History Main / DeathMeansHumanity

* In ''Anime/FullmetalAlchemist2003'', Lust [[AdaptationalAngstUpgrade angsts quite a bit]] about her existence as a [[ArtificialHuman homunculus]] and longs to be human again. Re-establishing connections with Scar, the brother to her human self's deceased fiancee, slowly pushes her to make a HeelFaceTurn and eventually decide to help the Elric brothers defeat Wrath. He finds out however and stabs her to [[RedemptionEqualsDeath death for betraying him]]. Dying, Lust realizes, makes her feel more human than anything and she accepts her death.

The opposite of {{Dehumanization}}, this trope provides an answer to WhatMeasureIsANonHuman and DoAndroidsDream plots by affirming the personhood of a non-human entity. Put simply, this trope covers instances when the proven mortality of a non-human character makes human characters empathize with them. This works by exploiting the UsefulNotes/{{Existentialism}} inherent in death. Learning what the true value of life is and how to even define living ([[TheAntiNihilist for better]] or [[StrawNihilist for worse]]) often is a crucial part of that. In this reflective period, many characters come to realize that differences in opinion, lifestyle, mindset, and even biology become moot in the face of death as AllAreEqualInDeath.

[[folder:Video Game]]

[[folder:Film--Live Action]]

* In ''Anime/FullmetalAlchemist2003'' anime, Lust [[AdaptationalAngstUpgrade angsts quite a bit]] about her existence as a [[ArtificialHuman homunculus]] and longs to be human again. Re-establishing connections with Scar, the brother to her human self's deceased fiancee, slowly pushes her to make a HeelFaceTurn and eventually decide to help the Elric brothers defeat Wrath. He finds out however and stabs her to [[RedemptionEqualsDeath death for betraying him]]. Dying, Lust realizes, makes her feel more human than anything and she accepts her death.

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'''[[DeathTropes Death Trope]] so all death spoilers will be unmarked below.'''

* ''Manga/{{Gantz}}'': Over the course of the manga, dialogue and interactions between the AliensAndMonsters who are the main enemies for the bulk of the series revealed that they possess several humanizing qualities, like having strong familial and friendship bonds. Many of them appear to just want to live hidden amongst humanity in peace and when attacked by the Gantz-sent humans, some even condemn the main characters and humanity as being [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters the real monsters]]. But given the life and death situation the humans are in, none of the humans seem to notice or particularly care. In the final arc, however, the team has to fight humanoid, alien giants invading the planet. After his girlfriend is killed, Sakurai goes on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge and uses his PsychicPower to kill a horde of them in one psionic blast. When the dust settles and he's surrounded by hundreds of giants' bodies, he sees two that look like a grandmother trying to shield a child, causing him to [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone scream in despair]]. He later [[HeroicSacrifice sacrifices himself]] in order to save two giant children mourning their mother, cementing his change of view.

* ''Literature/TheBicentennialMan'': The titular {{Robot}} realizes that his [[TheAgeless agelessness]] is the one barrier to being [[PinocchioSyndrome recognized as human]], because humans can accept their own mortality so long as it's universal. He has a [[YourDaysAreNumbered deadly flaw]] added to his positronic brain, is finally named human by the World Court, and dies within the year.

* ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls1998'': Downplayed not with the main trio, but with the narrator in "Twisted Sister" and the death of Bunny, the {{Gonk}} Powerpuff Girl created by Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup to lessen their workload. While the girls are a bit apprehensive of her, they call Bunny a sister from the get-go. However, when Bunny's overly simplistic rationalizations has her setting free criminals and bad guys, The Narrator says she needs to be stopped as the girls "have created a monster." Bunny's explosion after [[BigDamnHeroes saving the girls]] however causes the Narrator to end the episode in tears re-recognizing her as "Powerpuff Bunny."

The opposite of {{Dehumanization}}, this trope provides an answer to WhatMeasureIsANonHuman and DoAndroidsDream plots by affirming the personhood of a non-human entity. Put simply, this trope covers instances when the proven mortality of a non-human character makes human characters empathize with them. This works by exploiting the UsefulNotes/{{Existentialism}} inherent in death, as the end of a life is [[ContemplateOurNavels a reflective period]] that naturally raises questions about the meaning of living. Learning what the true value of life is and how to even define living ([[TheAntiNihilist for better]] or [[StrawNihilist for worse]]) often is a crucial part of that. Differences in opinion, lifestyle, mindset, and even biology become moot in the face of death as AllAreEqualInDeath.

The opposite of {{Dehumanization}}, this trope provides an answer to WhatMeasureIsANonHuman and DoAndroidsDream plots to affirm the personhood of a non-human entity. Put simply, this trope covers instances when the proven mortality of a non-human character makes human characters empathize with them. This works by exploiting the UsefulNotes/{{Existentialism}} inherent in death, as the end of a life is [[ContemplateOurNavels a reflective period]] that naturally raises questions about the meaning of living. Learning what the true value of life is and how to even define living ([[TheAntiNihilist for better]] or [[StrawNihilist for worse]]) often is a crucial part of that. Differences in opinion, lifestyle, mindset, and even biology become moot in the face of death as AllAreEqualInDeath.

The opposite of {{Dehumanization}}, this trope provides an answer to WhatMeasureIsANonHuman and DoAndroidsDream plots to affirm the personhood of a non-human entity. This works by exploiting the UsefulNotes/{{Existentialism}} inherent in death, as the end of a life is [[ContemplateOurNavels a reflective period]] that naturally raises questions about the meaning of living and the impact of one's existence. Learning what the true value of life is and how to even define living ([[TheAntiNihilist for better]] or [[StrawNihilist for worse]]) often is a crucial part of that. And since AllAreEqualInDeath, differences in opinion, lifestyle, mindset, and biology between non-human entities and humans become moot once someone stops existing, allowing for even the [[FantasticRacism most prejudiced]] to change their perspective.

* In the 2003 ''Anime/FullMetalAlchemist'' anime, Lust [[AdaptationalAngstUpgrade angsts quite a bit]] about her existence as a [[ArtificialHuman homunculus]] and longs to be human again. Re-establishing connections with Scar, the brother to her human self's deceased fiancee, slowly pushes her to make a HeelFaceTurn and eventually decide to help the Elric brothers defeat Wrath. He finds out however and stabs her to [[RedemptionEqualsDeath death for betraying him]]. Dying, Lust realizes, makes her feel more human than anything and she accepts her death.

The opposite of {{Dehumanization}}, this trope provides an answer to WhatMeasureIsANonHuman and DoAndroidsDream plots by exploiting the UsefulNotes/{{Existentialism}} inherent in death to affirm the personhood of a non-human entity. This works because the end of a life is [[ContemplateOurNavels a reflective period]] that naturally raises questions about the meaning of living and the impact of one's existence. Learning what the true value of life is and how to even define living ([[TheAntiNihilist for better]] or [[StrawNihilist for worse]]) often is a crucial part of that. And since AllAreEqualInDeath, differences in opinion, lifestyle, mindset, and biology between non-human entities and humans become moot once someone stops existing, allowing for even the [[FantasticRacism most prejudiced]] to change their perspective.

Compare DeathEqualsRedemption and DeathIsSuchAnOddThing. See also AndroidsArePeopleToo and ClonesArePeopleToo, where the in-universe realization of those tropes can be caused by the death of the android or clone in this one. Contrast JustAMachine and NotEvenHuman. Is often the reason a character can be found MourningADeadRobot. Related to WeAreAsMayflies. Not to be confused with a dead BalefulPolymorph or other transformed human reverting to their original human form, which is ThisWasHisTrueForm.

This is more of a symbolic humanization, than a literal human transformation, though the the latter may come as a consequence of the former. Also, depending on the perspective from which the story is told, [[Administrivia/TropesAreFlexible "humanity" can be understood as relative]]. For example, this trope would still be at work in a story in which a dominant non-human species devalues humanity if a human's death made a member of that non-human species view humanity more empathetically.