History Main / SelfSacrificeScheme

* Near the end of ''Anime/CodeGeass'' [[spoiler: [[Characters/CodeGeassLelouchLamperouge Lelouch Lamperouge]], having lost his will to live on in the world after Nunnally's perceived demise and the Black Knights' betrayal, attempts this twice: first by [[TakingYouWithMe locking himself together with his father, the Emperor, in C's World]], and after that doesn't take, by taking over the world and becomes an oppressive dictator who violates human rights like he's going for a world record. Then his (former) friend assassinates him publicly and becomes a hero to literally the entire world for freeing them from Lelouch. Little do they know, it was his plan. By uniting the world under his friend, Lelouch ushers in world peace.]]

* ''Franchise/{{Naruto}}'':
** This was part of [[spoiler: [[Characters/NarutoItachiUchiha Itachi Uchiha's]] plan to protect Sasuke and make him stronger.]]

* [[Film/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows Harry]] and Aberforth [[spoiler:Dumbledore]] discuss the morality of this being Dumbledore's plan to defeat Voldemort. Harry figured it would and is willing to go through with it. Aberforth calls it a fool's crusade, but he doesn't stop Harry from going back to Hogwarts. [[spoiler: Even after discovering his status as a Horcrux, a vessel for a broken piece of Voldemort's soul and thereby means by which Voldemort might live forever, Harry accepts his fate solemnly.]]

* ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'' had two. The first happened when Colette [[spoiler:tried to sacrifice herself to become an angel and save Sylvarant. Lloyd and co. saved her.]] The second one happened later in the game, in the Tower of Salvation, when there is a trap and Genis helps Lloyd to escape.

[[folder:Webcomics]]

'''As a DeathTrope, beware unmarked spoilers!'''

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

* Near the end of ''Anime/CodeGeass'' [[spoiler:Lelouch, having lost his will to live on in the world after Nunnally's perceived demise and the Black Knights' betrayal, attempts this twice: first by [[TakingYouWithMe locking himself together with his father, the Emperor, in C's World]], and after that doesn't take, by taking over the world and becomes an oppressive dictator who violates human rights like he's going for a world record. Then his (former) friend assassinates him publicly and becomes a hero to literally the entire world for freeing them from Lelouch. Little do they know, it was his plan. By uniting the world under his friend, Lelouch ushers in world peace.]]

** This was part of [[spoiler:Itachi's plan to protect Sasuke and make him stronger.]]

* [[spoiler:Irving]] in ''VideoGame/WildArms2'' does this. HeroicSacrifices are a family legacy for him, and the entire game is a ThanatosGambit so that he can [[spoiler:seal a living universe in a [[SealedInsideAPersonShapedCan person-shaped can]] and then have the heroes step on that can. Bonus WhatTheHellHero points for dragging his sister along with him]]. The heroes are ''not'' happy when they find this out.

* ''Literature/RaiKirah'': Prince Aleksander allows [[DemonicPossession a demon to possess him]], intending [[KillTheHostBody to be killed]] and take it down with him. Seyonne exorcises him and saves his life instead, both for Aleksander's sake and because the demon would have simply {{Body Surf}}ed to safety anyway.

Being a DeathTrope, BEWARE OF SPOILERS!

Maybe they're an ApocalypseMaiden, WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds or PersonOfMassDestruction. Maybe they [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone committed]] [[BloodOnTheseHands a horrible crime]] [[OutDamnedSpot and could]] [[ItsAllMyFault never get it]] [[MyGreatestFailure out of their mind.]] Maybe they're just a DeathSeeker, and this seems like a good enough opportunity. [[{{Webcomic/Homestuck}} Or maybe they somehow know that their death is just a level up.]] Either way, they're convinced that their death will make things better, whether it be for [[RedemptionEqualsDeath them]] or [[HeroicSacrifice their friends.]] Just before they die, the good guys usually discover his ploy and begin to [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone panic]], one of them usually saying [[ThanatosGambit "You planned this all along]], didn't you?"

* In the movie sequel of ''LightNovel/RascalDoesNotDreamOfBunnyGirlSenpai'', [[spoiler:it is revealed that Mai had already planned to sacrifice herself to save Sakuta ever since the day future Shoko told her of his upcoming death]].

When a character decides to sacrifice themself in order to save [[TrueCompanions their friends]] or [[SavingTheWorld the world]], but knew perfectly well that the opportunity to do so would occur. Sometimes, they even plan out the situation so that their own friends will end up killing them.

Related to ThanatosGambit, DrivenToSuicide and HeroicSacrifice. If the character uses a spell to sacrifice themselves, it's a SacrificialRevivalSpell. A specific variant is OneWayTrip. When a character has died long before and is revealed to have done one of these, they're a SilentScapegoat.

** Kaneki betrays [[HunterOfMonsters the CCG]] by releasing numerous prisoners inside Cochlea, using it as a distraction to rescue [[TheCutie Hinami]]. Though he reassures her, in reality he intends to "die in style" -- dying for the sake of another person. His plan focuses on saving Hinami's life in a manner that will provoke [[TheDreaded Arima]] into killing him.

* A lot of the more sympathetic Sith in ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'' try to grasp at power so that the current government will be stronger for defeating them.

* ''VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}}'': This is the exact reason why [[spoiler:Gehrman chose to kill the Hunter in the end. He decided to stay inside the dream as a surrogate of the [[EldritchAbomination Moon Presence]] so the Hunter can be freed from the dream by giving him/her a MercyKill.]] Moreover, it's implied in one of the endings, dialogue with the NPC hunters Djura and Eileen, and [[spoiler:Gehrman's]] tear-filled sleep talk that he has been doing this ''hundreds'' of times. This can be inverted as well, if you decided to refuse [[spoiler:Gehrman's]] offer. In that case, [[spoiler:you choose to sacrifice your freedom and take Gehrman's place in the Hunter's Dream.]]

When a character decides to sacrifice himself or herself in order to save [[TrueCompanions their friends]] or [[SavingTheWorld the world]], but knew perfectly well that the opportunity to do so would occur. Sometimes, they even plan out the situation so that their own friends will end up killing them.

* ''Literature/ATaleOfTwoCities'': [[spoiler:Sydney Carton]].

* In the movie sequel of ''LightNovel/RascalDoesNotDreamOfBunnyGirlSenpai'', [[spoiler: it is revealed that Mai had already planned to sacrifice herself to save Sakuta ever since the day future Shoko told her of his upcoming death.]]
-->[[spoiler:'''Future Sakuta''': Mai-san, you intended on saving me from the beginning?]]
-->[[spoiler:'''Mai''': Didn't I tell you before? I love you way more than you think.]]
* ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'' reveals this to be the ultimate goal of [[spoiler:Eren Jaeger]], similar to the ''Anime/CodeGeass'' example above. [[spoiler:While Eren was willing to kill off all humanity outside of the island of Paradis, he also banked on his friends being against his actions and planning to stop him. After Eren's death, publically proclaimed to have been done by [[ChildHoodFriend Armin]], he and the rest of the Paradis squad would be considered the heroes of humanity and it would lead to world peace between the Eldians and Marleyans. The final pages do show that it succeeded, albeit for only a generation or two, until Marley retaliated upon Paradis again.]]
* In ''Manga/TokyoGhoul[=:Re=]'', these pile up.
** Kaneki betrays [[HunterOfMonsters the CCG]] by releasing numerous prisoners inside Cochlea, using it as a distraction to rescue [[TheCutie Hinami]]. Though he reassures her, in reality he intends to "die in style" -- dying for the sake of another person. His plan focuses on saving Hinami's life in a manner that will provoke [[TheDreaded Arima]] into killing him.
** Arima turns out to have been planning a similar event, having groomed and trained Kaneki to one day kill him in battle. When Kaneki ultimately refuses to do so, Arima commits suicide and requests that Kaneki take credit for his death.

** In a flashback arc, a Konoha girl named Rin Nohara was captured by the Mist Village and forcibly made into [[ApocalypseMaiden the jinchuuriki of the Three-Tailed Beast]], with the intent that [[spoiler:she be returned to Konoha, lose control, and destroy the village]]. To prevent this, she [[spoiler:threw herself in front of her friend and UnrequitedLove Kakashi's chidori, effectively killing herself.]]
* ''Manga/NabariNoOu'': Raikou tells Gau that he'd kill him if Raimei was told the truth about their clan's annihilation. [[HeroicSacrifice Gau decides that it's worth it.]]
* ''Manga/SaintSeiya'': Shun comes up with this when [[spoiler:he was possessed by Hades]]. However, [[spoiler:his plan was averted due to his brother Ikki not willing to bring himself to kill his brother]].
* This was pulled by [[spoiler: Urumiya Hagas]] in ''Manga/FushigiYuugiGenbuKaiden''. [[spoiler: Not only he was already dying of illness, but he knew that only either he or his twin brother Tegu would be able to have the Urumiya title among the Genbu Senshi... so as soon as he was in front of his brother after years, he shielded Tegu from a falling stalactite and was fatally injured to protect him. With his last words, Hagas told Tegu everything and entrusted him with the legacy of Urumiya, which he fulfilled to his best.]]

* In ''Manga/MoriartyThePatriot'', as part of William's [[MessianicArchetype Messiah complex]], [[spoiler:he had long planned his own death as a sacrifice to take on the burdens on his entire family and friends' crimes and save Britain. Unfortunately, no one else realized this until nearly too late to stop it.]]

[[folder:Fan Fiction]]
* ''FanFic/TangledUpInBlues'': Blues believes this was [[spoiler:Moody's]] gambit--though it did not involve sacrificing a life, just [[spoiler:his fame and fortune, so that he could one day become a mentor to some young pony in need of guidance]].

[[folder:Film]]
* In ''Film/{{Stargate}}'', Jack O'Neil reveals toward the end that [[spoiler:the reason why they brought a nuclear bomb with them was so he could detonate it and destroy the Stargate from the other end in case they encountered a hostile world that wished Earth harm. The reason he's willing to nuke himself?]] His son accidentally killed himself with his gun and he spends the whole film dealing with it.

* In ''Literature/DragonBones'', [[spoiler: Oreg]] manipulates things so that Ward has no other choice than to kill him, in order to [[spoiler: make castle Hurog collapse over their enemies.]]
* The BittersweetEnding of the second ''Literature/{{Nightrunner}}'' book had one. At the climax, it's revealed that [[spoiler: Nysander]], the only one who knew the full prophecy, has to die in order for the ArtifactOfDoom to be destroyed. He knew this all along and set up [[spoiler: Seregil]] to kill him. Cue HeroicBSOD on [[spoiler: Seregil]] realizing this.
* [[spoiler: Dumbledore]]'s plot to have [[spoiler: Snape]] kill him in ''Literature/HarryPotter''. It was the only way [[spoiler: Snape]] could gain Voldemort's full trust.

* ''Literature/ATaleOfTwoCities'': [[spoiler: Sydney Carton]]
* A lot of the more sympathetic Sith in ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'' try to grasp at power so that the current government will be stronger for defeating them.
* In the second book of Literature/TheHungerGames trilogy, Katniss goes into the Quarter Quell fully intending to protect Peeta for as long as possible, die, and let him win and survive, both because she feels that she owes him (since he and Haymitch worked to keep her alive in the previous Hunger Games) and because she thinks he would be more useful in uniting the rebels and aiding the revolution against the Capitol. [[spoiler: As it turns out, the rebels manage to get ''both'' of them, along with a few others, out of the arena alive.]]
** [[MoreHeroThanThou Peeta, on his end, volunteers to go into the arena so he can protect Katniss to the point of sacrificing his own life]]. He even brings a locket with pictures of Gale and her family as his district token and gives it to her on the beach to convince her [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy that she can have a happy life without him but if she's gone he has no reason to live.]]
* In ''Literature/TheVampireDiaries'' [[spoiler: Elena]] makes a bargain with Elijah, with him [[ExactWords carefully phrasing]] the agreement to exclude [[spoiler: her.]] It turns out the specific terms were noted and accepted anyway.
* Kelsier gets one of these at the end of the first Literature/{{Mistborn}} novel - planning to make himself [[GodGuise appear godlike]] by allowing a shapeshifter to take his place after being very obviously killed in battle.
* [[spoiler:[[Literature/GodEmperorOfDune Leto Atreides II]]]] in the ''Franchise/{{Dune}}'' series. Most of humanity wants him dead for various reasons, but his prescient scrying keeps him one step ahead of their plans. Trouble is, his goal all along has been to breed a strain of humanity that's immune to prescient scrying (in order to prevent its extinction from a separate threat he's perceived), and getting that done will inevitably result in his destruction.

* In the revived ''Series/{{Dallas}}'' series, the death of J.R. Ewing ([[TheCharacterDiedWithHim brought on, of course, by the death of]] Creator/LarryHagman) sparked a turbulent series of events involving Ewing Energies and Barnes Global. It was later revealed that J.R., already crippled by illness and knowing he had only a few days left to live, had one of his henchmen [[MercyKill shoot him dead]].

* ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'' had two. The first happened when Colette [[spoiler:tried to sacrifice herself to become an angel and save Sylvarant. Lloyd and co. saved her.]] The second one happened later in the game, in the Tower of Salvation, when there is a trap and Genis helps Lloyd to escape.
** ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphoniaDawnOfTheNewWorld'' has [[spoiler:Emil, who intended to sacrifice himself for the world's sake, and actually does in the [[NonstandardGameOver bad end]].]]
* [[spoiler:Irving]] in ''VideoGame/WildArms2'' does this. HeroicSacrifices are a family legacy for him, and the entire game is a ThanatosGambit so that he can [[spoiler:seal a living universe in a [[SealedInsideAPersonShapedCan person-shaped can]] and then have the heroes step on that can. Bonus WhatTheHellHero points for dragging his sister along with him.]] The heroes are ''not'' happy when they find this out.
* [[spoiler:Adam]] in ''VideoGame/MetroidOtherM''. He even incapacitates Samus so she can't overpower him and object to him doing so! In the postgame, [[spoiler:this is given slightly more explanation when a flashback to Adam in the control room is shown and Samus is talking to MB about going to the control room to destroy the Metroids, which Adam soon decided to go in her place]].
* In ''VideoGame/RuneFactory4'', there's Amber, Dylas, Dolce and Leon who ''all'' pulled these when they learn that [[spoiler: their friend, dragon god Ventuswill, will die due to lack of Runes in the land. They chose to give their lives and be turned into monsters to fill the land with Runes, keeping her alive]]. At the end of the 1st Arc, the protagonist ''tries'' to pull one, but Ventuswill knocks the idea out of their heads and brings them home.
* [[spoiler:Stocke]] spends the last part of ''VideoGame/RadiantHistoria'' with one of these, [[spoiler:knowing that as the ritually prepared sacrifice he is the only one who can halt the Desertification. If you get the GoldenEnding it's subverted, however, as [[BigBad Heiss]] (who would have been the last sacrifice if he hadn't run away) willingly makes the sacrifice in his place.]]
* ''VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}}'': This is the exact reason why [[spoiler:Gehrman chose to kill the Hunter in the end. He decided to stay inside the dream as a surrogate of the [[EldritchAbomination Moon Presence]] so the Hunter can be freed from the dream by giving him/her a MercyKill.]] Moreover, it's implied in one of the endings, dialogue with the NPC hunters Djura and Eileen, and [[spoiler:Gehrman's]] tear-filled sleep talk that he has been doing this ''hundreds'' of times. This can be inverted as well, if you decided to refuse [[spoiler:Gehrman's]] offer. In that case, [[spoiler:you choose to sacrifice your freedom and take Gehrman's place in the Hunter's Dream.]]

* A non-death version appears in ''VideoGame/FreedomPlanet''. [[spoiler: While the heroines can easily break out of Shang Tu's prison, they can't do so while Torque is in quarantine. Lilac's solution is to falsely admit to coercing Torque to clear his name and allow him to escape. Once he's in the clear, the heroines promptly escape. This backfires ''spectacularly'', as [[BigBad Lord Brevon]] uses that window of opportunity to capture Torque before the heroines can get to him.]]

* As revealed in his FlashbackArc in ''Webcomic/BlackHaze'', [[spoiler:Kiel]] planned a final ritual to [[spoiler:attempt to locate a new power source to sustain the empire's mana usage]] and, to the shock of his fellow magicians, used himself as the last sacrifice, [[spoiler:sending himself into the demon world]]. He [[SenselessSacrifice failed to accomplish what he sacrificed himself for]], though by that point, he acknowledged that he "[[DeathSeeker couldn't care less anymore]]" and was resolved to let himself die, overwhelmed by the guilt of [[spoiler:[[MyGreatestFailure failing his younger brother Rood]] by receiving his QuietCryForHelp too late and allowing him to die]]. He then came to find [[spoiler:Rood's skeleton in the demon world]], and by a twist of fate, the two were forcefully ejected from there very much alive, giving [[spoiler:Kiel]] his [[MyGreatestSecondChance second chance]].

* A segment of ''Podcast/{{Rabbits}}'' tells the story of Arcadia, an idyllic community whose citizens would be taken by madness every eighty-nine days. A madness that would last until one person was killed and then fade until the next time. Arcadia's Keeper, Ivan, spent his life trying to find a way to break the cycle. In old age, he decided to try sacrificing himself, making himself the one death; an act that was forbidden. When the day came, he slit his wrists in the town square as the madness came over him. [[HopeSpot At first]], it looked like he succeeded, but the madness came over everyone yet again. This time, however, it didn't end with one person's death and Ivan lived just long enough to [[SenselessSacrifice see everyone in Arcadia kill each other]].

* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'' Baby Melon, a sentient watermelon, punches Steven which causes the other more hostile watermelon to attack it instead of the Crystal Gems.

* [[spoiler:[[Literature/GodEmperorOfDune Leto Atreides II]]]] in the ''Franchise/{{Dune}}'' series.

* In the revived ''Series/{{Dallas}}'' series, the death of J.R. Ewing (brought on, of course, by the ActorExistenceFailure of Creator/LarryHagman) sparked a turbulent series of events involving Ewing Energies and Barnes Global. It was later revealed that J.R., already crippled by illness and knowing he had only a few days left to live, had one of his henchmen [[MercyKill shoot him dead]].

* ''Anime/YuGiOhVRAINS'': [[spoiler:[[{{Deuteragonist}} Ai]]]] pulled this off to prevent the possibility of [[spoiler:[[TheProtagonist Yusaku’s]]]] death by pretending to [[FaceHeelTurn become evil and an enemy to humanity]] in addition to [[HostageSituation taking several people hostage]] to give [[spoiler:Yusaku]] ''no choice'' but to kill [[spoiler: Ai]].