History Main / BigGuyFatalitySyndrome

Similar to TheWorfEffect, only in that trope a) it's the tough one who's affected (often TheLancer or a SixthRanger instead of TheBigGuy), b) he usually survives, and c) the Big Guy Fatality Syndrome normally goes at the end of a book, series, whatever, while TheWorfEffect goes at the beginning. If they're TheBigGuy in the FiveManBand, or female, or both, they're less likely to die. When this happens to a HuskyRusskie, it is a clear indication of RussianGuySuffersMost at work. Also can overlap with BlackDudeDiesFirst if the big guy is a ScaryBlackMan.

* Grunt [[YouShallNotPass stays behind]] to give [[PlayerCharacter Shepard]] and their team time to escape from Reaperized Rachni in ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', killing over a dozen of the walking alien tanks with his shotgun, fists and [[GrievousHarmWithABody alien limbs wrenched from their owners]] before tackling one final foe off of a cliff. A rare subversion in that if the player had gained his loyalty in ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'', he can live through sheer badassery, [[DisneyDeath limping out of the cave covered in gore and asking for food]].

* During the FinalBattle in ''VideoGame/ParasiteEve'', fellow cop [[ScaryBlackMan Daniel]] sees Aya struggling to cause any damage to the FinalBoss. Once he realizes that Medea was trying to give Aya bullets laced with her cells so that she could kill the monster, Daniel swipes it, jumps out of the helicopter, ''catches on fire'' (the Ultimate Being, like Eve before him, can set people alight if they are in close proximity), and throws Aya the magazines with the special bullets to her before he crashes into the icy winter ocean below.Averted in the ending, where it's shown Daniel is completely fine and didn't suffer any injuries.

!!As a DeathTrope, all spoilers will be unmarked ahead. Beware!

* ''WebAnimation/KnightsOfTheOldRepublicCinematicUniverse'': When the final battle onboard the Star Forge takes place in ''The Circle of Fate'', Zaalbar the Wookiee dies while saving his best friend Mission Vao's life and becomes alongside [[MentorOccupationalHazard Jolee Bindo]] the only member of the original crew of the ''Ebon Hawk'' who dies [[DeathByAdaptation unlike in the canonical walkthough]] of [[VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic the game the story's based on]].

* In ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'', Groot performs a HeroicSacrifice by using himself to shield the rest of the team when the villain's ship crashes with them inside. Another, different Groot grows out of a twig left from his demise to replace him in future films.

* ''Series/TheWalkingDead'':

* Sergei from ''Videogame/CallOfDutyBlackOps'' is shot down as he holds open a closing metal gate.
* An interesting case of this occurs at the end of ''Videogame/StarcraftII''. It's [[TheUntwist "revealed"]] that Tychus was working for [[TheEmperor Arcturus Mensk]] all along as a [[TheMole mole]], and has been given the task of killing [[{{Love Interest|s}} Sarah Kerrigan]]. Tychus, whose [[PoweredArmor Power Suit]] has been rigged to kill him on Mengsk's command if he fails, forces a SadisticChoice on [[TheHero Raynor]] between him and Kerrigan. Ultimately Raynor picks Kerrigan, blocks Tychus' shot at Kerrigan with the shoulder of his armor, and shoots Tychus before he can react.

* In ''Videogame/XenobladeChronicles2'', out of all your party members, it's Vandham that bites the dust, after he defends the rest of the party (while yelling at them to run away) from Torna at the Olethro Ruins in Uraya.

** [[TheBrute Breakdown]] is the first of the recurring cast to bite the dust. Made much crueler by virtue of the fact that Airachnid, who Breakdown admitted to having a crush on, [[ShipSinking is the one to kill him]].

* Lewis Romero, a member of a school football team in Film/FinalDestination is killed off after his head is crushed by weights.
* Dagonet (Ray Stevenson's character) in ''Film/KingArthur2004''.

* In ''VideoGame/HaloReach'', Jorge, Noble Team's only [[SuperPrototype Spartan-II]], dies when he heroically activates the slipspace bomb in the Covenant supercarrier, after throwing the player down to Reach. [[spoiler: Although most of Noble Team is dead by the end anyway, so it's really more of a KillEmAll scenario.]]

* Double subverted during the final killing game in ''Anime/Danganronpa3TheEndOfHopesPeakHighSchool''. Despite the abundance of Big Guys in the game, Chisa Yukizome was the first to die. However, once the rules of the game are properly explained by Monokuma and they start "playing", the trope comes in full effect with Daisaku Bandai dying of NG Code poisoning, and Great Gozu getting murdered by the culprit, almost back to back. Interestingly enough, Juzo Sakakura managed to survive until after the game was shut down despite being a complete beefcake, and is thus not considered a casualty (even though he did pass away from his wounds afterwards).

* Double subverted during the final killing game in ''Anime/Danganronpa3TheEndOfHopesPeakHighSchool''. Despite the abundance of Big Guys in the game, it was Chisa Yukizome the first to die. However, once the rules of the game are properly explained by Monokuma and they start "playing", the trope comes in full effect with Daisaku Bandai dying of NG Code poisoning, and Great Gozu getting murdered by the culprit, almost back to back. Interestingly enough, Juzo Sakakura managed to survive until after the game was shut down despite being a complete beefcake, and is thus not considered a casualty (even though he did pass away from his wounds afterwards).

* Actually subverted during the final killing game on the ''Franchise/{{Danganronpa}}'' anime. Despite the abundance of big, muscular guys, it was [[spoiler: Chisa Yukizome, the Ultimate Housekeeper]] the first to die. However, once the rules of the game are properly explained by Monokuma and they start "playing", the trope came in full effect with Daisaku Bandai, the Ultimate Farmer dying of NG Code poisoning, and Great Gozu, the Ultimate Wrestler getting murdered by the culprit, almost back to back. Interestingly enough, Juzo Sakakura, the Ultimate Boxer managed to survive until after the game was shut down despite being a complete beefcake, and is thus not considered a casualty (even though he did pass away from his wounds afterward).

** In every main game, the obligatory Big Guy [[RecurringElement always dies in Chapter 4, their death is always for a noble reason, and they always play a part in the murder itself beyond simply being the victim or culprit]].

* Dagonet (Ray Stevenson's character) in the Clive Owen Film/KingArthur film.