History Main / AnyoneCanDie

When used poorly or too frequently, this trope can cause DarknessInducedAudienceApathy or EightDeadlyWords as the audience won't see any point in getting attached to characters that they expect to die sooner or later.

* AnyoneCanDie/{{Other}}

This is definitely TruthInTelevision, because all living organisms are mortal and will eventually die for any number of reasons, with no fiction writers to determine how it happens, so Administrivia/NoRealLifeExamplesPlease.

Most of the time when you finally grasp who the main characters of the story are, you can expect that [[PlotArmor these characters will survive]] through the end of the story (or at least until the last episode). WellThisIsNotThatTrope.

This is very common in DarkerAndEdgier works. When the writers want to impress you with their ruthlessness, they may trumpet that TonightSomeoneDies, then kill off a random second-stringer that nobody much cares about. They might even kill off a major character because his actor was leaving anyway, or because they needed a good cliffhanger to convince people to watch the next season. That is also ''not'' this trope (although it's pretending to be).

Anyone Can Die is where the SortingAlgorithmOfMortality is thrown out the window from eight stories high, and the work then further tenderized with a lead pipe; '''no one''' is exempt from being killed, including pets, children, the elderly, even the [[SacrificialLion main characters]] ([[TheHeroDies maybe even the hero]]!) The SacrificialLamb is often used to establish the writer's willingness to kill off important characters early on. To really be the Anyone Can Die trope, the work must include multiple deaths of named characters, happening at different points in the story. Bonus points if the death is unnecessary and devoid of HeroicSacrifice.

Anyone Can Die is where the SortingAlgorithmOfMortality is thrown out the window from eight stories high, and the work then tenderizes the bloody remains with a lead pipe; '''no one''' is exempt from being killed, including pets, children, the elderly, even the [[SacrificialLion main characters]] ([[TheHeroDies maybe even the hero]]!) The SacrificialLamb is often used to establish the writer's willingness to kill off important characters early on. To really be the Anyone Can Die trope, the work must include multiple deaths of named characters, happening at different points in the story. Bonus points if the death is unnecessary and devoid of HeroicSacrifice.

Anyone Can Die is where the SortingAlgorithmOfMortality is thrown out the window and beaten into a bloody pulp on the sidewalk with lead pipes; '''no one''' is exempt from being killed, including pets, children, the elderly, even the [[SacrificialLion main characters]] ([[TheHeroDies maybe even the hero]]!) The SacrificialLamb is often used to establish the writer's willingness to kill off important characters early on. To really be the Anyone Can Die trope, the work must include multiple deaths of named characters, happening at different points in the story. Bonus points if the death is unnecessary and devoid of HeroicSacrifice.

Anyone Can Die is where '''no one''' is exempt from being killed, including pets, children, the elderly, even the [[SacrificialLion main characters]] ([[TheHeroDies maybe even the hero]]!) The SacrificialLamb is often used to establish the writer's willingness to kill off important characters early on. To really be the Anyone Can Die trope, the work must include multiple deaths of named characters, happening at different points in the story. Bonus points if the death is unnecessary and devoid of HeroicSacrifice.

Note that the character needs to be KilledOffForReal for the trope to have the desired effect; it does not work if the writers cheat and [[DeathIsCheap bring back the guy later]] (see NotQuiteDead, DisneyDeath, and ClimacticBattleResurrection). As such SuperHero Comic Books as a medium have gained a reputation of "Anyone Can Die... [[FirstLawOfResurrection until someone wants to use the character in a later story]]."

Anyone Can Die is where '''no one''' is exempt from being killed, including pets, children, the elderly, even the [[SacrificalLion main characters]] ([[TheHeroDies maybe even the hero]]!) The SacrificialLamb is often used to establish the writer's willingness to kill off important characters early on. To really be the Anyone Can Die trope, the work must include multiple deaths of named characters, happening at different points in the story. Bonus points if the death is unnecessary and devoid of HeroicSacrifice.

Anyone Can Die is where '''no one''' is exempt from being killed, including pets, children, the elderly, even the main characters ([[TheHeroDies maybe even the hero]]!) The SacrificialLamb is often used to establish the writer's willingness to kill off important characters early on. To really be the Anyone Can Die trope, the work must include multiple deaths of named characters, happening at different points in the story. Bonus points if the death is unnecessary and devoid of HeroicSacrifice.

When used poorly or too frequently, this trope can cause DarknessInducedAudienceApathy as the audience won't see any point in getting attached to characters that they expect to die sooner or later.

This is definitely TruthInTelevision, because all living organisms are mortal and will eventually die for any number of reasons, with no protection by meddling fiction writers to save them, so Administrivia/NoRealLifeExamplesPlease.

* AnyoneCanDie/{{Other}}

'''Arya Stark:''' No, my lord. (Beat) Anyone can be killed.

-->--''Series/GameOfThrones''

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This trope is very helpful in keeping fans from being SpoiledByTheFormat. In a kid's show, ''of course'' AliceAndBob are going to survive the raging rapids[[note]]Though that depends on the type of kids' show; ''Anime/MagicalPrincessMinkyMomo'' was written for kids, and its heroine was hit by a truck halfway in.[[/note]] In a work of this type however, the danger actually becomes dangerous.

This trope is very helpful in keeping fans from being SpoiledByTheFormat. In a kid's show, ''of course'' AliceAndBob are going to survive the raging rapids. In a work of this type however, the danger actually becomes dangerous.

This is definitely TruthInTelevision, because all living organisms are mortal and will eventually die for any number of reasons, with no protection by meddling fiction writers to save them, so NoRealLifeExamplesPlease.

See also KillEmAll, when everyone ''will'' die. Opposite of NobodyCanDie and PlotArmor, where not even situations that ''should'' kill people manage to. See also DwindlingParty, where the deaths are evenly spaced rather than near the end. Easier to do in works with LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters. Can be expected in a {{Tragedy}}.

There is some TruthInTelevision here.

RedShirt is (usually) when the deaths are reserved for nameless extras. This trope tries to upgrade them to MauveShirt first.

!!'''As a DeathTrope, all Spoilers will be unmarked ahead. Beware.'''
[[noreallife]]
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->'''Arya Stark:''' They say he rides into battle on the back of a giant direwolf. They say he can turn into a wolf himself when he wants. (They say he can't be killed.\\

'''Arya Stark:''' No, my lord. (pause) Anyone can be killed.

->''"Once you decide that you're going to have the death of Spock, then how does that affect the other people? Why is it there? I got a lot of stick from a lot of people from the very beginning about the idea of killing Spock. Somebody said, 'You can't kill him'. And I said, 'Sure you can; the only question is whether you do it well'."''
-->-- '''Nicholas Meyer''', Director of ''Film/StarTrekIITheWrathOfKhan''

See also KillEmAll, when everyone ''will'' die. Opposite of NobodyCanDie and PlotArmor, where not even situations that ''should'' kill people manage to. See also DwindlingParty, where the deaths are evenly spaced rather than near the end. Easier to do in works with LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters.

This is TruthInTelevision because immortality does not exist. According to ''Website/TheOnion'', [[http://www.theonion.com/content/node/39236 world death rate]] has been holding steady at 100% every single year for the last five billion years.

->''"Once you decide that you're going to have the death of Spock, then how does that affect the other people? Why is it there? I got a lot of stick from a lot of people from the very beginning about the idea of killing Spock. Somebody said, 'You can't kill him'. And I said, 'Sure you can; the only question is whether you do it well'."''
-->-- '''Nicholas Meyer''', Director of ''Film/StarTrekIITheWrathOfKhan''

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[[quoteright:350:[[Series/{{Oz}} http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/boys_from_oz_oz_deaths.png]]]]

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* AnyoneCanDie/FanWork

Note that the character needs to be KilledOffForReal or CharacterDeath for the trope to have the desired effect; it does not work if the writers cheat and [[DeathIsCheap bring back the guy later]] (see NotQuiteDead, DisneyDeath, and ClimacticBattleResurrection). As such SuperHero Comic Books as a medium have gained a reputation of "Anyone Can Die... [[FirstLawOfResurrection until someone wants to use the character in a later story]]."