History Main / KlingonPromotion

'''Birail Riyannis:''' [[PassThePopcorn We're gonna need popcorn.]]

** Ironically, again according to the Legends, both Sidious and Vader would try to violate the rule themselves — Vader by explicitly taking a secret apprentice in ''VideoGame/TheForceUnleashed'', then Sidious by [[spoiler:intending to cast even Luke aside and rule alone, immortal and eternally]]. And ''Literature/DarthPlagueis'' reveals that [[spoiler:Sidious had taken Darth Maul as his apprentice and trained him for years ''before'' actually ascending to the rank of master himself. He then corrected the violation of the Rule of Two by murdering Plagueis.]] (The other Force-sensitive agents they use don't count, as they aren't trained in Sith tradition, and some may not even have been aware of it.)
*** The Sith who formalized the Rule of Two also anticipated ''this'', and fully expected it to be self-correcting. When a second apprentice gets brought into the mix, normally either the current apprentice is about to kill his master, or the current master is about to [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness dispose of the current apprentice in favor of a more useful one]]. Or, if the second apprentice is unworthy, ''he'' gets to be the one discarded. In all those scenarios, the Rule of Two is restored. [[spoiler:Indeed, at the end of his reign as Sith Lord, Darth Bane and his apprentice Darth Zannah ''each'' had picked a new apprentice of their own. [[{{Irony}} Bane was worried that Zannah was going soft because she hadn't tried to kill him and thus decided to replace her, while Zannah had chosen that exact moment to overthrow Bane.]] Ultimately, Zannah killed Bane and took Bane's would-be second apprentice as her own. Bane and Zannah both tried to lure the apprentice to their side, but Darth Cognus declared that if either of them needed her help to win then they were not worthy of being her master.]]

* Averted in ''Webcomic/KevinAndKell'': [[spoiler: Kell intervenes in a fight between Herd Thinners CEO R.L. and Executive Frank Mangle. R.L. and Mangle are seriously injured and, because she was the "last man standing" (as it were), ''she'' is promoted to CEO of Herd Thinners. And later on, R.L. reveals he let her keep the position uncontested to make repairs to the company while he recovered from his injuries, then promptly fires her with his connections to the board of directors and shareholders. Many of Kell's supporters quit on the spot with no regards to their hard-earned positions, and would go on to work at Kell's new company.]]

** Ork hierarchy tends to work this way: if you succeed in killing the previous Warboss, the former officeholder clearly didn't deserve the job. This trope is so important to the orks that it's part of their actual ''biology''. An ork that does well in fighting will naturally grow in size, allowing him to boss around smaller orks and challenge orks at his own size. Winning makes him even bigger and lets him boss around orks at his former size and losing will (if it doesn't kill him) make his rival bigger and capable of bossing over him; either way the hierarchy is preserved. It should be mentioned that, to orks, the notion of a smaller ork challenging -- to say nothing of ''defeating'' -- a bigger ork in a scrap for leadership is literally inconceivable (i.e. not only physically impossible but something an ork is incapable of thinking about), which explains why it's never happened.
** The Dark Eldar are a particularly stellar example as literally the ''only'' method of advancement within the Kabals (the paramilitary organizatons most Dark Eldar belong to) is to kill the person holding the desired title. Orks may simply intimidate other Orks into servitude with their superior size and bash the skulls of anyone who disagrees, but this trope is so fundamental to Dark Eldar society that Archons (Kabal leaders) have to hire strictly neutral Incubus bodyguards from outside their Kabal because none of their subordinates are trustworthy. Not surprisingly Asdrubael Vect, the leader of the most powerful Kabal and ''de facto'' overlord of the Dark Eldar, encourages this sort of behaviour to maintain his position, although it is also implied in the ''Path of the Dark Eldar'' novels that he prevents the backstabbing from totally destabilizing Dark Eldar society. Furthermore, all backstabbing is on hold whenever a group of Dark Eldar is on a realspace raid for slaves - but as soon as everyone is safely back in Commoragh, everyone is fair game again.

* A non-lethal variation occurs in the ''Franchise/StarTrek'' graphic novel ''Debt of Honor'' by Creator/ChrisClaremont and Adam Hughes. Starfleet lieutenant Jamie Finney, who acts as a liaison officer on Commander Kor's Klingon ship, recommends caution in an unclear tactical situation. Khadri, a female Klingon officer taller by more than a head responds by insulting her as coming from a "coward's race" and threatens her, to which Finney reacts by knocking Khadri out with a flying kick.

[[folder:Films == Live-Action]]

[[folder:Films — Animated]]
* Creator/{{Disney}}'s ''WesternAnimation/AladdinAndTheKingOfThieves'' features the Forty Thieves (as in [[Literature/AliBabaAndTheFortyThieves "Ali Baba and ..."]]), and Aladdin causes the death of one in self-defense. He's sure the others are about to butcher him when they say it can only mean one thing. The One Thing is that he's now a member, unless someone kills ''him'', which ''they'll'' be more than happy to do if he doesn't measure up. (If that's not bad enough, the former holder of his position is NotQuiteDead, and wants it back. That can only happen one way.)

[[folder:Films — Live-Action]]

* The Necromongers in ''Film/TheChroniclesOfRiddick'' exemplify their adherence to this philosophy in their motto: "You keep what you kill".
* At the end of ''Film/DeathRace2000'' (1975), Frankenstein assassinates Mr. President. In the next scene, he's shown to have become the new President.

* This is ComicBook/{{Iznogoud}}'s entire motivation and modus operandi: as [[EvilChancellor Grand Vizier]], he'll take over if the Caliph dies, hence his oft-repeated CatchPhrase "I want to be Caliph instead of the Caliph!"

* Played straight in ''Literature/TheSalvationWar'''s first book with Hell: other than Satan, the demon hierarchy works this way... which suits Satan ''just'' fine. However, as [[IncrediblyLamePun things go to hell]] [[spoiler:Colonel Keisha Stevenson (US Army) inadvertently becomes a participant by gunning down a Hell village's lord. She is far more benevolent than him, but presumably abdicated the position once Civil Affairs troops arrived]].

* {{Invoked}} with the TropeNamers in ''Fanfic/AChangedWorld''. Captain Kanril Eleya realizes that Klingon Captain Krell is more interested in gaining glory by trying to destroy her ship (which would be [[CurbStompBattle hilarious to watch]], considering Krell's in a 2270s D-7 and Eleya is in a Galaxy-class starship) than in letting Eleya provide aid, so she points out to Krell's first officer Korlok that the captain has gotten them all [[TimeDilation temporally displaced]] 140 years into the future and is otherwise being a moron.
-->'''Korlok:''' Krell, son of Mok'tar, as first officer I, Korlok, son of Yonko, stand for the crew, and I say that you are unfit to serve as captain. You have put this ship at foolish risk and gotten us all lost and forgotten, and I challenge you for command!\\

*** When Rhinox is infected with a virus that turns him into a Predacon, he immediately starts plotting against Megatron... and nearly succeeds. Rhinox is really smart. Trying to make him ruthless is probably not a good idea. And then Megatron goes and does it ''again''.

** The Dark Eldar are a particularly stellar example as literally the ''only'' method of advancement within the Kabals (the paramilitary organizatons most Dark Eldar belong to) is to kill the person holding the desired title. Orks may simply intimidate other Orks into servitude with their superior size and bash the skulls of anyone who disagrees, but this trope is so fundamental to Dark Eldar society that Archons (Kabal leaders) have to hire strictly neutral Incubus bodyguards from outside their Kabal because none of their subordinates are trustworthy. Not surprisingly Asdrubael Vect, the leader of the most powerful Kabal and ''de facto'' overlord of the Dark Eldar, encourages this sort of behaviour to maintain his position, although it is also implied in the ''Path of the Dark Eldar'' novels that he prevents the backstabbing from totally destabilizing Dark Eldar society.

* [[UsefulNotes/TheMafia John Gotti]] became the Gambino crime family's boss in 1985 by assassinating Paul Castellano for being too greedy with his henchmen[[note]]in some instances, Castellano demanded more from his crews than what they could offer in tribute[[/note]]. Knowing that murdering Castellano without the Mafia Commission's approval would be risky, Gotti got around it by soliciting the support of mobsters both within the Gambinos and in the other families except for Genovese family boss Vincent "Chin" Gigante. Except for Gigante[[note]]who tried to have Gotti killed several times in retaliation for assassinating his boss without authorization. Ironically, Gigante came off as a hypocrite considering he attempted to have mob boss Frank Costello murdered in 1957[[/note]], the other bosses reacted with indifference when Castellano was clipped considering he was widely hated by the rank-and-file for lacking street cred.

* [[UsefulNotes/TheMafia John Gotti]] became the Gambino crime family's boss in 1985 by assassinating Paul Castellano for being too greedy with his henchmen[[note]]in some instances, Castellano demanded more from his crews than what they could offer in tribute[[/note]]. Knowing that murdering Castellano without the Mafia Commission's approval would be risky, Gotti got around it by soliciting the support of mobsters both within the Gambinos and in the other families except for Genovese family boss Vincent "Chin" Gigante. Except for Gigante[[note]]who tried to have Gotti killed several times in retaliation for assassinating his boss without authorization[[/note]], the other bosses reacted with indifference when Castellano was clipped considering he was widely hated by the rank-and-file for lacking street cred.

[[folder:Video Games]]
* The usual way to victory in ''VideoGame/{{Armello}}'' is to kill the king and become the ruler of the land, as long as you don't die in the process. Alternatively, you can avoid this trope by being the most prestigious hero and winning by default when the king eventually dies.
* ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedOdyssey'' features a mercenary ranking system. You go up the ladder by murdering the people that were higher up than you.
* ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquer'':
** In ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerTiberianDawn'' game, Seth takes a dangerous initiative that Kane had explicitly forbidden: Attacking the United States. After [[KilledMidSentence shooting him mid-sentence]], Kane congratulates you for your promotion.
** ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRedAlert'' would probably have you believe you should be looking behind your back when you're "promoted."
*** The way the game was originally designed, during the moment where Gradenko or later Zhukov gets killed, instead they would be fighting to the death. A pistol conveniently lands in front of you. And then, you got to choose who to shoot -- Stalin or Gradenko. This opens many worms since Gradenko was an Alliance defector.
*** In the Soviet ending, just as Stalin celebrates victory in Buckingham Palace, the tea he drinks turns out to be poisoned by none other than Nadia, with his science advisor Kane (yes, Kane) as an accomplice. After a brief struggle, Stalin's last words call Nadia a bitch. Nadia responds by shooting Stalin multiple times. Long story short, you get told you are being promoted to premier. Nadia subtly insults you by explaining that the Brotherhood of Nod will require you to keep things in Russia running while they call the shots and make their preparations, which should take until the 90's when Russia will become expendable. Cue Kane shooting Nadia in the back. Kane considers shooting you as well, but decides that you're worthy of the title [[PresidentEvil Comrade Chairman]] as long as ''he'' is the ''future''.
* This is one of the quickest ways to get rid of Mr. Alden, your bothersome superior at Glover & Glover in ''VideoGame/CultistSimulator''. Send a cultist with the right aspects to kill him to claim his position.
* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls''
** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Morrowind]]'':
*** Several Guilds and Factions in the game require this in order to become the new faction leader. Notably, this includes [[spoiler:the Imperial Legion, the Fighters Guild, Great House Redoran, and the Mages Guild. The Mages Guild is actually optional, but taking the non-Klingon option leaves you co-leader with an [[KickedUpstairs incompetent]] [[ThePeterPrinciple buffoon]] and also means you won't be able to loot his powerful items -- you ''can'' still get your hands on them without killing him, but only after the main quest is done.]]. The ''Bloodmoon'' expansion adds [[spoiler:the East Empire Company]] -- although like the [[spoiler:Fighters]], it's less a formal duel and more the old leader attacking you either because you've screwed up his plans or because you've become a threat, and your actual formal promotion to his old post is through other channels.
*** The [[MurderInc Morag Tong]] inverts it. [[spoiler:When a new Grandmaster comes along, he is supposed to honorably execute the old one. However, in this case, the old Grandmaster is perfectly fine with stepping down and retiring if you'll permit it]].
*** [[TheClan Great House]] Telvanni, a Dunmer political faction made up of [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld ancient]], powerful, and typically [[EvilSorcerer amoral]] wizards forming a {{Magocracy}}, practices this as an official means of advancement. While you don't have to be fully "evil" to join, the House firmly believes in MightMakesRight, so those willing to commit a little murder naturally thrive there. From their official rules:
---->''"If you steal from another Telvanni, but still live, then clearly you deserve whatever you stole. Murdering your opponents by magic or treachery is the traditional way of settling disputes. [[MightMakesRight If you win, then clearly your argument has more merit.]] You may be expelled as in any other Great House, but most Telvanni will not care or even know about it."''
** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'':
*** Ulfric claims to be the High King of Skyrim because he slew King Torygg in "a legal duel." TheEmpire, however, does not consider his claim valid and named Torygg's widow Elisif to the provincial throne instead.
*** Several of the Nords who oppose Ulfric do so, not because he killed the previous king, but because the duel wasn't ''actually'' a "legal duel" in the first place. Instead of an honorable fight to the death, Ulfric used the power of the Thu'um to win.
*** All the major factions have you become the leader of certain factions when the existing leader dies, although you only ''kill'' the previous leader in [[spoiler:The Thieves Guild]] questline and the [[spoiler:Dark Brotherhood]], in which the leader is already dying and asks you to finish it.
*** Orc strongholds have this as their way of deciding new chieftains. Their god, the Daedric Prince Malacath, sees this as a good thing; in order to protect themselves, the orcs have to prove that their leader is strong enough to protect them all. Chief Yamarz of Largashbur is implied to be the source of the stronghold's curse as he uses his cunning to weasel his way out of problems instead of facing them head-on, leading to the local giants to attack the stronghold. He tries to kill the Dragonborn after they fight their way to Volendrung, Malacath's hammer, proving he was never worthy to be chieftain in Malacath's eyes. Gularzob is chosen to be the new chieftain after his rightful death, but he doesn't know why.
* ''VideoGame/EscapeFromStMarys'': The chemistry department has their own tradition of underlings slaying the head to take control.
* In ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'', [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder Benny]] gained his position as leader of the Chairmen by challenging the old gang leader to a knife fight and winning back when they were tribals.
** You can help Benny's second in command get a similar promotion. Similarly, you can replace the heads of the Omertas with Cachino, who promises to make an effort to "run a tight ship".
** The Independent path essentially means doing this to Mr. House.
** Caesar's elite Praetorian bodyguards operate this way. To become a member of the guard, an applicant chooses whoever they think is the weakest current guard and challenge him to a duel. If the applicant wins, they take over the ex-guard's place. This keeps the guards on their toes.
* Played with interestingly in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'', of all games, where the revelation of the Klingon Promotion is a major part of the development of the Church of Yevon. The first time we see [[DarkMessiah Seymour]], he has just taken over his late father Jyscal's position of Maester (roughly equivalent to some sort of sub-Pope) in the Church of Yevon. At that time in the game this can seem a bit odd since at that point Yevon is apparently a SaintlyChurch dedicated to stopping [[RandomEncounter fiends]] and [[EldritchAbomination Sin]], while having the son take his father's place smacks of nepotism. Because Seymour is established as having already been a high-level church official, however, a player can gloss over this without suspecting the true corruption at the heart of Yevon. Several hours later in the game, it is revealed that Seymour killed his father discreetly in order to get said position, cementing his status as a viable villain and adding to a strong impression that the Church of Yevon is actually a CorruptChurch. (It was [[WeHaveReserves Operation Mi'ihen]] that started said impression.) Some time yet later in the game (it varies, depending on how much LevelGrinding the player had to do to defeat [[ThatOneBoss Evrae]]), it is revealed that not only did Seymour kill his father for his position, but that all but one of his peers, (''including the Pope-equivalent and de facto ruler of the world''), were aware of his actions and condoned them as a way for Seymour to become a Maester, thus proving that it really is Klingon Promotion at its finest.
* The backstory of ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'' states that [[spoiler: the MadGod Anankos took over the Kingdom of Valla by killing its true sovereign ''and'' [[CainAndAbel his once]] OnlyFriend, [[TheGoodKing its unnamed King]], who was also [[DisappearedDad Azura's father]].]]
** In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemPathOfRadiance'', Mad King Ashnard became king by killing not only his father but everyone else in line for the throne. And, as ''Radiant Dawn'' reveals, quite a few innocents as well, given he did it via Blood Pact. Ashnard is TheSocialDarwinist, so this method is fitting.
* In the first ''VideoGame/GalaxyAngel'' trilogy, the Valfask seem to have this as a perfectly valid tactic to move up in the ranks. Nefuria in Moonlit Lovers was all but stated to be planning to do away with her superiors using the O-Gaub, and in Eternal Lovers, [[spoiler:Wein]] was more than willing to give his enemies data on Rowil, so they could defeat him and then he would take over command of his remaining forces.
* At the end of the first ''VideoGame/GodOfWarI'' game, Kratos kills Ares and becomes the new Greek God of War. Problem is, he's not exactly a worthy successor...
** ''VideoGame/GodOfWarPS4'' reveals that [[spoiler:Kratos ascended to godhood again (against his will, interestingly) by killing all the Greek gods and then killing the final remaining god -- himself]]. Once again, one of the worst successors possible.
* ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoViceCity''. Killing drug lord Ricardo Diaz has the main character inherit his mansion and his gang in a very Scarface-like fashion.
* This is pretty much how Kormir became a god in ''VideoGame/GuildWars: Nightfall'', and for that matter what happened after Grenth defeated the previous god of death, Dhuum. It's implied Grenth wasn't the first, too.
* ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'':
** The Jiralhanae (Brutes) have this as their ''only'' [[TrialByCombat method]] of [[MightMakesRight ascension]] to the status of [[AsskickingLeadsToLeadership Chieftain]] (who wield symbolic and [[DropTheHammer very powerful hammers]]). However, it must be by way of a strict DuelToTheDeath, mano a mano. Heck, the chieftain in ''Literature/HaloContactHarvest'', Maccabeus (who's a ReasonableAuthorityFigure by Brute standards), recalls that when he challenged his own father for the right to lead, his father was ''happy'' when Maccabeus knifed him in the neck, as it was considered the best way for an old Brute warrior to go. For bonus points, the Brute who challenges and kills Maccabeus for leadership is none other than Tartarus, TheDragon in ''VideoGame/{{Halo 2}}''.
** Though military promotions for the Elites are based solely on how many ''enemies'' they've killed, political promotions work similarly to the Brute system, as shown in ''Literature/HaloTheColeProtocol'', where a newly-ascended ''kaidon'' (feudal lord) easily kills three assassins sent against him. He then appears before his keep's elders and proceeds to execute the elder who sent the assassins, which is their version of a vote of no-confidence. Why? Because the elder didn't challenge him openly. The only reason he didn't slaughter the elder's entire family but had them exiled instead, was because the elder fought back at the last second, showing he had some honor left. Fittingly enough, the ''kaidon'' we've been talking about just happens be Thel 'Vadam, better known as the Arbiter introduced in ''Halo 2''.
* The ''VideoGame/HenryStickminSeries'' has the Toppat Clan, which is implied to have more than one scenario like this.
** It's implied that Cloudface and Randy Radman died through these. Cloudface "lost his position" because no one could understand him through the beard, and Randy Radman ran the Toppats through the Party Era, which ended because [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome they went bankrupt]]. While not confirmed they were overthrown by force, it wouldn't be outlandish to think this happened.
** A confirmed scenario is Terrence Suave, the previous Toppat Leader. Due to making pointless raids [[ForTheEvulz for the thrill of it]] and his overall reckless nature, Terrence was overthrown by [[BigBad Reginald]] [[NobleDemon Copperbottom]], and is remembered as one of the worst leaders the Toppat Clan ever had.
* ''VideoGame/IWannaBeTheGuy'': Wanna be the Guy, kid? Here's a gun and a cape, so go take out the Guy. Just watch out for those [[SpikesOfDoom spikes]], and that [[GravityIsAHarshMistress apple that falls upward]], and those eggplants, and the [[EverythingTryingToKillYou spike pit that stands up and starts chasing you through the level]].
* When you infiltrate the Lotus Assassins' fortress in ''Videogame/JadeEmpire'', your supervisor, Master Gang, expects you to help him replace his superior Master Shin by this means. Another of Gang's acolytes points out that "if one vacancy would raise us all, ''two'' vacancies would raise us even farther." This sequence also highlights the flaw in this system, as Grand Inquisitor Jia and the Master Executioner complain about how the infighting between Shin and Gang is getting in the way of actually getting the golem army running on schedule. It's also limited by the requirement that the "replaced" Master has to have been failing in their duties, or at least has to ''look'' incompetent when the superiors see what's going on.
* In ''VideoGame/JaggedAlliance 2'', an example done by good guys, out of the five Santos brothers, Manny, the youngest one is a failure and does not own his own bar, instead he is working in someone else's bar. However, it just happen that his employer is a wanted international terrorist, so you can kill him for cash. Once you have done so, Manny will become the new bartender.
* ''VideoGame/{{Killer7}}'': Minor characters Shinya Akiba and Hiroyasu Kurahashi rose in prominence through this. When nuclear missiles threaten to destroy Japan, they order the new leader of the U.N. Party, Kenjiro Matsuoka, to kill himself while revealing this truth. After continually mocking Matsuoka, they are promptly shot by him, only for [[BigBad Kun Lan]] to appear and revive the two as sentient Heaven Smile/zombie hybrids, while also giving Matsuoka the confidence he needs to be a great leader.
* In ''VideoGame/KultHereticKingdoms'':
** A civil war in the [[ThievesGuild criminal underworld]] of Kyallisar started when someone tried this.
--->'''Sharok:''' I've fallen out with my old master — a slight difference of opinion.\\
'''Alita:''' What did you disagree on?\\
'''Sharok:''' Gozen thinks he should remain thief master of Kyallisar — I think it should be me.
** Gozen himself encourages this kind of promotion with his own bodyguard, having a standing policy that anyone who can kill the current bodyguard gets the job. Sharok comes up with the idea of using this to assassinate Gozen — challenge and defeat the bodyguard openly, then kill Gozen himself once there's no protector. Gozen isn't actually dumb enough to have overlooked that, however.
* ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends''
** This method of career advancement is not uncommon in [[SocialDarwinist Noxus]], but none exemplify it better than Darius. He was just a common soldier until his captain ordered a retreat during a crucial battle against their sworn enemies, Demacia. Darius responded to this by lopping off his captain's head and leading the remaining army to victory. He then proceeded to enforce this upon Noxus by killing a large number of nobles he considered too weak to have the right to their positions.
** Gangplank murdered his own father on his eighteenth birthday, seizing their pirate ship for his own. His father had never been more proud of him.
* In ''VideoGame/MadWorld'', you ascend the ranks of the gladiator game by killing those above you. Unlike ''No More Heroes'', you don't need to be directly below their rank to gain it. Which is just as well, since you start out ranked 256th. Thankfully, killing the very first boss cuts that nearly in half, putting you at rank 198. Unfortunately, subsequent bosses ranks are much closer to each other, so you don't climb the ladder nearly so quickly after that.
* In ''VideoGame/MakaiKingdom'', Klingon Promotion also seems to be the standard method of Overlord succession in the Creator/{{Nippon Ichi}}verse. Even humans who kill a strong enough Demon Overlord (or enough) will become one. And if a Demon Overlord were to kill enough other Demon Overlords; they would become [[EldritchAbomination something... else.]]
* As the ProudWarriorRace of the setting, it's unsurprising that krogans in ''Franchise/MassEffect'' practice this. In ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' you can talk to the [[KlingonScientistsGetNoRespect krogan scientist]] in the Clan Urdnot camp to find out that he got his position by stabbing the former head scientist to death. It's never made clear if Wrex became head of the clan via this method, but given that he tells you he killed his father it seems likely.
* In ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater'', Naked Snake (Big Boss) inherits the title of 'Boss' by killing The Boss.
* ''VideoGame/MiddleEarthShadowOfMordor'': This game deals with [[AlwaysChaoticEvil classic stereotypical orcs]]. Of COURSE you're going to see this on a regular weekly basis. Can work for or against you -- in order to benefit from this trope, you need to look for opportunities to defeat enemy warchiefs whose lieutenants are under your command, while defending warchiefs whose aspiring lieutenants are not under your command. Having lieutenants under your control is vital to this process.
* In ''VideoGame/MitsumeteKnight R: Daibouken Hen'', a [[NewGamePlus second playthrough of the game]] reveals this is part of the {{Backstory}} of [[spoiler: no less than TheHero, Christopher [=MacLeod=]: in order [[RightUnderTheirNoses to infiltrate]] [[TheEmpire Orcadia Empire]], so he can strike at the right moment to achieve his {{Revenge}} and destroy it, he climbed to the prestigious rank of Captain of the Imperial Guard's Knights part through his own abilities, part through underhand tactics such as assassinating or permanently crippling higher-ranked people and potential replacement for them.]]
* This is basically ''the entire premise'' of ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes''. [[ToBeAMaster Wanna be the #1 assassin in America?]] Then just go kill the current #1, as well as any other assassins ranked ahead of you.
* ''Plain Sight'' is a game about Suicidal Ninja Robots IN SPACE murdering each other for energy. The fastest way of getting said energy? Go for the big, glowy ninja robot and kill him, gaining all of his energy!
* ''VideoGame/ShovelKnight'': This is the reason Baz challenges you to a fight; he thinks that if he kills you then he will become a knight himself. The ''Plague of Shadows'' DLC reveals that he thinks ''everything'' works this way; for example, killing a scientist (Plague Knight) will make ''him'' a scientist instead.
* Prior to ''[[VideoGame/SoulSeries Soulcalibur V]]'', [[LegacyCharacter Yoshimitsu the Second]] defeated and killed the original Yoshimitsu to take the latter's title and become the new leader of the Manji Clan. This was a necessary evil; the Yoshimitsu blade that is used as proof of leadership for the Manji ninja only recognizes one Yoshimitsu at a time and, being [[EvilWeapon a cursed weapon]] that is used for good, can only be quelled and not harm its user if the former Yoshimitsu is slain and has their name taken by the newly-christened successor. Also, the original Yoshimitsu was both [[DentedIron past his prime]] and fatally wounded by Cervantes between games, so he needed to test his intended inheritor to see if they were worthy of [[TakeUpMySword accepting the mantle]].
* ''VideoGame/StarCraftIILegacyOfTheVoid'': Between the Tal'darim, a fanatical protoss faction, it's possible for one to climb the hierarchy by challenging and defeating a higher-ranking individual. These duels, known as Rak'shir, involve the two protoss trying to push each other into a {{Lava Pit}}, in a combat that may take hours, and are watched by thousands of Tal'darim as source of entertainment. In an interesting twist, the followers of the two duelists are allowed to psychically support their leader, so it doesn't just come down to a contest of raw strength, but also a contest of who can get more Protoss to follow them.
** This also comes with a bit of LoopholeAbuse in that you don't have to actually fight the Rak'shir duel yourself to rank up -- so long as someone above you dies, you rise in rank, even if you weren't the one throwing down the gauntlet. [[ManipulativeBastard Alarak]] exploited this in the fluff to jump to First Ascendant ([[TheDragon the position directly under the Tal'darim leader, the Highlord]]) by setting up a Rak'shir duel between the previous First Ascendant and the Highlord where everyone above him in rank got killed.
* ''VideoGame/StarTrekOnline'':
** With the ''Legacy of Romulus'' expansion's revamp of the Klingon campaign, you challenge your ship's captain to a duel after he tries to turn over a newly captured prisoner to TheFederation. Notably, this is right after you were Klingon Promoted from second officer to first officer after the first officer challenged the captain on the same grounds and ''lost'' (you later find out that she didn't even get to properly fight. The captain stabbed her in the back while they were preparing for the duel). The Klingon high command considers this highly irregular (only the first officer is allowed to challenge the captain and your promotion wasn't official yet) and requires you to win a ground duel later as a formality.
** In the Federation tutorial:
*** The original tutorial had the Starfleet PlayerCharacter advance to acting captain of their starting ''Miranda''-class because everyone aboard senior to them got killed by the Borg. Overlaps with YouAreInCommandNow.
*** Season 8 and the revamp of the Federation tutorial stage kinda-sorta does this for the Federation player: the captain of your ship is kidnapped by boarding Klingons and he tells the player to lock onto his commbadge and blow the cloaking Bird of Prey sky high. As you're pretty much the next highest-ranking officer (as part of a group of recently-graduated cadets), you're now the captain. To play this even further, play the tutorial as a Federation-allied Klingon.
** The entire story of Chancellor J'mpok is this. In the backstory, J'mpok is furious at Martok's more peaceful attitude and confronts him behind closed doors. It isn't known what happened, but when they were done, Martok was dead and J'mpok was now Chancellor. When Martok is later revealed alive, he confirms there was a fight and what J'mpok did was fair and legal from their terms and he had no desire to become Chancellor again. When J'mpok [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope went off the deep end]], J'ula of House Mo'kai confronted him after going through a HeelFaceTurn and killed him, though like Worf, she passed leadership over to L'Rell II.
* ''VideoGame/StarTrekKlingonAcademy'' deals with the potential consequences of this: The Klingon Empire circa the sixth movie was having a decline in quality commanders because people who were skilled in dueling but not in running a starship kept ending up in senior positions through this trope, so General Chang created a command school to train junior officers in shiphandling.
* ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'': ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'':
** Darth Malak tried to pull this off in the backstory by killing his master Darth Revan. [[NotQuiteDead It doesn't work as well as he had planned.]] He mentions when you meet him that his power base is weaker than it would otherwise be because he didn't do it ''right''. The intention is to dispose of your master in a duel or through some clever plan to demonstrate that you're better suited to lead, while Malak just waited until Revan was distracted with something important he had nothing to with arranging and blasted him. A method which if followed consistently, would result in Sith Lords being unable to ever do ''anything'' because their apprentice would betray them the moment they looked away.
** The Dark Side ending has you show Malak how a Sith Promotion is done properly. [[spoiler:With a side of revenge for kicking you out to begin with.]]
** The sequel reveals that Revan defeated the Mandalorians by exploiting this. Any Mandalorian could become the new Mandalore by dueling the current one and claiming his helmet, and if he was defeated in another fashion leadership went to whoever could claim the helmet and keep it. Revan found out about this and killed Mandalore in a duel at the height of the final battle. This didn't make him Mandalore, but it did remove their ability to rise again under a new leader because he ''stole the helmet and hid it''.
* Happens early on in ''VideoGame/SymphonyOfWar''. [[spoiler:After the Chancellor kills the Empress and pins the crime on the protagonist, he eventually takes control of the Empire.]]
* Parodied in the ''Franchise/TouhouProject'' game ''VideoGame/TouhouKoumakyouTheEmbodimentOfScarletDevil'', when Marisa asks Sakuya if she can become chief maid by killing her. The answer is no.
* ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}}'':
** While this is not standard in orc society, Orgrim Doomhammer becomes warchief of TheHorde by killing Blackhand, after finding out that not only is Blackhand just a puppet of the Shadow Council, but that Blackhand was involved in the death of Orgrim's best friend Durotan (Thrall's father). In fact, Blackhand's own sons carried out the assassination of Durotan and his mate.
** ''World of Warcraft'' eventually introduced the Mak'gora, a ritual duel practiced by orc and ogre clans. Traditionally to the death or submission, it was often used to determine leadership for a group.
** Also from ''World of Warcraft'', the Twilight's Hammer Cult ''thinks'' the player is doing this to rise to a high position in the cult on the fast track in one questline in Mount Hyjal. [[spoiler:What the player is actually doing is trying to get into a position where they can rescue a certain high-value prisoner who is due to be sacrificed in one of the cult's rituals soon.]]
* ''VideoGame/WildStar'': Then Emperor Azrion assimilated the Draken into [[TheEmpire the Dominion]] by killing High Clanlord Zhur in one-on-one combat. It's also implied to be the traditional means of promotion within said [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy alien]] [[PlanetOfHats species.]]
* In ''VideoGame/TheWorldEndsWithYou'', the only way to become the [[PhysicalGod Composer]] is to kill the current Composer.
* ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles'':
** At the end of ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles2TornaTheGoldenCountry'', it's revealed that Amalthus didn't become Praetor through noble means, [[spoiler:slipping a poison into Praetor Rhadallis' wine and causing him to collapse over dead]].
** In ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles3'', Q reveals during Alexandria's Ascension Quest that [[spoiler:Alexandria had poisoned the old Commander of Colony Iota and usurped the position from him, because she recognized that his leadership methods were causing Colony Iota to be on the verge of total collapse]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* ''Series/{{Angel}}'':
** Lilah Morgan does this to her boss in the premiere episode of Season 4. With the permission of the Senior Partners, of course.
--->'''Linwood:''' This is outrageous! Are you actually telling me that you went over my head?\\
''[Lilah touches her palm-pilot; a blade whips out of the backrest on Linwood's chair [[OffWithHisHead slicing quickly and neatly through his neck]]]''\\
'''Lilah:''' [[BondOneLiner Just under it, actually.]]
** Wesley became Illyria's de facto consort after shooting the first one.
* In a late Season Two episode of ''Series/BabylonFive'', Vir and Londo receive a prophecy that both of them will become Emperor of the Centauri at some point in the future, with one of them being the other's successor. At the end of the episode, they're each visibly wondering if the other is going to kill him for the title. [[spoiler:In the following season, it is revealed that Vir takes the throne after Londo's assisted suicide.]]
** In another example, both of them follow the reign of the mad Emperor Cartagia, who died at [[spoiler:Vir's hand as a result of Londo's plotting.]]
* ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|2003}}'': [[spoiler: Zarak, believing Adama has been derelict in his duties by becoming too close to the rebel Cylons, leads a mutiny to give himself a Klingon Promotion. It doesn't end well for Zarak, as he and poor Mr. Gaeta who'd been trying to keep everyone alive ends up in front of a firing squad.]]
* Deconstructed when ''Series/{{Blackadder}}''[='s=] cousin [[ViolentGlaswegian MacAdder]] announces he'll kill the Prince Regent and take his place. Blackadder points out he'd simply be arrested for regicide.
* Defied in ''Series/BreakingBad'', when Mike warns Walt, after the latter has arranged the murder of drug lord Gustavo Fring, that "Just because you killed UsefulNotes/JesseJames, don't make you Jesse James." He is, in the end, right. After taking over Gus' meth operation, Walt's drug profits take a huge nosedive, and it's not long at all before [[spoiler:Walt has alienated or murdered most of his co-conspirators (including Mike himself), and Hank and the DEA catch up with him and force him to go on the run]].
* In ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', Faith kills [[TheDragon Mr Trick]], and then goes directly to [[BigBad the mayor]] to point out he now has "a job opening".
* This trope is an inherent rule of the ''Series/{{Carnivale}}'' universe. One of the rules of being an [[TheChosenOne Avatar]] (no, [[WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender not that one]]; [[Film/{{Avatar}} or that one]]) is that one generation's Avatar can only [[PassingTheTorch claim the full measure of his power]] after personally murdering the previous generation's Avatar--even though an Avatar frequently serves as TheMentor to his successor, and [[{{Patricide}} an Avatar's successor may be his own son]]. Interestingly, a generation's [[MessianicArchetype Avatar of Light]] is just as subject to this rule as his generation's [[DarkMessiah Avatar of Darkness]], reinforcing that LightIsNotGood.
* ''Series/DoctorWho'' uses this a few times.
** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS7E2DoctorWhoAndTheSilurians "Doctor Who and the Silurians"]]: The Leading Elder Silurian is killed by the Young Silurian, who becomes Leader, apparently with no opposition among the rest.
** The Fifth Doctor becomes President of Gallifrey by default at the end of [[Recap/DoctorWho20thASTheFiveDoctors "The Five Doctors"]] when Borusa's quest for immortality isn't what anyone (except the First Doctor) thought it would be. Of course, [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere the Doctor runs off in his TARDIS... again]].
** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS26E2GhostLight "Ghost Light"]]: The not-very-bright initial alien villain Josiah assumes that killing Queen Victoria will automatically make him ruler of the British Empire.
** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E17E18TheEndOfTime "The End of Time"]]: The Master invokes this, pointing out that if the Doctor kills PresidentEvil Rassilon he could lead the Time Lords.
* Invoked in an episode of ''Series/{{Farscape}}'' by Zhaan in an effort to stop an aggressive alien from attacking Moya.
* ''Series/{{Firefly}}'': Heavily implied in the episode "Safe":
-->'''The Patron:''' ''[in a calm, kindly voice]'' You're not a witch, are you? I'm the patron here. Do you know what that means?\\
'''[[WaifProphet River]]:''' Yes. You're in charge. Ever since the old patron died.\\
'''The Patron:''' That's right.\\
'''River:''' He was sick. And he was getting better. You were alone in the room with him-- ''[cue BurnTheWitch]''
* In an episode of the short-lived ''Series/{{Flash Gordon|2007}}'' TV series, [[MagnificentBastard Ming]] forces Flash and Barin to fight to the death for Princess Aura. Barin easily beats Flash (Flash isn't much of a fighter) but then turns around and throws the poisoned weapon at Ming. Ming falls over and is presumed dead. Both combatants are imprisoned, but Aura (who is currently in charge) lets them go and reveals that she had replaced the poison with a sedative that temporarily mimics death, so Ming will soon wake up. After Ming comes to, he's disappointed that Aura hasn't followed this trope, claiming she's unworthy to be a leader. In the last episode before the series cancellation, Aura and [[spoiler:her brother]] have captured Ming, and he's being led to a gas chamber to be executed. As he speaks with his daughter for the last time, Aura (with tears in her eyes) tells him that it's necessary. Ming's last words? He tells her he can finally be proud of her. [[spoiler:He doesn't die]].
* ''Series/GameOfThrones'':
** Daario Naharis kills his captains Mero and Prendahl to take control of the Second Sons.
** House Bolton, House Frey, and [[spoiler: House Tarly]] betray their liege lords to seize their former titles.
* ''Series/MacGyver1985'': Anyone who screws up their duties in the highly competitive and murderous assassin's guild of H.I.T. (Homicide International Trust) is subject to be killed by someone more adept at doing their job then they were.
* Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse:
** Attempted in ''Series/LukeCage2016''. After Shades becomes a liability by questioning him a few times too many, Willis "Diamondback" Stryker decides to have him removed. So he promises Zip an opening in his gang, which he will fulfill by killing Shades. Diamondback then has Shades bailed out of police custody. Zip and two of Diamondback's new hires pick up Shades and haul him into a freight elevator, at which point [[TooDumbToLive Zip decides to try strangling Shades while his two henchmen stand by and do nothing]]. Shades manages to grab a gun, kills both of Zip's men, and then Zip after getting him to confess to acting on Diamondback's orders.
** ''Series/TheDefenders2017'': After sending Elektra off ostensibly to kill Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, and the Devil of Hell's Kitchen (whoever he is), Alexandra is reminding Madame Gao, Bakuto and Murakami that she's kept the Hand's most important operation running while they were so busy infighting among each other...until she's cut off mid-sentence by Elektra abruptly impaling her from behind with one of her sais.
--->'''Elektra Natchios:''' His name is Matthew. \\
''[pulls her sai out of Alexandra's back, letting her body fall to the floor]''\\
'''Elektra Natchios:''' And my name... is Elektra Natchios. [[TyrantTakesTheHelm You work for me now.]]\\
''[She swiftly decapitates Alexandra's corpse with her remaining katana, then looks up to face the remaining Fingers]''\\
'''Elektra Natchios:''' Any questions?
* In ''Series/TheMandalorian'' whoever wields the Darksaber has the right to rule Mandalore. Defeating the current owner in a duel confers ownership of the weapon but there doesn't seem to be any requirement that the original owner needs to die. Though there is no rule against it either.
* ''Series/MurderInTheFirst'': Sugar Cascade's second in command tries to take control of his gang this way.
* Used for a comedic effect in Disney's ''Series/PairOfKings''. Cousin Lannie would have become king of the island nation of Kinkou, had not the eponymous brother kings have been found. He keeps trying to set up their deaths (or sometimes just abdication) so he can advance to king. Once, he succeeded by making it so they were going back to Chicago, but they came back and were re-instated (ItMakesSenseInContext).
* Non-lethally subverted, by the ''heroes'', no less, in ''Series/PowerRangersSPD'': The season's Rangers are the "B-Squad" of the eponymous galactic police force, and after they defeat and capture [[spoiler:the "A-Squad", who were thought missing in action [[FaceHeelTurn but had actually switched sides offscreen]] to work for the BigBad]], their commander offers the entire team promotion to "A-Squad". [[spoiler: They decline.]]
* ''Series/RedDwarf'''s episode "[[Recap/RedDwarfSeasonVHoloship Holoship]]" had this; the eponymous vessel had a full complement, and the only way for Rimmer to join is "dead man's boots" by defeating another crew member in intellectual combat. [[spoiler: His opponent had fallen in love with him and she resigned from the combat to give him his dream, effectively committing suicide. When he found out, he promptly resigned from the ship and returned to Red Dwarf to bring her back to life.]]
* In ''Series/{{Smallville}}'', ComicBook/LexLuthor finally goes from AntiVillain to BigBad by throwing [[spoiler: his father]] out a window.
** Interestingly, the AlternateUniverse version of Lionel Luthor expresses disappointment that his adopted son, Clark, has ''not'' done this to him.
* [[spoiler: How Clay became President in]] ''Series/SonsOfAnarchy''.
* ''Franchise/{{Stargate|Verse}}'':
** ''Series/StargateSG1''
*** The series has the rite of ''joma secu'', where a Jaffa commander can be challenged by another Jaffa to a duel to the death. The victor gets the commander's position. First seen in "The Warrior".
*** In "Bounty", SG-1 points out to BountyHunter Odai Ventrell that Netan's position as leader of the Lucian Alliance is tenuous at best and that if somebody managed to kill him they could probably take over the entire organization. Three guesses what Ventrell does next. Of course, Ventrell is never seen again after last seen pointing his gun at Netan. When we see the Lucian Alliance in ''Series/StargateUniverse'', there is another member of the Alliance played by the same actor with no relation to Ventrell.
** In ''Series/StargateAtlantis'', Major John Sheppard became the military leader of the Atlantis expedition by shooting his immediate superior, Colonel Sumner. However, Sheppard wasn't looking for a promotion; he shot Colonel Sumner as a MercyKill since he was being fed on by a Wraith Queen and was almost dead anyway.
** This is how Wraith promotions work. So, in "The Queen", when [[spoiler:the Wraith "Todd" kills the Primary Queen and gives the credit to Teyla, who's currently disguised as a lower-ranking Wraith queen, Teyla becomes the new Primary. This allows Todd to take over the entire hive by giving orders on behalf of his "reclusive" queen who doesn't actually exist.]] It's limited in that this only works for Queens. A male can't take a Queen's place by killing her, especially since they'd lose their reproductive line.
* ''Franchise/StarTrek'':
** ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'':
*** [[OlderThanTheyThink This actually started]] for the franchise with the MirrorUniverse episode "[[Recap/StarTrekS2E4MirrorMirror Mirror, Mirror]]". Chekov is planning to kill Kirk for treason (because he balked at destroying a helpless planet's cities, as per standard procedure), and he mentions everyone else would advance in rank. It's later mentioned that the mirror Kirk killed Pike to get the captaincy.
*** Mirror-Spock specifically mentions that he doesn't want to become captain of the ''Enterprise'' over Kirk's body, as Mirror-Kirk has many friends in the fleet, and Spock's command (and life) would be extremely short. He does, however, state that he will kill Kirk if he fails to take decisive action against the Halkans, but only because these are his orders from Starfleet Command.
*** Mirror-Spock also cautions Sulu, who rightfully points out that the order would fall on him next should Spock fail to carry out his orders. Mirror-Spock's operatives [[ThreatBackfire would certainly avenge his death]]. "[[GoThroughMe And some of them are Vulcans]]." Klingon promotion is definitely not as simple as it sounds.
*** This actually happens very briefly in the episode "Amok Time", though not on purpose. We are led to believe that Spock has killed Kirk, and [=McCoy=] tells him that, as strange as it seems, he's in command now. Of course, Spock doesn't ''want'' to be the captain, and is planning to hand over command to Scotty and turn himself in to the authorities until he finds out Kirk is alive after all.
** ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' is the Trope Namer and has many examples among the Klingons.
*** In the episode "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS4E7Reunion Reunion]]," the current Chancellor is poisoned, and Picard must help investigate the murder as well as ceremonially choose the successor to the High Council. The whole reason there's controversy in the Klingons' eyes is that the Chancellor's killer used a cowardly method like poison, instead of fighting him in a duel.
*** In the TNG episode "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS2E8AMatterOfHonor A Matter of Honor]]," where Riker serves aboard a Klingon ship in an officer exchange program, the subject of Klingon Promotion comes up; it's the accepted way to remove a captain who is unsuitable for command. Later, when the Klingon captain's misunderstanding threatens the ''Enterprise'', Riker finds a way to exploit this rule, though in a rather more humane and less bloody manner. [[spoiler:He contrives a way to get the captain transported off the ship, then engages in a standoff so they can force the ''Enterprise'' to "surrender" and stop the hostilities. When the captain is beamed back, Riker [[MyFistForgivesYou takes a punch from him to let them save face]], getting the crew's respect for understanding Klingon proprieties.]]
---->'''Riker:''' Let me get this straight: as first officer, one of my duties is to ''assassinate'' the captain?
*** In a case of EarlyInstallmentWeirdness, in the episode "Skin of Evil", Worf actually ''bristles'' at the idea of being made head of security when Armus kills Tasha Yar. [[AlternativeCharacterInterpretation However, this may have been because he honestly felt she was more qualified for the position]], not to mention being a friend that he genuinely respected.
** ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'':
*** In the episode "Tacking into the Wind," the new Chancellor from TNG "Reunion," Gowron, is screwing things up during the Dominion War, mismanaging the Klingon battle efforts due to his jealousy of the glory that General Martok is gathering on the battlefield. [[ChallengingTheChief Worf decides to challenge Gowron.]] [[spoiler:He wins and becomes the next Chancellor, but almost immediately passes the torch to his friend and mentor, General Martok.]]
*** In "Soldiers of the Empire", Dax explains the intricacies after hearing O'Brien and Bashir talk about the trope, canonizing the caveats previously established in the Expanded Universe. Only a direct subordinate can make the challenge, and only after a severe infraction (cowardice, extreme failure, dereliction of duty). In the same episode, Worf challenges Martok for fleeing the Jem'hadar. It's a ploy not unlike Riker's, as Martok had been badly affected by his experience as a Dominion prisoner--being challenged and defeating Worf restores Martok's fighting spirit and that of the demoralized crew. Once he realizes that [[CruelToBeKind Worf was trying to help him]], Martok declares him a sworn brother of his House.
*** Ferengi society really frowns on taking power this way, as shown in one episode. Quark is made leader of the Ferengi, and the last leader's son tries to take power this way. The capitalistic Ferengi, who would have respected him if he undermined Quark's power-base and accumulated all the real power behind the scenes (becoming TheManBehindTheMan), just call him an idiot for thinking it would work. [[spoiler:The whole thing is a setup, as the previous leader is still alive, having faked his death to test his son's worthiness to be his real successor. Needless to say, his son fails.]] Interestingly, Quark is impressed by Rom's ruthlessness (he helps Zek's son), even commenting that their father would have approved. [[spoiler:Zek seems to be impressed as well... which is why he names Rom the new leader when he retires.]]
*** Quark managed to end up the head of a Klingon House when the former leader accidentally died while drinking in Quark's bar, and in his attempts to not get knifed, he had to play up the idea that he accomplished this.
** ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'':
*** In the episode "Coda", [[TheCaptain Janeway]] jokes that [[NumberTwo Chakotay]] could try WilliamTelling with a phaser as a talent demonstration.
---->'''Chakotay:''' Sounds great! If I miss, I get to be Captain.
*** In another episode, a Kazon boy wishes to become a man by killing Chakotay. He fails. He then explains that killing a person is the rite of passage for the Kazon. Apparently, killing a clansman is also acceptable in some cases. At the end of the episode, instead of killing Chakotay (who hopes that the Doctor can make him better), he turns the weapon onto his maj (clan leader). Before the maj's NumberTwo can execute him, the boy swears loyalty to him as the new maj. After a few seconds, the new maj accepts.
** The ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise'' Mirror Universe episode has Mirror!Archer deposing Mirror!Forrest, who is the captain of the ISS ''Enterprise'', then assassinating Admiral Black. [[spoiler:Subsequently, Mirror!Hoshi poisons him, and not only moves on to Captain but also takes the recovered Prime-Universe's 23rd century ''Defiant'' and uses it to declare herself the new Terran Empress. Talk about a promotion...]]
** In ''Series/StarTrekDiscovery'', Mirror!Connor attempts to kill Michael Burnham, who is pretending to be her Mirror Universe double, hoping that this would prevent her taking back the ISS ''Shenzhou'' and will finally get the crew to respect him. Despite him getting the drop on her, Burnham manages to kill him, which only serves to solidify her status in the eyes of the crew. And, of course, there's [[spoiler:Lorca trying to kill Emperor Phillipa Georgiou to claim the Terran throne]].
* On ''Series/TeenWolf'', the most common way for a Beta or Omega werewolf to ascend to the status of Alpha is to kill an existing Alpha.
* ''Series/ToddAndTheBookOfPureEvil'': In the season 1 finale, [[spoiler: Atticus, having [[VillainousBreakdown snapped]], kills his father [[BigBad the Hooded Leader]] and seizes control of the [[{{Cult}} Satanic Society]] by force]]. He then spends most of season 2 proving just how [[BigBadWannabe inadequate]] he is at the position he now has.
* Diana pulls this off twice near the end of the second ''Series/{{V 1983}}'' miniseries, killing both Pamela and John within a day to usurp control of the alien fleet. What makes it stand out in particular is that she's clearly breaking protocol -- while intrigue and political scheming is expected among the Visitors' higher ranks, flat-out murdering superiors in cold blood is not. Neither target even saw it coming.
* In ''Series/TheWestWing'' episode "[[LiesDamnedLiesAndStatistics Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics]]", it becomes necessary for political reasons to remove the ambassador to Bulgaria (he's having an affair with the Prime Minister's daughter). To remove him requires a sequence in which the ambassador to the Federated States of Micronesia is promoted to be ambassador to Paraguay, so that the ambassador to Paraguay can be promoted to be the ambassador to Bulgaria, easing out the troublemaker. President Bartlett is quite keen on the plan because, as he comments, "Hey, I like this. Of course, if everybody keeps moving up one, then I get to go home."
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Mythology and Religion]]

A common subtrope is the ChallengingTheChief trope where the role of boss goes to whoever's the biggest badass, who can kill or defeat any other badass in ritual combat.

If someone did it by killing the former leader stealthily and impersonating them, this is KillAndReplace.

!!Examples:

[[folder:Film — Animated]]
* Disney's ''WesternAnimation/AladdinAndTheKingOfThieves''. The third movie features the Forty Thieves (as in [[Literature/AliBabaAndTheFortyThieves "Ali Baba and ..."]]) and Aladdin causes the death of one in self-defense. He's sure the others are about to butcher him when they say it can only mean one thing. The One Thing is that he's now a member, unless someone kills ''him'', which ''they'll'' be more than happy to do if he doesn't measure up. (If that's not bad enough, the former holder of his position is NotQuiteDead, and wants it back. That can only happen one way.)

[[folder:Film — Live-Action]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* In E.E. "Doc" Smith's Lensman novels, Boskonian culture works this way. When Kim Kinnison poses as a senior Boskonian officer in order to work his way to the top and undermine Boskonia from within in ''Second Stage Lensmen'', he has few problems playing this trope straight since the people he has to kill to do it are his enemies anyway.
** Subverted on two occasions, in which he either has his superior court-martialled and himself promoted to the position instead of doing the deed himself, or pulls favours from the man he would otherwise have killed in order to win a side-transfer and progress his true goal more effectively.
* In David Anthony Durham's novel ''Acacia'', the people of the Mien have a tradition of dueling to become chieftain instead of the chieftain, but this is never used as a plot point.
* In the Creator/DaleBrown novel ''Air Battle Force'', [[spoiler: Ozarov]] kills the Taliban leader Zarazi and briefly takes over. When Zarazi's deputy Turabi kills the usurper, the leadership falls into his hands. Also, [[spoiler: Grzylov]] stages the killing and disappearance of Russian president Sen'kov and his succession line.
* Inverted in ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'', where becoming captain of the Helmacrons involves the new leader being executed- dead leaders don't make mistakes, but live leaders can.
* ''Literature/ArtemisFowl'': In ''The Arctic Incident'', our heroes are saved by a group of goblin gangsters pulling this [[TooDumbToLive during a combat mission]].
* Tharkian society works something like this in the ''Literature/{{Barsoom}}'' novels. If you kill someone of higher rank than you in single combat, you get to take their rank, their stuff, and their name. Downplayed at the highest levels; the jeds and the jeddak don't have to face challengers unless their entire circle of subordinates votes that they are unfit and must prove their right to continue to rule by defeating the challenger.
* In Creator/PaulFeval's ''Literature/TheBlackCoats'' this is the family tradition of the Colonel's family. [[spoiler: Julian does succeed at this over his father]].
* ''Literature/TheBlackWitchChronicles'': It is implied that BigBad Marcus Vogel murdered the previous Gardnerian High Mage before his term was up to take the position sooner, having already amassed enough support to make his election to the position a certainty.
* In the Merlin cycle of Creator/RogerZelazny's ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfAmber'' series, Merlin's mother "arranges" to have everyone whose place in the line of succession was closer than Merlin's end up dead so she could become [[TheManBehindTheMan shadow ruler.]] Not a direct example, but definitely in the spirit of the Klingon Promotion. [[spoiler:Of course, by the time Merlin becomes King of Chaos, he's no longer under her control.]]
* Franchise/ConanTheBarbarian ultimately becomes King of Aquilonia this way, through leading a popular rebellion against its previous king Numedides.
** In "Literature/IronShadowsInTheMoon", Conan kills a Red Brotherhood pirate captain in a duel, which according to their rules makes him their leader. Amusingly, [[LoopholeAbuse several of them question if this is actually the case]], since Conan is ''not'' one of the Red Brotherhood and thus does not necessarily get the benefit of their laws. This leads them to argue among themselves and even go so far as to capture Conan so they can decide whether to kill him or accept him as their leader. They're pretty quick to accept him, however, when they get attacked by the titular Iron Shadows.
** In "Literature/AWitchShallBeBorn", Conan is rescued from crucifixion by a band of desert outlaws. He then spends the next year winning the loyalty of the outlaws until it gets to the point where he can remove their leader and assume that title himself.
* In the ''Literature/{{Deryni}}'' works, Wencit comes to the Torenthi throne by overthrowing and killing his nephew Aldred II [[spoiler: with the aid of his nephew's wife, Charissa, Duchess of Tolan in her own right and Festilic Pretender to the throne of Gwynedd]].
* This was endemic in ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'', particularly in the earlier books:
** Because the number of people who can hold any rank in the Unseen University was fixed by tradition, nobody could be promoted unless a slot above them opened up through the death or promotion of a more senior wizard. As a result, creating an open slot by killing a higher-ranking wizard was the preferred means of promotion (via the "Dead Man's Pointy Shoes" rule). The catch, however, is that wizards usually have so many magic wards that they can take a full-on thaumonuclear explosion to the face, forcing them to resort to more practical means, making daily UU living for high-ranking wizards an exercise in forensics.\\
\\
This came to an end, however, when Mustrum Ridcully became Archchancellor and proved [[MadeOfIron nigh unkillable]]; and, Wizards being creatures of laziness, they soon came to realize a less competitive work environment is rather enjoyable. Added to this, now the senior faculty are all settled and long-standing members, they've probably realized in the old days each one of them would be a target for an up-and-comer; therefore it is in their best interests to act as a group now. It probably helps that a generation's worth of ambitious wizards killed each other off in ''Sourcery''; the faculty originally brought Ridcully in to lead them because nobody was left who wanted the job.
** There is also a persistent rumor that if a student Assassin manages to inhume one of his teachers, he will be graduated to full member of the Assassin's Guild on the spot. But since it is ''definitely'' known that trying to inhume one of the teachers and ''failing'' will get the student expelled not only from the guild but from life as well, no actual attempts have occurred during any of the books.
** Also, Vetinari (maybe), although in his case he replaced '''the replacement''' of the Patrician he assassinated.
** For that matter, back when Ankh-Morpork still had kings, there were [[HighTurnoverRate a number of monarchs with very brief reigns]]. The record was King Loyala the [[KilledMidSentence Aargh]], who ruled for all of 1.4 seconds before being killed by his successor.
** Way back in the first book, the Thieves' Guild apparently worked like this, since the leader's NumberTwo apparently lost an eye to the leader's pet ravens. The narration then tells us the leader is fine with this, never begrudging a man his ambitions.
* Deconstructed with the minotaurs of ''Literature/{{Dragonlance}}''. The accepted way to become the minotaur emperor is to defeat the previous emperor in a duel. However, an Imperial Duel is an ''incredibly'' formalized affair, the incumbent emperor can ignore challenges if he wants to (though doing this too often/ignoring a challenger with a strong enough reputation will quickly earn an emperor a reputation for cowardice and/or corruption, not a good thing for the leader of a ProudWarriorRace to have) and if the emperor is killed ''outside'' of an Imperial Duel, that's assassination and isn't well-regarded. Doesn't hurt that the emperor's main job is to be a sterling example of minotaur values for the people to look up to and be inspired by -- though he sets policy in a broad sense, most of the day-to-day running of the empire is carried out by the bureaucracy.
* The ''Franchise/{{Dune}}'' universe:
** In ''Literature/{{Dune}}'' when it comes time for [[MessianicArchetype Paul]] to unite the Fremen tribes, he must first be recognized as the leader of the tribe he's been adopted by. But the Fremen traditionally determine leadership via DuelToTheDeath, so to take command he would have to kill his father-in-law, friend, and valuable general Stilgar. Paul refuses to fight, stating that it would be a waste of a good future lieutenant. He [[TakeAThirdOption takes a third option]] by having the tribes swear their allegiance to him as their ''Duke'' rather than as a tribal leader, thus he doesn't need to kill Stilgar ''and'' he has the locals endorsing his claim to being the rightful ruler of the planet within the framework of galactic politics.
** The Honored Matres are shown to work this way in ''Literature/ChapterhouseDune'' though without the ritual or rules that the Fremen had in their example.
* ''Literature/DungeonCrawlerCarl'': On the Scolopendra floors of the World Dungeon, there are NPC towns and villages, and killing the mayor results in becoming the new mayor. Even if the town guards were standing right there and watched you do it. [[spoiler:Carl becomes the mayor of a third-floor town, but unfortunately, he didn't know how the mechanics of it were supposed to work; it's only later that he discovers the loot box containing the emblem that he could have used to command the mayor's underlings.]]
* This is how the ''Literature/EmpireOfTheEast'' (in Fred Saberhagen's trilogy) keeps its various lords and satraps subservient to the Emperor, apparently; they are so busy competing with each other for their various positions that they never think of allying and overthrowing the Emperor himself. The Emperor tacitly approves of the practice, as several characters note; he will readily accept the service of a Lord who gains his position by disposing of his predecessor since the former occupant was obviously not worthy of the seat in the first place.
* In Jack Chalker's ''Literature/FourLordsOfTheDiamond'' series, the four planets of the Warden Diamond, as a dumping ground for all the sociopaths, criminals, scum, villainy, and political opponents that the interstellar human empire decided weren't worth killing (or mindwiping) use this method for their internal hierarchies. On the one planet where this is frowned on, it still happens if you can frame or con someone higher up the chain of command to make them look bad so they get jailed, demoted, or transferred for being stupid enough to fall for it.
* Literature/{{Gor}}:
** In ''Raiders of Gor'', Tarl Cabot kills a pirate named Surbus in a tavern brawl. At the (surprisingly considerate) request of Surbus's slave-girl, whom he had been about to kill, Tarl allows the dying man to see the sea with his last breath, which causes his loyal crew to acknowledge Tarl as their new captain.
** In ''Tribesmen of Gor'', our hero has made the desert march to the hellish salt-mines in Klima. Every man there is a salt slave, with the leader being one Tz'shal who advises the new arrivals that anyone who wishes to be first at Klima need only kill him. Of course, he who did so would then have to watch his own back, as well as inheriting not just the power over the salt-mine but also the responsibility.
* In ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix'' Hagrid describes how the gurg of the Giants who was sympathetic to their overtures of wanting giant allies in the fight against Voldemort was beheaded and replaced by a gurg backed by Death Eaters.
* It's mentioned in ''Literature/HoratioHornblower'' that while there are a handful of duels throughout the series, it's illegal for a junior to challenge an immediate superior to avoid this rather obvious problem.
* ''Literature/TheHungerGames'': In ''Mockingjay'', [[spoiler:Finnick reveals that President Snow used this trope to get control of the Capitol. He poisoned his rivals and superiors and then drank from the same glass (to ward off suspicion) before downing poorly-made antidotes. That's why he wears roses, to cover up the smell of his chronically bleeding gums.]]
* ''Literature/{{Hurog}}'': In ''Literature/DragonBones'', Ward's father gained the inherited title of Hurogmeten by killing his own father and disguising it as a hunting accident. He now fears that Ward, his first-born son, will in turn kill ''him'' to gain the title. Subverted with Ward, who is a GentleGiant and resorted to ObfuscatingStupidity to seem less of a danger to his father.
* According to Creator/RASalvatore writer of ''Literature/TheIcewindDaleTrilogy'', this murder-based hierarchy, from among Houses to ''within families'', is what keeps dark elves AlwaysChaoticEvil.
* The early Roman Empire is depicted this way in ''Literature/IClaudius'', albeit with the murders carried out by proxy rather than in person. Livia, after killing everyone higher up the line of succession, poisons UsefulNotes/{{Augustus}} so Tiberius can succeed him; UsefulNotes/{{Caligula}} succeeds by having Tiberius smothered; and at the end, Agrippina poisons Claudius to clear the way for UsefulNotes/{{Nero}}. The only Emperor who DOESN'T succeed this way is Claudius himself, who had nothing to do with Caligula's murder. (Historically, it's doubtful if Augustus and Tiberius were murdered or not, though Claudius probably was.)
* ''It All Started With Columbus'' proposes that Aaron Burr would have had a better shot at obtaining the presidency if he had shot UsefulNotes/ThomasJefferson instead of UsefulNotes/AlexanderHamilton, though "it would, however, have established a bad precedent for vice-presidents."
* In ''Literature/JonathanStrangeAndMrNorrell'', the Gentleman with Thistle-down Hair believes that once he and Steven kill the king of England, it will be a simple matter for Steven Black, a black manservant in 19th century England, to become king. This is often how things work in Faerie, and the Gentleman never really troubled to make a distinction between his opinion and reality.
** Comes back at the end of the book when Stephen [[spoiler: kills the Gentleman with Thistle-down Hair and inherits his Faerie kingdom.]]
* ''Literature/TheLaundryFiles'' has a few short stories that show this as the inevitable conclusion of working at the Laundry, a vast entity of the civil service that no one's allowed to leave (mainly because of [[CosmicHorrorStory their line of work]]). It's dead man's shoes all the way up, and some folks underneath take pains to vacate the shoes of the one above them...
* This is standard operating procedure among the Boskonian SpacePirates of the ''Literature/{{Lensman}}'' series, as their hierarchy is built on power and intimidation. If you can't keep your underlings from killing you and taking your job, you clearly weren't doing that well at it in the first place.
* Happens on the planet of Surebleak in the ''Literature/LiadenUniverse'' all the time. If you want to be in charge of a territory, you have to off the old boss.
* In ''Literature/TheMachineriesOfEmpire'', it's a respected tradition among the Shuos that the easiest way to get a promotion is to assassinate your superior. For this reason, the position of Shuos hexarch used to change hands astonishingly often until Shuos Mikodez got the job and proved too apt at AssassinOutclassin. Mikodez himself won his seat by [[spoiler:helping his predecessor [[SubvertedTrope retire]] to breed cockatiels.]]
* Among the [[SorcerousOverlord Magelords]] of the ''Mageworlds'' series, ritual dueling is SeriousBusiness, with the victor gaining authority over the loser along with the loser's rank and titles, if they hold any (duels between high-ranking Mages are often to the death considering how high the stakes can be, but if one combatant is skilled enough to subdue the other without killing them, that works too). However, it's made explicitly clear that such duels are ''very'' formal, and must be officially declared, carried out in front of witnesses, and conducted according to strict standards of honorable combat -- a breach of any of the above, the duel's results aren't valid and no power changes hands. This serves as a plot point several times in the third book.
* The Seguleh from the ''Literature/MalazanBookOfTheFallen'' have a lineal rank structure among its warrior caste. Every ranked warrior is given a number with the lowest numbers indicating the best fighters. To progress through the ranks you have to defeat everyone ahead of you one rank at a time. If the current holder of a rank is unavailable, you wait till he/she returns or is declared dead. This trope gets inverted as you get to the top ranks as at those positions the fights are merely a test of skill rather than a fight to the death and actually killing your opponent is considered to be extremely bad form. If you show yourself to be a superior fighter the current rank holder will give up the position willingly since for the Seguleh leadership, AsskickingLeadsToLeadership is a religion. A full inversion occurs when it comes to the top position of the One. The position cannot be challenged for and is a lifelong appointment. When the position becomes vacant it is offered to the current Two and if he/she declines, the offer is passed down the ranks till someone deems him/herself worthy of accepting it.
* In ''Literature/{{Maledicte}}'', Maledicte's lover systematically kills [[spoiler:or tricks Maledicte into killing]] everyone between himself and the crown, so he can take the title for himself. [[spoiler:This is also part of his scheme to totally screw with Maledicte since he's now the man Maledicte must kill to complete her quest.]]
* ''Market Forces'' by Creator/RichardKMorgan. Executives of the mega-corporations that control the world compete for promotion in road duels. You don't have to ''kill'' the person you're challenging, though a lot of that depends on the corporate culture of whoever you're working for. The custom came about during a time of economic crisis. The economy was fluctuating so badly there was no means of telling who was competent or not, so executives were being laid off just because they were late for work. One executive tried to beat his rival and ended up running them off the road.
* ''Literature/QuantumGravity'' has Demons settling almost anything by fighting, although this only becomes apparent from book two onwards. The most ruthless example comes in book four; Lila had asked Teazle to search Demonia for certain artifacts, and later learns he resorted to killing the heads of countless families, not to mention angry successors, as the only way of finding the things is to claim the treasure by Klingon promotion.
** when she later took over the empire he had raised, she called a meeting of the family heads. The discussion was punctuated by several attempts on her life, and on their failure she promptly, without a backwards glance, ordered the heirs to all the deceased summoned to continue.
* In ''Literature/{{Redwall}}'' novel ''The Taggerung'', killing the previous Taggerung means you get this title. Considering the Taggerung is supposed to be the greatest warrior, this isn't easy. [[BigBadWannabe Gruven Zann]] claims to have accomplished this, and it's eventually "confirmed." Ruggan Bor, who also wants this title—and unlike Gruven, has the chops to back up his claim—[[HoistByHisOwnPetard promptly cuts off his head.]]
* ''Literature/SeptimusHeap'' has a rare heroic example. Alther Mella became [=ExtraOrdinary=] Wizard by wresting the Akhu Amulet away from his EvilMentor [=DomDaniel=], who then fell off the roof of the Wizard Tower in a DisneyVillainDeath. Unfortunately, [=DomDaniel=] was immortal because of the Two-faced Ring, and returned for his revenge.
* ''Literature/ShadesOfMagic'': People win the throne of White London by killing the previous monarch, which they can do with outside assistance (like an allied archmage) or through indirect means (like poison). Its world is starving for lack of magic and its citizens eagerly cannibalize each other, sometimes literally, for power.
* In the novel ''VideoGame/StarCraft: Ghost: Nova'', the eponymous character is an extremely-strong [[PsychicPowers telepath]] / [[MindOverMatter telekinetic]] (she can almost literally go nuclear). She runs afoul of a gang leader in the Tarsonis ghetto. After figuring out that she's a very person, he threatens to kill little children if she doesn't work for him. Before that, she "predicts" that he'll be killed by one of his lieutenants (after reading the mind of one doubting lieutenant). Years later, Nova is tracked down by a Ghost Academy recruiter. When the gang leader (who has gone insane over months due to the abuse of a telepathy blocker) is about to shoot him, Nova mind-controls the doubting lieutenant and has him shoot the leader in the head. So, in effect, this is a SelfFulfillingProphecy. The lieutenant becomes the new leader. Trouble is, there isn't much of a gang left after the crazy former leader has killed many of his subordinates for slightest faults (even imagined ones). Also, the gang headquarters is in the process of being raided by Confederate forces. To top it off, this is the day the Zerg invade Tarsonis. Nova barely makes it out alive.
* The Franchise/StarTrekExpandedUniverse specifies that challenging a superior and taking their position by beating them in a fight is only acceptable under specific circumstances. The superior must have demonstrated cowardice, incompetence, or other dishonorable behavior, and the challenger must be qualified for the position.
** The [[Literature/StarTrekMirrorUniverse Mirror Universe]] novel ''Rise Like Lions'' has this happen to change the leadership of nations three times during the course of the story. In two cases, it's the Klingons, who apparently roughly keep to the rules mentioned (with the rather important provisos that you could pretty much always accuse the Regent of incompetence since something is always going wrong ''somewhere'' in the Klingon Empire, and that the Klingons apparently regard any Klingon who can get in a position to formally challenge the Regent as qualified). It's a bit less clear how [[spoiler: Damar]] got away with killing the previous leader of the Cardassian Union by [[ConspicuouslyPublicAssassination shooting him in the back of his head during a speech to the public]] and then taking over the Union since this is both illegal and the sort of thing that sets a bad precedent.
** Invoked in Creator/DianeDuane's ''Franchise/StarTrek'' novel ''Literature/DoctorsOrders'', in which a Klingon starship shows up after Kirk inexplicably vanishes on an alien planet. Not wanting to explain this to an enemy, [=McCoy=] (who Kirk put in charge just before he went missing) instead claims to have killed him in a duel and taken command.
* ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'': In the Literature/XWingSeries novel ''The Bacta War'', the captain of the ''Lusankya'' refuses to surrender, despite his ship being heavily damaged and outnumbered. This captain promotes himself to Admiral then orders his men to crash the Super Star Destroyer into the planet Thyferra, which would kill all 250,000 people on the ship, millions more on the planet, and destroy the sole source of one of the galaxy's most effective medical products. One of his Lieutenants shoots him, promotes himself to Captain, and accepts the surrender offer.
* Subverted in ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive'' when Shallan is accepted into the Ghostbloods, who believe she murdered her mentor to take her place. It's clear that she's being accepted because she impressed them with the skills demonstrated in carrying out actual missions, and she's specifically warned that while killing your superior is not technically forbidden, it's frowned upon and should not be considered a reliable method of advancement.
* In the ''Literature/SwordOfShadows'' series, the generally accepted way to succeed the Surlord of the city-state of Spire Vanis is to off him (though if you're not of noble blood, you probably won't ''keep'' the title very long). [[spoiler: In the later books, it becomes a plot point that Surlord Penthero Iss chose his own successor, his commanding general Marafice Eye. Since Eye didn't kill Iss himself or arrange for it to be done (in fact, Iss was killed almost incidentally during the rescue of an important prisoner), and is a commoner to boot, he has to fight tooth and nail to keep his throne once succeeding to it]].
* The Children of the Light in ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'' have a ritualized dueling ceremony entitled "trial by the light," in which the loser's rank and property are forfeit to the winner. Galad uses this in conjunction with surviving a military EverybodysDeadDave shortly beforehand to skip virtually the entire command structure and go from an unspecified junior rank straight to Lord Captain Commander.
** One of the two ways of becoming a Blademaster is to kill another Blademaster in fair single combat. The other is to have a panel of five Blademasters unanimously vote to accept you. Guess which way is used by every character who became a blademaster over the course of the series (though none of the characters in question did so with the sole intention of becoming a blademaster).
** Though [[QuirkyMinibossSquad the Forsaken]] are more or less equal in standing to one another, one among them is elevated to serve as the [[BigBad Dark One's]] right hand; this lucky individual earns the title of [[TheDragon ''Nae'blis'']] and gains limited authority over the others. Three guesses as to how the title can change hands.
* This is how the draconic monarchy works in the ''Literature/WingsOfFire'' series, with daughters challenging their mothers for the right to be the queen of each clan. The entire plot to the series is in fact set up when the queen of one clan is killed by a human, leaving her daughters to fight amongst themselves over who has the right to be queen now, and setting off a continent-wide war in the process. [[spoiler: The exception is the RainWings, who, largely being {{Actual Pacifist}}s, have a "rotation" of queens, and when one is challenged, they compete in non-violent ways for the position.]]
* In ''Literature/TheWonderfulWizardOfOz'', this is how Dorothy Gale becomes the Witch of the East. She's accidentally killed the old one and is given her silver slippers. She then goes inside her house to change clothes, what she's wearing having been damaged in the tornado. In Oz, witches, and only witches, wear white, usually trimmed with the color of whatever area of Oz is under their jurisdiction. The East's color is blue. Dorothy changes into a white and blue dress and the silver slippers, not knowing that, as soon as she steps out of the house, she's taken over the job of the woman she just accidentally killed.
* Subverted in ''Literature/PrinceRoger'': A Boman war-chief is "anointed in the blood of his predecessor", but the actual appointment is by consensus of the war-band, and the killing of the predecessor is in part a [[YouHaveFailedMe punishment for incompetence]] and in part an insurance against cliques forming and leadership becoming uncertain.
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* ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'' has a race of aliens known as trolls with classes based on blood color. At the very top is the Tyrian blood caste and there are only two alive at a time: the current Empress and the Heiress who needs to kill the Empress for her place on the throne. [[spoiler:And for good reason: there is only one lusus that shares the tyrian blood of the Empress/Heiress and they fight not just for the throne but also for control over this monster, who can easily [[ApocalypseHow wipe out the entire race save for those of tyrian blood]] if he isn't properly maintained.]]

* When you infiltrate the Lotus Assassins' fortress in ''Videogame/JadeEmpire'', your supervisor, Master Gang, expects you to help him replace his superior Master Shin by this means. Another of Gang's acolytes points out that "if one vacancy would raise us all, ''two'' vacancies would raise us even farther." This sequence also highlights the flaw in this system, as Grand Inquisitor Jia and the Master Executioner complain about how the infighting between Shin and Gang is getting in the way of actually getting the golem army running on schedule.