Love Martyr: Difference between revisions

* Mokuba from ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh (anime)|Yu-Gi-Oh]]'' will follow and support his [[Noble Demon]] big brother whatever he does (even if he doesn't always approve of his actions). Justified in that Seto is probably the closest thing to a parent Mokuba ever had, and that he acts not half as jerkish towards Mokuba as he does to everyone else.

* Yumi Komagata from ''[[Rurouni Kenshin]]'' could be seen as an example, as she lets her lover Makoto Shishio ''stab through her'' in order to damage his enemy, and is actually ''happy'' that she was of some use to him. Then again, Yumi herself was ''[[Honor Before Reason|fully aware]]'' [[Honor Before Reason|of the risk]], and Shishio himself explains that to a shocked Kenshin, as he holds the dying Yumi in his arms to [[Let Them Die Happy|comfort her until she passes away]].

* Naota from ''[[FLCL]]'' confesses his love for Haruko in the final episode... while she's trying to {{spoiler|[[Yandere|kill him]]}}. At the end of the episode, he wises up and decides not to follow her into space when invited to and she leaves to continue her chase after the Pirate King Atomsk, telling Naota "You're [[Just a Kid]] after all."

* Fate Testarossa in the first season of ''[[Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha]]'', who was fine with being whipped repeatedly by her mother for being a bad child because she remembers a time when her mother was kind and, you know, sane. Unfortunately, [[Cloning Blues|her memories aren't quite what they seem]]...

** In a manga-only arc, {{spoiler|Akira proves to be one himself after Natsumi}} stabs him in response to him trying to give her a [[Cooldown Hug]]. He ends the arc swearing to stay by her side and to always love her. Granted, he does know that she's under the influence of a {{spoiler|[[Hate Plague]]}}. In the DS version, he actually doesn't do this, and {{spoiler|Natsumi kills herself}} as a result, blaming him for {{spoiler|her death}}. He promptly crosses the [[Despair Event Horizon]], pretty much accepting her conclusion.

* Platonic/Paternal example from ''[[Baccano]]!'': Huey is [[Abusive Parents|not a very good father]]. He emotionally manipulates his daughter Chane on a regular basis and doesn't even think of her as human. Even so, Chane is [[Battle Butler|fiercely and impenetrably loyal]] to him in a way that disturbs even ''him''.

** Also, Lua and Ladd are a textbook case. Lua, Ladd's fiance, shows unwavering loyalty to her man, even though he's an [[Ax Crazy]] [[Psycho for Hire|serial killer]]. Somewhat subverted in the fact that he really does love her. Which in his world apparently translates to telling her how much he wants to kill her.

** For Ladd, "I'll kill you last" --> "I'm saving you for last because you're the person I'll enjoy killing the most" --> "I love you more than anyone else baby!"

** Sakura too.

* If Subaru from ''[[X (manga)|X 1999]]'' doesn't count as a love martyr toward Seishirou {{spoiler|even after the latter deceived him, beat him to a bloody pulp, crippled his grandmother, and murdered his beloved sister}}, then the fans don't know what does. Also, {{spoiler|Subaru thinks about revenge for awhile but decides that in the end, he can't go through with it--opting instead to try to be a big enough nuisance to Seishirou so that he would kill him.}}

* This trope combined with [[Stockholm Syndrome]] characterizes most of Jonah Matsuka's relationship with Keith Anyan in ''[[Toward the Terra]]'': Keith is actively abusive toward Matsuka, claiming to be using him as a tool for the purpose of exterminating other Mu and telling Matsuka in no uncertain terms that he plans to kill him when that's done, but Matsuka remains convinced that Keith is not as cold and ruthless as he behaves and goes to considerable lengths to protect him. Ultimately, Matsuka shocks Keith by {{spoiler|sacrificing his own life to save him, and dies content in the knowledge that Keith genuinely feels sorrow over his death}}.

 

== Music ==

* [[Depeche Mode]]'s "Martyr" ''is'' this trope.

Couldn't leave if I tried }}

* "Bleeding Love" by Leona Lewis comes immediately to mind as an example.

* On another [[Incredibly Lame Pun|note]], The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus' song "Your Guardian Angel" is probably meant to sound sweet and romantic... but some of the lyrics, if applied to less-than-ideal situations, seem very much to be Love Martyr talk. The song even contains the lyrics "Use me as you will/Pull my strings just for a thrill," which gave this troper pause when she discovered them.

* The song "Self-Esteem" by [[The Offspring]] is an excellent example of this trope. It's narrated by an [[Extreme Doormat]] who is very aware of the way his girlfriend treats him, he just has too little self-esteem to expect anything better. She sleeps with his friends, blows him off, uses him when she's drunk, and tells him he's "like a disease." He plans to break-up with her, but never does. The chorus ends like this:

Right? Yeah! }}

* "Façade" by [[Disturbed]]:

Your facade can't disguise / the fact you're in misery... }}

* The lyrics to "Grenade" by Bruno Mars are a bit disturbing, considering the lengths the singer would go for...whoever.

You know I'd do anything for ya... }}

** Even more disturbing when its implied she was abusive to him. "Black black, black and blue, beat me 'til I'm numb. Tell the devil I said hey where you go back to where you're from."

* It's probably more complicated than that, but Sheryl Crow's "Strong Enough" can certainly sound like a woman looking for one of these: "When I've shown you that I just don't care/When I'm throwing punches in the air/When I'm broken down and I can't stand/Will you be man enough to be my man?"

* ''Tainted Love''

I give you all a boy can give }}

* ''Too beautiful'' by He is we.

* More optimistically, it's also common in very devoted, non-abusive relationships, and especially can seem like this when one member of a couple is going through a difficult time. The website [http://www.lovegivesmehope.com/ Love Gives Me Hope] has many examples.

* Of ''all'' people, [[Katharine Hepburn]], during her relationship with Spencer Tracy. He did genuinely love her, but he had an alcohol problem and would frequently fly into rages and even hit her. No matter what happened, though, she never left him. One quote from her autobiography explains the whole philosophy behind this trope:

 

{{reflist}}