I Regret Nothing

"But if you held down A you would get a giant cube of bullets! What's not to like!?"

"On the night Councilman Jamm punched me in the face, I warned him several times to back off, and instead, he attacked me, twice. Truthfully, I barely registered his attack. He's incredibly frail and his arms are weak. And when I punched him, he dropped so quickly, I thought he was diving towards the ground. I regret nothing. The end."

— Ron Swanson, Parks and Recreation

A Stock Phrase used by characters about to or after having done some crazy action, especially if it could result in dying. Very frequently parodied.

One variation is for the character to state a regret other than what might be expected, for example:

• Regretting that the crazy action failed in its goal (but with no regrets about doing it in the first place).
• Regretting that the crazy action didn't accomplish more than it did (again, with no regrets about the action itself). A common version is a villain regretting that he didn't kill as many people as he would have liked.
• Regretting waiting this long to undertake the crazy action (likewise with no regrets about finally doing it).
• Regretting some random trivial thing unrelated to the crazy action.
• Regretting everything. This one is usually used to parody the normal usage of this trope.
• Mid-Suicide Regret
• Regretting only that they got caught (which often overlaps with the first two).
• Regretting not being able to listen to another character's screams of pain, agony, fear, and terror.
• Regretting not being evil, all for the sake of evil.
• Regretting having sought redemption.

Most of these (except the "regretting everything", obviously) may be part of a Defiant to the End posture. Any of them could be a "Facing the Bullets" One-Liner. Compare Worth It, I Did What I Had to Do, Backhanded Apology. Can be said by The Unapologetic if he doesn't regret harming other characters.

---

Examples:

Anime & Manga

• In 3×3 Eyes, during the climax, Benares contemplates the impending End of the World as We Know It and ultimately affirms that he has no regrets with his life.
• At the end of episode 7 of Attack on Titan: Junior High, Hange says this while being chased by Levi for flooding the sports festival with confetti.
• Daltanious: After Kloppen willingly chooses to give up his organs for his former Arch-Enemy Harlin's sake, he professes the following:
  Kloppen: "Glory to the entire galaxy...! Glory to Harlin, the leader of the entire galaxy, the crown prince of the Helios Empire!"
• In Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School, when an aphrodisiac-influenced Teruteru tries to make his move on Hiyoko, but is then punched out by Chiaki, he claims he regrets nothing.
• In Digimon Adventure, following the Heroic Sacrifice of Wizardmon, Gatomon gets a last moment with him. As he dies, he tells her that he has no regrets, because without her, his life would have had no meaning. He finishes with "I'm glad we could be friends" and dies. Gatomon does not take this well.
• Fist of the North Star: Raoh's last words are "My life was one lived without a single regret!" Of course, this often pops up in parodies.
  Waga shougai ni ippen no kui nashi!!
• JoJo's Bizarre Adventure:
  • Battle Tendency: Wamuu's final lines after being defeated by Joseph Joestar, feeling satisfied with the outcome of the battle.
  • Stardust Crusaders: Prior to the final battle with DIO, Kakyoin declares that he has no regrets making it this far with everyone, and whatever the outcome, even if his death is one, he'll be content either way.
  • Steel Ball Run: Once he's beaten by Johnny, Sandman accepts his end regardless of his decision to work under Valentine. His only concern goes out to his sister, who he prays for her safety.
• One Piece:
  • In the Impel Down arc, this is Bon Clay's last line, as he rushes forward Chief Warden Magellan although, like his last Heroic Sacrifice, he ends up surviving. It's also a major theme in the following arc and the series as a whole, as part of being a pirate is to live life without regrets (especially according to Luffy and Ace).
  • Near the end of Marinford arc, after Coby gives his speech to everyone, Akainu tries to kill him on the spot, Coby believes he has no regrets because he already said what he wanted to.
  • The shipwright Tom was slated for execution due to building Gold Roger's ship. While he convinced the government to give him a pardon for building the Sea Train, he and his apprentices Iceberg and Franky were framed for an attack on the judicial ship, and Tom used his pardon on that crime to save Iceberg and Franky(along with the Pluton blueprints entrusted to the former). Despite knowing that he was back where he started when he first got sentenced o death, he declared he had no regrets about what he had done and was proud of the ship he built.
  • When the Going Merry is given a Viking Funeral, its spirit speaks to Luffy and the crew, telling them that it doesn't blame them for all the damage it took while carrying them on their numerous adventures, and that their time together made it very happy. In the end, its only regret is that it wasn't able to carry them on even more adventures.
• Played for Laughs in Problem Children are Coming from Another World, aren't they?, when Asuka and Kasukabe are so disgusted by the actions of a Community leader that they humiliate and challenge him on the spot. When asked about it after, they answer in unison:
  "We were mad so we picked a fight with him without thinking of the consequences. We regret nothing."
• A minor character in Samurai Champloo is killed by the shrapnel from a smashed baseball bat during a particularly intense game. His last words are "I die with no regrets."
• Sword Art Online:
  • Kirito reveals he has no regrets for what he did to Sugou when he put the bastard through a world of hurt. He tells Klein in Memory Defrag that while he felt no remorse for what he did, he does wish the circumstances were different as it ended up ruining the reputation of Asuna's father.
  • When Sinon asks Kirito if he regretted what he did to PoH, he replies that he didn't, because he couldn't face her and Leafa if he did.

Comic Books

• In the Marvel/WildStorm crossover World War Three, after being defeated by Deathblow and the Thing, the dying Skrull who had replaced Iron Man says "I did what I was ordered to do. I don't regret anything".
• At the end of the Judge Dredd story arc Apocalypse War (which saw the deaths of millions of people, both in the Hate Plague and the mutual nuclear barrage that followed), the last words of the defeated war marshal Kazan are: "I... regret nothing! I apologise for... nothing!"
• Yelled loudly by Jack of Fables after being kicked in the goolies by a girl whom he has just shagged and then told that he had previously shagged both her sisters.
• In Calvin and Hobbes, Calvin says the only thing he regrets in his life is that he wasn't "born with opposable toes".
• Double Subverted in Reborn by a spree shooter just as he is about to commit suicide, he leaves in his last video message that he has only one regret: he didn't kill more.

Fan Works

• For Ace Lives: Shanks, after letting Kaido join the Battle of Marineford to try and force Ace into marrying Yamato. He outright holds up a giant sign displaying as much for all to read.
• Adopted Displaced: Not said verbatim, but in The Technological Technicolor Technomare, after Rainbow Dash has gone into orbit and destroyed an entire Skrull armada, Tony ends up going into space to rescue her, only to realize a critical error he's made after he's up there. Soon after, as they're about to re-enter Earth's atmosphere and Tony tells Rainbow Dash to kick off him in order to slow her own fall, Rainbow tells him she knows he won't survive reentry and asks why Tony is planning to give up his life to save hers. Tony answers "What father wouldn't?", fully expecting these to be his last words. Luckily, Odin shows up and saves them both.
• In the The Flash Sentry Chronicles story War for the Lost City, Ruby Scarlet asks Sombra if he regrets killing Princess Amore. Sombra tells her straight to her face that he has no regrets, because of how he blamed Amore for not helping him when he needed it.
• In the Harry Potter fanfic Moratorium, this is Harry's response when she does something crazy - which happens very often.
• Not alright said verbatim in The Night Unfurls, but the context remains.
  • Kyril does not regret living his life as a Hunter of beasts who walks a lonely, bitter path instead of reciprocating the romantic affections of those who love him (i.e., being a Celibate Hero). He internally remarks, "He wouldn't have it any other way."^note i.e., he would not want the situation to be different, even though it may have problems connected with it.
  • When asked by Vault regarding his first kill in the remastered version, Kyril describes how the farmer that would become his first kill tried to kill him, only to be Gutted Like a Fish. Then he killed his friends as well. Ultimately, he feels nothing for the beasts he slew — they weren't the first, and certainly won't be the last.
• In The Secret Life of Dolls, Anna says this at her trial for torturing Edward with a voodoo doll.

Films — Animated

• The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part: Rex Dangervest says the phrase a lot, although he mentions his only one regret was not trademarking it.

Films — Live-Action

• The Golden Voyage of Sinbad: instead of following the Big Bad Prince Koura, Sinbad follows and recovers the slave girl Margiana.
  Margiana: You followed me instead of Koura? Then he has won the race.
  Sinbad: The race perhaps.
  Margiana: And the prize?
  Sinbad: Not the prize.
  Margiana: A crown of untold riches!
  Sinbad: I regret nothing.
• Lolita (1997): in a voiceover by Humbert after he leaves Dolores (whose life he has ruined by molesting her) to shoot fellow pedophile Claire Quilty.
  Humbert: Ladies and gentleman of the jury. I have to say that I regret all that I did before that last goodbye. But I regret nothing of what came after.
• Nine Dead: Sully does express some remorse for what he considers to be his worst crime, but when he finds out that the real reason behind his capture is something he considered completely insignificant, he proudly embraces his criminal lifestyle, telling the captor he isn't sorry for any of it.
• In Rush, Niki Lauda says he has no regrets after withdrawing from the Japanese Grand Prix because it wasn't safe.
  Niki Lauda: No regrets. — Not one.
• In the German film Sophie Scholl: The Final Days, the title character is given an opportunity to save herself from punishment for her anti-Nazi activities, if she gives a statement withdrawing her opposition to Hitler's regime and crimes. She refuses, and is executed.
  Investigator Mohr: For the record, I ask you, "Have you, after our conversations, come to the conclusion that your actions together with your brother is to be regarded in the current situation of war as a crime against society and in particular, against our hard fighting troops in the East, and must be harshly condemned?"
  Sophie: No, not in my opinion.
  Investigator Mohr: You wouldn't betray your brother by admitting your mistake.
  Sophie: But I'd betray the idea. I'd do the exact same thing again, because it is not I, but you who has the wrong worldview. I am still of the opinion that I did my best for my people. I don't regret it, and I will accept the consequences.
• The World of Kanako: In the very end, when Kanako's teacher learns the truth about her, the latter just smiles in a dark manner and says that there are no regrets whatsoever. Kanako's teacher is visibly shocked by this and finally stabs her to death in disgust.
• In Zombieland, the gang hangs at Bill Murray's house, where they find him dressed as a zombie to blend in. When he tries to prank Columbus and Little Rock, Columbus shoots him in the chest, thinking he was a real zombie. As he lays dying, Little Rock asks him if he has any regrets:
  Bill Murray: Garfield, maybe.

Let's Play

• Jacksepticeye goes into the inversion of this trope in his playthrough of Resident Evil Village after seeing Lady Dimitrescue's Molded form.
  Jack: Ooohh, I'm sorry I was every horny for you!

Literature

• Played with in the Doctor Who New Adventures novel Transit by Ben Aaronovitch — the Doctor is caught in a crashing plane on Mars. The woman he's with hears him humming.
  Kadiatu: What's that noise?
  The Doctor: Edith Piaf. Born on a doorstep and sang the blues.
  Kadiatu: I'd sing the blues, if I'd been born on a doorstep. What's the song about?
  The Doctor: Regret.
  Kadiatu: What did she regret?
  The Doctor: Absolutely nothing.
  (they hit the ground)
• The Dresden Files Nicodemus Archleon, leader of the Order of the Blackened Denarius^note Each member carries on their person a single silver coin imbued with one of thirty Fallen Angels who served Lucifer. Nicodemus carries Anduriel, Lucifer's second-in-command. and has been around on Earth for close to two thousand years. In Skin Game while this phrase wasn't said, Nicodemus and Harry stand before the Archangel Uriel, who is very angry at Nick. So angry is the angel, his halo appears. Harry is just winged by the sight before averting his eyes and could see every bad and stupid choice he ever made in his life and saw how easy it could have been to take the better path. Nick stares head on into the holy light and laughs at the archangel.
• Lords and Ladies: Granny Weatherwax (who thinks she's going to die soon) tells her friend Nanny Ogg that she doesn't regret anything. The Queen of the Fairies later tries to convince her she wasted her life, but Granny doesn't buy it.
  "You mean you weren't Chosen?"
  "Me? No. I chose. I chose, Gytha Ogg. And I want that you should know this right now. Whatever happens. I ain't never regretted anything. Never regretted one single thing. Right?"
• Persuasion: Anne Elliot gives a speech about how "I have nothing to reproach myself with" regarding the eight years of needless pain and suffering she and Captain Wentworth endured as a result of her letting Lady Russell persuade her into breaking their engagement... even though she states she would never give someone the same advice in a similar situation.
• Several of Robert A. Heinlein's characters (notably Lazarus Long and his vast family) are fond of saying "When the ship lifts all bills are paid. No regrets."
• In Edgar Lee Masters The Spoon River Anthologies, Fiddler Jones states that he had no regrets.
• Kurt Vonnegut's Timequake features a short story by one of the characters entitled "Bunker Bingo Party," about the last few hours of Hitler's life. Before killing himself, Hitler ponders what his last words should be. He considers "I regret nothing" but it is pointed out to him that Edith Piaf has already made those words famous. He briefly considers "Bingo" but then settles on "I never asked to be born in the first place," and pulls the trigger.
• Warrior Cats: In The Last Hope, Crowfeather says that he doesn't regret anything he's done during the Final Battle.
• In Jack Higgins' The Wrath of God, Oliver van Horne helped narrator Emmett Keogh against corrupt police (Keogh had tried to rescue a girl the cops were going to rape). Van Horne machine-gunned the cops, but then he and Keogh were caught and sentenced to death. As he was taken out to be shot (the local authority actually meant to use them to kill off a particularly nasty bandit, and put them through a mock execution to show his power over them), van Horne said, "No regrets, Keogh."
• Wuthering Heights: In the final chapter, when Heathcliff has refused to eat or sleep for three days (and is just one day away from death), Nelly Dean urges him to eat and rest so he can "be spared to repent of your many injustices." Heathcliff replies "I've done no injustice, and I repent of nothing."

Live-Action TV

• In the Babylon 5 episode "The Fall of Night", Sheridan is ordered to apologize to the Centauri for firing on one of their ships. Rehearsing what he plans to say, he makes it clear that he's not at all sorry.
  Sheridan: I'm sorry we had to defend ourselves against an unwarranted attack. I'm sorry that your crew was stupid enough to fire on a station filled with a quarter million civilians, including your own people. And I'm sorry I waited as long as I did before I blew them all straight to Hell!... As with everything else, it's the thought that counts.
• Deus Salve O Rei: Princess Catarina says this when she is about to be hanged for her crimes in the last episode, being guilty of starting a war that killed thousands, destroyed her own home, sided with a tyrant to achieve her goal, tried to kill her own father and many other pleasant things. She even states that if given the chance, she'd do it all over again.
• One of Dexter's victims, when confronted with his crimes shouted "I'm not sorry", Dexter replied "I'm not sorry either" just before killing him.
• When Earth: Final Conflict killed off Sandoval, they had him say this.
• On Friends, Joey once had a date with a girl which ended with him eating her dessert while she was in the bathroom. As she stares at him in utter disgust, he just grins and says "I'm not even sorry!"
• In the Game of Thrones episode "Oathbreaker", before he's about to be executed for treason, Alliser Thorne gives a speech how everything he did was for the Night's Watch, and if he could, he would do it all over again knowing how it would end.
• Played with in the House episode "Games", by Jimmy Quit, a terminally ill Punk Rock musician.
  Amber: Don't you have any regrets?
  Jimmy: A lotta drugs, a lotta fights... I regret everything else.
• House of Saddam: When Sajida confronts Saddam after he shot his best friend (of which his now-widow was a friend of hers), Saddam replies that if he is able to kill even his best friend without hesitation, then he is a man to be feared.
• Eko from Lost confesses this to what he thinks is the spirit of his dead brother (which is actually the Smoke Monster, judging him), right before it mauls and kills him, seemingly disappointed by his words.
• A Stock Riff on Mystery Science Theater 3000.
• Once Upon a Time: In "Save Henry", Emma, Snow, and Regina are bound to a tree that feeds on regret. Peter Pan shows up to taunt them, before he's cut off by an impatient Regina. She freely admits she has more to regret than anyone: she cursed an entire kingdom, murdered and tortured, and done all matter of horrible things; but she feels no regret at all. Everything she did got her her son, and that's all that matters. So she effortlessly breaks free and takes him down instantly.
• The page quote comes from the Parks and Recreation episode "Partridge", which involves Councilman Jamm suing Ron for punching him in the face. Tom and April decide to lie to protect Ron, but Ron decides that since Jamm completely deserved to be punched in the face, he might as well tell the complete truth.
• Subverted in the early Stargate SG-1 episode "Solitudes": trapped in an ice cavern with rescue apparently not coming, Captain Carter tells Colonel O'Neill that she has "no regrets... how about you?" True to form, O'Neill (who's currently suffering from some serious internal injuries including broken ribs) replies "I'll regret dying."

Music

• Édith Piaf's "Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien" ("No, I don't regret anything").
• Played with in "My Way" (most famously performed by Frank Sinatra):
  Regrets... I've had a few.
  But then again, too few to mention.
• Iron Maiden's "Satellite 15...The Final Frontier":
  For I have lived my life to the full
  I have no regrets
  But I wish I could talk to my family
  To tell them one last goodbye
• "Headlong Flight" by Rush:
  All the treasures
  The gold and glory
  It didn't always feel that way
  I don't regret it
  I'll never forget it
  I wouldn't trade tomorrow for today
• In "Drug Ballad", Eminem candidly reflects on his history of drug abuse and, in a surprising twist, admits that he wouldn't do anything differently:
  If I could take it all back now, I wouldn't
  I would have did more shit that people said that I shouldn't
• "A Question of Heaven" by Iced Earth
  I did what I thought was right
  All for the love of my life
  I know it's sad but true
  Something is very wrong
  Condemned to suffer so long
  For a love so true
  And in my dying breath
  My heart holds no regrets
  I wouldn't change a thing
• "Pirate Song" by Alestorm. It begins sounding as though the retired captain singing the song regrets the path his life took, but...
  And for what?
  It's been many years.
  The screams of the vanquished still ring in my ears.
  And for what?
  I've blood on my hands.
  I wait for my place in the halls of the damned!
  And if I could go back and make my amends,
  I'd make all those mistakes again!
  I'd kill every last one of those bastards, my friends!
• "Rush" by Big Audio Dynamite:
  If I had my time again,
  I would do it all the same.
  Wouldn't change a single thing
  Even when I was to blame
  For the heartache and the pain
  That I've caused throughout my years,
  How I love to be a man
  Through the laughter and the tears.

Theatre

• Aaron the Moor in Titus Andronicus:
  Aaron: Ay, that I had not done a thousand more. Even now I curse the day — and yet, I think, few come within the compass of my curse — wherein I did not some notorious ill, as kill a man, or else devise his death, ravish a maid, or plot the way to do it, accuse some innocent and forswear myself, set deadly enmity between two friends, make poor men's cattle break their necks; set fire on barns and hay-stacks in the night, and bid the owners quench them with their tears. Oft have I digged up dead men from their graves, and set them upright at their dear friends' doors, even when their sorrows almost were forgot; and on their skins, as on the bark of trees, have with my knife carved in Roman letters, 'Let not your sorrow die, though I am dead.' Tut, I have done a thousand dreadful things as willingly as one would kill a fly, and nothing grieves me heartily indeed but that I cannot do ten thousand more.
• Cladwell's final words in Urinetown:
  Cladwell: I regret nothing! You hear me? Nothing!! Maybe I was a bad father and a cruel and vicious man! But I kept the pee off the street and the water in the ground! You hear me?! I kept the water in the ground!!!

Video Games

• Assassin's Creed III: after a series of encounters throughout the game, Haytham Kenway has a final duel with his son Connor. During the struggle, Connor kills his father, who does not regret his loyalty to the Templars. He even mocks the Redemption Equals Death trope along the way.
• In Borderlands 2, dying psychos will occasionally shout "I regret... nothing!" Of course, they also occasionally shout "I regret EVERYTHING!" instead.
• This is a possible dialog choice in The Curse of Monkey Island when Guybrush is forced to walk the plank.
• Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony: Korekiyo Shinguji's only regret when he is found out as the blackened is that he wasn't able to meet his goal of killing 100 friends for his sister. Not at all that he regrets killing Angie and Tenko.
• Darkest Dungeon II: Upon inspecting the Shrine of Reflection, a location that both reveals the selected hero's backstory and unlocks a few of their abilities, the selected hero is seen looking away from the light because of the shame and regret that happened in their past. The sole exception is the Leper, who was a good king that became sick with leprosy because he made contact with an infected person that he tried to comfort. In his case, he is instead facing the light, as though he never regretted doing the right thing, even if his life is cut short because of it.
• Played for Drama in Darksiders II whenever Death is confronted by those in the know about his role in the genocide of the nephilim. Each time he answers with words to this effect, but they see through it as Blatant Lies and even Death himself admits in his private moments that he very much does regret it and wonders Was It Really Worth It?, to the point of being The Atoner in secret. However, his guilt won't stop him from doing what he has to do to save humanity and redeem one of his only surviving brothers of a crime he never committed.
• Inverted in Dragon's Crown. A set of bones can potentially say "I regret everything."
• Fate/stay night:
  • Used as part of Shirou's optimistic incantation in Unlimited Blade Works to activate the eponymous ability:
  Shirou: I have no regrets. This was the only path. My whole life was Unlimited Blade Works."
  • Also used earlier when he told Archer that he would never regret pursuing his ideal, no matter how much he suffered as a result.
• Final Fantasy:
  • Yuna from Final Fantasy X tells Tidus "It would be so easy...to let my fate just carry me away...following this same path my whole life through. But I know...I can't. What I do, I do...with no regrets." Granted, she wasn't dying at the time she said that, but then you realize that her journey is supposed to end with her death.
  • Final Fantasy XIII-2: Serah reaffirms several times that she'll continue fixing the timeline, full well knowing that it will kill her by the end. When she actually dies, her last words are a simple "Thank you.", and after her death, she appears to Lightning, who realizes then that Serah knew the consequences of her actions, and once again reaffirms that "[she has] no regrets... none at all."
• Disc-One Final Boss Jarod's last words in Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn.
  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...
• Last Scenario has Augustus' last words:
  Augustus: I proved my superiority. I have already won. I regret nothing.
• Mass Effect:
  • In the first game, whoever you're forced to abandon on Virmire states, "I understand, Commander. I don't regret a thing".
  • In the second game, this can come up during Shepard's talks with Samara:
    Shepard: Was it worth it? Giving up everything to lead this life?
    Samara: I do not know. But, if nothing else, following the Code has left me with no regrets. You may make of that what you will.
  • In the third game...
    Shepard: I'm sorry.
    Mordin: I'm not. Had to be me. Someone else might have gotten it wrong.
• Mega Man 8 subverts this with Tengu Man's dying words.
  Tengu Man: It's regretful...
• Mega Man X6 subverts this with one of the bosses, Ground Scaravich, who clearly wishes he didn't foolishly attack the Hunters. This is evidenced by his death quote.
  Muneeennn!: Such a shame!
• Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater:
  • The End has a slightly different choice of words ("I have no regrets") for when you beat him the right way.
  • In one of the side videos, he starts doing the creepy old man stalker with EVA, and in the end, when he tries to shoot her for being with other men, she runs him over with her bike, and he says the same thing.
• At a certain point in Planescape: Torment, you're required to focus on a regret. You can regret that you have absolutely nothing to regret. Somehow, it's a valid option.
• In Poker Night 2, while using the full Evil Dead theme, the special busted out scene for Claptrap has him shout this.
• The Postal Dude's catchphrase in the Postal series. In Postal 1 and 2, he will say it if you have him commit suicide, and he says it once again at the end of Apocalypse Weekend after he nukes Paradise. The phrase is repeated a few more times in Paradise Lost and Postal 4's title includes "No Regerts".
• In RuneScape, these are Lord Drakan's last words.
• A recorded but unused Scout line from the Team Fortress 2 "Meet the Sandvich" video: "I regret everything! I regret everything I've ever done!"
• In Telepath Tactics, these are Zimmer's Last Words if he dies in battle.
• Troll batriders in Warcraft will shout "The ends justify the means!" before perishing in a fiery kamikaze attack.
• In ULTRAKILL this is double subverted when Sisyphus Prime dies. He acknowledges his life as defined by futility and failure, but declares he doesn't regret a second of it with pride and dies laughing uproariously until his body dissipates.
• In Xenoblade Chronicles 3, Alexandria says this verbatim when it's brought to light how she murdered her incompetent predecessor.
• In Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II: Retribution, when the Ork battlewagon boss is destroyed, its pilot states that his only regret is exploding.

Web Animation

• Homestar Runner: Parodied in "Fall Float Parade", where Coach Z shouts "I regret everything!" when an enormous (and possibly malevolent) Marshie balloon crashes into his and Marzipan's broadcast tower.
• In MGT School, Rasta says this after screaming at Akira to snap out of her daze (it also provides the page quote).
• In Red vs. Blue, where a minor Red Zealot character says this after acquiring the Blue flag and ranting about how the Battle Creek Reds and Blues will "worship me as though I were a god!" Then the Blues run up and kill him, making him say this.
  Red Zealot: I regret nothing! I lived as few men dared to dream!

Webcomics

• In 8-Bit Theater, when Thief is about to get killed by Black Mage, his last words are "My only regret is that I didn't hate you more."
• Awkward Zombie: The page image comes from the end of this strip, when Sora is criticized for his ship design.
• This comic from Between Failures, after a Funbag Airbag incident.
• Darths & Droids has K2-SO's death:
  K2-SO: My only regret is that I didn't... shoot... more things...
• A running joke in Troutman's Lit Brick comic is that Sporkman will wind up ejected out of a window for some comment he makes, screaming "I regret nothing!" as he falls.
• Manly Guys Doing Manly Things: Jared drops the trope name after he gets his pressure washer privileges revoked. Again.
• This The Order of the Stick strip unsurprisingly parodies not only this trope, but also I'm Cold... So Cold... with a fruit pie.
• Romantically Apocalyptic, here.
• Roomies!, It's Walky!, Joyce and Walky!: Ruth invokes this trope when she dies pushing Danny out of the way of a truck
  Ruth: Act with integrity... no regrets!

Web Videos

• In Dragon Ball Z Abridged:
  • When being overcome by the Spirit Bomb, Frieza declares that he has only one regret. Of course, he survives.
    Frieza: If I had any single regret for the countless horrific events that have transpired in my wake, it's that I'm dying.
  • When Cell is being obliterated by Gohan's final Kamehameha, he breaks out into a mental musical cover of Frank Sinatra's My Way and basically admits he couldn't be any happier with how he goes out.
    Cell: "♪The record shooooooows, I took the blooooooows, and did it myyyy waaaaaaaaaay~!♫"
  • Future Cell tried to do the above when Trunks Heat Domes him to death. It doesn't work out.
    Future Cell: "♪And now... the end is near...♫ AH GODDAMN IT SHIIIIIIIIIET..."
• In adamwestslapsod The Legend of Zelda: The Abridged Series series, after Link "defeats" Twinrova one of them says "I regret nothing!... except dying."
• In Yu-Gi-Oh! The Abridged Series, in Kaiba's flashbacks, when he take over his step-father's company, we learn that he doesn't had enough shares but he got them from Hobson.
  Hobson: Hobson give shares to Seto!
  Gozaburo: Hobson, how could you do this to me? After I picked you up from the gutters—
  Hobson: Hobson regret nothing!
• When Kurama has him at his mercy in Yu Yu Hakusho Abridged, Genbu is left with only his bad humor as a potential weapon. Neither Kurama nor Hiei let him have any of it.
  Genbu: ... ... Git-er-done? (Laugh Track interrupted by...)
  Hiei: No! No more laugh track!
  Genbu: Well... this sucks more than a-
  Kurama: If you make one more stupid comparative joke, I'm going to kill you.
  (Beat)
  Genbu: ...dollar whore with no gag reflex? (slice) I REGRET EVERYTHING!! (explodes)
  Kurama: (Beat) ...Git 'er done, motherfucker.

Western Animation

• Amphibia: In the Grand Finale, Anne makes perfectly clear that she doesn't regret pulling a Heroic Sacrifice to save everyone from The Core. Even her regret at not getting to see her favorite movie sequel is more a joke to comfort her loved ones one last time. At least until she came Back from the Dead several moments later.
• Zuko on Avatar: The Last Airbender after passing up the opportunity to Heel–Face Turn, resulting in his uncle being imprisoned. Of course, Zuko does regret everything, he's just trying to convince himself otherwise.
  Zuko: You brought this on yourself, you know. We could have returned together. You could have been a hero. You have no right to judge me, uncle. I Did What I Had to Do in Ba Sing Se, and you're a fool for not joining me!
  • From The Legend of Korra, after Kuvira discovers Zhu Li's betrayal:
    Zhu Li: You're a monster. I regret nothing.
• Dramatic example in the Beast Wars episode "Code of Hero". Dinobot takes on the entire Predacon force to keep them from wiping out the primitive humans and changing the future. He succeeds, but the damage and energy loss is fatal.
  Optimus Primal: Well fought, my friend. You saved the valley. You saved the lives of those who live here, and of those who are still to come.
  Dinobot: Then, there is nothing to regret...
• Played with in the Bugs Bunny cartoon The Case of the Missing Hare. After stage magician Ala Bahma throws a pie in Bugs' face, prompting Bugs to declare "Of course you realize that This Means War!," Bugs leads the magician through merry hell until at the end of the cartoon, he holds a pie in his hands and briefly impersonates Red Skelton's "Mean Widdle Kid": "If I dood it, I get a whippin'. (Beat) I dood it." And the pie lands in the magician's face.
• In the Chowder episode "Grubble Gum", Gazpacho declares this once he realizes he's about to be consumed by an ever-growing katamari of grubble gum.
• DC Animated Universe:
  • Batman: The Animated Series: Batman contemplating his eventual demise in "I Am the Night".
    Batman: It might be the Joker, or Two-Face, or just some punk who gets lucky. My decision. No regrets.
  • Batman Beyond:
    • Terry pulls this off in the first season finale "Ascension." When he discovers his role in turning Derek Powers into Blight, Terry has no regrets over it, since it means now everyone can see Powers for the monster he really is.
      Terry: You mean, I made him that?
      Bruce: You may have. In part.
      Terry: Good. (Beat) Hey, this guy had my father murdered and all he's done since is hide from the law! Well, no more hiding for Mr. Derek Powers. Now everyone can see him for what he is... even in the dark.
    • In "Sneak Peek", when faced with the possibility of his identity being outed, Bruce is pretty subdued about it, confessing to Terry that he suspected that sooner or later, his identity would be exposed. His only real complaint is that it's at the hands of a sleazy tabloid reporter like Ian Peek.
      Bruce: I always assumed I'd be found out sooner or later. It's just galling that a piece of garbage like Peek had to be the one.
• Said twice by Cosmo in one episode of The Fairly OddParents! before taking off in an Escape Pod with Wanda to escape a doomed Earth.
• Futurama:
  • From the episode "Crimes of the Hot:"
    Bender: Look, I love life and its pleasures as much as anyone here, except perhaps you, Hedonismbot. But we need to be shut off! Especially you, Hedonismbot.
    Hedonismbot: I apologize for nothing!
  • When That Guy from the '80s dies from boneitis at the end of "Future Stock" his dying words are "My only regret... is that I have... BONEITIS!"
• In Harley Quinn (2019), Sy Borgman subverts the trope when he performs a Heroic Sacrifice to save Harley Quinn from Doctor Psycho. Sy Borgman, as a former CIA agent, regrets lots of things.
  Sy Borgman: I REGRET LOTS OF THINGS!!
• The Simpsons:
  • In one Halloween special, Mr. Burns is seen in hell, turned into an ugly (well, even uglier) creature, and he says this line.
  • This is inverted in another Halloween special segment, "The Homega Man", as Comic Book Guy watches a nuke descend upon Springfield.
    "But Aquaman, you can't marry a woman without gills! You're from two different worlds! (sees nuke falling) ...Oh, I've wasted my life."
  • Also, we pan over the very long line to see the Itchy & Scratchy movie, which goes over a drawbridge; the drawbridge opens and one person falls through. As he's falling he calls out the Stock Phrase in question.[1]
  • FXX's 12-day long marathon of the show in 2014 compared its length to the lifespan of the average butterfly, with a different bump for each day depicting the butterfly going through stages of its life. On the 12th day, the butterfly was dead and its headstone had "I regret nothing" written on it.
• In the Spongebob Squarepants episode "Karen 2.0", it is revealed that Plankton had installed a jealousy scheduler and a molecular rearranger ray into his computer wife, Karen, but he didn't think she would use both against him in retaliation at his replacing her with a new computer wife, Karen 2. As the first Karen tries to attack Plankton with the rearranger ray, he tries to reason with her, but she responds in this manner.
  Plankton: (terrified) Let's not do something we might regret!
  Karen: You should know, regret's the one thing you left out of my operating system!
• Star vs. the Forces of Evil: Eclipsa's feelings about what the Magic High Commission considers her misdeeds. Different than a lot of examples, this is used for purely dramatic effect.
  Moon: Eclipsa, are you sorry for what you've done?
  Eclipsa: No. I'm not.
• Teen Titans (2003): In the opening for the second half of the season 2 finale, Terra monologues that she has no regrets serving Slade and seemingly killing the Teen Titans. We find out that she was lying.
  Terra: My name is Terra. I have done horrible things. And I have absolutely no regrets.
• Viva Piñata: This is one of Professor Pester's catchphrases. He usually utters it whenever his evil plans fail.
  Pester: I HAVE NOOOOOO REGRETS!!!
• Young Justice (2010): In season 4, J'onn steps up to defend his niece M'ree when R'ess E'dda starts disparaging her and her sister M'gann for their A'ashenn heritage and M'ree's work in building a Zeta-Tube to Earth. R'ess then starts berating J'onn, blaming him for "contaminating Martian culture" with his Earth TV broadcasts. J'onn calmly convinces him to check his attitude before he starts something he can't finish.
  R'ess E'dda: You started all this, J'onn J'onzz! With your ma'al Earther broadcasts!
  J'onn: (looms closer) And I regret nothing, R'ess E'dda.

Real Life

• During the Nuremberg trials, Rudolf Hess, the former deputy to Adolf Hitler, said of his time as a Nazi, "I was permitted to work for many years of my life under the greatest son whom my people has brought forth in its thousand year history. Even if I could, I would not want to erase this period of time from my existence. I am happy to know that I have done my duty, to my people, my duty as a German, as a National Socialist, as a loyal follower of my Führer. I do not regret anything."
• Similarly to Hess, when the major architect of the Holocaust, Adolf Eichmann, was awaiting trial in 1960, he was quoted as saying "To sum it all up, I must say that I regret nothing."
• The last words of Nathan Hale (American revolutionary who was hanged when caught spying on the British Army): "I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country."
• Timothy McVeigh who blew up Alfred P. Murrah Building in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995, killing 168 people, said before his execution that his only regret is that he didn't completely level it.
• Serial Killer Carl Panzram made this statement after his arrest: "In my lifetime I have murdered 21 human beings, I have committed thousands of burglaries, robberies, larcenies, arsons and, last but not least, I have committed sodomy on more than 1,000 male human beings. For all these things I am not in the least bit sorry."
• Andrew Jackson once said "I have only two regrets: I didn't shoot Henry Clay and I didn't hang John C. Calhoun."
  • It adds something when you know that John C. Calhoun was Andrew Jackson's vice-president.
• From Tallulah Bankhead's autobiography: "The only thing I regret about my past is the length of it. If I had to live my life again, I'd make the same mistakes, only sooner."
• Murderer Thomas Kemp's final words when he was executed in April 2012 were "I regret nothing."
• Nationalist terrorist Anders Behring Breivik, after sentenced to prison for killing 77 people apologized... to militant nationalists for not killing more people.
• Leon Czolgosz, an anarchist who assassinated U.S. President William McKinley in 1901 pleaded guilty on his trial and refused to speak to his lawyers. Before his execution, he stated: "I killed the President because he was the enemy of the good people – the good working people. I am not sorry for my crime."
• Norman Lamont, a minister in Margaret Thatcher's Government and Chancellor of the Exchequer under John Major, famously replied "Je ne regrette rien" at a press conference in 1993 when asked which of two embarrassing things he regretted more. In context, the response was a transparent reference to Édith Piaf (see Music above), and the reply got laughs from the audience. However, it played very poorly on the 6:00 news (a word to aspiring politicians: if you're asked what you regret, and say you regret nothing, the media will pick up on the worst thing you've ever done, and say you don't regret that). He was sacked a while later.
• In 1986, future Vice-President Dick Cheney (who was, at the time, a Wyoming Representative) voted against the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act, a bill that called for tough sanctions and travel restrictions South Africa and its leaders, and for the repeal of apartheid laws and release of political prisoners like Nelson Mandela, then leader of the African National Congress. (The vote passed with bipartisan support, and when President Reagan vetoed it, claiming the ANC was a "terrorist organization", it was passed via Congressional override, with Cheney opposing it again, clearly siding with Reagan on the matter.) When Mandela passed away in December of 2013, long after the fall of the apartheid government, having been recognized as a Civil Rights leader after becoming the first black President of South Africa, Cheney said publically, "I don't have any problems at all with the vote I cast 20 years ago." (He did, however, state that Mandela was a "great man" who had "mellowed" in the decade after his release from prison.)
• Upon his release from prison in 2010, "right to die" advocate Jack Kevorkian was asked by John Roberts if he would still be willing to help terminally ill patients end their lives. "Not now," replied Kevorkian. "it wouldn't serve any purpose." Though he said he had "no regrets" on his career as "Dr. Death." "It's my duty," he remarked.
• One of the final entries in the diary of Robert Falcon Scott:
  We are weak, writing is difficult, but for my own sake I do not regret this journey, which has shown that Englishmen can endure hardships, help one another, and meet death with as great a fortitude as ever in the past. We took risks, we knew we took them; things have come out against us, and therefore we have no cause for complaint, but bow to the will of Providence, determined still to do our best to the last.
• Several captured ISIS militants that were interviewed by journalists admit no regrets for their crimes. One notorious one was Amar Hussein, who claims to have killed more than "500 people and raped 200 Yazidi women" in just four years - the government has evidence he did this, but can't tell how big the scale was.

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