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Sacrificial Lion: Difference between revisions
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The Sacrificial Lion is a sympathetic character who [[Friendly Target|is slated to die]] so that the audience knows that [[Knight of Cerebus|the villain is playing for keeps]], or that [[Matter of Life and Death|the situation really is as dangerous and desperate as it seems]]. The death is ultimately unnecessary in the large scheme of things, but it does provide a shocking twist to the proceedings.
The main distinction between this and a [[Sacrificial Lamb]] is in the presentation of their characters. The [[Sacrificial Lamb]] is a throwaway minor character who is made to be likable just so that the audience feels sad when they die. Their death provides no real change to the plot, only that we know the enemy is [[Dead Serious]].
On the other hand, the Sacrificial Lion might not be central to the plot, but the character isn't throwaway; quite often, in fact, a Sacrificial Lion will be one of the second- or even first-tier characters. Their death usually produces a noticeable [[Wham! Episode|shockwave]] to the story or change the way the rest of the characters behave. Sometimes they die specifically to bump the villain over the [[Moral Event Horizon]]. If their death is key to the story (such as a political assassination), then it ceases to be a "sacrificial" character and becomes plot relevant.
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* Rei from ''[[Fist of the North Star]]''.
* Richard Brown from ''[[Monster (manga)|Monster]]'', [[Driven to Suicide]] after several chapters/episodes where he appeared to be the main character of the Munich arc.
* ''[[One Piece]]'': Whitebeard, whose death had a huge impact on the whole world, and Ace, whose death had a huge impact on Luffy.
* Pisces Albafica in ''[[Saint Seiya: The Lost Canvas]]'', letting us know that [[Anyone Can Die]] and marks the start of [[Dwindling Party|the dwindling of the party]].
* Starscream meets his end this way in ''[[Transformers Armada]]''. After battling with Megatron and trying to convince him that Unicron is the real threat, he finally attacks Unicron himself and is destroyed in one shot. (Of course, considering how much damage he'd taken already, it was hardly a surprise.)
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** In the main series we have two Sacrificial Lions in Krillin who dies the first major death in all of ''[[Dragon Ball]]'' and then Future Trunks towards the end of the Cell Saga to show just how [[It Got Worse|bad things got]].
** Bora's death at the hands of Tao also qualify. His first appearance had him being strong enough to take out an entire unit of the Red Ribbon Army long before Goku got there, and was also a noble indian. He ends up impaled by his own spear by Tao.
* Ryu Jose from ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam]]'''s death ended up making everyone on the White Base stronger.
* ''[[Bleach]]'': Choujiro Sasakibe. Even in spite of his minor role, his death is not only is violent and bloody, but it plays out as a major, MAJOR [[Wham! Episode]].
* [[Badass Grandpa|Hiruzen]] [[Reasonable Authority Figure|Sarutobi]], the [[Asskicking Equals Authority|Third Hokage]] in [[Naruto]], who went out fighting [[Knight of Cerebus|Orochimaru]], the [[Big Bad]] of Part 1. Even though he goes via [[Heroic Sacrifice]], it still counts as the villain had pushed him into a spot with no alternative, and was the first major "good guy" death (2nd following [[Sacrificial Lamb|Hayate Gekko]]). It also has a huge impact and lasting consequences (specifically, being replaced in his station by [[Cool Old Lady|Tsunade]]). His son Asuma, Team Leader for Team 10 qualifies even moreso, dying partway into Part 2 and embellishing how dangerous Akatsuki members are. Incidentally, in the two anime adaptations both Sarutobi men die in Episode 70.
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** Hoban Washburn, pilot extraordinaire, is a perfect example given that the creator of the film admitted he killed the man off just to make the Reavers look even more dangerous and to break the [[Plot Armor|PC Shield]].
** Which makes Shepherd Book's death an example as well, killed to make ''The Operative'' look even more dangerous.
* Snails, the [[Plucky Comic Relief]] from the dubious ''[[Dungeons
** In the sequel, [[Dungeons and Dragons: Wrath of The Dragon God]], Dorian the Cleric bites the dust after getting frozen, eaten and then exploded by a White Dragon... interestingly, nearly everyone else in the party gets horribly wounded and maimed in every single scene after that, when having a Cleric would have been nice.
* Benicio del Toro admitted in the DVD commentary that this was his character's purposes in ''[[The Usual Suspects]]''. He also said he added the accent and the behavior, because if he had to die, he at least wanted to be memorable.
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* Dorelei in ''[[Kushiel's Legacy]]''. Perhaps Alcuin and Delaunay qualify as this as well.
* In ''[[A Song of Ice and Fire]]'', Robert Baratheon is a warm-up Sacrificial Lion for the ''real'' Sacrificial Lion, namely Eddard Stark.
* If he didn't come [[Back
** Almost. The definition above says "The death is ultimately unnecessary in the large scheme of things..." Since Aslan is the [[Fantasy Counterpart Culture|Narnian version of Jesus,]] his death is ultimately what the larger scheme of things is *about* in that world.
* Most ''[[Redwall]]'' novels have at least one major character dying halfway through or towards the end of every book. ''Salamandastron'' [[Up to Eleven|took it up a notch]] and killed off one of ''the main'' characters.
* In [[Anne McCaffrey]]'s ''[[Talent And The Hive]]'' novel, ''Damia'', Larak Raven (younger brother and closest relative of the title character) dies when he absorbs the brunt of a psychic attack meant for another. A good amount of the book is spent establishing that Larak his coming into his own as an adult, contrasting the conflicted, unsatisfied life of his sister.
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* Jadzia Dax's death in the ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]'' episode "Tears of the Prophets" is there to make Dukat an even more ominous [[Big Bad]] than he already was, and serves to give Sisko a [[Ten-Minute Retirement]] in [[Cliff Hanger]] form. (Don't worry, [[The Nth Doctor|Dax gets better]]).
** In an [[SF Debris]] review of The Adversary, Chuck references this trope, along with the ubiquitous [[Red Shirt]].
{{quote|Eddington: "You don't get to be a captain wearing a [[Red Shirt|gold uniform]]."
Chuck: "That's because guys in the gold uniforms usually get their salt sucked out to prove the situation's serious." }}
* Season two brings the first of many examples from ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'' in Jenny Calendar. She's specifically killed to convince the Scooby Gang that Angelus is an actual threat. And Puccini would never be the same again.
** Joss had intended to do something similar with Xander's quickly-forgotten best friend Jesse in [[The Pilot|Welcome To The Hellmouth]], but was unable to sneak him into the opening credits for a single episode.
** [[Word of God]] has it that in Season 7, the original plan was that Caleb would kill Xander.
* In the Buffy [[Spin-Off]] ''[[Angel]]'', [[The Lancer|Doyle]] appears in the first episode, gets some strong characterization and a potential [[Love Interest]], and undergoes some noticeable [[Character Development]]. Then, he pulls a [[Heroic Sacrifice]] in the ninth episode [[Real Life Writes the Plot|because of his actor's drug habits.]]. Notably, unlike Jesse in [[Buffy the Vampire Slayer|the parent series]], Doyle is [[Defied Trope|NOT]] [[Forgotten Fallen Friend|forgotten]], and even in the fifth and final season, his name and legacy are sore spots for the main characters.
* On ''[[Battlestar Galactica Reimagined]]'', Skulls, Racetrack, Kat, Socinus, Crashdown, Jammer, Dualla, and even Cally are all given screen time, character development, and plot points (in some cases, entire storylines and multi-episode story arcs). And then they die just to show how shitty the situation was.
* Some of those are more Mauve Shirts then sacrificial lions.
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* Varro on ''[[Spartacus: Blood and Sand]]''.
* Pompey Magnus in ''[[Rome]]''. Of course, it wasn't a surprise to anyone who knew their history, but being killed halfway through the first season after the show had been focused entirely on the rivalry between him and Julius Caesar still makes it feel pretty abrupt.
* ''[[Power Rangers Lost Galaxy]]'' did this in the second episode (two-part season premiere) with the character Mike, leaving his brother Leo to take his place as the Red Ranger for the season. While Leo was obviously [[The Hero]] of the story from the beginning, such things never happen in [[Power Rangers]].
** Kendrix's death towards the middle of the season came as quite a shocking conclusion to the ''[[Power Rangers in Space]]'' crossover (caused due to the actress being diagnosed with leukemia and needing to leave for treatments). {{spoiler|Both characters get better.}}
* ''[[Mahou Sentai Magiranger]]'' has [[Action Mom|MagiMother]] fall in battle to [[Black Knight|Wolzard]] at the start of the second episode, leaving her children without her guidance in their battles against Infershia.
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* Subverted in ''[[King's Quest V]]'', in that Cedric has been Graham's sidekick for most of the game only to be struck down by Mordack at the very end, but not hard enough to kill him.
* Lars Halford in ''[[Brutal Legend]]''. He's initially in charge of [[La Résistance]], and about halfway through the game he makes a bold stand against [[Big Bad|Emperor]] [[Complete Monster|Doviculus]], declaring that he will lead the humans to rise up and defeat the [[The Legions of Hell|Tainted Coil]]. Doviculus basically says "Can't let you do that" and [[Why Don't Ya Just Shoot Him|fatally stabs Lars where he stands]].
* ''[[Final Fantasy VII]]'':
** The original AVALANCHE members, Biggs, Wedge, and Jesse, fill this role. They start off as your initial companions (although not as party members) and are given distinct personalities, but are then promptly killed following a botched attempt to save the Midgar slums.
** Aerith may be a far more definitive version, or possibly [[Plotline Death|fall into another trope]].
* In ''[[Persona 3]]'', Shinjiro Aragaki was killed off to show just how evil Strega is, and to propel the [[Character Development]] of Ken Amada and Akihiko Sanada, both of whom reach a degree of personal resolution and receive upgraded Personas as a result. Given that he's a well-balanced character and that he has his own personal weapon type that you can continue buying until the end of game (quite unlike most temporary guest characters), it can come as a bit of a shock.
* ''[[Guild Wars]]'':
** Kehanni in ''Nightfall'', whose death is the catalyst for General Morgahn's [[Heel Face Turn]].
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* Galuf in ''[[Final Fantasy V]]''. Though it wasn't as much a ''practical'' loss because, upon his death, all his abilities were instantly transferred to his granddaughter Krile, who continued his role in the party as if nothing had changed. Also, his death was remarkably similar to Tellah's in the previous example.
* Anyone who's played the series knows ''[[Fire Emblem]]'' is an [[Anyone Can Die]] series. However, ''Genealogy Of The Holy War'' gets MEAN with this. Upon hitting Chapter 5: Door to Destiny (Fitting name) you see 2 former party members die to a boss that you can't fight, but the real kick is when you clear that chapter—you're treated to [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HNE87Taixc the "Battle" of Bahara]—and the death of not 1 character, but the death of damn near the ENTIRE CAST. [[And Now for Someone Completely Different]]...
* During the Virmire mission in the first ''[[Mass Effect]]'' game, two of your party members become [[Mutually Exclusive Party Members|mutually exclusive]]. There is no way around it, and they'll both insist that you should have saved the other one afterwards. You can also lose Wrex, but that one's avoidable.
** The sequel has your entire original ship, several of its crew, and, best of all, ''you''. Later, your ship is attacked again, and nearly every member of your crew is taken. This time, however, you can rescue them.
** ''[[Mass Effect 3]]'', being set in a galactic war, has several instances of this with your own party members, current and past. Your choices throughout all three games can defy some of these cases, however. There is on case of a sacrficial lion that is unavoidable in Thane Krios, one of the deadliest assassins in the galaxy, whose only role in the game is to be killed by Kai Leng after a quick one on one duel, thus demonstrating just how deadly and ruthless he and Cerberus can be.
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** Most recently, Jack's first action after being prototyped with [[Reality Warper|Becquerel]] is to kill [[Worthy Opponent|Bro]], whom he had been fighting with on equal terms before.
** And even later, trolls have begun to die.
*** Not just any trolls. Equius, Eridan and Vriska, certainly the most physically powerful of the trolls, have all been killed. The worst part? They were killed by other trolls. Remember, these characters respectively were able to punch off a high-level ogre's head in one hit, slaughter dozens of powerful angels, and put up a fight against freaking Jack Noir.
* In ''[[Panthera]]'', the Sacrificial Lion (pun not intended) is [http://www.pantheracomic.com/?p=1334 Valeska Köhler] when the [[Big Bad]] demonstrates that this is a [[Matter of Life and Death]].
* In ''[[Fite!]]'', Guz is one of the two main characters and Lucco's [[Heterosexual Life Partner]], and he eventually is killed by a Frogera while Lucco is fighting the [[King Mook]]. Guz is then [[Fusion Dance|absorbed]] by Lucco, and seems to be a [[Spirit Advisor]] to him after he wakes up.
* Pauline, from ''[[Our Little Adventure]]''. Her murderer wasn't the [[Big Bad]], but she was the first non-recoverable casualty in Julie's quest. Julie of course does [[Heroic BSOD|not take it well]], at least until Pauline's funeral which gives Julie and her friends a chance to good bye properly.
* ''[[Order of the Stick]]'' makes one out of {{spoiler|[[The Hero|Roy]]!}}.
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{{reflist}}
[[Category:Sacrificial Lion]]▼
[[Category:Death Tropes]]
[[Category:Characters As Device]]
[[Category:Dead Herring]]
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