Take Me Instead!: Difference between revisions

* 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]] ==

* ''[[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.

 

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[[Category:I Have Your Index]]

[[Category:Heroic Sacrifice Tropes]]

[[Category:Stock Phrases]]

[[Category:Older Than Dirt]]