History Main / TheFinalTemptation

* ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles3'': The BigBad, Z, recruits new Moebius this way, by showing people their lives and asking them if they want to continue in this horrible world ([[{{Hypocrite}} that he created]]) or rise above it as Moebius. [[spoiler:He does this ''after'' they die, showing all their previous lives in the EternalRecurrence. And if they deny him, he can just try again and again and again... Moebius N is in fact a version of Noah who eventually broke down and joined in order to save himself and Mio from dying and being separated over and over again]].

* During ''Webcomic/TrueBelievers'', Franchise/SpiderMan is offered the resurrections of Uncle Ben, Richard and Mary Parker, and/or Gwen Stacy if he lets [[NoCelebritiesWereHarmed Joe Quesadilla]] [[ComicBook/OneMoreDay erase his marriage to Mary Jane Watson]]. [[spoiler: He nearly accepts, but Mary Jane asks him to decline. Quesadilla tries to kill her afterwards, but she manages to RetCon Quesadilla's existence instead.]]

* In ''Literature/JenniferMurdleysToad'', the BigBad witch tries a last-ditch effort to persuade Jennifer to hand over her magical toad by showing her a vision of her as a [[IJustWantToBeBeautiful beautiful blonde]] and telling her that she has the power to give her the beauty she's always wanted. Just to drive the point home even further, the chapter in which this happens is titled "The Temptation of Jennifer Murdley".

* During ''Webcomic/TrueBelievers'', Franchise/SpiderMan is offered the resurrections of Uncle Ben, Richard and Mary Parker, and/or Gwen Stacy if he lets [[NoCelebritiesWereHarmed Joe Quesadilla]] [[ComicBook/OneMoreDay erase his marriage to Mary Jane Watson]]. [[spoiler: He nearly accepts, but Mary Jane asks him to decline. Quesadilla tries to kill her afterwards, but she manages to RetCon Quesadilla's existence instead.]]
* In the final arc of ''Webcomic/SamAndFuzzy'', Sam is offered one by [[spoiler:Brain while they're all being assimilated by The Tar.]] He offers Sam a vision of a future where they've created a new world order with a BrokenMasquerade where Sam is able to help everyone he's failed in the past, and claims he will help Sam get there [[spoiler:if Sam lends him his mind to control The Tar.]]
** When Sam [[spoiler:rejects him due to Candice's influence, Brain]] moves on to Fuzzy and attempts to offer him his lost memories [[spoiler:to turn him from Hart's side. Unfortunately for him, he ends up reminding Fuzzy how he abused and discarded Hazel, making Fuzzy realize just how much he ''hates'' Brain and using all of The Tar for a TakingYouWithMe.]]

* In ''Webcomic/{{Eatatau}},'' the renegade [[SpaceMarine Dark Angel]] sergeant Johnson finds a sword belonging to the [[PhysicalGod Primarch]] Lion El'johnson himself. His SpiritAdvisor, Lucypher, tells him that with that sword, he could lead such a crusade that he'd become second only to the Emperor of Mankind himself, showing him visions of becoming Chapter Master, killing Abbadon the Despoiler, and triumphantly returning to Terra (which quite uncomfortably mirrors Horus' temptations). Johnson feels he is unworthy to wield the blade, which Lucypher reveals was a SecretTestOfCharacter and gives him the armor and plasma pistol he wielded in life.

* This happened to Shipwreck in the ''WesternAnimation/GIJoeARealAmericanHero'' episode "There's No Place Like Springfield."

* The ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'' episode "Puhoy". On a particularly dagger-rainy day, Finn is bummed out by Flame Princess not laughing at one of his jokes. He overthinks it and decides to go 'fester' his mind under some pillows. Finn then drops into a pillow world and falls in love with one of its local residents. Subverted, however, in that [[spoiler: he decides that his new formed family is more important than his old life, and only returns when he dies of old age.]] Its also unclear whether the events truly occurred or if they were just a dream.

* The ''WesternAnimation/SofiaTheFirst'' movies "The Curse Of Princess Ivy" and "The Mystic Isles" both have Amber being tempted with the potential for unlimited power by Ivy and Prisma respectively. She refuses on both counts, and helps Sofia out.
* In the finale of ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsRebels'', [[spoiler:Palpatine offers Ezra a life where his family never died (via a portal from The World Between Worlds), allowing him to live a normal life away from the war and loss he's endured. Realizing this would give Palpatine access to the World Between Worlds, Ezra collapses it after saying goodbye to his parents one last time.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/InfinityTrain'': In "The Engine", [[spoiler: the Conductor/Amelia offers to make Tulip a train car containing a "perfect life" in which her parents never divorced are are still HappilyMarried. Tulip shoots her down quickly, pointing out that not only would she always know it's an illusion, but that Amelia repeatedly failed to make a car based on her own "perfect life"]].

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* Whilst not the main protagonist, Fate Testarossa undergoes this in ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaAs''. The sympathetic antagonist of the season puts Fate into a LotusEaterMachine as an act of mercy, to let her (who has gone through a couple of hells in her life without ever being truly happy) experience a happy family life before she dies along with the rest of the Earth. Fate, being [[StoicWoobie Fate]], realizes that any world where she can be this happy is being too good to her and is therefore fake, then proceeds to break out of the illusion and continues to fight. Yes, Fate may not be the protagonist of the series, but if it's the LawfulGood hero you are looking for--that would be her.
* The episode where this happened to all of the Digidestined (except [[IdiotHero Daisuke / Davis]]) in ''Anime/DigimonAdventure02'' was actually titled "The Last Temptation of the [=DigiDestined=]". Daisuke / Davis was actually able to avoid the effects because, [[{{Angst}} unlike the other brooding heroes of the series]], [[TheFool Daisuke / Davis was perfectly happy as he was.]]

* In ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'', [[spoiler: Obito tries to tempt Kakashi by showing him illusions of Obito and Rin as children, saying Kakashi can have all of that again in Obito's illusion world. Kakashi, however, instantly rejects this.]]
* The infamous [[{{Elseworld}} Schoolyard Comedy]] sequence in the final episode of ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion''. It's up for debate whether Shinji's fantasy world was a real possibility or just [[LotusEaterMachine an Instrumentality-induced illusion]], which is probably [[MindScrew intended]].

* In the last episode of ''Manga/AngelSanctuary'' Setsuna creates a picture perfect world in which there are no angels fighting, Sara is not his sister and mass destruction has not occurred. It doesn't last long, of course.
* Arguably, ''Anime/ErgoProxy'' provides an example of this trope as Vincent [[spoiler: dreams/conjures/creates a version of Romdeau in which he holds the high position of Head of Security, Real is his fiancée and Deadelus her friendly genius kid brother.]]

---> '''[[spoiler:Viral:]]''' And I was having such a sappy dream, too.
** Not to forget Simon, [[spoiler:who is with Kamina again, although they're scavengers stealing from the beast men. The real Kamina shows up, and Simon points out that there's two of him (a sniveling, falsely apologetic scavenger, and the Dai-Gurren leader). Kamina just tells him to "choose the one you want."]] To twist the knife even further on this, [[spoiler: after Kamina convinces Simon to reject the temptation, we're given a brief look at all of the potential lives Simon could have had, including one where he's holding up an infant which is presumably his and Nia's potential child. Knowing that Nia does not survive the ensuing battle only makes Simon's choice hurt that much more.]]
* In the fourth ''Literature/HaruhiSuzumiya'' novel, Kyon finds himself in a world without any of the former supernatural elements (gods, aliens, time travelers, etc...), and no one else remembers the world being any other way. [[spoiler:A MemoryGambit of sorts by Yuki leads Kyon to a one-time opportunity to choose between staying and having ordinary fun with a depowered SOS Brigade and a {{Moe}} Yuki (!!!) who has a crush on him... and trying to revert the world. Kyon chooses the latter, showing that he really does like strange and exciting things no matter how he complains.]] The fact that [[spoiler:Yuki ''wanted'' to be a normal schoolgirl "free of her old duties" yet gave Kyon the option to change things back]] means it's somewhat of a Last Temptation for her, too, and he knows it.
* ''Anime/MartianSuccessorNadesico'' sees the crew of the titular CoolShip deserting it late in the series and trying to find happiness in the normal lives they had before... only to fail miserably and return to battle like real heroes should.
* Similarly, the Solo crew in ''Anime/SpaceRunawayIdeon'' are tempted to leave Solo Ship and Ideon behind in Earth or Buff Clan's possession, ending their hopeless and endless SternChase across the universe for good. Eventually, they don't and it doesn't end well.
* ''Anime/GaoGaiGar'' has this happen [[spoiler:during the TV Series has Gai being shown a vision of himself awakening from a two year coma. He of course breaks free using the power of [[HotBlooded HotBlood.]]]]
* ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'' has Evangeline trying to convince Setsuna to give up her swordsmanship in favor of living the life of a normal girl. [[TakeAThirdOption It doesn't go as planned.]] ''[[AlternateCharacterInterpretation Maybe.]]''
** In chapter 296, [[spoiler: Zazie[[labelnote:297 spoiler]](or her sister)[[/labelnote]] appears to be springing a LotusEaterMachine version on one or more of the members of Ala Alba, giving them all their greatest desires, and the only way to escape is to reject it. What does Negi experience? [[TearJerker He finally gets to be with his parents]].]]

* {{Inverted}} in ''Manga/{{Berserk}}''. Shortly before being given the option to [[KickTheDog kick several loyal and innocent dogs in horrifying and gruesome fashion]] in exchange for a [[PhysicalGod divinely]] [[OneWingedAngel powerful]] [[WasOnceAMan new form]], Griffith experiences a vivid dream or vision of living a quiet, content life married to Casca and raising a child together. Thing is, in the vision he's still crippled, will never attain the [[AmbitionIsEvil greatness he always believed he was capable of]], and the child [[MamasBabyPapasMaybe is implied]] to be [[HeroicBastard Guts and Casca's]], not Griffith's. It's not truly an idyllic life, just the best he can realistically hope for without [[DivineIntervention supernatural intervention]], and he [[AttemptedSuicide attempts to off himself]] rather than submit to it before [[TakeAThirdOption another option is offered]]. The vision isn't an attempt to get him to RefuseTheCall, but to show him [[DespairEventHorizon just how screwed he is]] to tempt him to make a DealWithTheDevil.
* In ''Manga/DemonSlayerKimetsuNoYaiba'', at the very end of the series, as [[spoiler:Muzan]] accepts his impending death with a newfound hope in forcing [[spoiler:Tanjiro]] to become his successor by transforming him into a [[spoiler:demon, the two have a mental world debacle where Muzan tries all he can to convince Tanjiro to inherit his will to terminate the Demon Slayer Corps by appealing to what Muzan believes to be the greatest advantages of being a demon: immortality, even more so in Tanjiro's case since he had overcome their most damming weakness, sunlight. Tanjiro, however, in that mental world keeps his strong human ideals, even if his demon body is rampaging outside, and with the help of all of his living and fallen slayer colleagues calling upon his name Tanjiro is rendered completely immune to Muzan's attempt of corrupting his mind, the fallen demon king is reduced to childishly begging Tanjiro not to leave him alone]].
* In the final arc of ''Literature/FullMetalPanic'', [[spoiler:Sofia (the Whisperer) attempts to convince Kaname to willingly go along with her and Leonard's plans to [[SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong alter history]] by showing a vision of a timeline in which Sousuke was an OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent rather than a ChildSoldier whose past is full of pain and loss. When normal!Sousuke [[LoveConfession confesses]] to Kaname she almost goes along with it...but then she sees that his face lacks Sousuke's [[GoodScarsEvilScars distinctive scars]] and rejects the offer, saying that while normal!Sousuke might be a perfectly sweet guy he's not the same Sousuke who she fell in love with, and she accepts the world for what it is, for better and for worse[[note]]On the other hand, it's highly unlikely Leonard would have agreed to this deal -- he '''utterly despises''' Sousuke and has an obsessive crush on Kaname, and earlier it was shown that his vision of a perfect world includes Sousuke having never been born[[/note]].]]
* In ''Manga/FushigiYuugi'', Miaka is given the opportunity to take the "Kudoku" potion, which would make her forget all about her own world, her conflict with Yui, Tamahome, and all the trouble that being Suzaku no Miko has brought her. She would then live a "normal" life in the book as Amiboshi's girlfriend. She ultimately decides not to do that, because as much trouble as her role has brought her, it's brought her a lot of good things, too.
* The main characters of ''Anime/OjamajoDoremi'' are faced with one by the BigBad in the season 2 finale. Onpu has a chance to be with her {{Workaholic}} father, Hazuki has a better relationship with her mother, Aiko sees her divorced parents get back together, and Doremi is offered [[TrademarkFavoriteFood steak]]. By now, they have grown to the point where all of them refuse the illusion and continue on their mission to cure their adopted daughter.

* The Alan Moore story ''ComicBook/ForTheManWhoHasEverything,'' in which Superman's mind is trapped in an illusion induced by an evil plant called the Black Mercy, depicting him living a happy life on an intact planet Krypton (though it's gradually shown to be increasingly dystopic and unstable, presumably as a result of Superman's subconscious fighting against the illusion). He later breaks free of it through sheer force of will, then [[UnstoppableRage turns his full unstoppable fury]] on Mongul, the guy who put him into the illusion. This is one of the few times we witness Superman go all out on someone with intent to ''kill'', and [[LetsGetDangerous it's both awesome and terrifying]].
-->'''Superman: ''[[RedEyesTakeWarning Burn.]]'''''

* In ''ComicBook/DarkNightsDeathMetal'', [[spoiler:The Darkest Knight attempts to do this with Diana, offering to give her and her allies and foes a paradise world if she allowed him to murder Perpetua's kind, noting that she has no idea what would happen if Diana stopped him. Thankfully, she rejects him and her actions allow her to rebuild the multiverse better than ever.]]

* ''ComicBook/DefendersBeyond:'' Glorian offers the non-team a world where they get everything they want. America Chavez momentarily considers the possibility of a perfect world... but only for a moment, before saying "no". Taaia backs her up, saying Glorian's conjured world is a fake, and rejecting his offer to keep trying, asking what the point would be in a world where the Powers That Be just reboot it over and over again in search of a perfect fix.

* In the [[http://community.livejournal.com/jla_watchtower JLA Watchtower]] universe, Hades attempted to persuade Omen to his side, and convince her to let him kill the [[ComicBook/TeenTitans Titans]] so that they could go to Elysium, instead of letting her and Troia return to life with them. They would have a life in paradise as innocent children, [[WeCanRuleTogether with Omen taking Persephone's place as Queen of the Dead]]. Hades also broadly hinted at why heroes get a revolving door at the afterlife...and this was written ''4 years'' before ''ComicBook/BlackestNight''!
* In the MLP fic ''Fanfic/RainboomsAndRoyalty'' (an AU where Rainbow Dash became Celestia's student instead of Twilight), [[BigBad Nightmare Moon]], like in canon, tempts Rainbow Dash just prior to the FinalBattle. It is much [[DarkerAndEdgier darker]], however, in this story. Rather than offer her the captaincy of the Shadowbolts, Nightmare Moon commiserates with her, pointing out that she too knows how it feels that have one's self and achievements overlooked in favor of another. She tries to plant seeds of doubt in Rainbow's mind about whether Celestia truly cared for her or even understood her, or whether she was just using Rainbow as a weapon. Nightmare Moon then offers all of Rainbow's goals and fondest desires to her, namely a spot on the Wonderbolts and [[AllLoveIsUnrequited Shining Armor's love]]. And not just that, but she offers to fulfill all of her ''friends''' wishes as well if Rainbow would proclaim loyalty to her. Finally, she points out that with Celestia gone, she was the only one capable of controlling the sun and the moon, and was thus indispensable to Equestria. Despite heavy temptation and inner turmoil, Rainbow resists with a simple realization: Celestia loved her, and all Nightmare Moon cared about was her own self-gratification.

* In ''Fanfic/PerfectionIsOverrated'', an example similar to ''Anime/MyHime'' happens, only this time, [[spoiler:Yukariko]] is doing it to [[spoiler:Natsuki]], offering her a world in which [[spoiler:not only are her parents and dog still there, but so is everyone else she's met at Fuuka Academy. Natsuki comes to the realization that she can never get back what she's lost, but she can move forward, and frees herself from the illusion.]] The chapter in which this takes place is even called "Last Temptation".

* ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'': At the very climax of the first book's FinalBattle, [[spoiler: [[EldritchAbomination Chthon]] tries to tempt Harry into allowing his [[DemonicPossession possession]] by offering him the power to resurrect his mother and [[RealityWarper create his perfect world]]]]. This ultimately fails, as after a reminder from his loved ones, the tempted character remembers that [[AGodIAmNot they've never wanted that kind of power in the first place]] [[spoiler: and he casts Chthon out]].
* ''Fanfic/TheDimensionalWar'': Finn, thanks to Poe's training, manages to fly a ship close to [[spoiler: [[BigBad Ganondorf]], who had managed to defeat Rey.]] The Prince of Darkness offers Finn the chance to leave the battle and live happily ever after, reminding him all the times he got abused by people, including his own allies. If Finn shoots him, [[spoiler: the two become bitter enemies, and the ex-trooper leads the rebellion that eventually destroys Hell.]] If Finn accepts the offer, [[spoiler: he spends a life in regret after Ganondorf triumphs.]]

* ''Film/StarTrekGenerations'':
** The Nexus, which offers to anyone who enters their happiest fantasies come to life. It doesn't work on Picard. [[spoiler: He is always at his happiest when on the Enterprise, and the Nexus deprives him of that, giving him the chance to see through the illusion. Even so, the chance to see his beloved (but recently deceased) nephew again and to live with the family his career never left time for is almost enough to tempt him into staying, if lives weren't hanging in the balance]]
** It doesn't (permanently) work on Kirk, either, at least not once Picard tells him it's all an illusion. Kirk is enough of a thrill junkie that he ''needs'' an element of danger, or at least to believe there is one, in order to be happy.
** The lure of the Nexus is so powerful that the BigBad of the film is willing to sacrifice billions of lives to get ''back'' to it after having been unwillingly pulled out a century earlier.

* In the {{Film/Apocalypse}} film series movie ''Revelation'', the Antichrist Franco Macalousso through his DigitalAvatar tempts Thorold Stone with the promise of being reunited with his wife and daughter in exchange for accepting Macalousso as the Messiah and taking the MarkOfTheBeast. Stone ultimately refuses to accept, as he knows [[CaughtUpInTheRapture where his wife and daughter really are]].
* As said in the Literature folder, Galadriel's moment of this happens when Frodo offers her the Ring, reasoning it will be safe in Lothlorien since Sauron can't get there. Galadriel is instead tempted to use it herself, but overcomes it and says that she will remain herself, and go into the West like her other kin.
-->'''Galadriel''': In place of a Dark Lord, you would have a ''queen''! Not dark, but ''beautiful and terrible as the dawn''! Treacherous as the sea! Stronger than the foundations of the earth! All shall love me, and despair!
* ''Series/{{Jesus 1999}}'' has Satan turn up during the agony in the Gethsemane Garden, giving Jesus a vision of the world that is to come through His death and resurrection - namely, people using Jesus as an excuse to [[BurnTheWitch execute outcasts]], [[ChurchMilitant wage wars]], and [[WindmillCrusader die in vain]] - and impresses upon Jesus that ''none'' of this will come to pass if he just gives up and begs his father (ergo God) to deliver him from his suffering to come. Interestingly, Satan's plea does ''not'' involve his own authority, just Jesus derailing the divine plan by conceding to his own human weakness.
* Referenced by name in Martin Scorsese's ''Film/TheLastTemptationOfChrist'' complete with the vision of having a normal married sex-life and children. In the temptation vision, Jesus actually meets the apostle Paul who tells him that he will preach the risen Christ regardless of whether Jesus is crucified.
* ''Film/SuicideSquad2016'' has a scene at the end where [[BigBad the Enchantress]] tells the Task Force X members she can give them whatever they want, including bringing back dead loved ones, and shows each person present a vision of what they most desire. Harley Quinn seems like she's going to side with her [[spoiler: only to say [[ThePowerOfFriendship "There's one problem: you messed with my friends!"]] and attacks her.]]

* [[Myth/GreekMythology Achilles]] is told early on that if he does not go to the war he will find peace and have a family of his own but he will eventually be forgotten; if he goes to Troy, his name will last for eternity but he will die there. [[JumpedAtTheCall Guess which one he took.]]

* In ''Literature/AndEternity'', Satan offers Orlene precisely this type of temptation. In exchange for a small favor [[spoiler:merely asking Luna to abstain from a key vote. Luna's response is not relevant to this deal.]], he offers Orlene her baby. Getting her baby back has been her entire goal through the novel. Jolie even observes "He is Tempting her." Orlene's decision here [[spoiler:to refuse]] seals her fate -- [[spoiler:she becomes the Goddess]].
* ''Literature/ILucifer'' has Jesus being tempted by Lucifer in order to sway him from sacrificing himself. Unlike the bible, Lucifer states he simply showed him a vision of the future in order to see if it would be worth it. The vision shakes Jesus' faith but God strikes the vision with lightning and Christ regains his resolve. Leading Luce to angrily point out God had ''cheated'' when aiding Jesus through his test.
* In ''Literature/TheBelgariad'', {{farmboy}}-turned-[[TheHero hero]] Garion is on his way to confront the Dark God, Torak, when he begins dreaming of a life in which he is not orphaned, with the implication that Torak could make it happen if Garion gives up the quest to slay him. Garion sees through it with the help of the Light Prophecy, and delivers a defiant ShutUpHannibal.

* In ''Literature/JenniferMurdleysToad'', the BigBad witch tries a last-ditch effort to persuade Jennifer to hand over her magical toad by showing her a vision of her as a [[IJustWantToBeBeautiful beautiful blonde]] and telling her that she has the power to give her the beauty she's always wanted. Just to drive the point home even further, the chapter in which this happens is titled "The Temptation of Jennifer Murdley".
* In ''Literature/TheElenium'', [[GodOfEvil Azash]] resorts to this in desperation when his attempts to destroy Sparhawk are ineffective. First giving [[WeCanRuleTogether offers of power]], he then creates illusions of gold and beautiful women to distract the knight, but the Troll-gods remove these.
* In ''Literature/BloodPromise'', [[spoiler:Strigoi!Dimitri offers to turn Rose strigoi so they can be together. She comes very close to accepting]].
* In ''Literature/HarryPotterAndThePhilosophersStone'', Voldemort tries tempting Harry with the promise of bringing his parents back to life if he hands over the titular stone. Harry refuses, and Voldemort reacts as well as you'd expect.
* ''Literature/TheScienceOfDiscworld:'' In the second book, the Elf Queen tries to stop Rincewind from assisting Roundworld's humanity by offering him his heart's desire. However, due to a long stint on a desert island, Rincewind's developed some odd ideas about what's tempting and what's not, so his great desire, rather than being the pleasures of the flesh is... potatoes. The Elf Queen is so baffled and outraged by this, she storms off. And Rincewind would've been happy with a humble bag of crisps.

* An odd example in ''Series/{{Smallville}}'', "Labyrinth". [[spoiler:A phantom takes over Clark's mind and tries to bend him to its will. It used an illusion of [[SatelliteLoveInterest Lana]] to persuade him to stay in the dream state and believe it was real, while the phantom maintained control over Clark's body. Fortunately, the unlikely team of Shelby and ComicBook/MartianManhunter [[BigDamnHeroes saves him]].]]

%%* [[spoiler: The Trickster]] attempts this on Sarah Jane in ''Series/TheSarahJaneAdventures''.
* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'', "What Is And What Should Never Be": Dean has to choose between his life as a hunter and an (albeit fatal) LotusEaterMachine where his mother is still alive, his father died of natural causes, and Sam finished law school and got engaged to Jessica.
* The spores in the ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' episode "This Side Of Paradise" caused the target to be content with living a simple comfortable life, abandoning any greater ambitions.
* [[Recap/TheXFilesS07E02TheSixthExtinctionIIAmorFati An episode]] of ''Series/TheXFiles'' had Fox Mulder imagining that he'd given up his crusade for a peaceful life. Darkly subverted in that it ends with him dying in bed with only the Cigarette-Smoking Man for company, who then looks out the window to watch an alien spacecraft bombarding a destroyed Earth.

* ''Series/GameOfThrones'': [[spoiler: At the end of Season 2. Whether as a result of a LotusEaterMachine or simply a prophetic vision of [[FlashSideways what might have been]], Daenerys sees the life she might have had with Drogo had he and her son lived. While visibly shaken, she leaves anyway [[MamaBear to rescue her dragons, the only "children" she has left]].]]
* On ''Series/HerculesTheLegendaryJourneys'', Hades distracts Hercules from his task of rescuing Persephone by presenting him with his late wife and children. When Hercules takes up the task again, Hades disguises himself as Deinara in an attempt to make him look back.
* ''Series/PennyDreadful'': During the season 2 finale, {{Satan}} attempts this on Vanessa, presenting her a vision of being happily married to Ethan and having children with him, things the devil says she can have if she just gives in and lets him use her power to wage war on God.

* In ''Series/TwelveMonkeys'', Cassandra faces this during the GrandFinale. Having successfully killed [[BigBad the Witness]], she's in position to stop the countdown to the RealityBreakingParadox that the Army of the Twelve Monkeys are planning on unleashing to bring about the [[TimeCrash Red Forest]]. And having heard for years from the Twelve Monkeys how the Red Forest will be a paradise where she'll able to exist forever in a perfect moment with all the loved ones she's lost, she hesitates to stop it. Then Cole begs her to, pointing that out that happiness without end will be meaningless without loss to remind them how precious it really is. This convinces her shut down the paradox, saving time.
* ''Series/GoodOmens2019'': The original Last Temptation is referenced; apparently Crowley was the one who showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the Earth. Except Crowley didn't intend it as a temptation, he just thought Jesus was a "bright young lad" who deserved to see the world.
-->'''Crowley:''' Well he's a carpenter from Galilee, his traveling opportunities are limited.
* ''Series/TheFlash2014'': Season Six has a two-parter episode aptly named "The Last Temptation of Barry Allen". In the lead up to ''Series/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths2019'' when Barry is fated to perform a HeroicSacrifice so the Multiverse can survive, he's offered a chance to save everyone ''and'' survive by Ramsey Rosso aka Bloodwork. [[spoiler:At first Barry seems willing to reject it believing it to be a lie, until the Speed Force informs him that Rosso ''isn't'' lying, causing Barry to explode into rage over being denied the chance to live happy with his family. At the end of Part 1, Barry ends up accepting Rosso's offer and lets himself get infected.]]

* ''VideoGame/DragaliaLost'' has this in Chapter 14. Euden has fought through hell and back to get to his twin sister, Zethia, who has been possessed by [[BigBad Morsayati, aka The Other]], and known as [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen Empress Zethia]]. He tells the party that trying to purge him out will kill her, unless he lets The Other possess him. Euden accepts, much to his friend's shock. [[spoiler: That's when their older brother, [[PowerOfTheVoid Beren]], appears and swallows the demon mid-transfer, something neither side was prepared for. Zena, Zethia's alternate world clone, reveals it's this decision that dooms humanity in every other timeline she's been to.]]
* ''VideoGame/Persona3'' has an especially twisted and (for some) heart-wrenching variation: [[spoiler: It turns out that one of the main character's friends from school, Ryoji Mochizuki, is actually the monster who will bring about TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt BecauseDestinySaysSo. However, because they've developed such a close friendship, Ryoji offers him the option of killing his physical avatar to [[LaserGuidedAmnesia erase the team's memories of the Dark Hour]], meaning that when the End comes, everyone will [[LetThemDieHappy die instantly]] instead of having to live with the knowledge that their doom approaches. In effect, the main character's choice boils down to accepting his fate and killing Ryoji, or letting him live and [[ScrewDestiny Screwing Destiny]]]].
** Made especially painful because [[spoiler:everyone involved heavily plays up that Nyx]] is unbeatable and invincible, a force of nature that cannot be destroyed or pushed back, that to resist is meaningless - merely slow and painful death, complete and total despair as you watch the sands of your metaphorical hourglass tick away in a battle that is impossible to win, instead of a swift, merciful, blessedly unaware death..
** Not to mention that [[spoiler: throughout December, you and your team discuss the choice heavily, and all of them ultimately resolve to face Nyx, no matter how slim their chance. When Ryoji comes to hear their decision, he waits in the Main Character's room, and he or she informs him of the decision to let him live. Ryoji then points out that they are currently alone, and so if the protagonist has a dissenting opinion, he or she can opt to kill Ryoji anyway.]]
* ''VideoGame/Persona4 Golden'' has one variation of this if players pursue a specific Social Link: [[spoiler:if the player pursues Adachi's Social Link, they have the option near the end of the game of hiding their suspicions about him being the serial murderer from the rest of the Investigation Team, and in so doing, trigger the game's bad ending. Before the ending, however, players can visit Adachi at the police station, where they confide in him the fact that they know he's the killer, but that they are "on his side". Adachi will hand you the threatening letter you received before Nanako was kidnapped and a lighter to test them. If the player burns the letter, their loyalty to Adachi will be confirmed definitively and the Jester Social Link will be maxed out. Unfortunately, in so doing, they become an accomplice to Adachi, who will torment the protagonist for the rest of his life.]]
* ''VideoGame/Persona5'': [[spoiler:Near the end of the game, the BigBad who had been posing as Igor gives the player a choice. He had been manipulating reality as part of an experiment to decide if it should be salvaged or destroyed, putting TheConspiracy the Phantom Thieves had been fighting against into motion. However, should the player so choose, the Big Bad could restore the world back to the way that it was and allow the Phantom Thieves to continue to operate with impunity. In so choosing, however, they would be damning humanity to forever live under the thrall of a [[ManipulativeBastard manipulative]] JerkassGod.]]
* Occurs in ''VideoGame/NeverwinterNights'' (Hordes of the Underdark, to be specific) if you try to oppose the Elder Brain. It's not very tough to overpower the illusion - but fighting off the three big uglies that show up when you do is another matter. (After which the Elder Brain dies almost anticlimactically, since it's... well... [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin a giant brain]].)

* ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClankFutureToolsOfDestruction'' plays with this right before the final boss fight with Tachyon, by [[spoiler: showing Ratchet the dimension the Lombaxes had escaped to, and offering Ratchet a chance to join them, leaving Tachyon unopposed]]. Ratchet points out that Tachyon [[spoiler:still has [[InterdimensionalTravelDevice the Dimensionator]] and the inclination to use it to become a MultiversalConqueror, and he would inevitably come for the Lombaxes]], so kicking his ass ''right now'' is the only rational option.
* In ''VideoGame/ShadowOfTheTombRaider'', the Box of Ix Chel gives anyone who uses it during the Cleansing the chance to sacrifice themselves to save the world or remake the world as they please, showing them a vision of their desired world. [[spoiler: At the end of the game, Lara has a vision of her younger self with both of her parents alive, her ideal world. She turns it away and is prepared to sacrifice herself to save the world.]]
* Part of the [[SecretTestOfCharacter Air Gem tests]] in the Creator/AGDInteractive FanRemake of ''VideoGame/KingsQuestII''. [[spoiler: Graham is thrust forward in time to his darkest moment - Daventry is in ruins, the three-headed dragon ravaging the land has demanded Graham's daughter as a HumanSacrifice, and Graham's son was kidnapped by his enemies. That's when the BigBad (who masterminded the whole thing in a BatmanGambit) shows up to gloat and offer a deal. He will send away the dragon, return Graham's kids, and restore the blighted kingdom in exchange for Graham's crown.]] It's playable, so you have several options. The one scoring the highest points is [[spoiler: telling him that the act of passing on the crown to someone like him would be treason against the principles that Daventry is founded on, and that certain values must be put above oneself and one's family. The fiend ends up being quite impressed with your sense of loyalty]].
* The Perfect World in ''VideoGame/FableII''. As a last ditch effort to keep you from stopping his plans, Lucien [[spoiler: traps you in a LotusEaterMachine that gives back the life you lost. You are a child, living in a beautiful estate, and your sister is alive again. After a day or so of fun and games, you are awakened by the Music Box you bought long ago. As you follow the music, the blissful dream gradually gives way to a nightmarish road littered with corpses. When you finally reach the box, the illusion shatters completely, and you set out to finish the quest once and for all.]]
* ''VideoGame/BravelyDefault'' has the Sage {{Sidequest}}, where the Sage sets it up so that [[spoiler: the party who have been jumping from AlternateContinuity to AlternateContinuity; are in a reality where their counterparts were killed, but nobody can prove it. They could easily give up their quest and have a happy life taking their counterparts place.]]

* During the final confrontation with [[spoiler: Demon King Goetia]] in ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'', he asks Mash to join him in incinerating the history of mankind and creating a new universe without death or strife, on the basis that Mash was born with [[YourDaysAreNumbered a particularly limited lifespan]], but by joining him could live forever.

* In ''VisualNovel/{{Melody}}'', with the end of the story in sight and the title character poised to launch a successful career, [[spoiler:a slightly drunk Jade visits the slightly sick protagonist in his hotel room. She confesses that she always had a crush on him, and starts coming onto him. If it progresses to sex, Melody will catch the two of them in the act when she comes up to check on him. This leads to the final bad ending of the story.]]

* In the fourth ''LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya'' novel, Kyon finds himself in a world without any of the former supernatural elements (gods, aliens, time travelers, etc...), and no one else remembers the world being any other way. [[spoiler:A MemoryGambit of sorts by Yuki leads Kyon to a one-time opportunity to choose between staying and having ordinary fun with a depowered SOS Brigade and a {{Moe}} Yuki (!!!) who has a crush on him... and trying to revert the world. Kyon chooses the latter, showing that he really does like strange and exciting things no matter how he complains.]] The fact that [[spoiler:Yuki ''wanted'' to be a normal schoolgirl "free of her old duties" yet gave Kyon the option to change things back]] means it's somewhat of a Last Temptation for her, too, and he knows it.

* In the final arc of ''LightNovel/FullMetalPanic'', [[spoiler:Sofia (the Whisperer) attempts to convince Kaname to willingly go along with her and Leonard's plans to [[SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong alter history]] by showing a vision of a timeline in which Sousuke was an OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent rather than a ChildSoldier whose past is full of pain and loss. When normal!Sousuke [[LoveConfession confesses]] to Kaname she almost goes along with it...but then she sees that his face lacks Sousuke's [[GoodScarsEvilScars distinctive scars]] and rejects the offer, saying that while normal!Sousuke might be a perfectly sweet guy he's not the same Sousuke who she fell in love with, and she accepts the world for what it is, for better and for worse[[note]]On the other hand, it's highly unlikely Leonard would have agreed to this deal -- he '''utterly despises''' Sousuke and has an obsessive crush on Kaname, and earlier it was shown that his vision of a perfect world includes Sousuke having never been born[[/note]].]]

* An episode of ''Series/TheXFiles'' had Mulder imagining that he'd given up his crusade for a peaceful life. Darkly subverted in that it ends with him dying in bed with only the Cigarette-Smoking Man for company, who then looks out the window to watch an alien spacecraft bombarding a destroyed Earth.

* [[spoiler: The Trickster]] attempts this on Sarah Jane in ''Series/TheSarahJaneAdventures''.

* Happens in the ''Series/{{Space 1999}}'' two-parter "The Bringers of Wonder".

* In ''Manga/DemonSlayerKimetsuNoYaiba'', at the very end of the series, as [[spoiler:Muzan]] accepts his impending death with a newfound hope in forcing [[spoiler:Tanjiro]] to become his successor by transforming him into a [[spoiler:demon, the two have a mental world debacle where Muzan tries all he can to convince Tanjiro to inherit his will to terminate the Demon Slayer Corps by appealing to what Muzan believes to be the greatest advantages of being a demon: immortality, even moreso in Tanjiro's case since he had overcome their most damming weakness, sunlight. Tanjiro, however, in that mental world keeps his strong human ideals, even if his demon body is rampaging outside, and with the help of all of his living and fallen slayer colleagues calling upon his name Tanjiro is rendered completely immune to Muzan's attempt of corrupting his mind, the fallen demon king is reduced to childishly begging Tanjiro not to leave him alone]].

--->'''Fuzzy:''' There's only '''one thing''' I want from you.
--->'''[[spoiler:Brain]]:''' What's that?
--->'''Fuzzy:''' You're the mind reader, [[spoiler:Brain]]. ''You tell me.''
--->'''[[spoiler:Brain]]:''' [-[[OhCrap ...oh]].-]

* In ''Manga/DemonSlayerKimetsuNoYaiba'', at the very end of the series, as [[spoiler:Muzan]] accepts his impending death with a newfound hope in forcing [[spoiler:Tanjiro]] to become his successor by transforming him into a [[spoiler:demon, the two have a mental world debacle where Muzan tries all he can to convince Tanjiro to inherit his will to terminate the Demon Slayer Corps by appealing to what Muzan believes to be the greatest advantages of being a demon: immortality, even moreso in Tanjiro's case since had overcame their most damming weakness, sunlight. Tanjiro, however, in that mental world keeps his strong human ideals, even if his demon body is rampaging outside, and with the help of all of his living and fallen slayer colleagues calling upon his name Tanjiro is rendered completely immune to Muzan's attempt of corrupting his mind, the fallen demon king is reduced to childishly begging Tanjiro not leave him alone]].

* In ''Manga/DemonSlayerKimetsuNoYaiba'', at the very end of the series, as [[spoiler:Muzan]] accepts his impending death with a newfound hope in forcing [[spoiler:Tanjiro]] to become his successor by transforming him into a [[spoiler:demon, the two have a mental world debacle where Muzan tries all he can to convince Tanjiro to inherit his will to terminate the Demon Slayer Corps by appealing to what Muzan believes to be the greatest advantages of being a demon: immortality, even moreso in Tanjiro's case since had overcame their most damming weakness, sunlight. Tanjiro, however, in that mental world keeps his strong human ideals, even his demon body rampaging outside, and with the help of all of his living and fallen slayer colleagues calling upon his name Tanjiro is rendered completely immune to Muzan's attempt of corrupting his mind, the fallen demon king is reduced to childishly begging Tanjiro not leave him alone]].

* The ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'' episode "Puhoy". On a particularly dagger-rainy day, Finn is bummed out by Flame Princess not laughing at one of his jokes. He overthinks it decides to go 'fester' his mind under some pillows. Finn the drops into a pillow world and falls in love with one of its local residents. Subverted, however, in that [[spoiler: he decides that his new formed family is more important than his old life, and only returns when he dies of old age.]] Its also unclear whether the events truly occurred or if they were just a dream.

* ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicle3'': The BigBad, Z, recruits new Moebius this way, by showing people their lives and asking them if they want to continue in this horrible world ([[{{Hypocrite}} that he created]]) or rise above it as Moebius. [[spoiler:He does this ''after'' they die, showing all their previous lives in the EternalRecurrence. And if they deny him, he can just try again and again and again... Moebius N is in fact a version of Noah who eventually broke down and joined in order to save himself and Mio from dying and being separated over and over again]].

* Similarly, the Solo crew in ''Anime/SpaceRunawayIdeon'' are tempted to leave Solo Ship and Ideon behind in Earth or Buff Clan's possession, ending their hopeless and endless SternChase across the universe for good. Eventually, they don't and it [[KillEmAll doesn't end well]].

* In ''VideoGame/ShadowOfTheTombRaider'', the Box of Ix Chel gives anyone who uses it during the Cleaansing the chance to sacrifice themselves to save the world or remake the world as they please, showing them a vision of their desired world. [[spoiler: At the end of the game, Lara has a vision of her younger self with both of her parents alive, her ideal world. She turns it away and is prepared to sacrifice herself to save the world.]]

* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' featured Franchise/{{Batman}} caught in a virtual dream world by the Mad Hatter (who fortunately could not observe the dream itself) living as playboy billionaire Bruce Wayne, with his parents alive and well (and thus he had never become Batman). In the dream he was engaged to Selina Kyle (who was not Catwoman) and the mysterious Batman was someone ELSE who just showed up in Gotham. His friends and family in the dream almost had him completely convinced he had created his real life as a delusion to escape his feelings of not having accomplished anything on his own, but the illusion fell apart when he discovered he couldn't read anything (because reading requires parts of the brain not used in dreams?). Suffice to say, he did NOT appreciate the MindScrew when he woke himself up.
** Trying to read something in a dream is a trick used by lucid dreamers to detect whether they are dreaming. Unless you have a photographic memory, your brain will have some trouble trying to remember or imagine a page full of text.

** Samwise Gamgee. Being the quintessential hobbit, this is attributed to his "plain hobbit sense." He imagines [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=am-piARxy4U a garden the size of an entire realm]], then realizes it'd be impossible to manage and unfulfilling to have servants do it for him. To reiterate: the SoulJar of the most utterly evil thing to have ever lived in Middle Earth tries to tempt him, ''[[Awesome/TheLordOfTheRings and completely fails]]''. All Sam wants to do is be a gardener and just have a little garden of his own.

Compare WeCanRuleTogether. See also LeaveYourQuestTest, but without a supernatural slide show. Contrast NightmareOfNormality, where the "temptation" element is omitted. Not to be confused with the last temptation in T. S. Eliot's ''Murder in the Cathedral''.

* In ''WesternAnimation/BarbieAndTheDiamondCastle'', the heroines come across an isolated mansion and are told that it now belongs to them. As it would provide them with more food and dresses than they ever had before, Alexa wants to stay, while Liana feels they should continue on to the Diamond Castle to [[SavingTheWorld save the world]] from being robbed of all music. The two girls split up, but it turns out the mansion was just a trap set by the villain, and Alexa is promptly [[HypnotizeThePrincess captured]].

* {{Inverted}} in ''Manga/{{Berserk}}''. Shortly before being given the option to [[KickTheDog kick several loyal and innocent dogs in horrifying and gruesome fashion]] in exchange for a [[PhysicalGod divinely]] [[OneWingedAngel powerful]] [[WasOnceAMan new form]], Griffith experiences a vivid dream or vision of living a quiet, content life married to Casca and raising a child together. Thing is, in the vision he's still crippled, will never attain the [[AmbitionIsEvil greatness he always believed he was capable of]], and the child [[MamasBabyPapasMaybe is implied]] to be [[HeroicBastard Guts and Casca's]], not Griffith's. It's not truly an idyllic life, just the best he can realistically hope for without [[DeusExMachina supernatural intervention]], and he [[AttemptedSuicide attempts to off himself]] rather than submit to it before [[TakeAThirdOption another option is offered]]. The vision isn't an attempt to get him to RefuseTheCall, but to show him [[DespairEventHorizon just how screwed he is]] to tempt him to make a DealWithTheDevil.

* ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClankFutureToolsOfDestruction'' plays with this right before the final boss fight with Tachyon, by [[spoiler: showing Ratchet the dimension the Lombaxes had escaped to, and offering Ratchet a chance to join them, leaving Tachyon unopposed]]. Ratchet points out that Tachyon [[spoiler:still has [[InterdimensionalTravelDevice the Dimensionator]] and the inclination to use it to become a MultiversalConqueror, and he would inevitably come for the Lombaxes]].

* ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClankFutureToolsOfDestruction'' plays with this right before the final boss fight with Tachyon, by [[spoiler: showing Ratchet the dimension the Lombaxes had escaped to, and offering Ratchet a chance to join them, leaving Tachyon unopposed]]. Ratchet points out that Tachyon still has [[InterdimensionalTravelDevice the Dimensionator]] and the inclination to use it to become a MultiversalConqueror, and he would inevitably come for the Lombaxes.

* ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClankFutureToolsOfDestruction'' plays with this right before the final boss fight with Tachyon, by [[spoiler: showing Ratchet the dimension the Lombaxes had escaped to, and offering Ratchet a chance to join them, leaving Tachyon unopposed]]. Naturally, Ratchet claims he has a higher calling (i.e. kicking Tachyon's ass).