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{{trope}}
[[File:
{{quote|''"{{smallcaps|Well, you found me. Congratulations. Was it worth it? Because despite your}}'' {{smallcaps|violent}} ''{{smallcaps|behavior, the only thing you have managed to break so far is my heart. Maybe you could settle for that and we'll just call it a day.}}"''|'''GLaDOS''', ''[[Portal (Video Game)|Portal]]''}}▼
▲{{quote|''"{{
▲[[File:mlpdpp_7401.png|frame|Aww, man! I went through the seventh circle of [[Bullet Hell]] for THIS?]]
|'''GLaDOS''', ''[[Portal (series)|Portal]]''}}
[[Alice and Bob|Bob]] takes things too far, either in his quest for power, revenge, or even just to win a battle. After it's all said and done, he or Alice have to ask "'
▲[[Alice and Bob|Bob]] takes things too far, either in his quest for power, revenge, or even just to win a battle. After it's all said and done, he or Alice have to ask 'was it really worth it?' In this case, it's actually a valid question, possibly for a number of reasons. Maybe [[If You Kill Him You Will Be Just Like Him|killing his opponent made him just like them.]] Maybe to win a friendly duel, he had to shatter his best friend's weapon (or worse, [[Kick the Morality Pet|shatter his best friend!]]) In any case what Bob's done raises serious moral questions for him, and the answer isn't necessarily "Hell yeah, it was [[Worth It]]!"
Note that the question doesn't necessarily even have to be asked, nor must it be after the deed's been done.
Not to be confused with [[What the Hell, Hero?]], which is about the character being called on for flat out evil things. If someone wins a battle, but accidentally [[Dead Little Sister|kills their friend's sister in the process,]] it's this. If they intentionally do so, and are called on for it, it's that. If Bob decides it's not worth it after all, but only ''after'' the fact, it's [[My God, What Have I Done?]].
If the 'it' was something like a [[Heroic Sacrifice]], this may cause a [[Bittersweet Ending]]. After all, the [[Big Bad]] may be dead, but so is Bob, and that's no cause for celebration.
A subtrope of [[Pyrrhic Victory]]. See also [[Pyrrhic Villainy]], for where the ''villain's'' actions are definitely ''not'' worth it. If a character's actions or victory eventually result in him being bored because of it, then you have a case of [[Victory Is Boring]]. Compare [[And Then What?]]
{{endingtrope}}
== Anime and Manga ==▼
{{examples}}
* In ''[[Afro Samurai (Anime)|Afro Samurai]] Resurrection,'' after Afro kills {{spoiler|Shichigoro in front of his adopted son Kotaku,}} ''the show itself'' compares him to the villain of the first season, with flashbacks to Afro's father being killed. ''Afro'' makes the comparison at the end, {{spoiler|leaving the Number 2 headband in Kotaku's hands with a quiet "Whenever you're ready."}}▼
▲== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==
* The ending of ''[[Chrono Crusade (Manga)|Chrono Crusade]]'' is a great example of this applied to a [[Heroic Sacrifice]]. The manga seems to answer: "Yes, it was worth it." The anime ''seems'' to agree with the manga, but acknowledges the severity of {{spoiler|Rosette}}'s sacrifice to a greater extent.▼
▲* In ''[[
▲* The ending of ''[[
== [[Comic Books]] ==▼
* Previously [[Ho Yay
▲== Comic Books ==
* ''[[Watchmen (
▲* Previously [[Ho Yay (Comic Books)|very close]] teammates, the [[Civil War (Comic Book)|last conversation]] between [[Iron Man]] and [[Captain America]] has the latter in a cell, awaiting trial, and asking the former, "Was it worth it?" Later, an opportunistic villain assassinates Captain America on his way to trial, and Iron Man, confronted with his body, finally answers the question. Was it worth it? [[My God What Have I Done|No]]. [[Pyrrhic Victory|No it was not]].
▲* ''[[Watchmen (Comic Book)|Watchmen]]'' ends with {{spoiler|Ozymandias successfully completing his plan to create world peace, but at the price of millions of lives}}. His face, after Dr. Manhattan tells him before leaving the galaxy, "Nothing ends, Adrien. Nothing ever ends," suggests he's asking himself whether it was worth it.
* In a comic by Joakim Pirinen, a young boy has murdered his mother and almost made it look like suicide. The cop investigating asks him, as he is about to be taken away:
{{quote|
'''Boy''': To become [[Abusive Parents|happy]].
'''Inspector Liikanen'''(gently): Are you happy now?
'''Boy'''(breaks down in tears): No... }}
* In an early arc of ''[[Birds of Prey]]'', which chronicled the first meeting between [[Black Canary]] and [[Huntress]], the adventure was summed up thusly:
{{quote|
'''Black Canary:''' "[[Worth It|Yeah, it was]]." }}
* At the end of ''[[The Long Halloween]]'', in light of of Harvey Dent's transformation into Two-Face and his subsequent killing of Carmine Falcone, [[Batman]] and Jim Gordon have this moment.
{{quote|
'''Gordon''': If you're asking me "Did the good guys win?" Yes, the good guys won, Batman. But, I won't know if it was worth it for a very long time... }}
* In the ''[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (
▲== Film - Animated ==
▲* In the ''[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Film)|Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]'' animated movie, Leo and Raph have a grudge match, in which Leo is the dominant fighter, but Raph breaks his swords when he decides to take it to the line, and Leo is consequently captured not long after.
* Disney's The Rescuers, Penny has gone way too far making herself a diva at certain subjects, so people begin to paralyze her by reporting her, hitting her, and yelling at her.
** What.
* In ''[[
* The question in ''[[Dogma]]'' "Was Wisconsin ''really'' that bad?", an eternity there as opposed to destroying the entire universe and making war on God to get home.
* The ending of the original ''[[Godzilla]]'' film has the main surviving humans wondering if using the Oxygen Destroyer was worth the [[Heroic Sacrifice]] of {{spoiler|[[Eyepatch of Power|Dr. Serizawa]]}} and worrying that another Godzilla may appear.
** Given that ''[[Godzilla vs. Destoroyah]]'' featured ''two'' Godzillas, a technology extremely close to the Oxygen Destroyer {{spoiler|(Serizawa sacrificed himself to keep something like that from happening)}}, and a monster created by the use of the original Destroyer, the answer seems to be "No."
* At the end of ''[[Hamburger Hill]]'' there is a sign reading: "Hamburger Hill... Was it worth it?"
* In ''[[The Great Escape]]'' {{spoiler|Hendley is informed by the SBO that 50 escaped POW's have been executed, but the escape itself caused havoc behind the German lines, tying up thousands of troops that would have been utilized elsewhere. Hendley asks of all his dead friends, "Was it worth it?" and is told "It depends on your point of view, doesn't it?"}}
* In ''[[American History X]]'', the words that convince [[Edward Norton]] to stop being a skinhead are, ''"Has anything you've done made your life any better?"''
== [[Literature]] ==▼
* In [[Ben Counter]]'s ''[[Warhammer
▲== Literature ==
* In Chris Roberson's ''Imperial Fists'' novel ''Sons of Dorn'', Captain Taelos knows, objectively, that sacrificing the scouts [[We Need a Distraction|as a distraction]] was a sound move, but he finds the cost very bitter.▼
▲* In [[Ben Counter]]'s ''[[Warhammer 40000]]'' [[Horus Heresy]] novel ''Galaxy in Flames'', {{spoiler|Abaddon}} expected to feel "savage joy" at {{spoiler|Loken and Torgaddon's}} deaths. Instead he just feels empty. Though his reaction to {{spoiler|Aximund}}'s [[My God What Have I Done]] and [[Tears of Remorse]] is that he needs to be watched.
▲* In Chris Roberson's Imperial Fists novel ''Sons of Dorn'', Captain Taelos knows, objectively, that sacrificing the scouts [[We Need a Distraction|as a distraction]] was a sound move, but he finds the cost very bitter.
* In the [[Dale Brown]] novel ''Wings of Fire'', Patrick McLanahan says this after the Night Stalkers receive very large paychecks for the mission where {{spoiler|Paul was killed and Wendy went missing.}}
* At the end of [[Douglas Adams]]' ''[[The
{{quote|
'The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy,' he said at last.
'What's that?'
'Oh, just something I threw into the river this evening. I don't think I'll be wanting it any more,' said Arthur Dent. }}
* ''[[
{{quote|
== [[Live
* ''[[Studio 60
{{quote|
* ''[[
{{quote|
'''Henry van Statten:''' It was the prize of my collection!
'''The Doctor:''' '''YOUR COLLECTION?!''' Well, was it worth it?! Worth all those men's deaths?! Worth Rose?! }}
* At the end of ''[[
* In ''[[Babylon 5]]'
{{quote|
* The pilot episode of ''[[Stargate Atlantis]]'' ends with Sheppard asking Weir if the hundred or so people he saved were really worth reawakening the Wraith.
* In ''[[Merlin (TV series)|Merlin]]'' Morgana has a [[Dreaming of Things to Come|dream of the far-distant future]], one that implies that both she and Arthur die on the battlefield. She reaches for Merlin standing above her, who asks her: "Is this really what you wanted, Morgana?"
== [[Music]] ==
* [[Eric Bogle]]'s song about the
==
* In ''[[Fable (
▲* [[Eric Bogle]]'s song about the Fist World War "And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda". As the old man sits on his porch, watching the veterans march past every ANZAC Day, he muses:
* In Blue's story in ''[[
▲{{quote| The young people ask what are they marching for, and I ask m'self the same question. }}
* ''[[Portal (
* ''[[Final Fantasy Tactics]]''. {{spoiler|[[Lonely at the Top|King]] [[Manipulative Bastard|Delita]] [[The Chessmaster|Heiral]] practically betrayed everybody, including his best friend, to get the crown of Ivalice on himself, only to find it unsatisfactory as nobody really trusts him, not even his wife Ovelia (whom he may actually love), to the point that she stabs him to prevent further damage to the kingdom}}.
▲* In ''[[Fable (Video Game)|Fable]]'', after you kill Jack of Blades, and have the opportunity to get the Sword of Aeons, your sister gives you a short speech, asking if striking her down would be worth it for the power. It's up to the player whether it is or isn't. {{spoiler|Canonically, you don't kill her. She's the same Theresa as the one in Fable 2}}.
▲* In Blue's story in ''[[Saga Frontier (Video Game)|Saga Frontier]]'', after killing Kylin for the gift for Space magic, Mei-Ling asks "All this for the Gift?" A very valid question, as apparently, Kylin maintains a paradise for all children that exists which gets destroyed on his death.
▲* ''[[Portal (Video Game)|Portal]]'' has GlaDOS ask "Well, you found me. Congratulations. Was it worth it? Because despite your violent behavior, the only thing you've managed to break so far is my heart." However, she is asking it in the context of attempting to save her own skin (figuratively speaking) from a test subject who has gone [[Off the Rails]] and is trying to destroy her. It isn't until the second game that we find out that Chell's actions may have inadvertently made things much, much worse.
* ''[[Shadow of the Colossus]]''. To explain it would ruin the game.
* Glenn and Janus from ''[[Chrono Trigger]]'', in ''both'' directions. Glenn accepted all kind of humiliations, including being transformed into a humanoid frog, for the sake of protecting the kingdom and the queen of Guardia. Janus dedicated all his life to prevent the emergence of Lavos, abandoning his initial good nature and becoming the powerful dark mage Magus in the process. Glenn eventually thinks that all he has done and endured was worth it; Magus, who despite all his power couldn't prevent the return of Lavos, came to the opposite realization.
* Shepard (as in you, the player) from ''[[
** Shepard also gets confronted by a human reporter with a distinctly anti-alien bias, who demands to know if {{spoiler|spending human lives to save the Council in the previous game was worth it.}} [[Crowning Moment of Awesome|Shepard's responses consist of either completely flooring the reporter]] [[Crowning Moment of Heartwarming|by telling her she's disrespecting the dead and their sacrifice,]] [[Crowning Moment of Funny|or flooring her with a fist to the face.]]
* At the end of ''[[Makai Kingdom]]'', {{spoiler|Seedle}} sarcastically asks Zetta if becoming the strongest Overlord was worth {{spoiler|his former pupil and lover Salome slowly and willingly killing herself by feeding him all of her [[Mana]] energy}}.
* All but spelled out by ''[[
* At the end of ''[[God of War (
* In ''[[Soul Nomad and The World Eaters]]'', we have the [[Darker and Edgier|Demon Path]] ending where {{spoiler|[[Canon Name|Revya]] [[Suicidal Cosmic Temper Tantrum|destroys the world]]. After the deed is done, you get one last line to read: ''It doesn't matter. It was fun''.}}
* In ''[[Saints Row|Saints Row: The Third]]'' the player is given an option at the end... {{spoiler|go after Killbane or rescue Shaundi, who is about to be killed in a terrorist attack STAG had set up to blame the Saints on.}} Choose the former and you get the bad (good?) ending, where {{spoiler|Shaundi dies, the Saints are blamed as terrorists, the Boss is asked if it was worth it (s\he can't answer) and STAG attempts to destroy Steelport during her funeral, then the Saints basically go terrorist when they fight the army off.}}
== [[Web Comics]] ==
* In ''[[Penny and Aggie]]'', the ambitious, slick, social-climbing Stan wins the election for class president (important to him for his college applications), but at the cost of the only serious relationship he'd ever had. When Aggie tells him he'd better be ready to face the consquences of choosing "power over love and friendship," he responds sadly, "I kinda have to be...don't I?"
== Web Original == ▼
* ''[[Doctor Horribles Sing Along Blog]]'' ends this way for {{spoiler|Billy/Doctor Horrible}}.▼
▲* ''[[
== [[Western Animation]] ==
* In the Robin vs. Speedy fight during the ''[[Teen Titans (
* Macbeth in ''[[
* In an episode of ''[[Transformers Animated]]'', an upgraded Prowl beats (clone) Starscream. Unfortunately there's a lot of collateral damage - including a torn down tree and broken bird eggs that he earlier made an effort to protect. Seeing these, Prowl realizes what a total asshole he's being.
** A similar theme was used in [[The Transformers (
* In order to save the very small village ''[[
** Parody/subversion in the episode "Casa Bonita", where Cartman effectively holds Butters hostage in order to take his place at Kyle's birthday celebration, which is being held at the eponymous establishment. In the final scene, a cop asks Cartman if it was worth making the town panic, alienating his friends, and going to juvenile hall. Cartman dreamily responds [[Worth It|"Totally."
* A Subversion in ''[[Hot Wheels Battle Force 5]]'' during the second season finale "Unite And Strike!" [[Big Bad|Krytus]] asks [[Big Good|Sage]] if it was worth freezing the entire Red Sentient civilization just to stop his multiversal conquest. Sage's response is that Krytus was such a threat to not only the Blue Sentients but the entire multiverse that [[Godzilla Threshold|she had no choice]] but to resort to her [[Nuclear Option]]. Krytus responds that she was absolutely right, [[Complete Monster|not that he cares]].
* From an episode of ''[[Spider-Man: The Animated Series]]'' - Spidey has caught [[Master of Disguise| the Chamaeleon]], prevented the assassination of an ambassador, which in turn has likely prevented a war from starting, and as usual, [[Hero with Bad Publicity| nobody has even acknowledged his part in it]]. He’s even certain Jonah will blame him for it in the next edition of ''The Daily Bugle'', which is certain to sell out within hours of release. As he perches on a rooftop, sulking and wondering if it’s all worth it, Nick Fury flies by on a S.H.I.E.L.D. hovercraft, giving him a thumbs up and a “Thanks!” for the “heck of a job!” Spidey is shocked someone actually did that, and figures maybe it’s worth it after all.
== [[Real Life]] ==▼
▲== Real Life ==
* The Battle of Hamburger Hill
* [[World War
* Afghanistan.
** Let's just say that the relationship between Afghanistan and military futility goes back a looong time. That region is what finally exhausted Alexander the Great's undefeatable army and what caused him to turn back after the Siege of Multan. The Mongols came to it during their expansion that flattened every army and civilization they came across and ''went around''.
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* The Battle of Bunker Hill. Even though the British won it took over 800 wounded and 226 killed, including a notably large number of officers. This was against a small group of people who were low on supplies from the start. At the end the commanding officer made a statement with the general mean "this was not a victory, simply an achievement of the objective".
* Let's just face it: war. Period. While arguments can be made in certain situations that, yes, it was worth it for the defending side against an openly hostile and unprovoked attack, the ''concept'' of war as a necessity is one of the great philosophical debates of all time.
** Then again, according to [[Sun Tzu]], war should only be started when it is definitely worth it.
* The atomic bombings of Japan. There's a reason there was plenty of consideration over whether it'd be worth using a nuclear weapon as opposed to a full invasion of Japan. Ultimately, the general belief is it ''was'' worth it, because millions of lives would've been lost in such an invasion on ''both'' sides, and resulted in turning every significant city in Japan into nothing but rubble piles with a conventional bombing campaign.
* The battle of Iwo
{{reflist}}
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[[Category:Morality Tropes]]
[[Category:Alice and Bob]]
[[Category:Ending Tropes]]
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