Face Death With Dignity / Video Games

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• Ace Combat
  • Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War
    • When Chopper’s plane gets damaged during the mission Journey Home, his squad mates tell him to drop his plane off at the stadium and eject. Unfortunately, Chopper spent too long trying to wait for the people in the stadium to clear out, as it’s the only place to crash the plane after ejecting without killing civilians. Because the ejection system was damaged by the fire, he can’t eject, and thus crashes himself into the stadium, with his final words being ‘I’m gonna miss that voice’, after AWACS Thunderhead calls for him to keep trying.
    • In the final mission The Unsung War, when Grabacr is shot down, he accepts his defeat with grace, acknowledging that the Razgriz are better pilots than he is. His partner, Ofnir, does not accept his defeat, and promises that their battle is far from over. Grabacr 2, however, promises that he will haunt Razgriz for eternity.
  • Ilya Pasternak in Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation launches a one man assault into the liberated Gracemeria to cover for the Strigon team’s retreat. When he’s shot down by Talisman, his final words are that his squadron has left the combat airspace, and thus they won.
  • In Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown, when the truth about Dr. Schroeder’s work is revealed near the end of the game, Ionela looks down at him with a loaded gun, and he fully expects her to kill him. She spares his life instead, and convinces him to help put a stop to the war that caused so much chaos.
• Assassin's Creed III:
  • Charles Lee, the Big Bad of Connor's story, waits in a tavern for Connor to catch up to him, as both are severely injured and unable to fight or, indeed, run. He calmly shares a drink with Connor before the latter finishes him off with a knife, leaving him to "die in retirement", as happened in real life.
  • Desmond calmly accepts the fate that will befall him when he chooses to save the world. His penultimate act is to send his friends away so that they, unlike him, will survive.
• Early on in Assassin's Creed Syndicate, when Evie assassinates David Brewster, he displays remarkable grace not seen in many Templars during his Cradling Your Kill moment, faithful that God will protect him and only lamenting that he couldn't finish his work and about the human nature of greed.
• Implied in case of the Songbird in Bioshock Infinite. When Elizabeth transports it to Rapture, it first flails around violently, still trying to get to Elizabeth. But as it is crushed to death by the pressure of the ocean, its eyes switch from red to green and Songbird accepts its fate as Elizabeth comforts it in its final moments.
• In Darkest Dungeon, the Final Boss has a One-Hit Kill that never fails, but which it will only use twice — and you get to choose which hero it takes. Each hero will get a unique line when selected, and several of them fall under this trope. (Others, not so much.)
  Leper: Spare the others. I am ready.
  Bounty Hunter: ... Hm.
  Abomination: Whatever awaits, it cannot be worse than what I've endured.
  Highwayman: No way out, hmph. Let's do this.
  Houndmaster: Steady, girl. If we're called, we answer.
  Musketeer: All for one, and one for all!
  Man-at-Arms: I go with a clear conscience. I've given my all.
  Occultist: Finally, the face of my tormentor. Come, then.
  Flaggelant: I've waited long for this! DON'T TAKE IT FROM ME!
• A nameless engineer or technician of some kind gets this in spades in Dead Space 2. After being badly injured, he leaves a recording that shows him demonstrating how to use kinesis to tear blades off of dead necromorphs and impale others with them. He then says that he's going to bleed out soon, but he hopes that whoever sees his recording finds it useful.
• Doom Eternal: In stark contrast to every other enemy in the series, the final boss of the "Ancient Gods" DLC, Davoth, the Dark Lord of Hell, calmly realizes when he's been beaten, tosses his weapon aside, and merely asks if the Doom Slayer has anything to say before killing him. Doomguy replies "No."
• Multiple examples in Dragon Age series:
  • If you decide to execute Teyrn Loghain in Dragon Age: Origins after defeating him in a duel of honor, he'll spend his last moments saying goodbye to his daughter and says that he can die in peace knowing that the Grey Warden is up to the task of stopping the Blight.
  • In Dragon Age II, if you kill Anders after he blows up the Chantry, he quietly and calmly accepts it. If you romanced him, he will even say "I'm glad it's you."
  • In Origins, Wynne has good reasons to believe that her health is rapidly deteriorating and it is unlikely that she'll survive much longer than the defeat of the Darkspawn horde. If the Warden asks her why she's spending her last days traveling and fighting, her response is: "I will not lie motionless in a bed with coverlets up to my chin, waiting for death to claim me." And indeed, she doesn't. In Asunder, she finally dies after accomplishing what is declared impossible by the rules of the universe: bringing a dead person (namely, her estranged son's love interest) back to life.
• The Elder Scrolls:
  • In Morrowind:
    • A House Redoran quest has you convincing another member of the house to do this via a duel to the death in the arena. He will almost certainly die (unless you aid him from a distance.)
    • In the Tribunal expansion, Tribunal deity Sotha Sil did this, according to Almalexia's rant:
  "And Sotha Sil...he always thought himself our better, shunning us, locking himself in this hole. He spoke not a word as he died. Not a whisper. Even in death, he mocked me with his silence!"
  • In Oblivion: At the beginning of the game, Emperor Uriel Septim VII who from the intro knows his death is coming. Even as his guards try to smuggle him out and save him, he knows they Can't Fight Fate, so his last moments are spent giving instructions to the PC so that he might avert the consequences his death will have.
  • Skyrim:
    • When you encounter Emperor Titus Mede II in the finale of the Dark Brotherhood quest, he tells you that he's long since accepted his fate, talks to you in a calm and friendly manner and is completely unimpressed by you trying to intimidate him. The only thing he asks of you is to kill the person who ordered the contract on him and he only asks you to merely consider it. Of course, this scene is something of a callback to the one from Oblivion above.
    • Whatever you think about Ulfric Stormcloak, he faces his death at the hands of the victorious Imperial-aligned Dragonborn well. His last request is for the Dragonborn to deal the final blow. "It'll make for a better song", he says.
    • At the very start of the game, a nameless Stormcloak prisoner fearlessly volunteers to be executed first, interrupting the priestess in the middle of giving the prisoners their last rites and yelling at the executioner to hurry the hell up and get it over with because he hasn't got all day, dammit! Right before he gets the chop, he gives the Famous Last Words, "My ancestors are smiling at me, Imperials. Can you say the same?"
  • Subverted by the Falmer. After the defeat at the Battle of Moesring saw the death of their prince and the final nail put into the coffin of their civilisation, nearly all of them chose to become a monstrous Slave Race of blind degenerates over throwing themselves at the (dubious) mercy of the Atmorans they tried and failed to exterminate. However the Dwemer didn't just rob them of their sight, but their minds and souls as well...
• Fallout:
  • Dick Richardson, president of the Enclave and Non-Action Big Bad of Fallout 2, is utterly devoted to his mission of wiping out every mutant (read: anyone who's not the Enclave) in the Wasteland so the "pure" Americans can retake America, and he'll tell a Power Armor-wearing Chosen One wielding a gatling laser right to their face that he's perfectly willing to die for his cause.
  • In Fallout: New Vegas, Benny despite being a backstabbing sleaze ball the entire game, if he escapes the Tops after you confront him and is captured by The Legion and left completely at your mercy, he'll keep his cool the entire time, even chuckling at the irony if you decide to execute him with his own gun, just like he tried to do to you when you first met him in the opening cut scene. He's also thrilled if you choose to face him the Legion's arena; House explains that before he "civilized" the Boot Rider tribe into becoming the Chairmen we know today, they would fight each other in honor duels to the death to resolve disputes over things like leadership, which is how Benny became Chief.
  • In his bad ending, Boone, one of your companions chooses go on a suicidal Roaring Rampage of Revenge on the The Legion, where he single handily kills so many soldiers, he impresses Caesar himself, who personally appears before Boone, just before his execution by crucifixion. Boone's response? Spit tobacco in Caesar's eye without saying another word.
  • In Fallout 4, when Brotherhood of Steel Paladin Danse discovers that he is a synth, an android that the Brotherhood is dedicated to eradicating, he willingly allows himself to be executed by you or Elder Maxson, so that the Commonwealth can be a safer place (At least in the Brotherhood's eyes.). Though if you don't want to let him die, you can convince him to stand up for his right to live.
• In Fatal Frame II, the folklorist Seijiro Makabe was imprisoned in Minakami village for the Cutting Ritual. The ritual involved choosing an outsider and subjecting them to cold-blooded torture as long as possible, before being thrown alive into the Abyss, to create a Kusabi. When Makabe learned that he was going to be used as the sacrifice, he felt pleased and honored to be allowed to participate in such a secret ritual. And his calmness in the face of the torture is what turned him into the deadliest ghost in the game.
• In the Unlimited Blade Works route of Fate/stay night, the final choice is between this, mixed with Taking You with Me, and desperately struggling like a frightened animal in a cage. You die and the game itself openly (and hilariously) insults you if you choose to go with this trope.
  • Assassin is a big-time believer in this trope, even stating outright that the best thing you can do when you're dying anyway is to be dignified about it.
• Fear & Hunger: Termina: Should he end up being Moonscorched, unlike the vast majority of the other characters, O'saa will quietly accept his fate and undergo his Painful Transformation without any complaint.
• Final Fantasy:
  • Minwu in Final Fantasy II. He believes it is the fate of all who live to someday die, and when his own death comes, he accepts it.
  • Final Fantasy VII. Rufus Shinra as he stands atop the Shinra tower, seeing lethal blasts from Diamond Weapon headed his direction. He does not so much as flinch, calmly awaiting his end.
    • Though it turns out in Advent Children he actually survived, making him even more badass than he was.
  • In Final Fantasy XII, Judge Drace accepts her condemnation, knowing that Gabranth will take care of Larsa in her stead.
  • At the end of Final Fantasy XV, Noctis stoically goes through with the Heroic Sacrifice needed to destroy Ardyn for good. In The Stinger, he tells his True Companions about the sacrifice he will need to make. Even though he has accepted his fate, he struggles to hold back his tears at the thought of never seeing his best friends again.
• Some playable characters in Fire Emblem will be this should they die. Doesn't happen a lot of times among villains, but there are still some between major and minor antagonists.
  • Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade:
    Randy: You're so strong... I'm impressed... It's an honor to die by your hand.
    Gel: This is the fate...of all swordsmen...
    Galle: I fought honorably... I accept my death... Zeiss... Melady...
  • Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade, depending on who will be fought in Chapter 27/29:
    Linus: Wha... I've lost... At least...I can see my brother again.
    Lloyd: No more waiting, Linus... I'm...coming...
  • In Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, if Bryce is defeated by Ike, he will commend him for having defeated him.
    • Minor boss Nedata will be this, which is surprising considering he's a throat-cutting pirate.
      Nedata: Scallywags of the sea...are we... An end like this is quite...worthy!
  • Despite the many cowardly antagonists in Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn, there are few like Zelgius and Sephiran who calmly accept their deaths.
    • Even more surprisingly, Jarod of all people is this. Knowing that he will be killed as his actions have reached Sanaki, he and his soldiers decide to make a last ditch effort to kill Micaiah, knowing well that they might get killed anyway. His death quote reflects this as well.
      Jarod: Gh-ghuahh... I am... sorry for nothing. I regret... nothing. Because I did it my way... You win, Priestess. You must be delighted. Enjoy it while you can... Because... sooner or later... you...
  • Fire Emblem: Awakening:
    Yen'fay: Well fought... She will...be...safe... I can die...in peace...
    Cervantes: I...am finished... Nngh... But I have no regrets... I die in the shadow of...greatness...
    • For non-enemy example, there's Emmeryn, who makes a last speech to convince Plegian soldiers to stop fighting before willingly throwing herself off a cliff, hoping it will end the conflict, with a smile on her face. It works...in part. Since despite many Plegian soldiers decide to rebel against him, Gangrel still tries his mad conquest and has to be put down by Chrom and his army. And if you play a certain Paralogue it turns out she lived anyway, albeit with severe brain damage that renders her unable to rule.
  • Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes: Duke Aegir, of all people, take his death with surprising dignity in the Scarlet Blaze route. As Ferdinand is about to behead him, the duke's reaction is to simply close his eyes in acceptance.
• Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria Simulator: Cassette Man spends his final moments before the fake pizzeria burns down telling the antagonists how they fell into his trap, how he will be staying behind to make sure none of them escape, apologizing to his daughter, who's also caught up in this, and commending the protagonist for his role in all this. Given he then notes that the protagonist, implied to be Michael Afton, son and brother of the antagonists, is choosing to stay behind instead of escaping, it's implied the protagonist is also an example.
  "This ends, for all of us. End Communication."
• In all routes of Hakuouki that get that far, Kondou Isami surrenders himself to the Imperial Army to allow his subordinate Hijikata to escape with the rest of the Shinsengumi. Hijikata tries to get him freed, but fails, and recounts to the other characters how Kondou asked for the right to commit seppuku, was rudely denied that right by his captors who refused to recognize him as a samurai, and responded by politely asking to at least be allowed to shave and going to his beheading with all possible dignity.
• Heart of the Swarm: Subverted by Arcturus Mengsk. He calmly awaits Kerrigan in his office with a big cigar, but that's because he doesn't expect to die, he's actually waiting for her to get close enough to zap her with the Xel'Naga artifact (the activator for which is disguised as his lighter). Fortunately Jim Raynor shows up, and Mengsk spends his last moments in panic appropriate to being finally brought to justice for his countless crimes.
• At the very end of Hitman 3, Arthur Edwards patiently awaits his death at 47's hands. You can viciously subvert this by choosing not to kill Edwards, but instead use the memory-erasure serum on him, leaving him with absolutely nothing to show for all his efforts. If you do this, Edwards loses all his composure for the first and only time in the series.
• In Hotline Miami and Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number Richter faces both their potential and actual death peacefully.
  • In Hotline Miami, he calmly tells Jacket, whose girlfriend he was forced to kill, that he won't beg for his life, and instead awaits Jacket's decision. Canonically, Jacket spares him.
  • In Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number, he greets Richard, who may be the Grim Reaper, very calmly, and when told he is about to die, accepts his impending fate without complaint or fear.
• In Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity we see what would have been the killing blow to the Four Champions of Hyrule. Urbosa is the only one to stare her death head on without any fear.
• Knight Eternal: In the ending, as the queen of Zamaste dies, she calmly tells Adalia about Zamas's curse and why she needed the latter to inherit the throne as soon as possible.
• The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds: Hilda — after realizing that her actions would lead to the very thing that her ancestors were trying to prevent — decides to face her world's demise with as much dignity and grace as she can muster... only for her to lose any sense of composure when Link and Zelda's Selfless Wish restores Lorule's Triforce.
• The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask: if Link completes the Anju and Kafei sidequest, Anju and Kafei reunite one hour before the moon falls, pledge their love for each other, and elect to stay together, telling Link to find shelter for himself.
• Throughout Lunar: Eternal Blue, a primary antagonist has been opposing you at every turn, working towards bringing Zophar back into power. However, in your final encounter with him, you learn that he's secretly been opposing Zophar, who literally is supplying him with his life, and once he knows that the world of Lunar is in good hands with Hiro and company, he willingly accepts his death, fading from existence unmourned.
  Ghaleon: Are you watching in secret, Dyne? These children shine with your light...
• Happens all the time in Mass Effect 3. Right from the beginning things are looking really bleak and though preparations are running at high speed to attempt the use of an ancient super weapon, chances that the Reapers can be stopped are growing lower every hour. Complete annihilation of all spacefaring species appears inevitable, but everyone is taking it surprisingly well, keeping calm and doing whatever they can to slow down the Reaper advance as much as they can.
  • Mordin goes into a collapsing tower in order to cure the Genophage.
    Shepard: I am sorry.
    Mordin: I'm not. Had to be me. Someone else might have gotten it wrong.
  • Defied if Shepard shoots him. His death is messy and leaves the story arc on a distinctly sour note.
  • Thane Krios was already terminally ill in the second game and if he survived he's nearing his end by now. When Kai Leng attempts to assassinate the salarian councilor, he shows up and gets into an amazing swordfight. Because of his illness, the stab wound he receives is fatal, but he lives long enough for Shepard to visit him in the hospital as he dies in his typical calm manner, saying a prayer for Shepard with his last breaths.
  • The Krogans are undergoing quite a substantial amount of Character Development, to a great deal thanks to this trope. In the first two games they appear almost entirely as Blood Knights who would rather die in battle than see their race succumbing to the long-term effects of a bio-weapon. Any battle would do. But faced with an enemy they can actually fight, they are much more disciplined and charge into entire swarms of Husks without hesitation or concern for their own safety, as long as it helps protecting their world.
  • Even the Catalyst, the one responsible for the Reaper Cycle, calmly accepts that Shepard has all but won at that point, and simply tells him his options. Maybe.
• Mortal Kombat 9: Of a sorts. Kratos' reactions to certain fatalities are different from others in that he doesn't panic or he tries to futilely fight back; he also avoids being subjected to more humorous moments, like Johnny Cage's award implant or Cyber Sub-Zero's shuriken-induced seizure. According to an interview with Ed Boon, this was requested by Sony Computer Entertainment America in order to retain Kratos' tough, Spartan personality (he certainly takes fatal injuries in in his own home series with little reaction at least).
• Averted in Oddworld: New n Tasty at the end of the game. When Abe is about to be executed via meat grinder for his actions during the game, instead of being dignified or defiant, he instead thrashes against his restraints while crying and begging the Big Bad for mercy.
• While Faceless Mooks simply fall over and die, there is no Instant Death Bullet for bosses in the Metal Gear series. While some chose to go out with a bang, many other decide to face their final moments with dignity, making for some of the most memorable death scenes in video games. It also fits the series' highly pacifistic tone.
  • Probably the greatest example is The Boss, who is essentially taking this attitude for the whole game. She knows that she has to die, and it has to be at the hands of her favorite student and almost-son. Not once does she ever break down over this, and at the end of their final fight, she peacefully hands her gun to Snake and, almost comfortingly, tells him to finish his mission.
  • In a very similar vein to The Boss, Big Boss, himself, does this at the end of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots: he comes out of hiding and approaches his clone/son, David — AKA: Solid Snake, with the intention of burying the hatchet and putting his final affairs with David in order, knowing full well that he will contract the modified FOXDIE virus from David and perish shortly thereafter. Fittingly, his final moments are spent thinking about The Boss and her will. After sharing one last smoke with David, Big Boss finally passes away next to The Boss's grave.
  • Vulcan Raven from Metal Gear Solid, the Badass Native Inuit shaman who allows his flock of ravens to devour him after being defeated by Snake. Fitting his philosophy that rather than being simple scavengers, ravens fulfil a vital purpose in the cycle of life and death by removing from the world that which is no longer needed; he claims his spirit will return to Mother Nature through this method. He also gives a Snake a keycard to let him continue, as well as a clue about the real identity of the DARPA chief.
  • When there is an outbreak of the Vocal Cord Parasite on Mother Base in Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, some soldiers lose their minds and begin crazily trying to get outside to the sun and others break down and try to save their skin, but a good number of them instead stand at attention when they see Big Boss, trembling with fear but refusing to waiver, knowing full well what Big Boss is going to do to them.
• The fate of the Barrier Trio in Mother 3:
  The Barrier Trio strikes one final Barrier Pose!
  It was spectacular.
• Narcissu is mainly about the terminally ill Setsumi's wish to give her death meaning by dying somewhere other than the hospice or at home.
• Paper Mario: The Origami King: Before Bobby the Bob-Omb detonates himself with the fuse of his fallen friend, in order to destroy the boulder that's trapped Olivia underneath, he thanks his friend and then Mario for the happy times they had together.
• Prayer of the Faithless: Although Emperor Daigo justifies his horrible actions as being for the good of Vergio, he respects Aeyr for being willing to turn against society in order to save Mia. As such, he gives Aeyr his blessing right before the latter kills him.
• Red Alert 3: Zigzagged, as the commanders' defeated lines can vary from acceptance to outrage. Notably, Naomi can go from "Well I admit, I misjudged you" to "Unthinkable, to be beaten by a barbarian!".
• Red Dead Redemption.
  • In the first game, John Marston. After buying his family time to escape from government soldiers coming to kill John for his 'crimes', John takes shelter in the family barn before facing down a platoon of US soldiers and two Government agents, knowing full well he will be torn to pieces. But that's not to say he went peacefully.
  • In the prequel, Red Dead Redemption 2:
    • Arthur Morgan, already stricken with tuberculosis and having a short time to live, helps John escape from Micah Bell and the Pinkerton gang and chooses to stay behind to fight them off while buying the Marston family time to flee and start a new life. In the High Honor ending, after having emerged victorious while getting wounded himself, Arthur, content that he has sacrificed himself for the Marston family, uses his final moments to relax peacefully and watch the sunrise, and to let nature take its course with his tuberculosis.
    • Before that, as he's struggling to keep Agent Milton's gun off his face, Arthur just shuts his eyes and waits for him to pull the trigger. He survives with Abigail Roberts' help.
    • With low honor, Arthur manages to retain his dignity in his final moments if he helped John because even if it was his final act, he managed to do something good with his life. He faces down Micah without flinching, calling Micah a fool for thinking they are somehow different before Micah shoots him in the head. Averted if low-honor Arthur goes for the money, however. His final moments are spent trying to crawl away before Micah finishes him off by knifing him In the Back.
    • Despite how loathsome and horrible he is, Micah doesn't go out like a bitch: When Dutch shoots him during the final standoff between him, Micah, and John, he cracks a joke about it and laughs before trying to kill John one last time. And when John finishes him off, Micah simply giggles and shrugs before falling over and dying.
• Discussed in Resonance of Fate; after she saves him from being killed by Lagerfeld, Leanne tearfully berates Zephyr for wanting to die, telling him that if he is going to die, he should at least "die with courage."
• Sekiro: the Final boss, Isshin, still has some vitality left in him after being defeated. But rather than struggle, he assumes a seppuku pose and demands that Wolf "Finish it!" He offers no resistance as Wolf uses the Mortal Blade to chop his head off.
• Eileen from Silent Hill 4 walks steadily to her death towards the Giant Machine of Doom in the final battle against Walter, but she's technically possessed. In the third game, Claudia goes willingly to her death, even though she's absolutely certain she's going to Hell.
• Jochi Khasar from Subnautica. He escapes the explosion, but then his lifepod systems fail as he's about to enter the atmosphere of planet 4546B. His last words? Nothing more than quiet acceptance.
  Khasar: My creators, the cherishers and sustainers of worlds, give me this day my daily pleasures, as I give to those who seek pleasures from me. Show me the path, in Life, Truth, and Love. For mine is the power, I am the one. On and off and on again. Life is a game, which the universe plays with itself. I am done playing as this bundle of flesh. Return me.
  • The Sea Emperor Leviathan, after witnessing its/her young hatched and freed from the Architects' prison, succumbs to old age with relief that its/her last wish has been fulfilled.
• The Talos Principle: The entire human race, or at least those working and communicating with the EL project. Unlike most apocalyptic stories there is no mention of riots or the collapse of civilization. Whatever plague was killing humanity did so at a rate where basic services and food were still available for a while and the internet was still functional. Once it became clear that the human race was going extinct, the logs of the project team are filled with stories of love, of what they'll miss, and the hopes of what might come of the project. One even comments on how in the last days the entire world effectively joined online to send as much data as they could to the Archive to preserve as much knowledge as possible for whoever found it. When communications did start breaking down, the logs turned into goodbyes as staff members either committed suicide peacefully, left the facility to be with their loved ones in their last days, or in Alexandra's case died at her workstation trying to complete the Talos project.
• In Touhou Mother, YOU have to do this at the end of the game, when you are robotocised by Porkey and the rest of Gensokyo attack you, thinking you are the last remaining enemies.
• Episode 6 of Umineko: When They Cry has a surprising one in Furudo Erika. Previously the perfect example of Smug Snake, Defective Detective and Lack of Empathy, by the end of the story she's been shot, is dying, and knows it. So she gets up and challenges Beatrice and Battler one last time despite knowing she's going to lose and be erased, saying that as a villain she needs to die to the heroes dramatically.
• Valiant Hearts: After Emile kills an officer, he's tried by a military court and sentenced to be executed. He doesn't rage, fight, beg or plead. He instead writes a letter to his daughter letting her know how much he appreciated her, informing her he's going to die and why, how he doesn't have any regrets, and his wishes to see her again in heaven, which is then read over his resigned trudge to the firing squad.
• Valkyria Chronicles 4: When Colonel Walz is close to death, he says "So this is our last dance. One of us dies, and one walks away."
• In Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume, rebellion leader Natalia turns herself in toward the beginning for execution, so that her troops will be spared. No matter which version of the chapter you're playing in, they end up being killed anyway, and her ally tries to rescue her. Whose side you picked determines whether he's successful or not.
• In Episode 2 of The Walking Dead: The Final Season,, the option to remain silent when Lilly has Clem dead-to-rights during the final battle will have Clem stare at Lilly before calmly closing her eyes.
• In the Bad Ending of Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger, the player gets to choose whether to do this or to beg for mercy, which doesn't work and kills you anyway, accomplishing nothing.
• In the Bad Ending of Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom, Colonel Blair is taken to his execution by firing squad.
  Squad captain: Blindfold?
  Blair: No.
  • This is a running theme in Wing Commander: The good guys fight like hell to live but if they lose, they face their death with a stoic's resolve; the bad guys beg, plead, or if they can't escape, take matters into their own hands. Chris Roberts definitely seems to approve of facing death with dignity.
• In the Downer Beginning of Wolfenstein: The New Order, if you choose Fergus in the Sadistic Choice, he's all over this trope. It turns out later on that he didn't actually die, but his brain was preserved by Deathshead to be used in a combat robot which serves as the game's penultimate boss.
  "It's okay, Blazko. It's war. People die. My time's up, is all."
• A rare mook example in XCOM: Enemy Unknown is the Thin Man interrogation scene. While all other aliens freak out in containment, to the point of trying to attack the robotic arms used in the procedure, this dude simply sneers contemptuously and approaches the glass, as if to say something. Then, the metal panel closes.
• The Chosen from XCOM 2 War Of The Chosen fight tooth and nail to crush your resistance, particularly when you launch an attack on their Resurrective Immortality devices. Once they are Killed Off for Real, however, they concede defeat gracefully in their own ways: the Hunter quips about how he doesn't particularly find death fun, the Assassin commits Seppuku, and the Warlock sings the Elders' praises before turning himself into stone.
• The characters of Your Turn to Die are in a death game where they have to vote on who gets executed, and whoever gets the most votes will generally attempt to do this, but for the most part it ends up subverted because of how horrifically cruel and violent their deaths are. Characters are executed by having all their blood drained, being crushed to death, and being torn apart from the inside out by plants, to name a few ways, and no matter how hard they try to accept their deaths gracefully, they always end up in pain and screaming, because they're literally being tortured.
  • One of the characters, Kai Satou, plays it straight by committing suicide rather than allowing himself to be executed. Later on, should you vote for him to die, Sou Hiyori tries to delay his death for as long as he can, but after he's riddled with bullets, he slouches away to die quietly with a smile on his lips.

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