History Main / OnlyMostlyDead

** ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1942'': The Silver Age/Earth-One ComicBook/SteveTrevor's ''third'' death turns out to have not quite fully killed him, allowing him to be resuscitated by using a purple healing ray to repair the internal damage to his torso from the fall.

* One of ComicBook/WonderMan's powers is that when he seems to be killed, he is just recouperating in an "ionic coma".

* In ''ComicBook/DetectiveComics'' #64, "ComicBook/TheJoker Walks the Last Mile", this is part of a plan for the Joker: after he is fried by the electric chair for all of his past offenses, his henchmen quickly retrieve his body from the prison morgue and bring him BackFromTheDead with a life serum within 15 minutes in order to keep him from slipping off from "only mostly dead" to "all dead". Once he is revived, he walks away a free man... that is, until he is apprehended for newer robberies.
* Comicbook/BlackPanther was once killed during a battle with [[Comicbook/{{Killmonger}} Erik Killmonger]]. Though his friends were able to (just barely) resuscitate his body, it took Comicbook/MoonKnight venturing [[RescuedFromTheUnderworld into the afterlife]] to actually bring his spirit back to the realm of the living.
* In ''ComicBook/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesIDW'', Donatello's shell is shattered by Bebop and Rocksteady, and everyone initially thinks he's died. However, the Fugitoid detects faint signs of life and realizes that he's just barely alive. Acting quickly, they put his body into a cold room in order to slow down his biological processes, then [[BrainUploading upload his brain]] into Metalhead while they repair the damage -- which includes an artificial shell.

* Irish/Mythology: Some versions of The Battle of Ventry have this combined with UnexplainedRecovery. After defeating the Amazon Queen Ogarmach and King of the World Daire Donn, the two greatest warriors in the world, [[BossRush in two intense back to back battles, ]] Fionn Mac Cumhaill collapses from his wounds and seemingly dies. Only to sit back up moments later, exhausted and battered but otherwise fine, and rally his troops for a final triumphant charge against the invaders.

* In ''FanFic/TangledInTime'', Ganondorf was mortally wounded by the Master Sword -- but the Twinrova manage to save him in time since [[ForWantOfANail the sword wasn't removed from his body]], and he [[RipVanWinkle wakes up decades]] after ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess''.
* In the ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'' fanfic ''[[FanFic/ThingsWeDontTellHumans Things We Don't Tell Humans]]'', we discover that Jetfire is this after ''Film/TransformersRevengeOfTheFallen''.

* ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'':

** ''Anime/PokemonTheOriginalSeries'':
*** In "[[Recap/PokemonS1E23TheTowerOfTerror The Tower of Terror]]", Ash actually becomes a ghost for a short period of time, but it's treated like an AstralProjection situation rather than real death.
*** In "[[Recap/PokemonS1E35TheLegendOfDratini The Legend of Dratini]]" (the ''real'' Safari Zone episode that was [[BannedInChina banned in America]]), Ash nearly dies via drowning when he attempts to defuse the bomb. He's saved by Dragonair.
** Celebi in ''Anime/Pokemon4Ever''. It takes the combined effort of ''every other version of it in every time period'' to bring it back.

* Horrifically averted with Zoroark in ''Anime/PokemonZoroarkMasterOfIllusions''. It is [[HesDeadJim blatantly clear]] that she really was fully dead, and that Celebi's actions were a [[BackFromTheDead full resurrection]] instead of a simple healing.

Game mechanics-wise, there's little difference between Only Mostly Dead and NonLethalKO. It's the general feel of the plot that is affected. Some writers feel that this [[DeathIsCheap cheapens death]] too much, or complicates PlotlineDeath, so they don't use this trope. On the other hand, it avoids the problems a NonLethalKO has with plausibility — a mighty robo-demon topples an entire flaming skyscraper onto you, and you are merely unconscious.

* In ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'', [[spoiler:Ichibe]] ends up getting blasted to smithereens by Yhwach, but comes back to life once Ichigo calls out his name. The ''[[Literature/BleachCantFearYourOwnWorld Can't Fear Your Own World]]'' light novel reveals that [[spoiler:this method of revival is actually an ability shared amongst all members of Squad Zero as long as at least one of them is alive.]]
* Frederica from ''Literature/CoffinPrincessChaika'', a massive armoured dragon who spends most of her time disguised as a cute little girl, has [[HealingFactor impressive healing powers]] and "dies" quite often, but supposedly would die permanently if her brain were destroyed. Naturally, she does eventually get impaled through the head. When the other heroes find her seemingly lifeless body, ''a tiny version of her disguised self rips its way out of her chest''. She had, apparently, [[VoluntaryShapeshifting shapeshifted her real brain into a spare body]], so that she could fake her death if necessary. She grows back to 'normal' size shortly (no pun intended).
* ''Anime/DanganRonpa3's Side:Future'' has the majority of Class-77 being comatose after the events of ''VisualNovel/Danganronpa2GoodbyeDespair''. [[spoiler:All of the comatose students come back for the ''Side:Hope'' series finale.]] [[spoiler:In addition, ''Side:Hope'' reveals that Kyoko Kirigiri, previously thought to have died during the Final Killing Game, was ''also'' in this state, and she is fully revived off-screen during the episode.]]

** This is addressed by ex-party member Namari, who explains that losing even 1/13th of your body permanently (i.e. disintegration) causes Resurrection Magic to become far less reliable — and being turned to ash renders you permanently dead to all but the greatest Clerics. Heaven forbid you get [[LiterallyShatteredLives shattered]] after you're [[TakenForGranite petrified]].
** It's also addressed even further in that meat of some kind is required for any kind of resurrection that involves either purely skeletal remains or heavily rotted remains — immense amounts of calories are needed for the body to both reform and get back to working order. As such, goat or pig meat is used. This also means that deep dungeon resurrections of such a kind are nigh impossible for this reason and one other:
** While souls are chained to bodies after death, the bonds weaken over time, creating Spirits. However, the moment a Spirit is made manifest, resurrection becomes 100% impossible as there's no longer ANY connection between soul and body. [[spoiler:Falin was barely hours or days away from becoming a spirit — Marcille's envisioning of the bonds keeping her soul tethered to her skeleton is that only one decrepit bond remains, necessitating the elf's use of Forbidden Magic.]]

* During part of the Buu arc of ''Anime/DragonBallZ'', Gohan is thought to be dead. As the narrator mentions, however, he's at Death's door instead of fully dead (and he got better eventually).

** Later, Apachai, one of Kenichi's masters, was 'killed' and confirmed as dead by his rival Agaard (also Tirawit Kōkin's Master), and came back by 'asking a reaper for help' to protect Kenichi.
*** Perhaps ironically, the early series used Apachai doing this to Kenichi as a ''RunningGag'', showing Apachai's problems with the concept of "Holding Back".
* Spoofed, as many things are, in ''Literature/KonoSuba''.
** In episode 6, Darkness starts to wax lyrical about the people killed in the battle with [[HeadlessHorseman Verdia]]. But then [[PhysicalGoddess Aqua]] casts resurrect on them all.
** [[OurHeroIsDead Kazuma himself gets killed several times]], and each time it's treated as more of a mere inconvenience when he simply has to spend his time chatting it up with Eris while he waits for Aqua to resurrect him.

** Ash in "The Legend of Dratini" episode of ''Anime/PokemonTheOriginalSeries'' (the ''real'' Safari Zone episode that was banned in America) nearly dies via drowning when he attempts to defuse the bomb. He's saved by Dragonair.

** It happens again in "The Tower of Terror", where he actually becomes a ghost for a short period of time, but it's treated like an AstralProjection situation rather than real death.

** Horrifically averted with Zoroark in ''Anime/PokemonZoroarkMasterOfIllusions''. It is [[HesDeadJim blatantly clear]] that she really was fully dead and that Celebi's actions were a [[BackFromTheDead full resurrection]] instead of a simple healing.
* ''Literature/RebuildWorld'': Due to BrainUploading technology in this CyberPunk setting, doctor Yatsubiyashi tells the protagonist Akira about how many hunters have a 'black box' of sorts containing their personality on their body to be put into a cyborg one after they supposedly die. When Akira is involved in a medevac mission, they have to treat the corpses as wounded for this reason. This gets taken advantage of by [[spoiler:Zelmo and Tiol, with Zelmo having one of said backups, and Tiol’s personality being backed up by Tsubaki to re-upload into a RemoteBody he still had.]]

* The 4Kids dub of ''Anime/YuGiOh'' treats the "Shadow Realm" this way. If characters are sent there, it's a FateWorseThanDeath — but if the villain who sent them is defeated within a certain, non-specified period of time, then they are restored (although PTSD ''is'' a known side-effect). If they spend too long in the Shadow Realm, however, their minds will be completely lost. This is implied to be what happened to Marik's father (in the original, he was murdered with a knife).

* In ''ComicBook/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesIDW'', Donatello's shell is shattered by Bebop and Rocksteady and everyone initially thinks he's died. However, the Fugitoid detects faint signs of life and realizes that he's just barely alive. Acting quickly, they put his body into a cold room in order to slow down his biological processes, then [[BrainUploading upload his brain]] into Metalhead while they repair the damage — which includes an artificial shell.

* In ''FanFic/TangledInTime'', Ganondorf was mortally wounded by the Master Sword — but the Twinrova manage to save him in time since [[ForWantOfANail the sword wasn't removed from his body]], and he [[RipVanWinkle wakes up decades]] after ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess''.

[[folder:Film — Animated]]

[[folder:Film — Live-Action]]
* Parodied in ''Film/DraculaDeadAndLovingIt'', where Johnathan Harker is doused in blood twice while staking Lucy:
->'''Van Helsing''': (coming out from his cover to check her over)"She's almost dead!"
->'''Johnathan''': (wiping the blood out of his eyes)"She's dead enough!"
* The {{Trope Namer|s}} is from ''Film/ThePrincessBride'', wherein Westley, following torture to near-death by suction pump, turns out to be revivable — as long as the pill has time to work and he doesn't go swimming for at least an hour.
* In ''Film/TheGoldenChild'', LoveInterest Kee Nang is struck by a crossbow bolt after TakingTheBullet for TheChosenOne, Chandler Jarrell, forcing him to race against time to rescue the titular Golden Child so his powers can be used to save her. It's also [[PlayingWithATrope played with]] a little. Her body is laid out on a table, with the sunlight shining on her through a window. Jarrell is told that [[ExactWords as long as the sunlight touches her, she can be revived by the Golden Child]], but if he takes too long, it'll be too late. After defeating Numspa and saving the Child, Jarrell notices sadly that the sunbeam has already moved past Kee Nang's body. Then the Golden Child walks over, props Kee Nang's foot back up into the sunlight, and revives her.
* ''Film/TheInvisible'': [[spoiler:Nick thought he was dead until he saw a bird hit a window, and its spirit stuck around only until its body finally died]]. Cue the race to [[spoiler:find Nick's body]].

* The British Film/HammerHorror film ''Film/WakeWood'' has the post-death caveat type — there is a ritual to bring a loved one back to life for a short amount of time, as long as the death didn't happen too long ago. A grieving couple bring back their dead daughter [[CameBackWrong after lying about the length of time since the death.]] [[BlatantLies Hilarity ensues.]]
* In the movie ''Film/SourceCode'', [[spoiler:Colter Stevens]] is not quite dead ''yet''.

* In ''Film/StarTrekIntoDarkness'', [[spoiler:Kirk appears to die in the containment chamber in Engineering from radiation poisoning after saving the ''Enterprise'' from crashing on Earth. He is then shown lying in an open body bag in Sickbay. But when [=McCoy=] figures out how to save him[[note]]using [[BigBad Khan]]'s blood, which he noticed had revived a dead tribble[[/note]] he gets a cryotube and has Kirk frozen to preserve his brain, revealing he wasn't quite completely dead yet.]]
-->'''[=McCoy=]:''' Oh, don't be so melodramatic. [[LampshadeHanging You were only barely dead.]]
* ''Film/TransformersAgeOfExtinction'': Turns out [[spoiler:getting an axe through what was left of his head, which was then torn off his neck, wasn't quite enough to put Megatron down for good, and he's able to survive long enough to transfer himself into a shiny new body.]]
* ''Film/JusticeLeague2017'': [[Franchise/{{Batman}} Bruce Wayne]] suggests this when he's talking about reviving Franchise/{{Superman}} using a Mother Box. [[Franchise/WonderWoman Diana]] argues against it and tells him to accept that Superman is dead, to which he answers that "we don't know what state he's in." [[spoiler:Well, either way, you guessed it, they are able to bring him back.]]

* ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'' has several levels of being dead. Most people die and their souls are eventually reincarnated sans memories. The [[BigBad Dark One]] can also resurrect followers of his who die normally. Big heroes are bound to the Pattern and between incarnations they inhabit the World of Dreams where they retain memories of their past lives. When they're reincarnated, their new lives tend to be just as heroic as their past ones. Finally there's people who die via [[DangerousForbiddenTechnique balefire]], which kills you retroactively. Their souls can still be reincarnated according to WordOfGod, but they can't be resurrected by the Dark One. However, as a consequence of killing you before it hits you, anyone who was killed by you after your adjusted time of death gets unkilled, with some funny memories of dying. About the only cause of DeaderThanDead shown is dying while in the World of Dreams. Dying there removes you from the Pattern so you can't be reincarnated.
* The entire premise of ''Literature/AlteredCarbon'', in which death and ''Real Death'' (or ''RD'') are two separate concepts. Everyone is fitted with a brain backup implant called a ''cortical stack'' at birth. As long as it's intact, a person who dies can be resurrected into another body (provided they can fork up the cash for it).
* The eponymous Literature/SkulduggeryPleasant is this trope entirely. He was human but was killed in agony by Serpine during the war, then was burned and put in a bag - but it turned out [[spoiler:(through Necromancer power that we find out about in Book 6)]] that he was only Mostly Dead, and as such was able to pull himself together and continue fighting.
** ''Mortal Coil'' has Valkyrie become mostly dead in order to [[spoiler:have her true name sealed]], in one of the single creepiest bits of the series. And that's saying something.
** Also applies to the partygoers in ''Death Bringer'' who were dead until their energy was returned to them.
* Literature/HarryPotter [[spoiler:gives himself up to Lord Voldemort in an attempt to save his friends in the last book. Harry is hit with Avada Kedavra and his soul enters some form of limbo long enough for exposition from Dumbledore, but because Voldemort accidentally tied him to life by taking his blood, Harry eventually revives unharmed]].

* In Creator/TerryPratchett's ''Literature/TheAmazingMauriceAndHisEducatedRodents'', the titular cat, Maurice, uses one of his [[CatsHaveNineLives nine lives]] to avoid becoming "all dead". He also trades another of his lives to save [[spoiler:Dangerous Beans]] from the same fate.

* In ''Literature/LonelyWerewolfGirl'' the souls of dead werewolves go to the Forest Of The Werewolf Dead, fortunately Fire-Demon Malvera is able to intercept heroine Kalix's soul while it's just in the outskirts and bring her back. All for the [[DealWithTheDevil bargain price]] of one human girl's ability to love.
** In book 2 it is revealed that [[spoiler: Sarapen, the BigBad from book 1 whose [[NeverFoundTheBody body was never found]], is being kept in an Only Mostly Dead state, the [[{{Cliffhanger}} end of the book]] has him about to be awakened]].
* In the book ''Literature/ThePrincessBride'', Miracle Max actually first proclaims Westley "Sort of Dead." After a while, he notices something wrong, and the other characters ask him what it is. He then informs them that Westley has just slipped from Sort of Dead to Mostly Dead.
* George R.R. Martin's ''Literature/{{A Song of Ice and Fire}}'' series has a few examples of this. Lord Berric Dondarrion [[spoiler: was brought back to life repeatedly by the Red Priest, although his regenerated form still had the wounds and scars from his death, most notably a huge hole in his chest left by a lance, and he gradually forgot more of his life with each subsequent revival.]] Catelyn Stark [[spoiler: was murdered along with her son Robb at the Red Wedding, then later reappears, restored to life by the same sort of magic as Dondarrion. In a subversion, Catelyn is visibly rotted as a result of being resurrected several days after her demise.]]
* In the ''Literature/TheCrewOfTheCopperColoredCupids'' story ''[[https://thecrewofthecoppercoloredcupids.wordpress.com/2020/11/09/the-grand-multiverse-hotel/ The Grand Multiverse Hotel]]'', the Queen of the Black Market bound her soul to her body, so that she could be easily resurrected even if her body physically died. A slightly more lively form of Only-Mostly-Deadness comes in when characters ''attempt'' a resurrection on her body but don't quite manage it, resulting in her spending the climax as a mostly still presence who can barely manage to whisper. (She eventually gets better.)
* In the ''Literature/WarriorCats'' series, Clan leaders are granted [[CatsHaveNineLives nine lives]] by their ancestors. When they receive a fatal injury or sickness, they'll stay dead for several minutes before waking up, assuming they have more lives left.
* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'':
** This happens in ''Literature/GhostStory'' when, [[spoiler:after spending the entire book as a ghost, Harry attempts to move on, only to awaken in his still-alive body. Mab and Demonreach had healed Harry's mortal wounds while his disembodied soul wandered Chicago]].
** In ''Literature/DeadBeat'', the EnigmaticMinion Kumori {{Invoke|dTrope}}s this on a mortally wounded man, using {{Necromanc|er}}y to bind his soul to his body until [=EMTs=] are able to stabilize him normally.
* Main villains of ''[[Literature/{{Nightside}} Nightingale's Lament]]'' put a very popular singer into this state to keep her compliant and easily controlled.

* In ''Literature/AlmostPerfect2014'', the dog Susie starts to give birth while outside. Her first puppy lies in the snow for some time before David finds him and, thinking he's dead, wraps him in a newspaper and takes him inside. When David unwraps him, he and Bess are surprised to find that he's still breathing. Bess tucks him inside her shirt until he's warmed up.
* ''Literature/GoblinsInTheCastle'': While Fauna's visiting her in ''Goblins on the Prowl'', Granny Pinchbottom reveals she's working on a combination spell/recipe which is supposed to be given to someone who's on the brink of death and hold them in that state for a while, though since she was interrupted while working on it, she doesn't know if it'll actually work. She still gives Fauna a piece, just in case, which comes in handy when the Baron suddenly collapses and seems to be dying -- the specipe saves his life, but won't wake him up. [[spoiler:When Helagon is banished back into the Pit of Thogmoth, all his spells are broken and the Baron safely reawakens.]]
* ''Literature/RestlessOne'': El's state when the military found him after his helicopter crashed. A broken spine, gutted stomach, damaged a quarter of the brain. At the same time, breathing and pulse remained.

* ''Series/SevenDays'': A backstep goes wrong (of course) due to sabotage, which kills Frank...mostly. He's still a ghost, and when a BlindBlackGuy [[YouCanSeeMe is able to hear him]] Parker manages to save the day by backstepping again.

** Buffy is killed, she is brought back by a magical ritual.
** Buffy in "Prophecy Girl", after the Master drowned her.
*** Made even weirder that she's dead enough to trigger a new slayer, but not so dead that CPR fails.
** Buffyverse has a good few levels of dead including but probably not limited to: vampire/demon possessed corpse, mummy/zombie/reanimated corpse sans demon, ghost, resuscitated, dead but brought back by magic, dead and beyond being brought back by magic (e.g. Darla), whatever the heck happened to Cordelia.

** Played completely straight, and even quoted, in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS31E13TheBigBang "The Big Bang"]]. Amy, who'd been shot and presumably killed, is placed in the most secure prison in the universe — designed so that the person inside it could never escape, not even through death — and stored there until given a way to be revived.
** In [[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E12HellBent "Hell Bent"]], [[spoiler:Clara is extracted from her timeline in between her next-to-last and last heartbeat, and kept suspended in that moment while still being able to walk and talk and act pretty normally]]. So, she's right on the edge of dead, but not ''quite'' there.
* [[spoiler:Aeryn Sun]] on ''Series/{{Farscape}}'' qualifies for this - she drowns and is given a tearful burial scene. Then Zhaan, grieving, decides to [[spoiler: give up her own life using her mystical Delvian powers]] and revive her deceased friend. Zhaan's able to do this because - yes! - [[spoiler:Aeryn's not totally dead!]]
* In the Pilot episode of ''Series/{{Fringe}}'', Walter suggests to Olivia that they communicate with the comatose John Scott by linking their minds.

** In the alternate future of season 3, [[spoiler:Sylar goes nuclear while standing a few feet away from Peter and Claire, both of whom are shown to survive.]]

[[folder:Web Original]]

* This occurs in ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueUnlimited'' when [[ComicBook/TheFlash Flash]] [[TooFastToStop taps into the]] [[HeroicRROD Speed Force]] [[IAmNotLeftHanded to]] [[RapidFireFisticuffs defeat]] {{Nigh Invulnerab|ility}}le foe, "Brainthor", and appears to fade from existence, for good. After a few brief moments of hopelessness, it is revealed that Flash is still alive, but continually regressing and [[MirrorUniverse his dreaded demise]] [[YouCantFightFate appears inevitable]], so the remaining core seven decide to [[ChainOfPeople ''pull'' him out of the Speed Force]]. After being rescued, he says that he's certain that if he ever tries going that fast again, he ''won't'' be able to come back.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/{{Amphibia}}'' Season 2 finale, King Andrias [[spoiler: stabs Marcy in the back with his LaserBlade, and she appears to have died until TheStinger reveals that Marcy survived, but is comatose in a HealingVat. When she's freed from the container in "Olivia & Yunan", she is practically delirious and unable to walk properly after spending weeks in a medically induced coma, but otherwise is perfectly healed [[DemonicPossession (at least until The Core forcibly possesses her)]].]]
* In the ''WesternAnimation/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower'' episode “Save the Cat”, [[spoiler: Catra is critically injured by Horde Prime but is revived by She-Ra. Although Catra seemingly died before her revival, some very faint breaths can be heard implying Catra was technically, albeit barely, alive. Creator/NDStevenson [[https://twitter.com/gingerhazing/status/1283090051417563136 confirmed]] that Catra was originally supposed to be dead but the breaths were added due to ExecutiveMeddling.]]

* This is a gameplay feature in ''VideoGame/BaldursGateIII'': when one of your party members run out of HP, they enter a "downed" state, during which they can return to action if another character helps them back up or heals them. If they are still downed when their next turn comes up, they must make a Death Saving Throw. Three successful Saving Throws will stabilize their condition, but three failed Saving Throws will result in their death. If a character is brought down to zero HP under some conditions, such as being shoved into a bottomless pit or being fatally hit with the Disintegrate spell, then there will be NoSavingThrows: your character will die instantly and need to be resurrected.

* In ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4'', [[spoiler:Big Boss is revealed to have been sealed away in a coma for 15 years after his "final" battle with Solid Snake, having been snatched away by the Patriots, his legs and arms amputated and his consciousness locked away with nanomachines. As it turns out, that was actually Solidus Snake, who is physically identical to Big Boss aside from the fact that the eye he lost is on the other side of his face. Big Boss shows up in the ending later with new cybernetic limbs (as well as replacement limbs from his sons, Liquid and Solidus) to let Snake know that he shouldn't spend his last days as a soldier. He finally succumbs to [=FOXDIE=] at the end of his speech to his son.]]

%%* Used as a plot device in Nano-Nano's path in ''[[VideoGame/GalaxyAngel Galaxy Angel II]]''.
* ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'':
** Ash in "The Legend of Dratini" episode of ''Anime/PokemonTheOriginalSeries'' (the ''real'' Safari Zone episode that was banned in America) nearly dies via drowning when he attempts to defuse the bomb. He's saved by Dragonair.
** Ash uses Pikachu as a MagicalDefibrillator a lot.
** It happens again in "The Tower of Terror", where he actually becomes a ghost for a short period of time, but it's treated like an AstralProjection situation rather than real death.
** Celebi in ''Anime/Pokemon4Ever''. It takes the combined effort of ''every other version of it in every time period'' to bring it back.
** Horrifically averted with Zoroark in ''Anime/PokemonZoroarkMasterOfIllusions''. It is [[HesDeadJim blatantly clear]] that she really was fully dead and that Celebi's actions were a [[BackFromTheDead full resurrection]] instead of a simple healing.

* In ''Manga/KenichiTheMightiestDisciple'', [[spoiler:Kenichi himself]] is at one point 'killed' by Tirawit Kōkin, a disciple of Muay Thai. Although Ryozanpaku's ridiculously good medicine manages a revival, there are some other serious consequences that continue for quite some time.

* The 4Kids dub of ''Anime/YuGiOh'' treats the "Shadow Realm" this way. If characters are sent there, it's a FateWorseThanDeath — but if the villain who sent them is defeated within a certain, non-specified period of time, then they are restored (although PTSD ''is'' a known side-effect). If they spend too long in the Shadow Realm, however, their minds will be completely lost. This is implied to be what happened to Marik's father (in the original, he was murdered with a knife).
* Happens to Tenma in ''Manga/SaintSeiyaTheLostCanvas'' after Hades effectively kills him. Turns out Tenma's soul is still barely connected to his body due to the flower bracelet his childhood friend gave him.

* ''Manga/HayateTheCombatButler'' parodies this in an anime filler [[RPGEpisode episode]]. Risa dies in battle against a [[BossInMookClothing slime]], but continues to hop around in a coffin after Izumi and Miki; exaggerated later on with the coffin gaining equipment and weapons that Risa couldn't possibly use.
* At the climax of ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'', [[spoiler:Father actually ''succeeds'' in his goal and absorbs the souls of ''everyone'' in Amestris not currently in his sanctum]]. However, [[spoiler:Hohenheim reveals that he [[BatmanGambit had prepared a reverse transmutation circle using the moon's shadow from the eclipse]], [[CrazyPrepared and dots made of his own]] [[HiveMind Philosopher's Stone souls]], so that even if Father had the souls, the ''minds'' were still functioning as a link to their ''bodies'', and ensured the souls would be pulled back to their owners, meaning that the seemingly dead inhabitants (which were technically still saveable even in that situation, provided rapid action was taken) returned to life when the aforementioned failsafe activated itself automatically.]]
* During part of the Buu arc of ''Anime/DragonBallZ'', Gohan is thought to be dead. As the narrator mentions, however, he's at Death's door instead of fully dead (and he got better eventually).
* Frederica from ''Literature/CoffinPrincessChaika'', a massive armoured dragon who spends most of her time disguised as a cute little girl, has [[HealingFactor impressive healing powers]] and "dies" quite often, but supposedly would die permanently if her brain were destroyed. Naturally, she does eventually get impaled through the head. When the other heroes find her seemingly lifeless body, ''a tiny version of her disguised self rips its way out of her chest''. She had, apparently, [[VoluntaryShapeshifting shapeshifted her real brain into a spare body]], so that she could fake her death if necessary. She grows back to 'normal' size shortly (no pun intended).
* ''Anime/DanganRonpa3's Side:Future'' has the majority of Class-77 being comatose after the events of ''VisualNovel/Danganronpa2GoodbyeDespair''. [[spoiler:All of the comatose students come back for the ''Side:Hope'' series finale.]] [[spoiler:In addition, ''Side:Hope'' reveals that Kyoko Kirigiri, previously thought to have died during the Final Killing Game, was ''also'' in this state, and she is fully revived off-screen during the episode.]]
* It's revealed this is what really happened to [[spoiler:Mavis]] in ''Manga/FairyTail''. [[spoiler:While Zeref's Curse of Ankhselam was able to "kill" her [[ThePowerOfLove due to his love for her]], because she suffered from the same Curse her immortality ended up putting her in a state between life and death rather than truly killing her as he thought. However, it took her years before her consciousness was able to regain enough strength to manifest as an astral projection, and at that point her body was trapped inside a powerful stasis Lacrima crystal and had become the container for a potentially-infinite magical source of energy in addition to having the same WalkingWasteland powers as before, so letting herself out wasn't exactly an option.]]
* Spoofed, as many things are, in ''Literature/KonoSuba''. In episode 6, Darkness starts to wax lyrical about the people killed in the battle with [[HeadlessHorseman Verdia.]] But then Aqua casts resurrect on them all.
* In ''Manga/DrStone'', Tsukasa seemingly kills Senku with a NeckSnap, but it turns out Senku had been [[ThanatosGambit drawing attention to his neck for months]], [[BatmanGambit conditioning Tsukasa to strike there]]. When Taiju and Yuzuriha find Senku's body, they realize [[spoiler:there's a tiny stone fragment left on the back of his neck, and pouring miracle fluid on it heals his broken neck and revives him.]]

* In ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'', [[spoiler:Ichibe]] ends up getting blasted to smithereens by Yhwach, but comes back to life once Ichigo calls out his name. ''Literature/BleachCannotFearYourOwnWorld'' reveals that [[spoiler:this method of revival is actually an ability shared amongst all members of Squad Zero as long as at least one of them is alive.]]

* In ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'', this happens to [[spoiler:both Naruto (by having the nine tails extracted) and Sasuke (by old-fashioned sword to the chest)]], almost simultaneously, courtesy of [[spoiler:Madara Uchiha]]. [[spoiler:Naruto's heart literally stops and Sakura has to pump it herself to keep him alive while they find a way to save him.]]

** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'' draws a distinction between hitting 0 HP and actually being mortally wounded. A PlayerCharacter with no health isn't mortally wounded, just injured enough to no longer fight or move under their won power. Raise spells work just fine on them, because it's "merely" a concentrated dose of normal healing magic, though the process is extremely unpleasant and leaves the revived warrior operating at reduced effectiveness until it wears off. Actual mortal wounds, such as having a hole blasted clean through one's torso, are simply too much tissue damage for healing magic to do more than ease the pain and slightly delay the inevitable and dead means dead.

** Horrifically averted with Zoroark in ''Anime/ZoroarkMasterOfIllusions''. It is [[HesDeadJim blatantly clear]] that she really was fully dead and that Celebi's actions were a [[BackFromTheDead full resurrection]] instead of a simple healing.

** Ash in ''The Legend of Dratini" episode of ''Anime/PokemonTheOriginalSeries'' (the ''real'' Safari Zone episode that was banned in America) nearly dies via drowning when he attempts to defuse the bomb. He's saved by Dragonair.

* Ash in the 35th episode of ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' (the ''real'' Safari Zone episode that was banned in America). This is the first episode that shows he is MadeOfIron.

** It happens again in the Lavender Tower episode, where he actually becomes a ghost for a short period of time.
** Celebi in the fourth movie. It takes the combined effort of ''every other version of it in every time period'' to bring it back.
** Horrifically averted with Zoroark in the 14th movie. It is [[HesDeadJim blatantly clear]] that she really was fully dead and that Celebi's actions were a [[BackFromTheDead full resurrection]] instead of a simple healing.