Heroic Sacrifice/Playing With
Basic Trope: A heroic character gives up their life so that others can live.
- Straight: In the final battle with Emperor Evulz, Alice sacrifices herself to momentarily stun the Emperor, allowing her teammates to deliver the final blow.
- Exaggerated: Each member of the Five-Man Band has to sacrifice themselves to stun the Emperor, leaving only one or two people.
- Justified: It's literally the only way that they can attack him - someone's gotta die.
- Alice is already mortally wounded so she has no reason not to use the guaranteed fatal Dangerous Forbidden Technique.
- Inverted: Back From the Dead
- Alice sacrifices her teammates to save herself.
- Emperor Evulz sacrifices himself to further his goals.
- Subverted: The Sacrifice did nothing...
- Alternatively: Alice plans to sacrifice herself to defeat Emperor Evulz, but the group comes up with another way.
- or Alice simply manages to survive.
- I Thought You Were Dead
- Double Subverted: ...at first, anyway.
- Alternatively: The plan failed so Alice ends up having to sacrifice herself anyway.
- Or Alice was close to death--and sorry, no medical attention for miles.
- Parodied: The Smart Guy comes up with a valid strategy that doesn't involve anyone dying. Alice rejects it anyway because she says that someone always has to die in big battles.
- Deconstructed: It's of the Senseless Sacrifice variety, and it achieves absolutely nothing. The rest of the Five-Man Band loses because The Hero is dead.
- Alternatively, Alice is killed in the most horrifying way possible, with her soul scattered and scorched and twisted beyond comprehension. The pain is real and devastating, you do NOT want to sacrifice yourself no matter what the pesky ethics or compassion says to you.
- Reconstructed: The sacrifice works and even though the rest of the team is in mourning, they get over it and defeat Emperor Evulz.
- Zig Zagged: Alice plans to sacrifice herself, but the group comes up with another way. However, the plan fails so Alice ends up having to sacrifice herself anyway. But at the last minute, The Cavalry shows up and fights off Emperor Evulz, sparing Alice.
- Averted: No one sacrifices themselves.
- Enforced: "We need to show that The Hero will go all out. Let's have her off herself!"
- Lampshaded: "I may be dying, but I die so that millions will live!"
- Invoked: Alice learns an attack that costs her life.
- Defied: Alice refuses to utilize an attack that costs her life, because she wants to live to see the future.
- Alternatively, Alice doesn't sacrifice herself because she knows her friends need her, and doesn't want to abandon them like that.
- Discussed: "She's...she's really gonna do it? Alice!"
- Conversed: "Oh wow, another Heroic Sacrifice. Seen It a Million Times."
...Fear not...my fellow tropers...I'll give my life so that you may continue on...if you'd like to continue my legacy, go to Heroic Sacrifice.