History Main / DyingAsYourself

TheCorruption has taken hold of this character. Fully ahold, leaving no trace of the original. Not a time for DrivenToSuicide or ICannotSelfTerminate; there is not enough mind left. Often it's not even a matter of MercyKill -- you have to kill in self-defense. Or ColdBloodedTorture or MindRape has utterly destroyed the mind. There is nothing left. Looming death may make MercyKill unnecessary -- but it may not.

But dying has strange effects. For just a moment, you know that this character is aware of you. This may be the point at which you recognize your friend -- possibly because it coincides with ThisWasHisTrueForm, with physical freedom as well as mental, but possibly just the change in expression and the like. Gratitude, expressed in the form of GoOutWithASmile or just a glimmer in the eye, is likely. Perhaps you can hold his hand so he is not DyingAlone. Perhaps he can say MyGodWhatHaveIDone or shed TearsOfRemorse, or even undergo VillainousBSOD, and you can try to console him. Some form of LastWords is sometimes possible -- possibly even a LastRequest. Often he will be PeacefulInDeath. May sometimes lead to a TearJerker. This is also the way a TragicMonster often kicks the bucket.

%% This page has been alphabetized. Please add new examples in the correct order. Thanks!

* In ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'', when the magic that keeps [[spoiler:Ice King aka Simon Petrikov]] insane (and immortal) is [[AntiMagic dispelled]], he tells [[spoiler:his fiance Betty]] not to restore it, as he'd rather die from NoImmortalInertia than go crazy again. She instead convinces him that she can cure his insanity without killing him, and so he goes back to being [[spoiler:Ice King]] for the time being.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'': In the GrandFinale, [[spoiler:after being separated from the Titan's heart, Belos' body reconfigures into his original self, Philip Wittebane, who thanks Luz for "freeing" him from a "terrible curse" that made him do evil things. It's a blatant lie that gets undone when the boiling rain hits human form, burning it and revealing a decaying, muddy skeleton barely clinging onto life. In a sense, this is Belos' true self: a miserable, manipulative monster of Gravesfield inhabiting Philip's corpse]].

* Marsh in the ''Literature/{{Mistborn}}'' series [[spoiler:regains his identity a few times throughout, but most importantly at the end, to remove Vin's earring which was the last of the power that kept Preservation from her]].

* Implied in ''VideoGame/TheNewOrderLastDaysOfEurope'' with the mad Russian warlord Rurik II, who spent the last years of his life [[NapoleonDelusion claiming to be the]] second-coming of the ancient Varangian prince Rurik. Shortly after reuniting Russia under a new Muscovite kingdom, on his deathbed [[spoiler:he admits to his children that maybe the whole charade was worth it in the end, and he passes peacefully as the ex-Red Army Major-General Nikolai Krylov.]]

-->'''[[spoiler:Olden Steef]]''': Is... th-the water... free...?
-->'''Stranger''': ...Yeah. It's all free.
-->'''[[spoiler:Olden Steef]]''': ''[[GoOutWithASmile Free]]''...

* In ''VideoGame/{{Starcraft}}'': Brood War, the dark templar Matriarch Raszagal, after Zeratul mortally wounds her, is freed of Kerrigan's mind control long enough to thank him and place him in charge of the dark templar before dying.

* ''VideoGame/WarCraftIII'' contains an almost-example, when Grom and Thrall confront Mannoroth and kill him, Grom is fatally wounded but when Thrall rushes to him, we see the [[RedEyesTakeWarning red glow in his eyes]] (a sign of demonic possession of all Orcs) slowly fading out:
-->'''Grom''': I have... freed myself...\\
'''Thrall''': No, old friend... You have freed us all.
* Late in ''VideoGame/NEOTheWorldEndsWithYou'', the Wicked Twisters realize that [[spoiler:Kanon]] is being possessed by a Noise that erases [[spoiler:her]] identity and turns her against others, and try to save [[spoiler:her]] from it. They're unable to save [[spoiler:her]] life, but their efforts allow [[spoiler:Kanon]] to die as a human rather than a Noise host.

* At the end of Chapter 8 of ''VideoGame/YggdraUnion,'' [[spoiler:Gulcasa]], after losing everything and giving his body over to Brongaa, regains himself while dying and is even able to reach reconciliation (of a sort) with Yggdra. The scene is both incredibly touching and horribly sad.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

** Invoked twice, [[spoiler:though no one actually dies]], in the Season 2 Finale. Greg and Tamara have activated a trigger that will destroy Storybrook and kill everyone. Grumpy gives Rumpelstiltskin a potion that he will cause Lacey to lose her cursed memories and return her memories of her as Belle, saying that she shouldn't die as Lacey. As Regina prepares to sacrifice herself to stop the trigger, she begs Emma to let her do it citing this:

*** "Serpent's Song" ends with the death of Apophis; without him, his host quickly ages and dies as well, and Daniel performs an Egyption death ritual to let the host FaceDeathWithDignity. Sokar later uses the sarcophagus to bring Apophis back to life, but [[FridgeHorror hopefully nothing of the host survived death]].

*** In the episode The Enemy Within, Charles Kawalsky is taken over by a Goa'uld and he under goes surgery to remove it, he says beforehand that he "wants to wake up as himself or not at all."
* Subverted tragically in the ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'' episode "Collective", where the oldest leader of a group of Borg children disconnected from collective continues to remains stubbornly loyal to the Borg after the other children begin to regain their individuality. When he is electrocuted, his last words are: "We are Borg".

* ''VideoGame/FatalFrameIVMaskOfTheLunarEclipse'':

* In ''Literature/UnfinishedTales'', we catch a glimpse of what [[Literature/TheLordOfTheRings Isildur]] was like with the Ring. He is in immense, constant pain from carrying it due to it having burned him when he first touch it, and, despite having maintained his faculties, he's already well on the way to the toxic obsession that most bearers have towards it. However, when the Ring finally slips off his finger in the river, he feels a great sense of loss and considers drowning himself--and then, suddenly, the mood passes and he feels better than he has in some time, knowing in his heart that he's no longer carrying a great burden. Unfortunately for him, the Ring's invisibility was also the only thing saving him from being shot to death by orcs, and those orcs are still close by...

** Ironically, a similar scene occurs in ''LightNovel/FateZero'' with that war's Berserker, [[spoiler:returning to the knight Lancelot after being fatally impaled by Saber.]]

* ''LightNovel/RebuildWorld'': [[spoiler:Tiol, suffering from AmnesiacResonance combined with SanitySlippage ever since becoming a TragicMonster, finally remembers who he is and that he's fighting to be with Sheryl, just as Akira kills him for [[BackFromTheDead the final time]] with NoRangeLikePointBlankRange mini-missile rounds.]]

* In ''LightNovel/ThatTimeIGotReincarnatedAsASlime'', the spirit of the [[OurOrcsAreDifferent Orc Disaster]] is freed from the madness that his [[HorrorHunger Starved]] Skill inflicted on him once [[TheHero Rimuru]] [[TheAssimilator absorbs]] him and swears he will [[WellIntentionedExtremist save the orc race from extinction by famine as the Orc Disaster was pushed to do]] via a DealWithTheDevil to obtain the Starved Skill. He returns to his original form and passes on thanking Rimuru for "sating his hunger" at long last.

* ''VideoGame/KirbyPlanetRobobot'': Upon defeating the [[spoiler:Sectonia Clone, she distorts and reveals her true form: a figure strongly resembling [[''VideoGame/KirbyTripleDeluxe'' Taranza]], but with mascara, differently shaped horns, and longer hair before it explodes. As shown in future entries, this was her original form before she became obsessed with beauty.]]

* The manga for ''Manga/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'' had Volvagia being corrupted by Ganondorf during the seven years between Link's seal and Adult Link's awakening (long story short, Volvagia was actually a friend of Link whom Link managed to buy from a Bazaar.), and Link reluctantly fights Volvagia, with him continously attempting to get Volvagia to remember what it once was. It was only after Link was forced to decapitate Volvagia that it came back to its senses, and somberly tells Link that it "hurts." in one of the Manga's biggest {{Tear Jerker}}s.

* Terminal lucidity is the medical term for a rare phenomenon occurring in mental patients and coma patients -- though it has been documented in those not suffering from pre-existing conditions as well -- shortly before death. In terminal lucidity, the patient's faculties and memories return in the final weeks, days or hours before death. It's not known for sure what causes this, but for the dying and their family, it may provide them some comfort to see some of what made them who they were return after such a long and horrendous decline, even if the end is near.

* A fairly creepy case in the second episode of the ''[[Anime/BubblegumCrisis AD Police Files]]''. The story centers around a woman who replaced her entire reproductive system with bionic implants so she'd stop having her monthly period. She eventually starts attacking prostitutes, ripping out their reproductive organs. At the end she is being chased by the AD Police, who are allowed to kill her on sight because she is categorized as a Boomeroid (someone who has more than 70% of their anatomy replaced with cybernetic components), and hence does not rate as a human being anymore. She ends up in an abandoned subway car filled with criminals; she rips off her clothes and allows them to rape her to death. The character Cara Iris realize that she chose to die as a woman instead of a boomer.
* ''Manga/{{Claymore}}''. As {{Half Human Hybrid}}s, every Claymore will eventually transform into a yoma monster. When they sense their time coming near, they send a "Black Card" to another Claymore close to them, requesting that they be killed while still human.

* ''Anime/CowboyBebop: TheMovie''. [[spoiler:Vincent's death at the end of the film, and his choice to not kill Electra, having just remembered his life with her, definitely falls into this trope. "I remembered your face."]]

* ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'': Berserker (in a constant state of madness) gets one of these in the Fate route (covered by the anime) [[spoiler:after being killed for good by Saber, holding a brief conversation with her about the weapon she just used]]. To a lesser degree in the UBW route as well, as [[spoiler:he wills himself back to life for one last shot at killing Gilgamesh because he remembers that Illya reminds him of his own lost child, and then forces himself to remain manifested as she dies to LetThemDieHappy]].

* In ''VisualNovel/HigurashiWhenTheyCry'', [[spoiler:Shion]] gets a moment of sanity ([[MyGodWhatHaveIDone and regret]]) before finally dying. [[GroundhogDayLoop ...Sometimes]]. In the visual novel she actually commits suicide out of remorse after apologizing to Satoko and the others in her mind, in her last breathing moments she imagines a happy life where she's Satoko's loving older sister. [[spoiler:She gets her wish in another timeline.]]

* In ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventure'' ''Phantom Blood'', Black Knight Bruford is defeated when Jonathan manages to unleash a flurry of Ripple-infused punches on him. Since the Ripple is the essence of life itself, it temporarily revitalizes the zombie even as it starts to destroy his body and the honorable personality he had in life is restored. Bruford spends his final moments acknowledging Jonathan as a friend and passes on his sword "Luck" to him in honor of Jonathan's courage, going the extra mile of renaming his sword "Luck & Pluck".
* Knuckle Joe's father in the ''Anime/{{Kirby|Right Back At Ya}}'' anime, after being brainwashed and forcing his best friend to kill him, shakes Nightmare's control long enough to make one final request: that Meta Knight brings his locket to his son.

* In ''Manga/ZeroSevenGhost'', Teito's friend Mikage gets half his soul destroyed and is possessed by the big bad to attack and capture Teito. However when Mikage is defeated and is dying, he spends his last moments giving Teito one last smile and hug.

* In ''VideoGame/HyruleWarriors'' from ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' franchise, some clarity appears to return to Cia as she lies dying after being defeated by Link. The "dying" part is subverted in the ''Wind Waker'' arc in ''Legends'' and ''Definitive'' Edition.
* Towards the end of ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts358DaysOver2'', [[spoiler:Xion fulfills her programming and becomes a perfect replica of Sora. After Roxas kills her, though, Sora's memories fade away from her, and she spends her final moments as herself, lying in Roxas' arms.]]
** Another interpretation is that [[spoiler: Xion was always "herself" mentally, but chose an inhuman form to [[SuicideByCop make it easier for Roxas to finish her off]], changing back to her original form only to say goodbye.]]

* [[spoiler:Revolver Ocelot]] at the end of ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4''. Noticeable when he makes his [[spoiler: trademark hand gesture, saying "you're pretty good."]]

* ''VideoGame/StarControl 2''s backstory has this. The Dnyarri can telepathically control creatures. But they withdraw from their minds at the moment of death, lest the Dnyarri experience that death with the being. [[spoiler:A Ur-Quan notices this and guesses that this also counts for extreme pain. So he injects himself with acid. In the last moments before his death, when the Dnyarri have pulled out of his mind, he gets to a comm device and tells every Ur-Quan on-planet about it. They begin hacking at body parts and so forth to give themselves the few seconds of freedom needed to get to the nearest Dnyarri and kill it. So begins the fall of the Dnyarri slave empire.]]

* ''VideoGame/SuperPaperMario'' had something slightly similar to the above mentioned ''Ocarina of Time'' manga: Mario ends up forced to fight Fracktail (Fracktail was originally supposed to simply let Mario pass without a fight, but Dimentio ruined it by casting a spell that caused Fracktail to undergo a glitch that forced it to fight Mario). Shortly after Mario delivers the coup de grace on Fracktail, Fracktail regains his senses and then apologizes to Mario for his error before self-destructing.
* ''VideoGame/PaperMarioStickerStar'' did something similar with Mizzter Blizzard, one of the bosses who went insane because of the Royal Stickers. Reverting back to himself after defeat, he apologizes and revealed he only got the Royal Sticker because he prayed for life, as he was about to melt. He dies, but asks Mario to return when it gets colder so Mario can remake Mizzter Blizzard and the become his friend.

* ''VideoGame/TormentedSouls:'' We learn from a diary page that the antidote for monster status swiftly kills the afflicted person, but also that they will at least spend their last moments in their right mind, and in their right body. [[spoiler: At the end, you'll have to do this to your sister to get the best ending.]]

[[folder:Webcomics]]
* ''Webcomic/CollegeRoomiesFromHell''. Roger Pepitone's mother turns back into a human when ''Margaret kills her'', the first time she'd killed a human at that point. Since she's destined to be a post-apocalyptic warrior, this seems to affect her ''more'' than it does Roger.

* ''WesternAnimation/FinalSpace'': Indirectly {{invoked}} on [[spoiler:one of the [[Characters/FinalSpaceOthers zombified alternate Gary's]]]]: Invictus is exorcised from him, and he remains alive with his wrecked body for about a minute during which he talks with the main Team Squad before expiring.
* ''WesternAnimation/Invincible2021'': The [[Characters/Invincible2021Supervillains first Reaniman]] experiences this. After his helmet is removed, he sees his reflection and partly snaps out of the brainwashing: looking at his roboticized arms and realizing what he's become, he commits suicide.

-->--'''Peeta Mellark''', ''Literature/TheHungerGames''

'''This is a DeathTrope. Expect unmarked spoilers ahead.'''

* ''VideoGame/TormentedSouls:'' We learn from a diary page that the antidote for monster status swiftly kills the afflicted person, but also that they will at least spend their last moments in their right mind, and in their right body.

* ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'': One of the bosses faced in "Hell Realm Mandala, Heian-kyo" is Taira-no-Kagekiyo, a collective personification of the Taira clan possessing the body of Minamoto-no-Yoshitsune. When defeated by the player, the Taira collective disappears and Yoshitsune returns to her normal self (shown by her eyes turning from TechnicolorEyes back to blue and the heavy makeup disappearing) before dying.

* ''Series/TheTenthKingdom'': The BigBad reverts to her original, non-evil persona when dealt a mortal wound and spends her last moments consoling the daughter she'd spent the series [[ArchnemesisDad trying to kill]].

* ''Film/{{Onmyoji}}'': [[spoiler: Sukehime]] chooses to commit suicide, and is able to die as a human rather than as a murderous demon.

* In ''This Rough Magic'', [[spoiler:Caesare]] has been used all book as a puppet by Czernobog. As he dies, the control lapses, and he says "thank you" to the person who killed him.

** In [[Anime/FullmetalAlchemist the 2003 anime version]], [[spoiler: Sloth]] has been spending all her "life" trying to prove she's not Trisha Elric, but as she's dying, she tells them to "take care of each other".

** [[spoiler:Lucy's TrueLovesKiss manages to pull David out of his cyberpsychosis long enough for him to help her escape with Falco and provoke Adam Smasher into a HopelessBossFight to buy them time. He uses his final moments to reject Smasher's offer to become a construct and [[GoOutWithASmile goes out smiling]], knowing he kept his loved one safe.]]