How to Kill a Character: Difference between revisions

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{{trope}}
{{How-To Guide}}
''Need to have a character buy the farm? It's easy! Just:''
''Need to have a character buy the farm? It's easy! Just:''


# Put them in red clothes: For [[Red Shirt|throwaway characters]] and [[Bring My Red Jacket|warriors]] ''and'' [[Little Dead Riding Hood|young girls]] a fatal choice of fashion.
# Put them in red clothes: For [[Red Shirt|throwaway characters]] and [[Bring My Red Jacket|warriors]] ''and'' [[Little Dead Riding Hood|young girls]] a fatal choice of fashion.
# Inflict them with [[Genre Blindness]].
# Inflict them with [[Genre Blindness]].
# Or with too much [[Death By Genre Savviness|Genre Savviness]]
# Or with too much [[Death by Genre Savviness|Genre Savviness]]
# Get 'em [[Death By Sex|laid]].
# Get 'em [[Death by Sex|laid]].
# ...preferably [[Cartwright Curse|by the main character]].
# ...preferably [[Cartwright Curse|by the main character]].
# Put them on [[New Meat|"point"]].
# Put them on [[New Meat|"point"]].
# Let them be completely [[So Happy Together|happy]] [[Too Happy to Live|for a]] [[Finagles Law|minute]].
# Let them be completely [[So Happy Together|happy]] [[Too Happy to Live|for a]] [[Finagle's Law|minute]].
# Hire [[The Tim Reaper|Tim Minear]]. Or [[Joss Whedon]]. Or both.
# Hire [[The Tim Reaper|Tim Minear]]. Or [[Joss Whedon]]. Or both.
# Make them do something -- anything -- [[Heroic Sacrifice|noble]].
# Make them do something—anything -- [[Heroic Sacrifice|noble]].
# Make them [[Too Cool to Live|more interesting than the lead]].
# Make them [[Too Cool to Live|more interesting than the lead]].
# Have a [[Ratings]] [[Tonight Someone Dies|slump]].
# Have a [[Ratings]] [[Tonight Someone Dies|slump]].
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# Make it very plain that the character [[Anyone Can Die|can not die]].
# Make it very plain that the character [[Anyone Can Die|can not die]].
# Announce that they are [[Retirony|retiring]] from a life of public service in two weeks.
# Announce that they are [[Retirony|retiring]] from a life of public service in two weeks.
# Let them [[You Have Failed Me|goof up]] when they're working for the [[Big Bad]].
# Let them [[You Have Failed Me...|goof up]] when they're working for the [[Big Bad]].
# Alternatively, let the [[Big Bad]] decide that they have [[You Have Outlived Your Usefulness|outlived their usefulness]].
# Alternatively, let the [[Big Bad]] decide that they have [[You Have Outlived Your Usefulness|outlived their usefulness]].
# Let them [[Heel Face Turn|have a change of heart]] and [[Redemption Equals Death|switch sides to fight with the heroes]].
# Let them [[Heel Face Turn|have a change of heart]] and [[Redemption Equals Death|switch sides to fight with the heroes]].
# Send them out of doors on a [[Partly Cloudy With a Chance of Death|partly cloudy day]], especially near sunrise or sunset.
# Send them out of doors on a [[Partly Cloudy with a Chance of Death|partly cloudy day]], especially near sunrise or sunset.
# Let them [[Fatal Family Photo|show a picture of their sweetheart (or their baby)]] to the rest of [[The Squad]].
# Let them [[Fatal Family Photo|show a picture of their sweetheart (or their baby)]] to the rest of [[The Squad]].
# [[Distant Finale|Flash forward]] to their deathbed, years later.
# [[Distant Finale|Flash forward]] to their deathbed, years later.
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# Relocate them to [[The Tokyo Fireball|Tokyo]]...
# Relocate them to [[The Tokyo Fireball|Tokyo]]...
# ... or to a town where [[Nothing Exciting Ever Happens Here|nothing exciting ever happens]].
# ... or to a town where [[Nothing Exciting Ever Happens Here|nothing exciting ever happens]].
# Have them [[And Your Little Dog Too|go out of their way]] to be mean to everyone.
# Have them [[And Your Little Dog, Too|go out of their way]] to be mean to everyone.
# Cast them as the villain in a [[Karmic Death|Disney]] film.
# Cast them as the villain in a [[Karmic Death|Disney]] film.
# Give them that secret potion, the one that turns you [[One Winged Angel|into a monster]]. Because [[What Measure Is a Non Human]], really?
# Give them that secret potion, the one that turns you [[One-Winged Angel|into a monster]]. Because [[What Measure Is a Non-Human?]], really?
# Let them fall below the [[Bishonen Line]].
# Let them fall below the [[Bishonen Line]].
# Enlist them in the [[Redshirt Army|armed forces]] in a monster/disaster movie.
# Enlist them in the [[Redshirt Army|armed forces]] in a monster/disaster movie.
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# Make them a main character's double from an [[All the Myriad Ways|alternate universe]].
# Make them a main character's double from an [[All the Myriad Ways|alternate universe]].
# Cast them as the main character's [[Not My Driver|pilot or chauffer]].
# Cast them as the main character's [[Not My Driver|pilot or chauffer]].
# Make them a [[The Obi Wan|mentor]] who is [[The Plot Reaper|more powerful than the hero]].
# Make them a [[The Obi-Wan|mentor]] who is [[The Plot Reaper|more powerful than the hero]].
# Have them visit the hero's [[Doomed Hometown|hometown]] after the hero [[Refusal of the Call|refuses]] [[The Call Knows Where You Live|the Call]].
# Have them visit the hero's [[Doomed Hometown|hometown]] after the hero [[Refusal of the Call|refuses]] [[The Call Knows Where You Live|the Call]].
# [[Running the Asylum|Become a writer for the franchise, and write that character's death.]]
# [[Running the Asylum|Become a writer for the franchise, and write that character's death.]]
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# Assign them the job of [[Mentor Occupational Hazard|mentoring a hero]].
# Assign them the job of [[Mentor Occupational Hazard|mentoring a hero]].
# [[Die for Our Ship|Put them "in the way"]] of your [[One True Pairing]].
# [[Die for Our Ship|Put them "in the way"]] of your [[One True Pairing]].
# [[Merchandise Driven|Stop selling their toy.]]
# [[Merchandise-Driven|Stop selling their toy.]]
# Hire [[Yoshiyuki Tomino]].
# Hire [[Yoshiyuki Tomino]].
** Alternatively, hire [[Gen Urobuchi]].
#* Alternatively, hire [[Gen Urobuchi]].
# Send them to a place [[Snow Means Death|that gets snow]].
# Send them to a place [[Snow Means Death|that gets snow]].
# [[No Kill Like Overkill|Hit them with everything]] [[Death in All Directions|from every direction.]]
# [[No Kill Like Overkill|Hit them with everything]] [[Death in All Directions|from every direction.]]
# Hire [[Star Wars Expanded Universe|R.A. Salvatore]]. With Troy Denning and Karen Traviss on backing vocals.
# Hire [[Star Wars Expanded Universe|R.A. Salvatore]]. With Troy Denning and Karen Traviss on backing vocals.
# Have them say [[Genre Blindness|"I'll be right back."]] Might not kill them, but it will make a liar out of them at least.
# Have them say [[Genre Blindness|"I'll be right back."]] Might not kill them, but it will make a liar out of them at least.
# Have someone say words to the effect of [[Tempting Fate|"We couldn't do without him."]]
# Have someone say words to the effect of [[Tempting Fate|"We couldn't do without him."]]
# Have them be the hero's [[Its Personal|best friend]].
# Have them be the hero's [[It's Personal|best friend]].
# Or even better, a [[Disposable Woman|love interest]].
# Or even better, a [[Disposable Woman|love interest]].
# Make them be a [[Mook]]. Especially one without a name or [[Faceless Goons|wearing a mask]].
# Make them be a [[Mook]]. Especially one without a name or [[Faceless Goons|wearing a mask]].
# Write them as such a [[Mary Sue]] that the audience demands they be killed off as a [[The Scrappy|pointless annoyance]].
# Write them as such a [[Mary Sue]] that the audience demands they be killed off as a [[The Scrappy|pointless annoyance]].
# Have them kidnap [[Mama Bear|someone's]] [[Papa Wolf|kids]].
# Have them kidnap [[Mama Bear|someone's]] [[Papa Wolf|kids]].
# Have them [[Rewarded As a Traitor Deserves|betray]] the hero. They [[Heel Face Turn|won't]] [[Redemption Equals Death|survive]] [[Heel Face Door Slam|that]], [[Welcome Back Traitor|right?]]
# Have them [[Rewarded as a Traitor Deserves|betray]] the hero. They [[Heel Face Turn|won't]] [[Redemption Equals Death|survive]] [[Deadly Change-of-Heart|that]], [[Welcome Back, Traitor|right?]]


...but really, [[Why Don't Ya Just Shoot Him]]?
...but really, [[Why Don't Ya Just Shoot Him]]?


Disclaimers may apply.<ref>[[Our Lawyers Advised This Trope|The above examples are provided for educational purposes only.]] Any resemblance to works of fiction past, current, or future is [[Blatant Lies|purely coincidental.]] All The Tropes and its contributors cannot be held responsible for [[Immune to Bullets|bulletproof skin]], [[Pocket Protector|bulletproof pocket-sized mementos]], [[Soft Water|conveniently placed pools of water,]] [[Healing Factor|Healing Factors]], [[Not Quite Dead|insufficiently thorough deaths,]] [[Joker Immunity]], [[You Killed My Father|vengeful offspring]], [[Legacy Immortality]], [[Mauve Shirt|shirts that turn out to be slightly more lilac-colored than red,]] [[Gypsy Curse|Gypsy Curses]], [[Unfinished Business|angry ghosts]], [[Expendable Clone|Expendable Clones]], [[One Winged Angel|vastly more powerful final forms]], [[Backup Twin|Backup Twins]], [[First Law of Resurrection|inexplicable acts of resurrection,]] or other means by which a character can [[No One Could Survive That|thwart certain death,]] [[Death Is Cheap|return to life,]] [[My Death Is Just the Beginning|strike back from beyond the grave,]] or otherwise continue to influence the story following his or her intended demise. All liability for [[Ruined FOREVER|fan backlash]], [[Face Heel Turn|alignment shifts]], and [[My God What Have I Done|horrified self-examination]] resulting from killing off a character belongs solely to the creator of the fictional work in question. All The Tropes and its contributors do not condone causing ''non''fictional deaths, as such acts are evil and therefore wrong regardless of how [[Evil Is Cool|cool]], [[Evil Is Sexy|sexy]], and [[Evil Feels Good|fun]] they may be. </ref>
Disclaimers may apply.<ref>[[Our Lawyers Advised This Trope|The above examples are provided for educational purposes only.]] Any resemblance to works of fiction past, current, or future is [[Blatant Lies|purely coincidental.]] All The Tropes and its contributors cannot be held responsible for [[Immune to Bullets|bulletproof skin]], [[Pocket Protector|bulletproof pocket-sized mementos]], [[Soft Water|conveniently placed pools of water,]] [[Healing Factor]]s, [[Not Quite Dead|insufficiently thorough deaths,]] [[Joker Immunity]], [[You Killed My Father|vengeful offspring]], [[Legacy Immortality]], [[Mauve Shirt|shirts that turn out to be slightly more lilac-colored than red,]] [[Gypsy Curse]]s, [[Unfinished Business|angry ghosts]], [[Expendable Clone]]s, [[One-Winged Angel|vastly more powerful final forms]], [[Backup Twin]]s, [[First Law of Resurrection|inexplicable acts of resurrection,]] or other means by which a character can [[No One Could Survive That|thwart certain death,]] [[Death Is Cheap|return to life,]] [[My Death Is Just the Beginning|strike back from beyond the grave,]] or otherwise continue to influence the story following his or her intended demise. All liability for [[Ruined FOREVER|fan backlash]], [[Face Heel Turn|alignment shifts]], and [[My God, What Have I Done?|horrified self-examination]] resulting from killing off a character belongs solely to the creator of the fictional work in question. All The Tropes and its contributors do not condone causing ''non''fictional deaths, as such acts are evil and therefore wrong regardless of how [[Evil Is Cool|cool]], [[Evil Is Sexy|sexy]], and [[Evil Feels Good|fun]] they may be.</ref>


{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}
[[Category:TV Tropes How to Guides]]
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
[[Category:How To Kill A Character]]
[[Category:Trope]]

Latest revision as of 01:59, 23 November 2018

How-To Guide


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    /wiki/How to Kill a Characterwork

    Need to have a character buy the farm? It's easy! Just:

    1. Put them in red clothes: For throwaway characters and warriors and young girls a fatal choice of fashion.
    2. Inflict them with Genre Blindness.
    3. Or with too much Genre Savviness
    4. Get 'em laid.
    5. ...preferably by the main character.
    6. Put them on "point".
    7. Let them be completely happy for a minute.
    8. Hire Tim Minear. Or Joss Whedon. Or both.
    9. Make them do something—anything -- noble.
    10. Make them more interesting than the lead.
    11. Have a Ratings slump.
    12. Convince the actor to argue with the executive producer.
    13. Make it very plain that the character can not die.
    14. Announce that they are retiring from a life of public service in two weeks.
    15. Let them goof up when they're working for the Big Bad.
    16. Alternatively, let the Big Bad decide that they have outlived their usefulness.
    17. Let them have a change of heart and switch sides to fight with the heroes.
    18. Send them out of doors on a partly cloudy day, especially near sunrise or sunset.
    19. Let them show a picture of their sweetheart (or their baby) to the rest of The Squad.
    20. Flash forward to their deathbed, years later.
    21. Cast a very old or infirm actor, and wait for them to die.
    22. Give them critical information to deliver to the main characters.
    23. Offer them some Schmuck Bait.
    24. Have them chase the heroes across a Rope Bridge.
    25. Get them a job at a Dangerous Workplace with No OSHA Compliance.
    26. Let the hero come and visit their boss.
    27. Assign them to operate the Explosive Instrumentation.
    28. Protect them with lots of safety equipment.
    29. Introduce them to the Bolivian army.
    30. Throw a sixteenth birthday party for them.
    31. Cue up a Really Dead Montage.
    32. Relocate them to Tokyo...
    33. ... or to a town where nothing exciting ever happens.
    34. Have them go out of their way to be mean to everyone.
    35. Cast them as the villain in a Disney film.
    36. Give them that secret potion, the one that turns you into a monster. Because What Measure Is a Non-Human?, really?
    37. Let them fall below the Bishonen Line.
    38. Enlist them in the armed forces in a monster/disaster movie.
    39. Draw them a Candlelit Bath.
    40. Send them down a river.
    41. Make them the Sacrificial Lamb used to establish a unique reputation for your show.
    42. Chase them into the street without giving them time to Look Both Ways.
    43. Have another character curse their existence.
    44. Write when you're having a bad day.
    45. Hire Ron Marz. (Though this is hit-or-miss. You might just end up with the hero's girlfriend stuffed in a refrigerator.)
    46. Have them uncover the Masquerade or discover the hero's Secret Identity when the plot doesn't make it convenient for them to do so.
    47. Make them a main character's double from an alternate universe.
    48. Cast them as the main character's pilot or chauffer.
    49. Make them a mentor who is more powerful than the hero.
    50. Have them visit the hero's hometown after the hero refuses the Call.
    51. Become a writer for the franchise, and write that character's death.
    52. Become an executive for that franchise, and order that character killed off.
    53. Make them reveal their homosexuality.
    54. Sign them up for the sequel.
    55. Assign them the job of mentoring a hero.
    56. Put them "in the way" of your One True Pairing.
    57. Stop selling their toy.
    58. Hire Yoshiyuki Tomino.
    59. Send them to a place that gets snow.
    60. Hit them with everything from every direction.
    61. Hire R.A. Salvatore. With Troy Denning and Karen Traviss on backing vocals.
    62. Have them say "I'll be right back." Might not kill them, but it will make a liar out of them at least.
    63. Have someone say words to the effect of "We couldn't do without him."
    64. Have them be the hero's best friend.
    65. Or even better, a love interest.
    66. Make them be a Mook. Especially one without a name or wearing a mask.
    67. Write them as such a Mary Sue that the audience demands they be killed off as a pointless annoyance.
    68. Have them kidnap someone's kids.
    69. Have them betray the hero. They won't survive that, right?

    ...but really, Why Don't Ya Just Shoot Him?

    Disclaimers may apply.[1]

    1. ↑ The above examples are provided for educational purposes only. Any resemblance to works of fiction past, current, or future is purely coincidental. All The Tropes and its contributors cannot be held responsible for bulletproof skin, bulletproof pocket-sized mementos, conveniently placed pools of water, Healing Factors, insufficiently thorough deaths, Joker Immunity, vengeful offspring, Legacy Immortality, shirts that turn out to be slightly more lilac-colored than red, Gypsy Curses, angry ghosts, Expendable Clones, vastly more powerful final forms, Backup Twins, inexplicable acts of resurrection, or other means by which a character can thwart certain death, return to life, strike back from beyond the grave, or otherwise continue to influence the story following his or her intended demise. All liability for fan backlash, alignment shifts, and horrified self-examination resulting from killing off a character belongs solely to the creator of the fictional work in question. All The Tropes and its contributors do not condone causing nonfictional deaths, as such acts are evil and therefore wrong regardless of how cool, sexy, and fun they may be.
    Retrieved from "https://allthetropes.org/wiki/How_to_Kill_a_Character?oldid=1662676"