The Needs of the Many: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

Sometimes, there is no easy choice to make. No matter what you do, something is going to go badly for someone. The choice of who to save and who to let die often falls on [[The Hero]], and when it does, there's only one choice to make. Whether he has to save the world, the country, or the city, he almost always has to let go of his best friend or [[Love Interest]] in the process. However, this trope is averted nearly as often as it's played straight, especially among [[Anti-Hero|Anti Heroes]] who are willing [[Always Save the Girl|to screw over the whole world for the ones they love.]]

* In ''[[Gurren Lagann]]'' using this trope as a mantra is why {{spoiler|Simon is happy with the series ending despite the heart-rendingly painful price he had to pay to save the universe. It perfectly shows how strong and heroic Simon has become.}} It's also extremely Japanese.

* [[Fate/stay night|Shirou Emiya's]] father, [[Anti-Hero|Kiritsugu]], possessed this principle and we get to see it in action in the prequel, ''[[Fate/Zero]]''. The contradiction in this ideal is also exposed {{spoiler|by the corrupted Grail}} when he gets shown an illusion where he has to save either the many or the few until he has killed 498 people for his two most beloved people.

 

== Comic Books ==

== Film ==

* ''[[Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan|Star Trek II the Wrath of Khan]]'' is the [[Trope Namer]], specifically the scene where Spock explains his [[Heroic Sacrifice]].

*** To be fair, Star Trek as a whole (and TNG in particular) have discovered the secrets of immortality on a half dozen occasions (usually involving the transporter) only for them [[Status Quo Is God|to be forgotten by the next episode and never mentioned again]] [[Idiot Ball|even when the current problem of the week could be solved by them.]] You'd think they'd keep records for something as important as nobody ever dying again.

* ''[[The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (film)|The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen]]''. As the damaged Nautilus is sinking to the bottom of the ocean, Captain Nemo must make a decision.

{{quote|'''Ishmael''': Aft bulkhead open. Pump valves jammed!

 

== Live Action TV ==

** A rather nasty version in "[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine|In The Pale Moonlight]]", when Sisko enlists Garak in coming up with a scheme to draw the Romulans into the Dominion War on the side of the Federation. Garak succeeds, but has to assassinate a Romulan official in the process, along with the criminal who forged the recording they are using to fool the Romulans into thinking the Dominion was planning to attack them. When Sisko confronts him over this, Garak points out that they might have just secured a Federation victory in the war -- "and all it cost was the life of one Romulan Senator, one criminal, and the [[My God, What Have I Done?|self-respect of one Starfleet officer]]. I don't know about you, [[Utopia Justifies the Means|but I'd call that a bargain.]]"

* Once on ''[[Angel]]'' when the gang was on Pylea and making battle plans to free the downtrodden humans.

'''Wesley''': Yes, they are. ''([[Beat]])'' You try not to get anybody killed, you wind up getting everybody killed. }}

* In ''[[Torchwood]]'', {{spoiler|Jack (under emotional stress) agrees to sacrifice his grandson to save the 10% of Earth's children who would be subject to a [[Fate Worse Than Death]] otherwise.}}

* In ''[[Babylon 5]]'', Delenn admits to G'Kar that she more or less pulled this with regard to the Narn; she could have confirmed G'Kar's story about the Shadows and probably saved his world from invasion, but had she done so, the Shadow War would have started before the younger races were ready to fight it.

{{quote|'''Delenn''': We had to choose between the deaths of millions and the deaths of billions.}}

 

== Theatre ==

 

 

== Tabletop Games ==

** Imperium of Man: Sacrifice plenty of [[Imperial Guard]] to win back a planet or successfully defending one. In some cases sacrifice the planet for the millions of other planets...ok lets just say sacrifice [[A Million Is a Statistic|a few billion]] for even more trillions.

** Eldar: They flip this trope, sacrifice the billions of non-eldar for the few eldar.

 

== Video Games ==

* In ''[[Infamous (video game series)|In Famous]]'' Cole is faced with the sadists choice of saving the one or the many; {{spoiler|his girlfriend Trish or half a dozen doctors who could save many lives themselves.}} It's a Karma-Moment, so the player gets to decide and is rewarded good or evil karma for a selfless or selfish decision respectively.

* In ''[[Alpha Protocol]]'', choosing to save either {{spoiler|Madison St. James or a whole room full of innocent people}}, and the choice between {{spoiler|saving Ronald Sung by giving him the assassination plans or saving hundreds of people by foiling a plot to incite nation-wide riots.}}

== Visual Novels ==

* This is a recurring theme in ''[[Fate/stay night]]'', where the [[Arc Words]] appears to be "a hero must choose the people he saves". The only time it has a direct impact on the plot is during the "Heaven's Feel" scenario, when Shirou is given a choice between killing {{spoiler|Sakura}}, the girl he loves ({{spoiler|and who has been horribly abused)}} and allowing her to live and potentially endanger an unknown number of innocent people, although {{spoiler|to his knowledge}} she has not yet harmed anyone and is not certain to do so, or to be unstoppable at a later date if she did go insane. Playing the trope straight leads to a [[Bad End]] due to Shirou following his father's path and killing everyone he cares for (with the implication being that he will spend the rest of his life alone and unhappy, going around the world [[Necessarily Evil|killing innocents]] like {{spoiler|Sakura}} who are a potential threat to others), whilst attempting to [[Take a Third Option]] and save everyone ({{spoiler|whilst ultimately unsuccessful and resulting in the deaths of hundreds of innocents}}) allows him to [[Earn Your Happy Ending|earn himself a happy ending]] with the girl he loves.

 

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Morality Tropes]]