History Main / NotWorthKilling

* ''VideoGame/GodOfWarPS4'': When Kratos and Atreus run into Modi after having defeated him, he is found completely beaten up by his own father Thor and left in disgrace. Kratos tells his son to leave him alone, stating this trope word-for-word as reason. However, Atreus disobeys him and proceeds to execute Modi for insulting his mother Faye too many times. [[spoiler:By the end of the game, after Atreus is snapped out of his arrogance, he [[MeaningfulEcho repeats his father's advice to him]] to prevent him from strangling Baldur, and Kratos heeds his word. Too bad Baldur tries to strangle his mother Freya as soon as Kratos walks away, forcing the Spartan to step in and kill him after all.]]

* At the end of ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedII'', Ezio Auditore spares the life of Rodrigo Borgia/Pope Alexander VI despite the latter being the one who had his father and brothers killed.

* ''Franchise/Gundam'':

* In ''VideoGame/MiddleEarthShadowOfMordor'', Uruk captains and warchiefs with the Humiliator trait will do this upon defeating Talion. This can be a pain; Talion had ResurrectiveImmortality, and [[ImmortalLifeIsCheap there's times you'll want an Uruk to kill you]] so they can become more powerful, granting you better runes when you kill them or making them better puppets when you dominate them. Of course, the Shame mechanic lets you do this in return with a side-dish of MindRape, which will lower their level for the next time you encounter the, with the side effect of damaging them mentally on the side, starting by increasing trauma until you reduce them to a wailing, mindless EmptyShell.

* In ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'', this is the justification given if you decide not to fight [[spoiler:Magus]] in 12,000 B.C. At this point, you have much bigger problems (namely [[spoiler:[[BigBad Lavos]]]]), and killing [[spoiler:Magus]] accomplishes absolutely nothing towards solving said bigger problems. [[spoiler:Magus rewards you for this decision by ''[[HeelFaceTurn joining your party]]''.]]

* Part of Sasuke's {{backstory}} in ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' is that this was why his brother spared his life alone among the extended family. [[spoiler: Or so he believed for years.]]

* Dellyn Goblinslayer from ''Webcomic/{{Goblins}}'' considered himself the arch-nemesis of Thaco the goblin. [[spoiler:Eventually he's at the latter's mercy, thinking that Thaco is going to kill him and immortalize Dellyn as his greatest foe... [[CruelMercy only to be left alive instead]] after a truly magnificent TheReasonYouSuckSpeech.]]
--> '''Thaco:''' [[spoiler:"You're not worth the XP I get from killing you."]]

* In ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'', this is the justification given if you decide not to fight [[spoiler:Magus]] in 12,000 B.C. At this point, you have much bigger problems (namely [[spoiler:Lavos]]), and killing [[spoiler:Magus]] accomplishes absolutely nothing towards solving said bigger problems. [[spoiler:Magus rewards you for this decision by ''[[HeelFaceTurn joining your party]]''.]]

* Subverted in ''VideoGame/{{Silver}}''. Having destroyed the source of the titular villain's power the hero feels like sparing his life cause he's all old and pathetic now, but the Silver's Nemesis arrives and finishes him anyway. Somehow the hero has no qualms with that. Huh.

* In ''[[VideoGame/SoulSeries SoulCalibur 2]]'', one of Raphael's {{victory quote}}s is "You're not even worth killing," said in the snootiest possible manner.
* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'':
** In ''[[VideoGame/SonicStorybookSeries Sonic and the Black Knight]]'', after Sonic's first showdown with King Arthur, the king remarks that Sonic is "a fool of a knight not even worth slaying" before departing. This bites him in the ass later on, as Sonic takes the opportunity to [[TaughtByExperience learn and grow stronger]] in order to defeat him.
** Despite giving him more credit than he initially assessed, Infinite says Sonic isn't worth finishing after they fight in ''VideoGame/SonicForces''. Dr. Eggman, however, [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim wishes he would have gone through with it]]. In fact, [[HistoryRepeats Infinite commits the same mistake]] Shadow did [[spoiler: to him. When Shadow [[NeverSayDie destroyed]] the Jackal Squad, he defeated Infinite and let him live, telling him to "never show his face again" before leaving him to rot]].
* Early in ''VideoGame/Fallout2'' there's an optional encounter where you run into [[AxCrazy Frank]] [[BloodKnight Horrigan]] and a couple of Enclave soldiers butchering a random family. Luckily, you're still at the "[[FromNobodyToNightmare Nobody]]" stage in your journey and well beneath Frank's notice, so he just tells you to beat it.

* The eponymous villain of the ''Wrath of the Lich King'' ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' expansion. After being hyped up in the months before the release as being a villain whose threat will be felt throughout your travels instead of just "a meaningless name until you suddenly face him at the end" (the expansion is called ''The Wrath of the Lich King'', for pity's sake), every time you meet him he lets you live, either knocking you out or just giving you a stern warning, while first '''killing his minions left and right''' for their failures to kill you. He always says something like "You are barely beneath my notice" or "Perhaps in time you will become worthy of serving me." He does have ulterior motives for keeping you alive. [[spoiler: When players finally confront and almost defeat the Lich King, he uses Frostmourne to wipe out the players, and reveals his true plan; everything up to that point was a test to [[INeedYouStronger find the strongest warriors]] in Azeroth, and lure them to Icecrown where he kills them and raises them as EliteMooks in his [[NightOfTheLivingMooks undead army]].]]
** He had done it earlier in ''Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne'' as well: After severely wounding Illidan near the Frozen Throne, Arthas didn't finish him off. The game's sound files reveal that he considered Illidan a piteous creature who wasn't worth killing.

* In ''Franchise/MassEffect'', this trope is considered by the krogan race to be the ''ultimate insult'' one can give to an enemy. As a {{Proud Warrior Race|Guy}}, krogan social status is [[EnemiesEqualsGreatness determined by the enemies they make and even more so, the enemies they have killed]]. If one decides that they won't kill you, it's no act of mercy; it means you're considered less than noteworthy in a krogan's eyes while they go on to look for a better, proper enemy to kill. They extend this facet of their culture to other races as well; the long list of enemies comprising the Commander's RoguesGallery, from the already-killed to the soon-killed to the eventually-killed, is precisely why most krogan pay [[WorldsBestWarrior Shepard]] tremendous respect, despite the fact that s/he's a human.
-->'''Warlord Okeer:''' "With that, I will inflict upon the genophage the greatest insult an enemy can suffer - to be ignored."
** This trope also can appear in Garrus' loyalty mission. Garrus seeks to kill the traitor who betrayed his entire squad and caused all ten of their deaths. Once you track him down, you can help Garrus take the shot or talk to the traitor and warn him, where you learn he only did what he did because of a threat to his own life, and his life has been nothing but an empty shell of pain and guilt since. Garrus can be convinced to relent and stand down, and later says that he's okay with him living because Sidonis will have to live with that torment for the rest of his life, which he feels is a [[CallItKarma far better fate]] for him than a simple death. Later on, you can hear about how Sidonis eventually turns himself over to C-Sec out of guilt.
** In his own loyalty mission, this is Jacob's opinion of [[spoiler: [[CallingTheOldManOut his father]]]] -- that he's not worth the price of the bullet it would take to kill him (and when you consider how ammunition in ''Mass Effect'' works, that's a very low price indeed). If prompted by a renegade Shepard, Jacob will change his position to "worth shooting, [[LeaveBehindAPistol but I'm not going to do it]]".
** Finch, a member of the gang Shepard belonged in as a child. Finch attempts to blackmail Earthborn Shepard into getting a fellow gang member released from jail, using their [[StateSec Spectre]] status, but Shepard can refuse, then either scare the guy off or shoot him. If s/he shoots Finch, the C-Sec officer guarding Finch’s friend is impressed. If Finch is just told to fuck off, the C-Sec officer asks why Shepard didn’t shoot him, to which Shepard can reply that he wasn’t even worth the target practice.
* [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyIII The Onion Knight]] attempts to {{invoke|dTrope}} this trope when he and [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI Terra]] are faced with the mighty [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyV Exdeath]] in ''VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy''. It appears to work, as Exdeath lets them go unharmed, but not without imparting some cryptic {{foreshadowing}}, implying that he may perhaps have had [[NiceJobBreakingItHero reason to]] [[UnwittingPawn do so]]...

* In ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsArena'' the Eternal Champion is left to rot in a dungeon because his position in the Imperial Court was so low that the usurpers saw no need to bother. This was a mistake.
* In ''[[VideoGame/DefJamSeries Def Jam: Fight For NY]]'', the protagonist confronts [[Music/SnoopDogg Crow]] in the finale of the story campaign, absolutely livid over [[spoiler:the death of his girlfriend]]. He's just about ready to kill Crow with a gun handed to him by [[HeelFaceTurn a defecting]] [[Music/BustaRhymes Magic]], but ends up unloading the piece around the room instead, tossing it over his shoulder while quipping that he "wasn't worth it". [[spoiler:[[SubvertedTrope The protagonist ends up killing Crow anyway when Crow, in a fit of rage, tries to kill him.]]]]
* In ''VideoGame/JustCause2'', Rico bribes a low-life for information, using ([[WorthlessCurrency heavily-inflated]]) Panauan dollars. In a rare economic spin of this trope, Rico gives this quip for [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim why he didn't just shoot the informant]] [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness after he told Rico all he needed to know]]:
--> '''Rico''': Considering the value of the Panauan buck, shooting you would have been more expensive.
* The {{AI|IsACrapshoot}} in ''VideoGame/AIWarFleetCommand'' starts out regarding the player this way, occasionally harassing them but otherwise leaving them alone. Much of the game is making sure the AI ''continues'' to believe this even as the player amasses enough power to turn the tide.
* In ''VideoGame/TheSims3'', when a Sim with both the Unlucky and Loser traits gets into a fatal accident, the Grim Reaper will appear. Instead of taking the sim to the afterlife as usual, he'll resurrect your sim. His rationale is that it would be funnier for your Sim to continue on with his miserable, pathetic life rather than being granted eternal rest.
* ''VideoGame/GodOfWarIII'' features two inverted examples:
** When he runs into Hermes, Kratos initially holds this opinion of him, dismissing Hermes as "a fly from the ass of Zeus" that isn't worth his time. However, he reconsiders when Hermes decides to [[BullyingADragon taunt him]] over how he killed his family.
** Later, he views Hera the same, just pushing the LadyDrunk aside when she tries to pick a fight with him; however, when Hera decides to insult Pandora, Kratos loses his cool, doubles back, and [[NeckSnap snaps her neck]].
* ''VideoGame/GodOfWarPS4'': When Kratos and Atreus run into Modi after having defeated him, he is found completely beaten up by his own father Thor and left in disgrace. Kratos tells his son to leave him alone, stating this trope word-for-word as reason. However, Atreus disobeys him and proceeds to execute Modi for insulting his mother Faye too many times. [[spoiler:By the end of the game, after Atreus is snapped out of his arrogance, he [[MeaningfulEcho repeats his father's advice to him]] to prevent him from strangling Baldur, and Kratos heeds his word. Too bad Baldur tries to strangle his mother Freya as soon as Kratos walks away, forcing the Spartan to step in and kill him after all.]]
* In ''VideoGame/HitmanAbsolution'', after interrogating Lenny Dexter, while the player is given a variety of options to kill him (including a wacky EasterEgg option), 47 can also just drive away and let the desert take him on the basis that he's not even worth wasting a bullet on. You even gain an achievement called "Not Worth It". Besides, there's an even more fun way [[BigLippedAlligatorMoment via Ice Cream Truck]].
* ''Franchise/StreetFighter'':
** In ''VideoGame/StreetFighterII'', Guile chooses to do this to M. Bison rather than kill him in his ending. This has become a bit of CharacterizationMarchesOn as M. Bison is such a monumental world-ending threat that sparing him like this is hardly practical.
** Akuma has said this to Ryu but it's really a bluff as Akuma isn't sparing him because he regards Ryu as too pathetic to use lethal force against but rather because [[INeedYouStronger he wants a worthy challenger]] and sees Ryu becoming that once he gives into TheDarkSide. It works but not necessarily as Akuma predicted when he spared him (as Ryu never adopts Akuma's fighting philosophy to prove himself but instead proves that the opposite can be just as powerful if honed).

* In the "Bad" ending route of ''{{VideoGame/The Witch and The Hundred Knight}}'', Metallia spared [[spoiler: Lucchini's]] life even though [[spoiler: Lucchini]] asked her to kill him, with Metallia explaining she should have the freedom to make that choice, not [[spoiler: Lucchini's]]. Metallia chose to [[spoiler: just simply sever her relationship with Lucchini]] and never want to see him again.
* In ''VideoGame/MiddleEarthShadowOfMordor'', Uruk captains and warchiefs with the Humiliator trait will do this upon defeating Talion. This can be a pain; Talion had ResurrectiveImmortality, and [[ImmortalLifeIsCheap there's times you'll want an Uruk to kill you]] so they can become more powerful, granting you better runes when you kill them or making them better puppets when you dominate them. Of course, the Shame mechanic lets you do this in return with a side-dish of MindRape, which will lower their level for the next time you encounter the, with the side effect of damaging them mentally on the side, starting by increasing trauma until you reduce them to a wailing, mindless EmptyShell.
* ''VideoGame/DawnOfWar II: Retribution'': the ork ending has Bluddflagg pull this on the Inquisitor, stealing her hat as well.
* Can be done at the player's discretion at the climax of the Blood Lobster sidequest in ''VideoGame/XenobladeChroniclesX''. [[spoiler:Said villain is unmasked as a bit part character you met early in the game, who went full-tilt LoonyFan after noticing all the JRPG hero tropes [[PlayerCharacter Rook]] fulfilled, and decided to become a proper villain for him. Instead of killing him (which he ''wants'' in order to finish the insane narrative in his head), Rook can just turn and walk away, which causes him a [[VillainousBreakdown total meltdown]].]]
* In the Genocide run of ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'', [[spoiler: you can ditch Jerry and still qualify as genocidal. He's just that much of a pain in the ass to kill]].
* In ''Videogame/TheWitcher3WildHunt'', when Geralt finally confronts the crimelord Whoreson Jr., after a solid beating and some interrogation as to Ciri's whereabouts he's given the choice of killing him or sparing him on the basis that he's not worth staining his blade. That and since [[spoiler:[[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness he no longer has King Radovid's protection]] from the other crime bosses of Novigrad]] and his criminal empire has been all but dismantled means he's now powerless.
* Zest from ''VideoGame/ShiningResonance'' is a BloodKnight and SuperSoldier so desperate for a WorthyOpponent that he refuses to kill opponents he judges as "weak" because it's a waste of his time and effort. If they insist, of course, he won't hesitate to mow them down.
* In ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'', this is the justification given if you decide not to fight [[spoiler:Magus]] in 12,000 B.C. At this point, you have much bigger problems (namely [[spoiler:Lavos]]), and killing [[spoiler:Magus]] accomplishes absolutely nothing towards solving said bigger problems. [[spoiler:Magus rewards you for this decision by ''[[HeelFaceTurn joining your party]]''.]]
* In ''VideoGame/BaldursGate'', when the party visits the town of Nashkel, an NPC named Noober actively engages dialog with the party, asking inane questions, interrupting other actions, and just generally being annoying. Killing a neutral NPC in the game usually affects reputation, but killing Noober does not. However, patiently cycling through all of his dialog triggers will [[spoiler:net you some decent XP, at least at that point in the game]].
* In ''VideoGame/AceCombat7SkiesUnknown'', in the cutscene that plays before the second to last mission, [[spoiler: Dr. Schroeder is revealed to be a Belkan, who was sent to gather data from Mihaly to improve upon Erusea’s drone army to get revenge on Osea. After Ionela, Mihaly’s oldest granddaughter, destroys the data chip that contained the data, she stares down at Schroeder with a loaded gun, and Schroeder [[FaceDeathWithDignity fully expects]] Ionela to kill him. She instead tosses the gun to the side, as it wouldn’t make her any different from him, and calls Schroeder out on what he’s done, which convinces him to help put an end to the war]].
* In ''Videogame/TheOuterWorlds'' if you bring Felix to the Rizzo's Secret Labs when confronted by the patrolling security robots Felix will make up an excuse so pathetic that the robots will deem your party a negligible threat and promptly ignore you.
* In ''VideoGame/HollowKnight'', the Hunter's journal contains notes on hunting and killing most of the creatures in the game. The most prominent exception is [[BoisterousWeakling Zote]], who's ''such'' a clownishly inept jagoff that the Hunter could not even be arsed to go after him.
-->''Some rare creatures are so weak, so helpless, so inept and so irritating that hunting them gives no pleasure.''
* ''VideoGame/Persona5'':
** The Phantom Thieves feel this way towards their targets in general. Not only because they find the people they go after despicable and know that killing them would make them no better than they are, but also because it would prevent the target from having to face justice for what they've done.
** The fifth palace's guards beat Mona severely when they catch him sneaking around, but refuse to actually kill him since they don't think he's worth the time and settle for dumping him outside instead.
* ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'':
** In the London Singularity, Goetia shows up and effortlessly beats up the heroes, then says that they are so weak that he won't bother to kill them before leaving.
** Hera was known for being a WomanScorned who would attack her husband Zeus' lovers. However, she didn't do anything to Europa after Zeus slept with her. This was because Europa is so ditzy that she looks insane, so Hera didn't think it was worth it to attack someone not in their right mind.
* ''VideoGame/JediKnightIIJediOutcast'': After [[CurbStompBattle curb-stomping]] Kyle Katarn in their initial duel, [[BigBad Desann]] spares his life; not out of mercy, but because he thinks Katarn [[HowTheMightyHaveFallen has become so weak and pathetic]] after abandoning the Jedi Order that he's barely worth ''fighting'', let alone killing. [[spoiler:[[SubvertedTrope That's what he says anyways]]. The ''real'' reason he let Katarn live was so he could follow him to [[MacGuffinLocation the hidden Valley of the Jedi]], knowing that the humiliated and enraged Katarn would go there to re-empower himself in order to take on Desann.]]
* This is one of [[spoiler: Chunk's possible fates]] at the end of ''VideoGame/VampireTheMasqueradeBloodlines'', he is considered such a pathetic threat that the player can choose to convince him to stay out of the way or outright ignore him and go straight to fight the real guards.
* In ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles3'', after the Ouroboros breaks Colony 4's Flame Clock and liberates them from the ForeverWar, a colony member by the name of Jeremy confronts Mio and Sena about a friend of his who had been killed in battle by Agnian soldiers, not caring that they themselves were not from the same colony as said soldiers. When Mio [[PleaseKillMeIfItSatisfiesYou offers her life as compensation]], he moves to take her up on it, but relents upon seeing from her markings that [[YourDaysAreNumbered she has only a few months left to live anyway]].

* ''Anime/DragonBallZ'':
** Goku subjects Frieza to this during their fight on Namek. He fights until Frieza is no longer a challenge, then throws that fact in his face, believing that living with the shame of being defeated by a superior fighter was [[CruelMercy a far worse punishment than simply killing him]], made worse by the fact that said superior fighter was "just a monkey." Frieza, however, isn't about to give up so easily.
** A particularly strange example occurs early in the Android Saga. Dr Gero/Android 20 has the solitary goal of eliminating Goku, for his role in destroying the Red Ribbon Army. When Goku is weakened by a heart virus, Android 19 has the opportunity to finish him off. Vegeta intervenes, and when Yamcha flies away with Goku, Dr Gero decides that Goku is suddenly not worth his time, and can be finished at a later opportunity. This is despite how his entire existence has been devoted to killing Goku for the past 20-odd years. Some of this is because he wants to save the best for last and he truly believes Android 19 overpowered Goku, not knowing he only won because Goku had fallen ill.
** Cell, upon reaching his Perfect form, lays an effortless beatdown on Vegeta (who was way too powerful for him in his previous form) and then defeats Trunks only after humiliating him, then abashing him about his poor judgement in powering up too much to move fast. He then claims that both Super Saiyans have disappointed him and that none of the heroes are a threat to him now. This is part of why he lets Vegeta and Trunks live-- the other part is his desire to fight powerful opponents, giving them more time to become stronger.
** Mr. Satan "[[NoSell fights]]" Perfect Cell and is simply backhanded a few hundred feet backwards into a mountain. He inexplicably survives (Piccolo suggests Cell didn't want to waste a single drop of energy when he was about to fight Goku).
** In ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'', Goku spares Frieza again because he isn't worth killing since he failed to master his new golden form, causing Frieza to burn himself out, [[HistoryRepeats just like the last time they fought]]. [[spoiler:This [[NiceJobBreakingItHero backfires]] on him when it turns out Frieza still has enough power to [[EarthShatteringKaboom blow up Earth and kill everyone on it]].]]
* In ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'':

* In ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamAGE'' [[spoiler:Decil]] gets bored seeing a UE mook clearly beating the Gundam Titus in episode 8 and orders the UE to retreat.
* In episode 7 of ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam00'' 2nd season, Setsuna's 00 Gundam suffered overheating issues after activating Trans-Am system in its fight against Mister Bushido despite Ian already warned him not to use it as the twin drive isn't stable yet. Mister Bushido realises the flaw in Gundam 00 & outright says that Setsuna isn't worth defeating at the moment, thus sparing him. Obviously, this irritates Mr Bushido's teammates.
* In ''Manga/TokyoBabylon'' and ''Manga/{{X 1999}}'', Subaru, the ''protagonist'' of the former, is left alive by the Sakurazukamori because Seishirou explicitly tells him that he's not worth killing. This becomes Subaru's primary motivation in the sequel; he believes he can only be worth something to Seishirou ([[LoveMartyr who he loves]]) if Seishirou kills him. However, as it turns out, it's not that Subaru isn't worth killing - it's that [[spoiler:Seishirou wants Subaru to kill ''him'']].
* Part of Sasuke's {{backstory}} in ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' is that this was why his brother spared his life alone among the extended family. [[spoiler: Or so he believed for years.]]
** Sasuke also gives this excuse for not killing the mooks he faces in his quest to kill his brother.
* Mireille says this to Altena in the last episode of ''Anime/{{Noir}}'', specifically that it's "not worth soiling a bullet" with her blood. [[spoiler:Altena then (nonfatally) shoots Mirielle in the arm and then tries again but Kirika jumps in by TakingTheBullet and then tries to pull a TakingYouWithMe by shoving them both into a volcanic vent, though Mireille manages to grab her in time while Altena plummets to her death, her final satisfied expression before she falls out of view suggesting this was [[ThanatosGambit the plan all along]].]]
* Phoenix Ikki from ''Manga/SaintSeiya'' delivers this line to Sea Dragon [[spoiler:Kanon]] at the end of the Poseidon Saga, throwing the pointlessness of his {{plan}} in his face before turning his back on him and walking away. [[spoiler:Kanon]] tries to retaliate, but fellow Marine Shogun, Siren Sorrento, confronts him after hearing the truth behind Poseidon's premature resurrection. Like Ikki, Sorrento reasons that [[spoiler:Kanon]] is so pathetic and worthless that fighting him would be a dishonor to Poseidon.
* Hal in ''Anime/{{Texhnolyze}}'' tells this to [[spoiler:Shinji]] after [[spoiler:being turned into a Shape,]] musing on his earlier promise to kill him when they next time met.
* In ''Anime/CodeGeass'', in the penultimate episode, [[spoiler:Diethard]] is not worth Geassing.
* ''Manga/FushigiYuugi'' has Miaka's [[FaceHeelTurn ex-]][[UnluckyChildhoodFriend best friend]] Yui justify (in both of Miaka's visits to Kutou, mind you) that she only wants to keep Miaka and the Suzaku Seven alive because after all, "Where's the fun in killing them right away?" [[LikeYouWouldReallyDoIt Yeah right]].
* ''Manga/DeathNote'''s Light doesn't really target the regular Joes in the task force, figuring that they can be hoodwinked easily enough and besides, [[EvenEvilHasStandards they're decent enough people.]] (The fact that his father is a part of said task force probably has something to do with it, too.) When [[spoiler: Aizawa catches on, though, they pretty much all have to die when Near does]].

* ''Anime/YuGiOh'': Before easily defeating Duke Devlin and Rebecca Hawkins in a duel, Valon decided that they weren't worthy to have their souls taken by the Orichalcos.
* ''Manga/YuYuHakusho'':
** Younger Toguro spared Suzuka, Bui, and Karasu. He said Suzuka was a pathetic and spineless coward, who was not worth killing. He made the other two serve him and join his Dark Tournament team. Averted with his brother. Elder Toguro says he will spare one of the two defeated team members that lay before him in the semi-finals. One begged for his life and was instantly killed. The other says he would rather die than do the same. Toguro says that his brother would let him live, but [[ILied he won't]] and finishes him off.
** The Ice Maidens were shocked and aghast that one of them gave birth to a boy (which meant she had contacted a male: strictly against their strict isolationist policy). Said boy ([[spoiler:Hiei]]) was cast down into Demon World proper and left to fend for himself. After some ordeals in the past, he located the sky island where they lived, seeking revenge. Ultimately, though, after seeing their cold, emotionless lives with his own eyes, he declares them to be not worth his time and leaves them to their pathetic existence.
* ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaStrikers'', The Number's attack on the TSAB's Headquarters left destruction of property, wounded many troops and main characters alike, and kidnapped two secondary characters. They let no one die. This bites them hard in the end when the wounded main characters were the turning point of the final battle and this is when they decided to drop the trope.
* ''Manga/{{InuYasha}}'': When Inuyasha was controlled by his SuperpoweredEvilSide and killing bandits right, left and centre, it took [[AloofBigBrother Sesshomaru]] to bring him down. To the [[TrueCompanions gang's]] surprise, instead of killing Inuyasha, Sesshomaru merely tells them how to reverse Inuyasha's condition. When Miroku demands to know why Sesshomaru spent the entire fight holding back against Inuyasha and refusing to kill him, Sesshomaru simply responds that there's no point in killing someone who's in no condition to know even his own self. He also adds that he'll kill Inuyasha [[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou when he's ready]]. [[IWasJustPassingThrough He never does]].

* In ''Literature/ACertainMagicalIndex'', the amoral psychopath Teitoku Kakine occasionally does this, because he feels it would be beneath him to waste energy on someone who is completely helpless or already dying. An example is when he is attacked by Rikou Takitsubo, whose powers are fueled by taking the drug Body Crystal, which slowly kills its users.
* In ''Anime/BlackLagoon'', Chaka ''desperately'' wanted to duel Revy despite being in way over his head. Fortunately for him, she was totally aware that he was not going to survive a fight against her under any circumstances and refused to engage him because she had no interest in fighting or killing an idiotic man-child. Unfortunately for him, Ginji wanted to kill him very, very much for completely valid reasons, and she was all too happy to turn Chaka over to him. [[CruelAndUnusualDeath It did not end well for Chaka.]]

* In ''Anime/DevilMayCryTheAnimatedSeries'', Dante encounters a demon mook named Sid, who is so weak and pathetic that Dante simply tells him to get lost instead of killing him. [[spoiler:This comes back to bite him when Sid later acquires artifacts that increase his power to be a legitimate threat.]]

* The ''Anime/GhostInTheShellStandAloneComplex'' episode "Jungle Cruise" ultimately results in this. The suspect in question is an ex-American soldier who is terrorizing the city and with whom Batou is familiar. This is intentional on the American Empire's part, as they're trying to draw Batou into killing the soldier for them. When the two finally confront each other, Batou seems on the verge of doing this, firing his gun...but he intentionally misses, shooting the wall behind the perp instead.
--> '''Batou:''' Sorry, pal. But my war ended a long time ago!
* ''Anime/StreetFighterIITheAnimatedMovie'': Invoked by M. Bison towards Guile, during their confrontation near the end of the film. Bison doesn't even give Guile the dignity of fighting him back. Instead, he taunts Guile as he [[HopelessBossFight wastes time and energy]] trying to even land a punch before Bison drops him with one attack. Just when it seems he's about to finish Guile off, Bison adds further insult by turning his back on him and walks away laughing.

* In an episode of ''Anime/IrresponsibleCaptainTylor'', the ''Soyokaze'' enters a dimension where the ghost of a previously demoted captain (who was DrivenToSuicide) starts haunting them, attempting to drive them to insanity and despair before killing them. However, at the end, Yamamoto and Tylor start arguing with each other about responsibilities (namely, trying to dump them on the other) and in their squabble [[IgnoredEnemy they completely ignore the ghost]] who, [[TooSpicyForYogSogoth completely shocked upon seeing how pathetic and cowardly they are]], ultimately decides to leave alone and spare their lives.

* In ''Literature/TheExecutionerAndHerWayOfLife'', when Manon Libelle was a child, the Executioner Flare killed her mother for being an Otherworlder but spared Manon because she hadn't inherited her mother's power. Manon always felt worthless due to people being disappointed she hadn't inherited a Pure Concept, and being told that she wasn't even worth killing was the final straw that pushed her into death-seeking nihilism.
* ''Manga/OnePiece'':
** Shanks didn't respond to Higuma's attempts to pick a fight because he felt there was no point in crushing somebody so much weaker than him. Only when Higuma threatens Luffy's life does Shanks change his opinion.
** Luffy and Zoro take a similar stance when they encounter Bellamy in Jaya. Not only was Bellamy so much weaker that crushing him would almost be insulting, actually fighting him would in a way imply that his ideology was worth getting upset over. Blackbeard declares Luffy won decisively by recognizing it wasn't worth fighting.
* ''Manga/HenkyouNoRoukishiBardLoen'': After [[spoiler:Kaldus's DespairEventHorizon and asking if he's going to be killed]], Bard judges his actions [[spoiler:between being NecessarilyEvil from an economic point, a SnowballLie to the prince-turned-king he had to keep, and injustice to the farmers, soldiers and Aidra who've died for his ambitions. He]] just intimidates him to return all the money and leaves.

* When the Spanish ships sail by Barbossa's in ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanOnStrangerTides'', they don't so much as spare him a glance, even though their numbers would have easily allowed them to sink his ship.

** Subverted by Kenpachi. He decides Nnoitra is not worth killing once there's no fight left in him, and prepares to just leave him alone. [[DontYouDarePityMe Nnoitra gets offended by the act of 'mercy' and charges Kenpachi]], who decides that this makes him worthy of being killed and cuts him down mid-stride.
** Ginjou does this to [[spoiler: Ichigo after [[TheReveal he revealed his true colors]] and he stole Ichigo's Fullbring powers]].

* In the ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'' episode entitled "Fight Fighters," Robbie, after planning to start a fight after Dipper accidentally destroyed his phone in a panic, decides to not kill him when Dipper gives in, believing that he's not worth his time.

* ''LightNovel/DidntISayToMakeMyAbilitiesAverageInTheNextLife'' has a moment where Reina wants to take revenge on an army captain who has been raiding caravans, killing traders like her father. The rest of her team stop her, saying it's not worth the guilt.

* In ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex'', the amoral psychopath Teitoku Kakine occasionally does this, because he feels it would be beneath him to waste energy on someone who is completely helpless or already dying. An example is when he is attacked by Rikou Takitsubo, whose powers are fueled by taking the drug Body Crystal, which slowly kills its users.

* In ''LightNovel/SoImASpiderSoWhat'', when Earth Dragon Araba destroyed Kumoko's he knew she was still alive due to his Detect skill but didn't kill her as she was too weak to be worth the effort. Kumoko, already traumatized by her near death, is further infuriated by this realization and becomes fixated on getting revenge.
* In ''LightNovel/TheExecutionerAndHerWayOfLife'', when Manon Libelle was a child, the Executioner Flare killed her mother for being an Otherworlder but spared Manon because she hadn't inherited her mother's power. Manon always felt worthless due to people being disappointed she hadn't inherited a Pure Concept, and being told that she wasn't even worth killing was the final straw that pushed her into death-seeking nihilism.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'' episode entitled "Fight Fighters," Robbie, after planning to start a fight after his shirt was splashed with a drink by Dipper, decides to not kill him when Dipper gives in, believing that he's not worth his time.

* In ''Fanfic/TheNightUnfurls'', Kyril declares Alicia and Maia as this after their TrialByCombat, [[CurbStompBattle which is not even a fight to begin with to be honest]].

* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': At the conclusion of his battle at the end of Volume 8, Ironwood is deliberately left alive by his opponents. [[spoiler:[[BrokenPedestal Winter]] defeats and leaves him behind in the Vault, where [[TheHeavy Cinder]] later meets with [[BigBad Salem]]. Though Ironwood had believed himself to be the world's best chance to defeat Salem, she doesn't even acknowledge his existence. Cinder only acknowledges his existence fleetingly to rub in just how badly he's lost. In the end, he's left to die while Cinder and Salem fly away from the [[TrashTheSet crashing city]].]]

->[[caption-width-right:345:"I will definitely not regret this later when he comes for revenge at the end of [[DiscOneFinalBoss Disc 1]]."]]

->[[caption-width-right:345:"I will definitely not regret this later when he comes for revenge at the end of Disc 1."]]

[[caption-width-right:345:"I'll definitely not regret this later when he comes for revenge at the end of Disc 1."]]