Take Me Instead!: Difference between revisions

* Davis/Daisuke says this in ''[[Digimon Adventure 02]]'', trying to save his friends from being eaten in a [[Sadistic Choice]].

* ''[[Bokurano]]'' plays it straight when {{spoiler|Kokopelli asked Koyemshi to let him do the demo battle and the last battle on their Earth so Yuu wouldn't have to battle and/or die}}. Being the kind of anime that it is, though {{spoiler|it's subverted in that Koyemshi just decides to select Yuu as the last battle's pilot anyways, disregarding his promise, and sentencing her to death}}.

* Milly Ashford tries this in ''[[Code Geass: Nightmare of Nunnally]]'' when the terrorists occupying the hotel come to take Nunnally to Kusakabe, claiming that as the eldest daughter of the Ashford family, she has more value as a hostage. The terrorist tells her that the Ashfords don't have much political value any more, and takes Nunnally anyway, causing Milly to suspect that they know Nunnally is a princess.

* ''[[Rosario + Vampire]]'' has Tsukune do this for his friends who had just been on the receiving end of a [[Curb Stomp Battle]].

 

== [[Comic Books]] ==

* In [[Usagi Yojimbo]], Kitsune the pickpocket pulls this trope when her accomplice, Noodles, is caught and is about to be crucified. She starts crying and screaming through the fence that she's the guilty one and that she should die. {{spoiler|Sadly, her pleas are ignored.}}

* ''[[What If]]...?'' #9 sees the hostage [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]] beg the Yellow Claw to kill him instead of Jimmy Woo. While the Yellow Claw admires the President's bravery, it would be ridiculous to get rid of his trump card like that.

 

== [[Film]] ==

* Father Damian in ''[[The Exorcist]]'': "Take me!"

* [[Star Wars|Captain Needa]] decides to apologise in person to [[Bad Boss|Lord]] [[The Dragon|Vader]] to minimise the fallout from his ship losing track of the heroes', [[You Have Failed Me...|knowing full what's going to happen to him]].

* ''[[Star Trek Generations]]''. Captain Picard offers himself to the Duras sisters as a hostage if they will release Geordi La Forge. In ''First Contact'' he offers himself to the Borg Queen in exchange for Data. Fortunately, Data made other plans.

* In ''[[Darby O'Gill and the Little People|Darby O Gill and The Little People]]'', Darby uses his ''third'' wish to go in his sick daughter's place when Death comes to claim her. His ''fourth'' wish is {{spoiler|made on accident. The leprechaun shows up in Death's coach and says "I wish I could go with you." Darby casually says "Me too." Making a fourth wish negates all three previous wishes.}}

* Gomez said this to God in the 2nd ''[[The Addams Family]]'' film when he's horrified at the things his newborn son might become now that he's becoming normal. Also counts as a [[Funny Aneurysm Moment]].

* At the end of ''[[The Lost Boys]]'', Lucy is willing to let {{spoiler|Max}} bite her in order to spare Michael and Sam. {{spoiler|Grandpa saves her from this fate at the last second by crashing his jeep into the house.}}

 

== [[Literature]] ==

* ''[[The Hunger Games (novel)|The Hunger Games]]'': Katniss offers herself to possibly die in the place of her sister Primrose in the Hunger Games

* In the [[Star Trek: The Lost Era]] novel ''Well of Souls''. The spirit lifeform Uramtali wants to use the telepathic civilian Ven Kaldarren as [[Mind Rape|a host for her consciousness]]. Unfortunately for her, he's instinctively blocked her telepathic summons, and she can't reach him. As a back up plan, she lures his young son and another child instead, trying to possess ''them''. She still wants Kaldarren, though; they're just bait and "incentive". She attempts to take the son (knowing Kaldarren would surrender himself for his child), but his mind is not suitable, so she's left possessing the other boy. This isn't quite so certain, but Kaldarren soon offers a Take Me Instead! anyway.

* In ''[[The Dresden Files]]'' novel ''Death Masks'', Shiro appears to do this by offering to trade himself to Nicodemus in exchange for Dresden. However, at the end of the story, it's revealed that Shiro had terminal cancer and would have died soon regardless.

 

* In ''[[The Twilight Zone]]'' episode "One For the Angels", a salesman convinces Death to take him instead of a little girl who is sick.

** The street vendor was supposed to die that day, but he pleads with Death to let him live long enough to make one last great sales pitch. Death agrees. The man swears off making any more pitches and believes that he has cheated Death. Death then mentions that [[Someone Has to Die]] that day, and a little girl that the vendor knew is hit by a car. The vendor immediately offers to die instead, but Death refuses and leaves, promising to return to take the little girl before midnight. In an effort to stall him when he arrives, the vendor pitches ''himself'' as an assistant to the overworked Death. It's a great pitch that enthralls Death, and he misses the deadline to claim the little girl. {{spoiler|The vendor then willingly goes with Death, having made his last great pitch}}. A more complicated example than most.

* A variation occurred on ''[[Cold Case]]'', when the investigation of a drive-by shooting that killed a young girl over a decade ago revealed that her then-12 year old brother had done so (he was aiming at the man his mother was having an affair with). When they came to arrest the young man his middle-aged father tries to confess rather than let his son go to jail for murder.

* In the first season of ''[[24|Twenty Four]]'', one of the thugs that has kidnapped them tries to drag Kim out of the room to rape her. Terri offers herself instead, promising not to fight, and the guy agrees. Terri uses the opportunity to steal his cell phone.

 

== Mythology ==

* In ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]'', Aang volunteers to surrender to Zuko if he agrees to stop attacking the Water Tribe village.

** Some years earlier, {{spoiler|a woman named Kya confessed to being a waterbender and offered herself to the raiders attacking them as a prisoner. Unfortunately the commander of said raid did not see fit to take prisoners and [[Missing Mom|murdered her on the spot]]. Unfortunately for ''him'', Kya was covering for her young daughter Katara, the last Waterbender of the Southern tribe, who eventually tracked him down to [[It's Personal|correct the misunderstanding.]]}}

** The time Big Fat Paulie had a hit put on Lois, Peter offered to take her place.

* Kindly inverted in ''[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic|My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic]]'', when deciding who should get the last ticket to the Grand Galloping Gala.

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:I Have Your Index]]

[[Category:Heroic Sacrifice Tropes]]

[[Category:Stock Phrases]]

[[Category:Older Than Dirt]]