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{{trope}}
{{quote|'''Leela:''' ''Take me first!''
'''Bender:''' ''Yes! Take her first!''
|''[[Futurama]]''}}
[[A Friend in Need|A character offers him/herself in exchange for the freedom of another]], willingly turning himself over to the villain in order to buy the safety of someone who will most likely be a love interest or a friend, although sometimes [[The Dulcinea Effect|it's a complete stranger that the hero just met but has nevertheless decided that it's his job to save.]] And so a trade takes place, but this time the hero is using himself as a bargaining chip. (If the other character is aware of what is going on, a [[More Hero Than Thou]] dispute may arise.)
This is a specific kind of [[Heroic Sacrifice]] that may or may not end in [[Martyr Without a Cause|death]]. Sometimes the [[
Sometimes the villain has requested that the hero turn himself in, offering to free his hostage in exchange for the person he ''really'' wants. Often in such cases this was the villain's plan all along for getting his hands on the hero, as he is able to predict that the hero would sacrifice himself for the hostage. In other cases where the original hostage is the intended target, the sacrificer will shock the villain because [[Evil Cannot Comprehend Good]].
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In situations where [[Balancing Death's Books]] comes into play, a character makes this kind of deal with Death in order to save someone who is scheduled to die.
Character types most likely to perform this action are [[The Messiah]], who really [[Chronic Hero Syndrome|can't help it]], and [[The Atoner]], for whom [[Redemption Equals Death]]. More than once, also, this is how the [[
Compare and contrast [[Silent Scapegoat]] and [[I Am Spartacus]], which both differ in that a character is specifically taking the blame for the actions of another by claiming to be them, [[More Expendable Than You]], in which the character is protecting someone he considers more important, and [[Prisoner Exchange]], in which someone from the villain's team is captured and traded for the hostage.
{{examples}}▼
<big>'''Sometimes this doesn't result in a happy ending, making it an occasional Death Trope.'''</big> {{Deathtrope}}
== [[Anime]] ==▼
* In ''[[Full Metal Panic (Light Novel)|Full Metal Panic]]'', Ms. Kagurazaka, Kaname's teacher, offers to be the hostage in place of Kaname when Gauron hijacks the airplane they're on. Of course, Gauron refuses, because the teacher isn't a whispered, and is therefore useless.▼
▲{{examples}}
* Seen recently in ''[[One Piece (Manga)|One Piece]]'', when {{spoiler|both Zoro and Sanji}} offers themselves up instead of {{spoiler|Luffy}}. {{spoiler|Zoro 'wins.'}}▼
▲== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==
** Possibly one of the examples where the scene is literally MORE moving because {{spoiler|he SURVIVES. And through One Piece logic, Kuma is actually able to put all the pain and suffering Luffy endured in an entire arc into Zoro's body. One touch makes the stoic (for this show, anyway) Zoro scream. So he relocates to a place away from the others, where Sanji later finds him amid blood-splatter and wearing the [[Thousand-Yard Stare]]. It really looks like a case of [[Died Standing Up]] until Zoro speaks. What's he say? "Nothing happened!!!"}}▼
▲* In ''[[Full Metal Panic
** Also [http://www.mangareader.net/one-piece/637/14 recently pulled] by {{spoiler|Princess Shirahoshi}}, who mixes it with [[Take Me Instead!]].▼
▲* Seen recently{{when}} in ''[[
* Belldandy in the "Lord of Terror" arc in ''[[Ah! My Goddess (Manga)|Ah My Goddess]]'', offering to be the host for the [[Big Bad]] rather than destroy Keiichi. Turns out that was exactly the right move, since the evil force can't possess a Goddess and has to release both of them.▼
▲** Possibly one of the examples where the scene is literally
* In ''[[Yu Yu Hakusho (Manga)|Yu Yu Hakusho]]'', they seem to be building up to such a life-for-life scenario when Kurama uses a magic mirror to offer his life in exchange for his [[Ill Girl]] mother Shiori's. However, {{spoiler|Yusuke also manages to resolve this without anyone dying by offering his life instead. In honor of his selflessness, the mirror spares all three of them}}. ▼
▲** Also [http://www.mangareader.net/one-piece/637/14 recently pulled]{{when}} by {{spoiler|Princess Shirahoshi}}, who mixes it with
** Actually, what he suggests is that the mirror take ''half'' his life, and half of Kurama's--the whole reason he was willing to risk his life to save Kurama was that when he died he saw how badly it broke his mother up, and he couldn't stand back and let that happen to someone else's much-more-devoted mother. Afterwards, he was glad it had worked. The mirror seemed pleased that it had had the opportunity to grant a wish without killing anyone, too. Apparently it's depressing being a cursed object.▼
▲* Belldandy in the "Lord of Terror" arc in ''[[Ah!
* ''[[Mahou Sensei Negima (Manga)|Mahou Sensei Negima]]'' has {{spoiler|Ako Izumi}} offering to be {{spoiler|Tosaka}}'s slave for life if he {{spoiler|won't blackmail Negi into slavery}}, proving that you don't have to be [[What Measure Is a Non-Badass?|physically]] [[Badass]] to be [[Crowning Moment of Awesome|awesome]]. For the record {{spoiler|Tosaka turns out to be a [[Jerk With a Heart of Gold]] who agrees to just let Negi go. She didn't know at the time, but it's implied the actual agreement she was making would have gotten her raped. ''Legally''.}}▼
▲* In ''[[
** It's all but ''stated outright'' that it would have led to legal rape (or at least rape the government has no power to stop). {{spoiler|Turns out Ako was pretty sure Tosaka was a [[Jerk With a Heart of Gold]], but that doesn't make it less [[Badass]]--just a little bit more intelligent.}}▼
▲** Actually, what he suggests is that the mirror take ''half'' his life, and half of Kurama's -- the whole reason he was willing to risk his life to save Kurama was that when he died he saw how badly it broke his mother up, and he couldn't stand back and let that happen to someone else's much-more-devoted mother. Afterwards, he was glad it had worked. The mirror seemed pleased that it had had the opportunity to grant a wish without killing anyone, too. Apparently it's depressing being a cursed object.
* In ''[[Princess Tutu (Anime)|Princess Tutu]]'', {{spoiler|when Mytho is fully transformed into a raven and abandons her to have his heart eaten by the Raven King, said King's daughter ([[Dark Magical Girl]] Rue) offers to have her own heart eaten instead. This breaks the [[Mind Control]] on Mytho and he's released, but Rue is taken captive instead of him. Mytho has to go rescue her, and once she's free, they finish off the Raven King together.}}▼
▲* ''[[
* Also happens in ''[[The Vision of Escaflowne (Manga)|The Vision of Escaflowne]]'', when {{spoiler|Hitomi tries to [[Screw Destiny]] so her crush Allen won't marry her friend Millerna and [[It Got Worse]] as a consequence.}}▼
▲** It's all but ''stated outright'' that it would have led to legal rape (or at least rape the government has no power to stop). {{spoiler|Turns out Ako was pretty sure Tosaka was a [[Jerk
* In the one-shot episode of ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh GX (Anime)|Yu-Gi-Oh GX]]'' the evil duel monster, Jinzo, is resurrected, but to gain full physical form, he has to sacrifice the souls of those that summoned him. One managed to make it to the Slifer Red dorm where he meets the main characters. [[The Hero|Jaden]] willingly offered himself up to act as the poor boy's replacement [[The Dulcinea Effect|(even though Jaden had only known the kid's name for barely twenty minutes.)]] ▼
▲* In ''[[
** It's hilariously [[Playing With a Trope|played with]] in Shadyvox's abridged series. Jinzo responds by quickly accepting and ''pulling out a chainsaw.'' Jaden then says that they should have a duel.▼
▲* Also happens in ''[[
* The Special Effect of Yusei's Ace Monster Stardust Dragon on ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh 5 Ds (Anime)|Yu-Gi-Oh 5 Ds]]'' is essentially this trope -- it can be sacrificed to prevent any card-destroying effect, destroy the card responsible for the destruction, and revive at the end of your turn.▼
▲* In the one-shot episode of ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh! GX (
* During the ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh (Anime)|Yu-Gi-Oh]]'' Doma arc, Yugi {{spoiler|lets the Seal of Orichalcos take his soul, sparing Yami's.}}▼
▲** It's hilariously [[Playing
* Davis/Daisuke says this in ''[[Digimon Adventure 02 (Anime)|Digimon Adventure 02]]'', trying to save his friends from being eaten in a [[Sadistic Choice]].▼
▲* The Special Effect of Yusei's Ace Monster Stardust Dragon on ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh!
* ''[[Bokurano (Manga)|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}}. ▼
▲* During the ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh (
* Saito, from ''[[Zero no Tsukaima (Light Novel)|Zero no Tsukaima]]'', doesn't give [[Love Interest|Louise]] an option. He drugs the wine used in their wedding, and passes off to an ally before [[Suicide Mission|taking off]] to [[You Shall Not Pass|fight]] the entire Albion army of 60,000.▼
▲* Davis/Daisuke says this in ''[[
* Milly Ashford tries this in ''[[Code Geass Nightmare of Nunnally (Manga)|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 to Vampire (Manga)|Rosario to Vampire]]'' has Tsukune do this for his friends who had just been on the receiving end of a [[Curb Stomp Battle]].▼
▲* Saito, from ''[[
▲* Milly Ashford tries this in ''[[Code Geass
▲* ''[[Rosario
* Played for laughs in an episode of ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh! SEVENS]]''. The [[Quirky Miniboss Squad|Goha Six]] forces Yuga into a challenge in order to save the [[Barrier Maiden|Super Rush Robot]] where he has to duel all of them - win six times, and the Robot will be spared, but lose, and it will be destroyed - as will Rush Duels - and Yuga has to work for Goha. Yuga is fine with those terms, but [[The Rival|Luke]] pleads with them to hire him instead (as he thinks working for them would be the first step to taking over the company - Luke is a [[Small Name, Big Ego]] type). The reply from both the Goha 6 ''and'' the Rush Duel Club? "Not a chance, Luke..."
== [[Comic Books]] ==
* In ''[[The Sandman
* in ''[[
* In [[
* ''[[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.
* In an early issue of ''[[Runaways (comics)|Runaways]]'', the novice teen heroes are confronted by Topha, a vampire, who attacks Nico - Karolina pleads with Topha to spare Nico and feed on her instead. Topha obliges… And quickly drops dead. Karolina is an alien, and [[Batman Gambit| her blood is infused with solar energy]]; for a vampire, [[Cruel and Unusual Death| that's like drinking Drano.]]
== [[Film]] ==
* ''[[Beauty and
* Father Damian in ''[[
* [[Star Wars
* [[Even Evil Has Loved Ones|Max Shreck]] asks the Penguin to take him instead of his son in ''[[
* ''[[
* In ''[[Darby O
* In ''[[
* At the end of ''[[
* Captain Miller of ''[[
* In the TV movie ''[[House of Frankenstein (1997
* ''[[Phone Booth (
{{quote|
'''Stu''': No, take me! Take me! I'm the one you want! }}
* ''Get Smart's Bruce and Lloyd Out of Control''
{{quote|
'''Bruce''': No I am, I'm the brains, I went to MIT.
'''Lloyd''': You know what? He did, take him. }}
* ''[[Transformers:
{{quote|
'''Sam Witwicky''': Just let them go, okay? It's me you want. }}
* Max uses a variation on this line to save his little sister in ''[[Hocus Pocus (
* Inverted in ''[[
* Gomez said this to God in the 2nd ''[[
* At the end of ''[[
* Non-lethal example occurs in ''[[Red Sonja]]''. The heroine gets fed up with [[Spoiled Brat|Prince Tarn]] and decides to spank him, causing the prince's servant Falkon to plead with her not to, saying that if she must hit someone, to hit him. Sonja decides not to do either, instead scolding the young prince by telling him that Falkon knows more about loyalty than he ever will.{{spoiler|Actually, Sonja is wrong. Tarn ''does'' learn from this, and is willing to make a [[Heroic Sacrifice]] at the end of the movie; fortunately, he survives.}}
== [[Literature]] ==
* ''[[On the Run]]'': Meg is taken hostage by the big bad, and her brother tries to take her place. The two fight over it, leading the big bad to laugh, and reveal that yes, he framed their parents; the Falconers are such loyal people, they'd do anything for family. Too bad for him Meg has a guardian guard pig, and the farm is bugged.
* In [[Dean Koontz|Dean Koontz's]] ''The Good Guy'', Timothy Carrier encounters a hitman at a bar who mistakes him for the man who ordered the hit. The killer hands him $10,000 and a picture of a woman, promising the rest when she's gone. After Tim locates the woman, they are both hounded by the killer on a harrowing chase, and eventually he offers himself in the exact words, "take me instead'" so that she might go free.
* In ''[[Outlander (
* In ''[[Watership Down]]'', in the last legend of Prince El-ahrairah, the Prince of Rabbits is playing [[Chess
* Also done by {{spoiler|Zak}} in ''[[The Dark Elf Trilogy]]'''s first book, ''Homeland'' to save Drizzt's life.
* In ''[[I
* In ''[[The Thrawn Trilogy|The Last Command]]'', Luke offers to stay with Joruus C'baoth if he lets Leia, Han, Mara, and Talon go. Fortunately for him, Joruus is power-hungry enough to refuse the offer.
* In ''[[Harry Potter (
** This same magic is activated again when {{spoiler|Harry allows Voldemort to kill him to save the world. When he comes [[Back
** In ''Deathly Hallows'', when Bellatrix gets Hermione to torture her, Ron offers himself to be taken instead of her. Bellatrix answers he can take her place... ''if Hermione dies under questioning''.
* Painfully averted in ''[[Nineteen Eighty-Four]]''. Those captured by the Ministry of Love inevitably give up their friends and family, some ''before'' being tortured, at hearing the threat. {{spoiler|At the end, Winston tells O'Brien to take Julia instead, and do anything to her, to avoid having his face eaten off by rats. It later turns out that Julia betrayed him too.}}
{{quote|
I sold you and you sold me. }}
* Aslan secretly tells the White Witch this when she comes back for Edmund in ''[[The Lion, the Witch
* ''[[The Hunger Games (
* In the [[Star Trek:
* ''[[
* In ''[[
== [[Live
* In ''[[
** 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.
* [[Merlin (TV series)|Merlin]] spends most of 1X13 {{spoiler|Offering his life in exchange for Arthur's after Arthur suffered a mortal...bite.}} in the same episode, we have {{spoiler|Merlin trying to offer himself for his mother, Gaius doing so instead to protect Merlin, Merlin offering himself in exchange for Gaius, and ultimately the price paid is the life of the big bad of that season.}} [[Balancing Death's Books]] indeed.
* A ''[[
* In the ''[[
* In the series finale of ''[[Life]]'', Crews offers Roman to exchange himself for Dani. He then {{spoiler|kills Roman with a punch to the throat and walks away unharmed.}}
* A variation occurs in the ''[[Supernatural (TV series)|Supernatural]]'' episode "The Rapture." [[Our Angels Are Different|Castiel's]] former vessel, Jimmy, gets shot while trying to rescue his wife and daughter from demons. However, Castiel has taken up residence inside Jimmy's daughter Claire, and takes down the demons with ease. Castiel-in-Claire then tells the dying Jimmy that he can now be at peace. Jimmy begs Castiel to possess him again, instead of his daughter. Castiel says to Jimmy, "I want to make sure you understand. You won't die, or age. If this last year was painful for you, picture a hundred, a thousand more like it." Jimmy responds, [[Papa Wolf|"It doesn't matter! You take me! Just take me."]]
* In the ''[[
** Not exactly, after the townsfolk refuse his trade, he simply climbs up on the pyre anyways, FORCING them to kill them both if they want to kill River (Simon seems ok with it, since he wouldn't be able to live without her anyways)
* Cameron Mitchell tried this in one episode of ''[[
** O'Neill tries this too, it doesn't work for him either.
{{quote|
Nirrti: (purring) I know. }}
* ''[[
{{quote|
'''Habib''': Take me!
'''Goody''': No Maggie! you're too beautiful to die! Take me!
'''Gary''': No Kev! you're too too beautiful to die! Take me! }}
* The number of times [[Doctor Who|The Doctor]] has uttered this line or something similar to try and spare someone else's life. Let me count the ways...
* Fairly common in [[Police Procedural
** In ''[[
* A variation occurred on ''[[
* In the first season of ''[[24
* ''[[Star Trek: Voyager]]''; the episode "Prophecy" has a sub-plot that crosses over with [[Black Comedy Rape]]. After Harry Kim breaks up a fight between Ch'Rega, (a Klingon woman) and a male Klingon, she becomes determined to mate with him (as any Trekkie knows, Klingons are aroused by shows of strength and power) and won't except "no". Kim clearly does ''not'' want to, but then Neelix offers to takes her off his hands and causes the same arousal in Ch'Rega by threatening to disembowel Kim if he takes more than his share of food again, causing Kim to cower and appear weak. ([[Engineered Heroics]], by the way - they planned this.) she agrees to this, and well, given the screams Tuvok hears from Neelix later, this was ''very'' much an act of self-sacrifice on his point.
== Mythology ==
* Making this one [[Older Than Feudalism]] is the myth of [[Alcestis
== [[Radio Drama]] ==
* In the first part of the ''[[
== [[Video Games]] ==
* There is one instance in ''[[Baldur's Gate
* The 'Ritual of Soul Transfer', appears in several places in the ''[[Valkyrie Profile]]'' series of games, and allows anyone to sacrifice their own life to resurrect a recently deceased. You get a couple of... 'recruits' that way.
* Hazuki does this in ''[[Tsukuyomi Moon Phase
* Lampshaded in ''[[Crash Twinsanity]]''.
* {{spoiler|Laharl}} desperately tries to invoke this when {{spoiler|Flonne gets flower-ized}} in ''[[
* In ''[[Quest for Glory:
* Early in ''[[
* {{spoiler|Heiss}} does this in ''[[
== [[Web Original]] ==
* In one episode of ''[[
== [[Western Animation]] ==
* In ''[[
** 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.]]}}
* Inverted in an episode of ''[[
** 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
{{quote|
'''Fluttershy:''' Me too. I feel just awful that I made you feel so awful.
'''Pinkie Pie:''' And me too. It's no fun upsetting your friends.
'''Rarity:''' Twilight, it was unfair of me to try to force you as I did.
'''Rainbow Dash:''' YES! That means the ticket is mine! Ha, ha, ha; ''♪I got the ti-cket, I got the ti-cket!♪''
[''[[Beat]] with disapproving glares'']
'''Rainbow Dash:''' Y'know...I haven't perfected my signature moves for the Wonderbolts anyway...I don't need that ticket either. }}
* Used and Inverted in ''[[The Simpsons (
* ''[[
* In the "Coon vs. Coon and Friends" episode of ''[[
== [[Real Life]] ==
* The recent{{when}} Somali pirate situation: the captain said "take me and let my crew go" or words to that effect.
* Saint Maximilian Kolbe, a Catholic priest was sent to Auschwitz in 1941 because he sheltered Jews. When one man from his barracks was missing, the Nazis decided to kill ten random people by starvation. One of them (called Franciszek Gajowniczek) worried about what would happen to him since he still had a family outside, so Kolbe volunteered instead, and [[Crowning Moment of Awesome|led the other condemned prisoners in song and prayer for three weeks.]] The Catholic Church canonized him in 1982, [[Crowning Moment of Heartwarming|and the man he saved attended his canonization]]
{{reflist}}
[[Category:I Have Your Index]]
[[Category:Heroic
[[Category:Stock Phrases]]
[[Category:Older Than Dirt]]
▲[[Category:Take Me Instead!]]
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