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{{trope}}
{{quote|''"We could stop 'em, but [[Genre Blindness|I'm sure today's events put a complete end to his megalomaniac tendencies forever.]]"''
|'''[[Retsupurae|Diabetus]]''', ''[[MST|Let's Watch]] [[Mega Man (animation)|Mega Man]]''}}
Once their plot is foiled the villain (less often, a hero) will ''always'' get away in the [[A Twinkle in the Sky|most undignified]] and [[Dirty Coward|cowardly]] fashion imaginable. If they didn't, who would the hero fight next episode? This [[Wild Mass Guessing|is probably why]] the heroes either don't even bother chasing them, or else send [[Red Shirt
No blockades, no manhunts, not even [[Exit, Pursued by a Bear|pursued by a bear]]. After all, it's at the end of the episode.
Regardless of the means, the escaped [[Smug Snake]] will [[Evil Gloating|gloat]] about how it [[
Most villains who exit stage left also favor the [["Friend or Idol?" Decision]] and [[Sadistic Choice]] as backups, setting off small bombs or traps on loved ones to force the hero to choose between their capture or their friends' lives.
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See also [[Screw This, I'm Outta Here]] for when the [[Mooks]] try this. Compare [[So Long, Suckers!]]. Contrast with [[Last Villain Stand]] where the villain decides to stick around and fight to the end.
{{Unmarked Spoilers}}
{{examples}}▼
▲{{examples}}
== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==
* Naraku of ''[[Inuyasha]]'' had an irritating habit of doing this. Every episode Naraku was directly involved in ended with him either running away after getting his ass handed to him or him doing something that made it impossible for him to be directly attacked. And ''every single incarnation'' he created would inevitably run like hell when things got sticky. Honestly, how many times can the [[Big Bad]] get savaged and [[Badass Decay|still claim to be all powerful?]]
* No one in ''[[Pokémon (anime)|Pokémon]]'' ever bother to chase Team Rocket after they "blast off again". This was addressed in one episode, an Officer Jenny blasted them off, disappointed that they got away but remarking that there were more powerful members of Team Rocket around that the police force should occupy their time with catching.
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* A rare villain-villain example: {{spoiler|Gecko Moria}} in ''[[One Piece]]'' at the end of the Marineford arc was supposed to be killed as his performance simply wasn't impressive enough. However, {{spoiler|Doflamingo}} reports that he used his abilities in a way he hadn't been seen to before in order to escape.
* In ''[[Bleach]]'', Gin walks away from his fight with Hitsugaya after Rangiku persuades him to stand down. Hitsugaya initially wants to continue, but Gin tells him he should tend to the unconscious Momo first.
* In the ''[[
== [[Comic Books]] ==▼
▲== Comic Books ==
* Subverted in ''Cable/Deadpool #49'', after [[Deadpool]] and Ka-Zar thwart one of Brainchild's latest plans to take over the Savage Land he and his minions try to escape on pterodactyls. Ka-Zar laments that Brainchild has escaped even though he's really not that far away and he could go after him on foot as it's hard to loose a flying lizard with people on it. Deadpool, [[Genre Savvy]] as he is, simply shoots the pterodactyl Brainchild is riding sending it tumbling down into the waiting jaws of some very hungry T-rexes. Deadpool then tells Ka-Zar that he should really try using guns.
* In the [[Marvel Universe]], The [[Red Skull]] justifies this trope by preparing his escape routes with care with obstacles that justifiably discourage the heroes from pursuing him.
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* Invoked in ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog (comics)|Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' issue #8. After beating Robotnik's super hero themed robots, Sonic is about to beat him up but slips on some motor oil. Robotnik then escapes riding ''Crabmeat'', after which, Sonic pulls out the Comics Code handbook and comments that the villain always gets away in the end.
* In ''[[Daredevil]]'' #17, the Masked Marauder slips away from view long enough to beat up a security guard and steal his uniform, escaping capture to menace New York another day.
* Parodied in ''[[The Simpsons (Comic Book)|The Simpsons Comic]]'': Bart and Lisa have just survived a run-in with Sideshow Bob, Kang and Kodos. Bob sees a helicopter with a rope-ladder hanging from it and assumes his henchmen have prepared his escape. He gives the standard "We shall meet again" speech and flees - only to realise something:
{{quote|'''Bob''' ''(halfway up the ladder)'': Wait a minute! Good Lord, I don't ''have'' any henchmen!
'''Wiggum''': Looks like our new "hands-off" approach to fighting crime is working. }}
* Orochimaru and Madara often do this in ''[[Naruto Veangance Revelaitons]]''. In one case, this leads to Madara {{spoiler|going back to the council and getting the [[You Have Failed Me...]] treatment}}.▼
▲== Fan Fiction ==
▲* Orochimaru and Madara often do this in ''[[Naruto Veangance Revelaitons]]''. In one case, this leads to Madara {{spoiler|going back to the council and getting the [[You Have Failed Me]] treatment}}.
* This trope is frequently subverted in ''[[The Legend of Spyro: A New Dawn|The Legend of Spyro a New Dawn]]''. Commander Hades attempts this after his defeat, only to be {{spoiler|cut off by [[The Dreaded|Drake]], who effortlessly [[Curb Stomp Battle|curbstomps him]].}} Empress Tyrania's [[Dragon]] attempts this after {{spoiler|the curse keeping the slaves from hurting him is broken and all his guards are demolished. Sparx slams his exit door in his face.}}
* Used successfully by Gaul in ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20120428083951/http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4625774/1/The_Legend_of_Spyro_New_Frontier The Legend of Spyro: New Frontier]'', assisted with a [[Sadistic Choice]].
* Kaworu in ''[[Shinji and Warhammer40K
== [[Film]] ==
* In ''[[Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon]]'', Jade Fox is almost killed by Li Mu Bai, but escapes the legendary warrior - who is capable of [[Roof Hopping]] to the point of flight - by jumping over a wall. And he just lets her get away.
** Justified, Li Mu Bai wanted to steal her apprentice, if he'd pursued he probably would have had to kill them both; hell, even killing Jade Fox would kill any chances of getting the apprentice.
* Subverted in ''[[Smokin Aces]]''. The last living member of the redneck neo-Nazi assassins is accosted by the last living member of a group of bounty hunters that had run afoul of them earlier. At first, the Nazi walks away... and then the audience hears, "Fuck this" and the Nazi is brought down by repeated shots in the back.
* ''[[Austin Powers]]'' does this a couple of times, with Dr. Evil flying off into space. To be fair they do seem to track him but only pay attention when he re-enters orbit.
* The rewritten version of Gandalf vs. Witch-King in ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' has major shades of this. In [[The Movie]], the Witch-King actually has Gandalf at his mercy, then quickly exits when [[The Cavalry]] arrives.
* In ''[[Transformers (film)|Transformers]]: Revenge of the Fallen'', {{spoiler|a super-powered Optimus Prime doesn't bother killing a damaged Megatron after giving The Fallen a gruesome death; in fact, right after The Fallen dies, Starscream comes to Megatron and suggests that they flee, attempting to justify the villains' side of this trope with his memorable quote.}}
** Note that Prime's {{spoiler|super-armor was provided by Jetfire, who complained about being low on energon, sacrificing his body for the parts. Prime discarded that armor pretty quickly right after the fight, in which the Fallen destroyed one of the turbines, so he must've burned through what little reserves were left.}}
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** ''[[Revenge of the Sith]]'' implies that General Grievous does this a lot (which ''[[Star Wars: The Clone Wars]]'' repeatedly demonstrates), fleeing twice the instant things aren't going his way.
== [[Literature]] ==▼
▲== Literature ==
* In the earlier books in ''[[A Series of Unfortunate Events]]'', Count Olaf would always get away, while Mr. Poe comically and ineffectively attempted to get the police to chase him.
** This was even lampooned in an issue of MAD Magazine, in which Count Olaf goes into a showing of ''[[The Lord of the Rings|Return of the King]]'' and Mr. Poe says it's too much trouble to go after him.
* Used in the ''[[Ender's Game]]''-universe novel ''Shadow of the Giant'' to create a moral dilemma: in order to save a hostage, Bean promises the villain he'll let him escape, and then has to decide whether to keep that promise, knowing that doing so will probably result in many deaths.
* Parodied in ''[[Discworld]]'' novel ''[[
** The Old Count from ''[[
* Justified in ''[[Warrior Cats]]'', where the Warrior Code makes it so that the winning cats have to let the defeated cats escape, to prevent unnecessary bloodshed.
** Also played straight at the end of ''A Dangerous Path'', where Tigerstar just runs away without putting up a fight.
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* In ''[[Moon Over Soho]]'' the "Faceless One" decides that having a chimney stack thrown at him is more than enough, and takes advantage of the distraction afforded by a crashing helicopter to disappear in the confusion. He'll probably be back.
▲== Live Action TV ==
* At the end of the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' serial "Terror of the Autons", UNIT ''do'' chase after the Master, but give up when they find his abandoned vehicle. The Doctor is completely unconcerned about the likelihood of the villain returning. "As a matter of fact, Jo, I'm rather looking forward to it." The Master would then perform this trope in almost ''every one'' of his appearances (except for those in which he [[Joker Immunity|"dies"]]).
** It is actually quite rare for "non-Master" ''Who'' villains to escape; one exception is [[Magnificent Bastard|Count Grendel]] in "The Androids of Tara". After the Doctor and his allies storm Grendel's castle, the Count shouts "next time, I shall not be so lenient!" before [[Prisoner of Zenda Exit|jumping off a parapet into his moat and swimming away]].
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** YoSaffBridge tries to pull this twice, only for her to be swiftly found by ''Serenity'''s crew - twice - who let her go unharmed - twice.
*** Unharmed, maybe. But they call the cops on her the second time, so she doesn't actually escape.
* Subverted in the ''[[V (TV series)|V]]'' regular TV series, which begins right at the moment ''V: The Final Battle'' ended where Diana made her escape. Donovan immediately realizes that she's getting away, chases her and catches her right away.
* Every episode of ''[[LazyTown]]''. They don't even put Robbie Rotten in a [[Cardboard Prison]]. Or even have any police force (no wonder they need a superhero!) Granted, in a town with four adults and five kids as the total population, it doesn't seem like they could spare the manpower to guard him...
* Quite a few ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'' episodes feature the heroes standing around and letting Spike get away. This didn't seem so bad after his [[Badass Decay]] but back when he was a legitimate threat it could really get on your nerves. Perhaps the most [[Egregious]] is in the episode "Halloween", where Buffy is standing ''right next to him'' as he starts to run away in defeat and clearly could have easily killed him.
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* In ''[[Danger 5]]'', [[Adolf Hitler|Hitler]] escapes from Danger 5's [[A-Team Firing]] via [[Super Window Jump]] ([[Stock Footage|the same window every time]]) [[Once an Episode]].
== [[Tabletop Games]] ==▼
* In one of the [[Multiple Endings|four endings]] (the canon one) of the last episode (#100) of the Web video ''[[Red vs. Blue]]'', {{spoiler|the red team let the blue team go without trying to kill them, because they've had enough for one day.}}▼
▲== Tabletop Games ==
* Employed as a game mechanic in the role-playing game ''Mutants and Masterminds'' where players are rewarded for the villain escaping by fiat with "hero points" that allow them to increase their chances of success in later encounters.
* In ''[[Dungeons
** Other core spells that provide similar functions include Plane Shift, Word of Recall, and, at really low levels, Invisibility (which even comes in potion form for non-spellcasting cowards).
* Appears in ''[[Warhammer
== [[Video Games]] ==
* Nicely subverted in ''[[The King of Fighters]] XI''. Magaki opens a portal to escape, the entire time talking about how [[The Battle Didn't Count]]. The player's characters, meanwhile, openly mock him for abandoning the fight. {{spoiler|Just as Magaki is about to enter the portal, however, Shion, [[The Dragon]] whom was previously thrown into it, hurls a spear through Magaki's chest from inside the portal and kills him.}}
* A notable ''attempt'' at aversion is seen in ''[[Final Fantasy VI]]'', where Sabin (and maybe Shadow) confront Kefka in the Imperial Base outside of Doma. Kefka ''repeatedly'' employs a
** Kefka employs this trope an awful lot in the early parts of the game, while he's still being portrayed as a minor comic-relief villain. Pretty much everything goes to hell when Kefka stops running.
** A couple times he also jokes as he runs. They yell at him to wait and he responds "Wait he says. What do I look like a waiter?"
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* The Ghouls in ''[[Fallout|Fallout Tactics]]'' will sometimes say [[Leaning on the Fourth Wall|"Exit, stage left"]] when fleeing from a battle.
* ''[[Tales of Symphonia]]'' makes an art of this. You fight and several antagonists several times, but they always get away. Sometimes as easily as just getting up and walking away, and none of the heroes feel like chasing after them. That is, until the end when they all either die or join you.
* ''[[God Hand]]'': After the first [[Boss Battle]] with [[Horny Devils| Shannon]], she escapes by using a dark portal to conjure up... ''a bus.'' Gene is noticeably surprised by this, but then, it's [[Widget Series| a weird game.]]
* In ''[[Alpha Protocol]]'', {{spoiler|Conrad Marburg}} attempts this at the end of the {{spoiler|Rome}} mission and {{spoiler|Sergei Surkov}} attempts this at the end of {{spoiler|Moscow}}. Depending on your choices and how you've interacted with them up to that point, they may or may not get away. {{spoiler|Marburg, if he escapes, can later be convinced to say [[Screw This, I'm Outta Here]] and wash his hands off the whole affair.}}
* Bowser Jr. at the end of ''every world'' in ''[[New Super Mario Bros. Wii]]'' will jump onto the airship as Mario runs up to him, stays a good four or five feet away, and just stands there watching as he flies off with the princess.
** Except for two worlds, where the airship actually ''left without'' him. This results in him running after it and Mario ''finally'' chasing him to it. An airship level ensues. You fight him at the end, {{spoiler|although he just [[Destination Defenestration|jettisons]] you each time you beat him. Stupid Kamek.}}
*** In the final world {{spoiler|(save the secret one)}} there isn't any chase scene, you just run up to the airship, infiltrate it, and engage him in his {{spoiler|really final boss fight. I mean it this time.}}
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* Happens with {{spoiler|Sekto}} in ''[[Strangers Wrath|Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath]]'', who {{spoiler|swims off in the now-un-dammed river}}. It's somewhat justified however, as {{spoiler|1). Stranger wasn't aware of Sekto's [[Brought Down to Normal|'true form']], and 2). he and the Grubbs were generally rather distracted by [[The Reveal]] of Sekto's abandoned host body: the previous guardian Steef}}.
▲* In one of the [[Multiple Endings|four endings]] (the canon one) of the last episode (#100) of the Web video ''[[Red vs. Blue]]'', {{spoiler|the red team let the blue team go without trying to kill them, because they've had enough for one day.}}
==
* ''[[The Order of the Stick]]'' plays this straight, subverts, and lampshades it on several occasions.
** Lampshaded and ''brutally'' subverted in [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0021.html this] earlier comic. A minor villain attempts to exit stage left, only to be ganked by the resident [[Heroic Comedic Sociopath]], who is then chided by his [[Genre Savvy]] teammates for killing off a recurring villain.
** Played straight [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0117.html here], at the end of the Dungeon of Dorukan arc. The heroes, after defeating Xykon thanks to a [[Deus Ex Machina]], completely ignore his henchman, Redcloak, allowing the latter to escape with the lich's [[Soul Jar]].
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* In ''[[Girl Genius]]'', when Tarvek [[Extreme Melee Revenge|beats the crap out of]] Zola, and is about kill her, when [http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20110119 Gil suddenly stops him], which allows her to fly away. It matters little that she was unconscious by that time, and the reason she could escape is that her flying coat was already activated, and it was Tarvek's weight that were pulling her down.
== [[Western Animation]] ==
▲== Western Animation ==
* In ''[[Phineas and Ferb]]'', [[Harmless Villain|Dr. Doofenschmertz]] gets away [[Once Per Episode|every time]], though usually [[Amusing Injuries|not unscathed]].
* Perhaps the most frequent use of this trope was in the cartoon segments of the ''[[Super Mario Bros Super Show]]''. After Bowser's latest plot is foiled, he would often have an exit (usually a "warp zone potion") that would allow him to duck out just before the heroes can fully defeat him. Except for one episode, this was done every time without fail (though to tell the truth, the reason for this was simply because the good guys never thought of simply running after him).
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* Skeletor in ''[[He-Man and the Masters of the Universe]]'' frequently teleports away to safety whenever his schemes fail, or sometimes onto a conveniently placed vehicle.
* Spoofed in the ''[[South Park]]'' episode, "Super Best Friends", where the villain escapes via a Cobra Commander-like escape pod. The heroes just stand around and curse watching him get away.
* Done by Batman to the Legion of Doom at the end of ''[[Justice League (animation)|Justice League Unlimited]]''. For helping save the world from Darkseid's invasion, he gave them "A five minute head start." As the last episode of the series, it was more than enough time.
* Repeatedly (and suspiciously) used in the TV series ''[[G.I. Joe]]''. After defeating the doomsday device of the week, G.I. Joe will often round up lower echelon Cobra troopers to presumably face prison, but the upper echelon villains such as Cobra Commander, Destro and Zartan will always escape. Sometimes, this is due to most of them being slippery masters of disguise, but on a couple of occasions the Joes will literally watch them run or drive away, which is particularly odd when you consider that the Joes usually still have plenty of working vehicles at the end of a mission. Job security, maybe?
** And it's not like Cobra Commander usually makes much attempt to conceal his intention to run away, what with his habit of loudly shouting "COOOOOOBRA! RETREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAT!" in full earshot of the Joes.
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** Averted by Shredder in The 2K3 series, but played straight by Agent Bishop.
* The ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]'' episode ''The Chase'' had a three-way fight between Aang, Zuko, and Azula that was joined by the rest of the main cast, minus Mai and Ty Lee. Everyone corners Azula, until she shoots Iroh, the rest of them attack her, she causes an explosion, and presumably runs off somewhere. In the [[Who Would Want to Watch Us?]] episode, we have:
{{quote|'''Actress!Azula''': ''(pointing offscreen)'' [[We Need a Distraction|What's that]]? I think it's your honor.
'''Actor!Zuko''': Where?
''(everyone turns around. Actress!Azula opens a door and walks offstage.)''
'''Actress!Katara''': [[Captain Obvious|She got away]]! [[Genre Blind|But]] ''[[Large Ham|how]]''?? }}
* Strangely enough, it was the one-shot ''Birdman'' villains who escaped capture on a semi-regular basis, sometimes by endangering others, sometimes... just by leaving the scene really fast and letting Birdman hover there declaring to [[Non-Human Sidekick|Avenger]] that they would meet again. In the end, only one escapee villain (Vulturo) was actually defeated and arrested in a second encounter.
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* Happens in every series in ''[[Transformers]]''. Typically the reason for the Decepticons getting away in the old series was that they could fly and the Autobots couldn't, even though they could in the pilot episode. A spin on it was done in ''Transformers Armada'', where the Decepticons got away by teleporting; the episodes that revolved around getting a Minicon always had them teleporting away, regardless of whether they got it or not. This led some to some moments where they would leave even if they had the overall advantage. Although this wasn't the only Transformers series that did it, it did it the most frequently.
* In an episode of ''[[Jimmy Neutron]]'', [[Villain of the Week]] The Junkman has been tied to a chair on his own ship. He tricks Jimmy into freeing him, then heads over to an escape pod, and escapes, while everyone just stands there.
* In ''[[The Magician (French TV series)|The Magician]]'', while Ace Cooper would always be able to capture the minor, one shoot villains in each episode, the major baddies such as Black Jack, Sonny Boy and Faceless would always escape. In Black Jack's case, it's not that he ran away, but is that his lawyer Clockwise would always be able to twist the facts around so Black Jack wouldn't be arrested.
* [[Big Bad|Slade]] does this in the first season finale of ''[[Teen Titans (animation)|Teen Titans]]'', after his mask gets knocked off and he's decided he's had enough. He ''does'', however, trigger his lair's self-destruct so that the Titans won't be able to follow him. The season four finale has a variation, as Slade is actually [[Enemy Mine|not really a villain at that point]] and gets flung away by [[Satan|Trigon]] from the final battle, not to be seen again. Later on, though, Robin expresses his belief that Slade survived and returned to his villainous ways.
* At the end of [[The Movie]] of ''[[Batman Beyond]]'', Joker is apparently so used to this trope through the years tangling with Batman that when Terry destroys his [[Kill Sat]] control and sends the ensuing [[Death From Above]] heading right towards the Joker's hideout, his only response is:
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{{reflist}}
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
[[Category:Narrative Devices]]
[[Category:
[[Category:Escape Tropes]]
[[Category:Contrived Stupidity Tropes]]
[[Category:Stupidity Tropes]]
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