They Knew the Risks

A Stock Phrase used to make accepting someone's violent death easier, by pointing out that the dead person knew the risks before he or she signed up for them. Comes in two varieties:

Lieutenant Alex is blamed for the death of Private Bob under his command and says that Bob knew the risks when he volunteered.
Lieutenant Alex blames himself for Bob's death and is told that Bob knew the risks.

As a Death Trope, Spoilers ahead may be unmarked. Beware.

No Real Life Examples, Please. We're not looking to start any fights here, capice?

Examples of They Knew the Risks include:

Film - Animated

In Treasure Planet, Captain Amelia ends her eulogy for her second-in-command Mr. Arrow with this statement.

Film - Live Action

Airplane!. "They bought their tickets. They knew what they were getting into. I say, let 'em crash!"
In the James Bond film Licence to Kill, M says this of Leiter when Bond is angry that M won't take action against the people who destroyed Leiter's life.
- Though Bond promptly retaliates that Leiter's wife certainly didn't, to which M can only change the subject.
Heat

Neil McCauley: He knew the risks, he didn't have to be there. It rains... you get wet.

Dent says it about himself in The Dark Knight.

Gordon: We're going after the mob's life savings. This could get ugly.
Dent: I knew the risks when I took this job, lieutenant.

The first "Taking of Pelham 1-2-3" movie. "What do they want for 75 cents, to live forever?"

Literature

Ender's Game: The pilots who die invading the Bugger homeworld.

Live Action TV

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "The Ship"

Jadzia Dax: They chose a life in Starfleet; they knew the risks. And they died fighting for something that they believed in.

Newspaper Comics

One of the first Pearls Before Swine strips had Pig recount seeing a woman crushed by a ceiling tile at a bingo game, saying "She knew the risks of playing the game."

Video Games

In Last Scenario, Newick tries to downplay Selene's and Jord's deaths this way.
Freelancer: Lord Hakkerra invokes this after Ozu dies on a mission.
Metal Gear Solid:

Snake: I sacrificed Meryl to save myself...
Roy Campbell: Snake... She was a soldier. She knew the risks. Battlefield casualties are always tragic, but they're an unavoidable part of war.

Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth: J. Edgar Hoover says this about a field agent after the latter is horribly burned the slime of a Shoggoth. Made worse by the fact that Hoover just shot the agent himself as the agent was hysterical with pain.

Webcomics

Spoofed in Eight Bit Theater

Black Mage: If this is the right place, then we will be completely justified in slaughtering the occupants within. If it isn't, it'll be a practice session. As we all know, practice sessions don't count, so we'll be absolved of any alleged crimes.
Red Mage: But you're going to kill them even if they're innocent.
Black Mage: And it's practice, so it won't count.
Red Mage: But they'll be dead.
Black Mage: Hey, they knew the risks when they took the job.
Red Mage: Job?! Risks?! You're a mass murdering psycho!
* Beat Panel*
Black Mage: If you think about it, that's really their problem.

Western Animation

A Catch Phrase on the "Super Chicken" segments of George of the Jungle was Super Chicken telling his sidekick Fred "You knew the job was dangerous when you took it" when things got bad, although it never got more dangerous than Non-Fatal Explosions. It was even on his Theme Tune.
A less than lethal one. During the Chase Scene in My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic episode 'The Last Roundup', Pinkie accidentally knocks Rarity out of a cart. When asked to go back and get them, Rainbow Dash says this and keeps chasing.