 6 smiles at Emporio before she faces off against Pucci one last time so Emporio can escape. {{spoiler|Then a page and a half later, [[Curb Stomp Battle|you see her getting ripped apart like tissue paper by Pucci's stand]]. All that remains is her stand's sunglasses, which quickly disintegrate under accelerated time.}}

** There's also {{spoiler|Ringo Roadagain}} in part 7. {{spoiler|He's smiling because he was able to awaken Gyro from being a conformist for society's ideals, to a pursuer of the "True Man's World"? The very thing Ringo was trying to get through his duels. [[Fridge Brilliance|Maybe getting Gyro to wake up to the True Man's World was how Ringo accessed the same?]] }}

*** {{spoiler|Hidan}} being the exception laughing hard {{spoiler|while the rocks are piling on top of him, out of conviction that he'll escape one day.}}

*** He's ''still not dead''. Only member of Akatsuki not resurrected as an Edo Tensei confetti zombie.

*** There's a difference between smiling because you're at peace and smiling because you're psychotic.

* In ''[[Sonic X (Anime)|Sonic X]]'' the revolutionary Molly does this, smiling at Shadow through her windshield before piloting her ship directly into the metarex fleet. Also a [[Crowning Moment of Awesome]].

** 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 (Anime)|Cutey Honey]]'' does after delivering a cheering speech to the main heroine

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

* In ''[[Digimon (Franchise)|Digimon]]'', {{spoiler|Wizarmon may always have his mouth covered, but while he's dying after taking a fatal attack for Gatomon, it's very obvious he's [[Tear Jerker|smiling up at her behind his cloak as he thanks her for her friendship]]}}.

* {{spoiler|Ambertwo}}'s death in ''[[Pokémon (Anime)|The Birth of Mewtwo]]''

{{quote| {{spoiler|Rakan (''to Negi''): So...yeah. I wanted to take responsibility for my generation and clean up these last bits of shit for you...but I guess you're gonna have to deal with it after all.}}<br />

{{spoiler|Negi: Ra...kan...san?}}<br />

* ''[[Kowarekake no Orgel (Anime)|Kowarekake no Orgel]]'': Flower goes out with a song.

* A chilling version in ''[[Gunslinger Girl (Manga)|Gunslinger Girl]]''. Brainwashed cyborg {{spoiler|Henrietta has a smile on her face as she's lying dead after carrying out her [[Suicide Pact]] with her beloved handler Jose.}}

* ''[[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.]]

 

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

* Surprisingly ''not'' used in ''[[Batman Beyond Return of the Joker (Animation)|Batman Beyond Return of the Joker]]''. Not only does [[The Joker]] not smile during his death but he even says "That's not funny. That's n-" before keeling over.

** 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 (Animation)|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.

* Anakin Skywalker could barely move, so horribly did the Emperor's lightning burn through his heart in the final ''[[Star Wars (Franchise)|Star Wars]]'' [[Return of the Jedi (Film)|episode]]. Yet he implores Luke to take off the mask that was his soul's coffin, so that he could look at his son and smile at him just ''once'' as a father before passing on [[Tear Jerker|...sniff sniff...]]

** In the novelisation of ''[[Revenge of the Sith (Film)|Revenge of the Sith]]'', [[Ensemble Darkhorse]] Kit Fisto is said to have died at the hands of Darth Sidious with his trademark grin on his face.

* The Terminator of ''[[Terminator (Film)|Terminator]] 2 Judgement Day'' is a variation of this trope. Although he could not cry for the boy that he has come to love but must leave, his "thumb up" to encourage John to courageously go on living is no less touching than the above examples.

{{quote| '''T-800:''' I know now why you cry. But it is something I can never do.}}

* ''[[Tron (Film)|Tron]]'': When the dying Ram realizes that Flynn is a User, and there to help - thus validating the belief he was persecuted for by the MCP.

* Played for laughs in ''[[Cannibal the Musical (Film)|Cannibal the Musical]]''. One character is fatally shot while singing a song. Later, another character remarks how [[Peaceful in Death]] he looks. The camera cuts to a shot of the corpse with a giant, goofy grin.

* In ''[[Harry Potter (Film)|Harry Potter]] and the Deathly Hallows Part 1'', Dobby goes out this way, [[Tear Jerker|happy to be with his friends.]]

* In most of the film adaptations of ''[[Ivanhoe (Literature)|Ivanhoe]]'', Bois-Guilbert dies this way. Especially present in the 1952 version, where his last act is to wish Rebecca well.

* {{spoiler|Jedi Knight Jai Maruk}} in ''Yoda: [[Dark Rendezvous (Literature)|Dark Rendezvous]]''.

* {{spoiler|Julius Root}} in ''[[Artemis Fowl (Literature)|Artemis Fowl]]''

* In the short story "Call me Joe", when a man is dying (after dumping most of his mind into an artificial body, similar to the ending of the [[Avatar (Film)|Avatar]]), the doctor remarks that he saw many people who didn't want to live, but this is the first one to smile until the last moment.

* In a short story by [[Robert Sheckley]], a planet has a civilization of [[Death Seeker|Death Seekers]], who believe that the only way to heaven is violent death, the more painful, the better (with every person having his own death, so wars are nonexistent). Naturally, whenever that is achieved (whether by real accident, through priests' decision, or by self arranged "accidents"), the trope is followed most literally, including with one guy who sawed a thorny bush until it fell on him (took him an hour to die).

** {{spoiler|And finally, [[The Hero Dies|Asura]] himself dies smiling now that his wrath is finally gone.}}

* In the finale of ''[[Golden Sun Dark Dawn (Video Game)|Golden Sun Dark Dawn]]'', when King [[A Father to His Men|Volechek]] [[Heroic Sacrifice|gives his life]] to end the Grave Eclipse, the player is treated to one final look at his character portrait, closing its eyes with a smile as the screen [[Fade to White|fades to white.]]

* Several people in ''[[Mass Effect (Franchise)|Mass Effect]]'' go out like this: If you convince {{spoiler|Saren}} to off himself, {{spoiler|he whispers "thank you,"}} and his face looks, if not smiling, then at least calm {{spoiler|(he is a turian).}}

** Several of {{spoiler|your squadmates}} do something like this if {{spoiler|they die during the suicide mission.}}

* ''[[Homestuck (Webcomic)|Homestuck]]'': {{spoiler|Equius}} grins while he's being strangled to death. It's incredibly creepy.

** It's difficult to tell if it's because {{spoiler|he's glad that Gamzee is finally taking his place in the hemospectrum}}, or {{spoiler|his submission fetish}} or just that [[Technically a Smile|his facial muscles are]] [[Nightmare Fuel|tensing due to asphyxiation]]

* 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 (Webcomic)|Girl Genius]]''. Although she wasn't in love with him, Agatha did not [[Heroic BSOD|take it]] [[Roaring Rampage of Revenge|well.]]

 

== Web Original ==

* [[Half Life Full Life Consequences (Fanfic)|"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.

* {{spoiler|Irv}} in ''[[The Kingdom (Literature)|The Kingdom]]'' AU ''Shadows Prove The Sunshine''

[[Category:Tear Jerker]]

[[Category:Go Out With A Smile]]