His Name Is--: Difference between revisions

Line 5:

{{quote|''"See? It happens every time! Just as they're about to tell you who the murderer is... they get killt!"''|''[[Mad Magazine|MAD]]'', "Kane Keen, Private Eye"}}

The informer, about to give the hero a key piece of information, [[Killed Mid Sentence|is killed before he can tell who is th--]]

The informer, about to give the hero a key piece of information, [[Killed Mid-Sentence|is killed before he can tell who is th--]]

Frequently, the scene is stretched out by the informer [[Almost Dead Guy|being excessively verbose before dying]] without actually getting to the important information. Sometimes, he's dying and ''goes on at length about how he doesn't have the strength left to provide the necessary information''; this is, naturally, [[Played for Laughs]].

In many cases where the informant is killed by an unknown assassin, the hero is just as easy a target, [[Plot Hole|prompting viewers to wonder]] [[Why Don't You Just Shoot Him|why the assassin doesn't just kill the hero instead]] and end the story right there. A well-made story will arrange the scene so that the hero isn't a viable target (behind an obstacle, on the other end of a phone call, etc.), and in rare cases, the [[Big Bad]] [[Evil Plan|has a reason to let the hero live... for now]].

In many cases where the informant is killed by an unknown assassin, the hero is just as easy a target, [[Plot Hole|prompting viewers to wonder]] [[Why Don't You Just Shoot Him?|why the assassin doesn't just kill the hero instead]] and end the story right there. A well-made story will arrange the scene so that the hero isn't a viable target (behind an obstacle, on the other end of a phone call, etc.), and in rare cases, the [[Big Bad]] [[Evil Plan|has a reason to let the hero live... for now]].

Compare the [[Almost Dead Guy]], who gets hurt and ''then'' gives the information. [[Sister Trope]] of [[Conveniently Interrupted Document]]. Subtrope of [[Lost in Transmission]]. See also [[Dying Clue]].

== Advertising ==

Line 34:

* In ''[[Naruto]]'' just when {{spoiler|Aoba is about to see Tobi/Madara's true face by delving into the memories of an unconscious Kisame, the latter forces himself to wake up by biting through his own tongue and then commits suicide using his summoned sharks.}}

* While not totally played straight, in ''[[Detective Conan]]'', during one of the mysteries, [[Butt Monkey|Takagi]] is going to reveal the man who killed [[Fair Cop|Detective]] [[Action Girl|Sato's]] father on his cell phone. As he's about to tell her the culprits name, a dark shadow appears behind him and slams a rock upon his head, instantly knocking him out as we later learn.

* Pretty much defines {{spoiler|[[Killed Mid Sentence|Dorothea Ernst]]}} in ''[[Code Geass]]''.

* Pretty much defines {{spoiler|[[Killed Mid-Sentence|Dorothea Ernst]]}} in ''[[Code Geass]]''.

* [[Played for Laughs]] in ''[[Mahou Sensei Negima (Manga)|Mahou Sensei Negima]]'', when mind-controlled Negi is about to say who he likes most, but Yue and Nodoka stun everyone and drag him away.

Line 40:

* Lampshaded in, of all things, an issue of the classic Stan Lee-Steve Ditko ''Amazing [[Spider-Man]]''. The Crime Master is mortally wounded in a gunfight, and then declares that if he's going down, the Green Goblin will go down with him. He attempts to reveal the Goblin's secret identity (which was not known at the time). "The Goblin is..." and then he dies. The lampshading comes when one of the police officers at the scene comments "If I saw that happen in a mystery movie, I'd laugh at how corny it was."

* One day, [[Batman (Comic Book)|Batman]] discovers that his parent's killer, Joe Chill is still alive and kicking and a rising gang leader, and after tormenting him for a while, reveals his [[Secret Identity]] to Chill. Chill freaks out and goes and tells his mob (without revealing the name). His irate mob, realising that Chill essentially ''created'' Batman, shoot him to the point of near-death. [[What an Idiot|It's only then that they realize that they didn't know who exactly Batman was]]. Chill nearly is able to croak it out, but Batman barges in at that moment.

* One day, [[Batman (Comic Book)|Batman]] discovers that his parent's killer, Joe Chill is still alive and kicking and a rising gang leader, and after tormenting him for a while, reveals his [[Secret Identity]] to Chill. Chill freaks out and goes and tells his mob (without revealing the name). His irate mob, realising that Chill essentially ''created'' Batman, shoot him to the point of near-death. [[What an Idiot!|It's only then that they realize that they didn't know who exactly Batman was]]. Chill nearly is able to croak it out, but Batman barges in at that moment.

** Also happens in the Hush arc, where {{spoiler|Batman's mechanic, Harold}} is about to reveal the identity of the person who {{spoiler|bribed him into betraying Batman}}, when he is shot in the head by the villian in question.

* Parodied in, of all places, a ''Disney'' comic book storyline, namely one by Italian writer/artist Silvia Ziche, known for having a thing for either single-panel jokes or ''[[Arc Fatigue|lo]][[Ending Fatigue|ng]]'' [[Story Arc|story arcs]]. During said storyline, ''Il Papero Del Mistero''<ref> ''The Duck Of Mystery''</ref>, better known as ''Papernovela''<ref> ''Duck (Soap) Opera''</ref>, Scrooge, acting as a typical "landlord" [[Soap Opera]] character, is about to tell his family the reward for solving his riddle, he... [[Like You Would Really Do It|he doesn't die]] [[Never Say Die|(nor it is said)]], but... ''he suddenly becomes voiceless.'' [[Hilarity Ensues]].

* Done in [[Tintin]] to great effect. The first one is played pretty much straight (before the victim is shot with something to make him go insane) in ''Cigars of the Pharaoh'' and the second one is played straight in ''The Secret of the Unicorn'' {{spoiler|but is ultimately subverted as the victim recovers}}.

* Done in [[Tintin (Comic Book)]] to great effect. The first one is played pretty much straight (before the victim is shot with something to make him go insane) in ''Cigars of the Pharaoh'' and the second one is played straight in ''The Secret of the Unicorn'' {{spoiler|but is ultimately subverted as the victim recovers}}.

== Fan Fiction ==

Line 131:

== Machinima ==

* ''[[Red vs. Blue]]'' mocked this. After Captain Flowers was revived from death (eight hundred years in the future. [[~~Bellisarios~~ Maxim|Don't think about it too hard]]), he's about to tell Tucker the secret to beating the Red Team, but keeps delaying it until he's shot in the head.

* ''[[Red vs. Blue]]'' mocked this. After Captain Flowers was revived from death (eight hundred years in the future. [[Bellisario's Maxim|Don't think about it too hard]]), he's about to tell Tucker the secret to beating the Red Team, but keeps delaying it until he's shot in the head.

{{quote| '''Tucker:''' Hey, I could use some help.<br />

'''Cpt. Flowers:''' You bet. And I have some information about the Reds that will guarantee our victory.<br />

Line 173:

** Taken to its logical extreme in [[Awesome Series|Link To the Awesome]] when Link desperately tries to revive his uncle to get an answer, not wanting to accidentally commit incest in the future.

* In ''[[Mirrors Edge]],'' hired thug/assassin Ropeburn gets shot just before telling you who hired him.

* In ''[[Batman Arkham City]],'' the first of Deadshot's victims is killed just as he's about to tell Batman the specifics of {{spoiler|his work during the construction of Arkham City}}. A particularly bad case of the [[Why Don't You Just Shoot Him]] variant, as [[Improbable Aiming Skills|Deadshot]] had a clear line of sight and we're explicitly told later in the sidequest that Batman was one of his targets, and the game even has you to stand around investigating the crime scene for a while before leaving.

* In ''[[Batman Arkham City]],'' the first of Deadshot's victims is killed just as he's about to tell Batman the specifics of {{spoiler|his work during the construction of Arkham City}}. A particularly bad case of the [[Why Don't You Just Shoot Him?]] variant, as [[Improbable Aiming Skills|Deadshot]] had a clear line of sight and we're explicitly told later in the sidequest that Batman was one of his targets, and the game even has you to stand around investigating the crime scene for a while before leaving.

** This is handwaved by the fact that Deadshot follows his own, extremely strict code - he has been scheduled to kill Batman at a specific time, and refuses to do it beforehand. [[And That Would Be Wrong|That would be wrong.]]

* Happens in ''[[Dragon Quest IV (Video Game)|Dragon Quest IV]]'': {{spoiler|After defeating the Marquis de Leon, when you talk to Nun the Wiser in a shrine near Havre Leon, she almost reveals Estark's name before she suddenly chokes up and dies.}}

Line 180:

* The first [[Resident Evil]] game and the remake has Enrico, the leader of Bravo Team, tell you there's a traitor, however he is shot just before telling Chris or Jill who it is. A savvy player can find several clues to their identity before they reveal themselves: a slideshow of the bioweapons purposely created that includes a photo of the people involved, a file on security procedures that reveals their name, and if the character you play as finds the other missing playable character they'll reveal who it is.

* The Neo-Geo arcade game [[Art of Fighting]] has this in the ending, in which either Ryo or Robert beat up Mr. Karate badly, but just before they finish him off, Yuri suddenly appears to reveal Mr. Karate's identity, however before she can do so it cuts away to a "To Be Continued?" shot.

*** Subverted in the Super NES version, in which they reveal Mr. Karate to be {{spoiler|[[Luke I Am Your Father|Takuma Sakazaki]]}}. He would go on to explain how he ended up in the situation he was in.

*** Subverted in the Super NES version, in which they reveal Mr. Karate to be {{spoiler|[[Luke, I Am Your Father|Takuma Sakazaki]]}}. He would go on to explain how he ended up in the situation he was in.

== Webcomics ==