History Main / DeadlyTrainingArea

Sometimes FridgeLogic kicks in regarding these training arenas. More often than not from a character asking the question of how risking death in training is better than risking death on the battlefield. Occasionally, these extreme measures are explained as emotional training, dire necessity, or simply the product of a mentor with a [[SinkOrSwimMentor Darwinistic]] [[TheSpartanWay approach]]. Otherwise, if some characters in the setting have incredible [[GoodThingYouCanHeal regenerative or healing powers]], it makes sense to make the training as dangerous as safely possible to better prepare the recruits : better break you spine in the training room and have it healed in five minutes top, than skip the training room and break your spine on the battlefield with no magical healer available.

* The most famous example and possibly the TropeMaker[=/=][[TropeCodifier Codifier]] is the Danger Room from the ''Comicbook/{{X-Men}}'' series. The level of technology varies by the continuity, but it's usually capable of fully-fledged simulations.
* The other potential TropeMaker (although the [[TropeCodifier Codifier]] is probably still ''ComicBook/{{X-Men}}'') is from the ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'', who have a dangerous training area, as well.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Daikatana}}'', the final level requires you to make your way through a SEAL Training Facility. It ends up not being a training facility so much as a DeathCourse that makes one wonder how any [=SEALs=] exist.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Daikatana}}'', the final level requires you to make your way through a SEAL Training Facility. It ends up not being a training facility so much as a DeathCourse that makes one wonder how any SEALs exist.

* Apparently built ''by accident'' by a D&D player in ''[[Creator/PhilFoglio What's New? With Phil And Dixie]]''. Inspired by the novel ''Literature/DreamPark'', he'd built a homemade "dungeon" for his fellow-gamers ... one that incorporated actual land mines, flamethrowers, tigers and laser beams (the Green Berets liked it).

* FanFic/ProjectFreelancerPhaseOneGenesis gives its SuperSoldier agents blanks and lockdown paint, but the [[RedVsBlue sim troopers]] they face during training are issued live rounds.

* The Land of Accursed Springs, or Jusenkyo, in ''RanmaOneHalf''. Over a hundred deep ponds of various sizes litter a valley shrouded in fog, separated only by very thin strips of solid ground and with long bamboo poles rising from them (and, from the looks of these, they don't ''grow'' from the springs, but were put there by ''someone''.) Martial artists travel to this valley to train by balancing atop the poles and jumping from one to another --presumably, while sparring with a partner. This is difficult enough in and of itself, but training there carries its own danger: each and every one of the ponds is cursed by whoever, or whatever, originally drowned in it. Now, falling into a spring curses the victim to physically change into the creature that drowned there, whether it was a frog, a bird, an old man, or a giant monster. So you really, really don't want to lose your balance while jumping from pole to pole… Two 'victims' got off easy, with one becoming a panda, and the other a [[GenderBender girl]].

* The training for vampire knights in ''ComicBook/RequiemChevalierVampire'' is carried out in [[TrainingFromHell Hell]]. Not only that, but in a specifically malevolent branch of Hell. Most of the apprentices don't get out with their deaths.

* The ''ComicBook/TheAvengers'' also have a [[ComicBook/{{X-Men}} Danger Room]]-like training area.

* In ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'', the titular character has set one of these up in his parent's basement. Despite being jury-rigged, it includes moving walls, laser cannons, and descending loops to practice flying.
* The Avengers' training room in ''WesternAnimation/AvengersEarthsMightiestHeroes''.

* In ''WebComic/MetroidThirdDerivative'', a now defunct fancomic that was hosted on ''BobAndGeorge'', Samus asks if this is the case with a simulation and the SpacePirate explaining it to her responds.

* ''JakAndDaxter'' has a few of these in the later games. ''Jak 3'' has sort of a gladiator pit with periodically rising, deadly lava, and guys that swing their pointy, deadly swords at Jak ([[NeverBringAKnifeToAGunFight who gets to wield a gun]]). In ''The Lost Frontier'' there's one gun course that has conveyor belts and platforms, surrounded by deadly pits.

** In ''Shippuden'' [[spoiler:the [[TurtleIsland hidden island]] used by Kumo to train its jinchuuriki]] ''used'' to be this as a result of its many large and aggressive fauna. [[spoiler:The jinchuuriki B]] [[{{Badass}} tracked down and beat up each of the animals until they respected him, so they don't bother anyone he likes.

* Apparently built ''by accident'' by a D&D player in ''[[PhilFoglio What's New? With Phil And Dixie]]''. Inspired by the novel ''Literature/DreamPark'', he'd built a homemade "dungeon" for his fellow-gamers ... one that incorporated actual land mines, flamethrowers, tigers and laser beams (the Green Berets liked it).

* The training for vampire knights in ''RequiemChevalierVampire'' is carried out in [[TrainingFromHell Hell]]. Not only that, but in a specifically malevolent branch of Hell. Most of the apprentices don't get out with their deaths.
* In ''JudgeDredd'', to best simulate the real street and combat situations all Mega-City One Judges face, only live ammunition and explosives are used on training courses at the Academy of Law. If a cadet survives making even the slightest mistake on the courses, they are immediately expelled from the Academy.

* In ''{{Naruto}}'', Training Ground 44, also known as The Forest of Death, is probably the best example. Its filled to the brim with very dangerous wildlife, and was the stage used for the second part of the Chunin Exams, where other teams where allowed to kill their competitors to complete the test. All the teams who entered even had to sign a waiver relieving the test proctor from all liability if they died.
** In Shippuden [[spoiler:the [[TurtleIsland hidden island]] used by Kumo to train its jinchuuriki ''used'' to be this as a result of its many large and aggressive fauna. B [[{{Badass}} tracked down and beat up each of the animals until they respected him]], so they don't bother anyone B approves]].

[[folder:Film]]
* There's a villainous example in ''Film/FromRussiaWithLove''.
-->'''Rosa Klebb''': Training is useful, but there is no substitute for experience.
-->'''Morzeny''': I agree. We use live targets as well.
* ''SpiesLikeUs''. The protagonists have to go through this kind of training before being sent on their mission. It included having to hide in mud while live bullets were fired at them and being in a simulated plane crash (with the "plane" being dropped from 20 yards in the air).

* In ''Film/HowToTrainYourDragon'', the Arena almost fits the bill. Though it is revisited several times, it never looks the same twice, as it is changed to suit the day's training. However dangerous, though, the intention is to avoid killing anyone, especially the Chief's son.

* ''{{Dune}}'' has a swordfighting training machine that is quite deadly.
** Even pointlessly so, as noted in-universe with the injunction by teachers against letting it exceed a certain difficulty setting. While most people think this means humans simply can't survive at that level, the actual reason is that at that speed level its movements are sufficiently inhuman that fighting it only serves to ''mistrain'' the student for real swordplay. It's a rare aversion of the TrainingFromHell trope.

Sometimes FridgeLogic kicks in regarding these training arenas. More often than not from a character asking the question of how risking death in training is better than risking death on the battlefield. Occasionally, these extreme measures are explained as emotional training, dire necessity, or simply the product of a mentor with a [[SinkOrSwimMentor Darwinistic]] [[TheSpartanWay approach]].

* The Land of Accursed Springs, or Jusenkyo, in ''RanmaOneHalf''. Over a hundred deep ponds of various sizes litter a valley shrouded in fog, separated only by very thin strips of solid ground and with long bamboo poles rising from them (and, from the looks of these, they don't ''grow'' from the springs, but were put there by ''someone''.) Martial artists travel to this valley to train by balancing atop the poles and jumping from one to another --presumably, while sparring with a partner. This is difficult enough in and of itself, but training there carries its own danger: each and every one of the ponds is cursed by whoever, or whatever, originally drowned in it. Now, falling into a spring curses the victim to physically change into the creature that drowned there, whether it was a frog, a bird, an old man, or a giant monster. So you really, really don't want to lose your balance while jumping from pole to pole...

* Apparently built ''by accident'' by a D&D player in ''[[PhilFoglio What's New? With Phil And Dixie]]''. Inspired by the novel ''Dream Park'', he'd built a homemade "dungeon" for his fellow-gamers ... one that incorporated actual land mines, flamethrowers, tigers and laser beams (the Green Berets liked it).

* In ''[[http://bobandgeorge.wikia.com/wiki/Metroid:_Third_Derivative Metroid: Third Derivative]]'', a now defunct fancomic that was hosted on ''BobAndGeorge'', Samus asks if this is the case with a simulation and the SpacePirate explaining it to her responds.

* Operation Tiger. In April, 1944, Allies forces conducted a large scale exercise on coast of England in preparation for D-Day. Due to poor planning and other mistakes, almost 1000 servicemen were killed from friendly fire and other mishaps, although the mistakes may have saved thousands more on the actual D-Day.

* The ''DannyPhantom'' fanfic ''Checkmate'' reveals that Vlad Masters has one of these inside his mansion. The highest setting very nearly kills Danny.

* In ''DannyPhantom'', the titular character has set one of these up in his parent's basement. Despite being jury-rigged, it includes moving walls, laser cannons, and descending loops to practice flying.

* ProjectFreelancerPhaseOneGenesis gives its SuperSoldier agents blanks and lockdown paint, but the [[RedVsBlue sim troopers]] they face during training are issued live rounds.