Sacrificial Lamb: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

So here it is, the first episode of a brand-new story. You want to give a powerful first impression, the idea that this story will be different and you can't expect the typical stuff from this story. Aware that the [[Genre Savvy]] audience needs to be impressed, you need to establish this is a place where [[Anyone Can Die]].

 

{{deathtrope}}

{{examples}}

* ''[[Bleach]]'': Ivan Azgiaro and Luders Friegen. The latter served as the [[Mouth of Sauron]], declaring war to Yamamoto and acting as the spokesman for the [[Malevolent Masked Men]]. The former is the first member of the Vandenreich that we meet, who attacks [[The Hero]] within the first five chapters of the latest arc. Luders was thought of as [[The Dragon]]; Ivan was seen as [[The Rival]] to [[The Hero]]. Both were killed by their boss shortly after they're introduced.

* Both ''[[Elfen Lied]]'' and ''[[Genesis Climber Mospeada]]'' boast first episodes with lots of Lambs.

 

== Comic Books ==

* Similarly, in the [[Bronze Age]] [[Revival]] of the ''[[X-Men (Comic Book)|X-Men]]'' comic, Thunderbird is killed two issues after he's introduced. He was actually created to be kicked off the team in his first issue, but the writers changed their mind at the last moment. Then they realized they no idea what to do with him.

* A recent example is MVP in ''Avengers: The Initiative'', though it turned out he was later cloned, making it almost a [[First-Episode Resurrection]].

 

== Film ==

* Completely spoofed in ''[[Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom]]'', which despite being released after ''Raiders of the Lost Ark'', is in fact a prequel. In this film, Indy's sidekick gets killed within the first five minutes, but of course since this is chronologically the first Indiana Jones film, the audience never got to know him.

* ''[[Children of Men]]'' gives Julianne Moore star billing only to have that character [[Killed Off for Real]] roughly ten minutes into the movie, clearly establishing it as an [[Anyone Can Die]] film.

* Art Lean from ''[[Mortal Kombat (film)|Mortal Kombat]]'' mainly existed to show the characters (and the audience) how badass [[Multi-Armed and Dangerous|Goro]] was (and give Johnny Cage some ''serious'' motivation to kick his four-armed ass) as well as give Shang Tsung a ''major'' [[Kick the Dog]] moment by [[Your Soul Is Mine|devouring his soul]].

* ''[[Watership Down]]'' had Violet, a rabbit extra who didn't exist in the book, dying early on to show the world was full of danger. But to those who remember the book, it was a foregone conclusion anyway since once they reach Watership Down, they have no females to continue their lineage with and have to search for more.

 

== Literature ==

* So far, every prologue (and epilogue) character in ''[[A Song of Ice and Fire]]'' has died. Chett was lucky enough to have an offscreen death.

* Ogilvy the astronomer in ''[[The War of the Worlds (novel)|The War of the Worlds]]'' is an early example. He is one of a handful of named characters, is a [[Friendly Target|friend]] of the narrator, and takes part in much of the action of the novel... until he is killed by a Martian [[Death Ray]] in Chapter Five.

* The elven guards in the first chapter of ''[[The Inheritance Trilogy]]''. Paragraphs of detailed, important-sounding description... boop, gone.

* In the ''[[Chaos Walking]]'' trilogy, [[Plucky Girl]] Maddy is introduced and killed off early on the second book. She was one of the few cheerful and optimistic characters, and her death demonstrated the senseless brutality of the Mayor's men.

 

* The special double-length pilot episode of ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'' introduces Jesse, best friend of Xander, the show's [[Plucky Comic Relief]]. It seems that Xander and Jesse will be a regular pairing throughout the show, mirroring the Buffy and Willow friendship. Then Jesse is turned into a vampire and Xander is forced to kill him. But that's okay, because he's [[Forgotten Fallen Friend|never mentioned again]].

** [[Joss Whedon]] actually planned to bring Jesse back as a ghost or form of the First Evil talking to Xander in the final season, but [[Real Life Writes the Plot|real-life problems prevented it]]. (This happened a few other times: He also had to have the late Cassie speak for the also-late Tara in one episode because Tara's actress thought having the First appear as Tara was too cruel, and then had to completely scrap an episode idea to bring Tara [[Back from the Dead]] because the actress wasn't available... among others.)

* Cat in the ''[[Sonic Sat AM|Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' "SatAM" series.

* Most of the Monarch's henchmen in ''[[The Venture Brothers]]'' only last a single episode before being brutally killed by Brock Sampson or another threat. Only Henchmen 21 and 24 survived all of them until the third season, when 24 was killed in an explosion.

* Felicity in ''[[Felidae]]''

* Ripcord in ''[[G.I. Joe: Renegades]]'', though his death wasn't just for drama: The premise of the show is that his teammates are being pursued for his murder (which they didn't cause) and the destruction of a Cobra Industries plant (which they ''were'' responsible for, but they acted in self-defense).

[[Category:Dead Herring]]

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