Try Not to Die

No beating about the bush. Especially not with that stick she's carrying.

Mr. Incredible: Shut it down, do it quickly, don't destroy it...
Mirage: And don't die.

— The Incredibles

When heroes are about to go Storming the Castle, or facing impossible and deadly odds, "Try Not To Die" is a common saying in more grim works. Not, "Knock 'em dead!" or the more emotive "We're counting on you", but this simple, plaintive request... which goes a long way to saying just how bad the odds and low the expectations are of the adventurers as well as their loved ones.

Compare How Dare You Die on Me! Contrast Prepare to Die. Has nothing to do with Press X to Not Die.

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Examples:

Advertising

• This was the basis of an ad campaign for cellular phones, where one character would be in the process of dropping dead, while someone else would be standing over him, berating him for dying because the new phone was about to come out and he'd miss it, (along the lines of, "What are you stupid, having a heart attack before they release this phone?") ending with the tag line, "Try not to die."

Anime & Manga

• Death Note: L has one in the "Bang!" scene.
• Fullmetal Alchemist:
  • This is the only order Roy Mustang gives to his team just before they begin their rebellion in Central. Later, Hawkeye repeats this order after her throat is slit in an attempt to force Mustang to perform Human Transmutation and she's bleeding to death. The Gold-Toothed Doctor wryly notes that if immortality were that easy, he's wasted his entire life.
    Hawkeye: I won't die... I've... been ordered not to die, you see.
  • Also said twice by Riza Hawkeye to Mustang - once at her father's funeral and the second time when she's reassigned to Fuhrer King Bradley's personal guard.
• In Hellsing,
  • Integra orders Walter to 'come back alive at any cost'. He does, but...well, let's just say he took her literally.
  • She also gives a variant of this just before Alucard vanishes. *sniff*
• Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex:
  • The Chief to the rest of Section 9 after he learns they've been betrayed.
  • Also, Batou to the Major in episode 21. Not an unreasonable thing to say, since this is moments before she attempts to take on a powered exoskeleton with nothing but sidearms.
• In Kino's Journey, this is Kino's most important rule of being a traveler. Kino tells it to a guy trying to be The Atoner, and to the woman who didn't appreciate the guy thinking he could get off the hook that easy.
• This is said quite a lot in the Gundam metaseries, usually phrased as an order before a battle.
  • Shiro Amada's pep talk to his new squad in Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team can be summed up thusly. Shiro practically considers it part of their standing orders.
    Graham Aker: [wingman blows up] I thought I told you not to die!
  • A variation occurs in Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket, where Garcia asks Bernie not to die when they go forward with the operation to destroy the NT-1 - because if he does, Garcia will be the lowest-ranked member of the Cyclops Team again.
• The Naruto dub takes us full circle. As the Chuunin Exam escalates into the Forest of Death, the instructor gives a final bit of advice:
  Anko: Just don't die!
• In a late episode of Digimon Tamers, Terriermon, in the dubbed version at least, cheerfully says to the others, "Try not to get killed while we're gone!" when the team had to separate during a fight.
• Genkai from YuYu Hakusho has one of these before seeing a bunch of warriors, Yusuke and Kuwabara included, off into the Dark Forest as part of her trial. After explaining what the forest is, she tells everyone that they have two hours to get to a tree on the other side of the forest. "Best of luck, I hope you don't die."
• Kenji in 20th Century Boys, as he and his friends head off to fight the giant robot on New Year's Eve: "If you think your life is in danger, run away as fast as you can. Please don't die!" This is echoed later on by many other characters in appropriate moments.
• "Don't die." is probably said, on average, once per episode in Ginga Densetsu Weed.
• In the final season of Legend of the Galactic Heroes, Reinhard orders Mittermeyer not to die.
• In Baccano!, Miria tells this to Jacuzzi before he goes to confront the Rail Tracer. Notable because she's a Cloudcuckoolander, and said this with deadly severity.
• Bleach:
  • When Orihime tells this to Ichigo to stop him from hating himself, this becomes the turning point of the fight between Grimmjow and Ichigo.
  • Also the main gist of the prayer/oath that Renji chants when he, Ichigo, Rukia, Ishida, and Chad split up during the beginning of the Hueco Mundo arc.
• Also invoked by Misato in the last line of the first episode of Neon Genesis Evangelion.
• In Yotsuba&!, when Yotsuba heads next door on her Roaring Rampage of Revenge, Jumbo tells her to "Come back alive." Knowing, as always, the cultural trappings but not their true meanings, she replies, "Even if I die, I'll come back alive."
  "So how did the revenge go?"
  "I died!"
• Kiddy Grade - Éclair to her troops in a flashback: "one final order: don't get killed."
• This is said to Guts a couple of times in Berserk, most notably when Guts gives Casca a path to escape from an ambush by an enemy army and Casca tells Guts that she would return with help, but until then...
  Casca: ...DON'T DIE!
• A Certain Magical Index:
  • During the invasion of Academy City by Vento of the Front, Misaka shouts this to Touma as he goes to fight Vento while Index goes to find out how to free Kazakiri from her forced "angel" mode and Misaka stays to fight off some Mooks.
    Misaka: The penalty game!
    Touma: What was that?
    Misaka: You agreed to do whatever I said today, remember! The day isn't over yet, so here's my next order: go save your friend and come back safely! Got it!?
    Touma: Got it! Don't you go dying either!
  • In the same arc, Accelerator and Touma end up talking on cellphones, and neither recognizes the other's voice (the last time they met, they were enemies). Both encourage the "stranger" on the other end to survive.
• In Fate/Zero, prior to his ultimately suicidal charge against Gilgamesh, Rider orders Waver Velvet to live. It saves Waver's life not long after when Gilgamesh, who is powerful enough to squash Waver like a bug with barely any effort at all, wonders casually if Waver plans to attack him — Waver's response impresses Gilgamesh enough to let him be.
  Waver: If I challenge you, I will die.
  Gilgamesh: Of course.
  Waver: That won't do. I have been ordered to live.
  Gilgamesh: [nods, and turns to go] Your loyalty is splendid! See to it that it never fades!
• In Attack on Titan, as the titans invade Trost, Mikasa asks Eren not to die after he tells her to follow orders instead of trying to defend him. He doesn't do a very good job.
• In Hakuouki, after Hijikata told Chizuru to stay by Kondou's side, she responded by promising she would risk her life to protect him. Hijikata immediately cut in and gave her the next order not to die.
• In Dr. STONE, Chrome refuses to carry on science if Senku dies collecting sulfuric acid, as a way of forcing him to come back alive. This is followed by a flashback to Kohaku doing the same thing for her sister Ruri. Ruri and their father asked Kohaku to memorize the 100 Stories in case Ruri died, but she refused to let that be a possibility.

Comic Books

• The Runaways have "Try Not To Die" as their team motto.
• Zoe basically tells the Wash Bot this in the Firefly comics from Boom! Studios. It has Wash’s personality and some of his memories and if it gets destroyed, it’ll be uncomfortably close to reliving real Wash’s death.

Fan Works

• Just before the Battle of Canterlot in The Immortal Game, Twilight orders Sir Unimpressive to survive no matter what, so he can take over in case she dies herself.
• Said word-for-word by Firefly to Rainbow Dash in chapter 6 of Ace Combat: The Equestrian War. Similar pleas happen in other parts of the story.
• In the Discworld of A.A. Pessimal, this is explicitly said to the gentle and pacifistically-minded Wizard Ponder Stibbons, when circumstances dictate he finds himself on the front line on a battlefield. Ponder is helped in his fervent wish to stay alive by his rarely-carried Wizard's Staff, which follows a Staff's imperative to protect its Wizard, regardless of how many other people get blasted, zapped or sent into oblivion. He also has locally-born Assassin Heidi van Kruger to his left, who follows the "try not to die!" with her own incentive to keep him alive - she doesn't want to have to explain to Ponder's girlfriend that she failed to bodyguard him.
• Parodied in Dragonball Z Abridged when Vegeta tells Krillin, "And try not to die, god forbid you make me happy."
• Varric tells Bethany, in Beyond Heroes: Of Sunshine and Red Lyrium, that this is the gist of his letters from her brother. He basically tells Varric to 'take care of my sister and try not to die.'
• Path To Munchies has a rare justified example, since Taylor has the Path to Victory power, so she can literally specify "I don't die" as a constraint when making plans. In fact, that's one of Danny's conditions for letting her use her power to be a hero.
  Danny: Then the way I see it, as long as you make it a condition to keep yourself safe, that'll do far more than any promises the Protectorate could ever make.
• In the Marvel Cinematic Universe fic The Storms of War, Sharon and Natasha tell each other not to die during their respective missions several times in the story.

Films — Animation

• The Incredibles. Mr Incredible is briefed for his mission to destroy a highly-adaptive battle robot that the people who made it would rather retrieve (mostly) intact. Ironically Mirage is actually setting him up to be killed by that same robot.
  Mr. Incredible: (summarizing) Shut it down, do it quickly, don't destroy it...
  Mirage: And don't die.
• From Atlantis: The Lost Empire:
  Milo: Anyone have any ideas?
  Vinny: Yeah, don't get shot.
• Megamind's strategy for defeating Titan.
  Roxanne: What's the plan?
  Megamind: Well, it mostly involves not dying!
  Roxanne: I like that plan.
• How to Train Your Dragon (2010): Hiccup goes through his village's dragon manual and finds that every species of dragon's entry is summarized "Extremely dangerous; kill on sight." All except for the Night Fury, a dragon so feared and deadly, that the summary is "Hide and pray it doesn't find you."

Films — Live-Action

• Aquaman (2018). The title character gets rather distracted by the Big Damn Kiss Mera gives him in the middle of an underwater battlefield.
  Arthur: Um... what was the plan again?
  Mera: The plan is to not get killed.
  Arthur: Yeah... good plan. Don't get killed.
• In Avengers: Endgame, this is among Tony's conditions for helping with the time heist.
  Tony: We got a shot at getting these stones, but I gotta tell you my priorities. Bring back what we lost, I hope, yes. Keep what I found, I have to at all costs. And maybe not die trying would be nice.
• The film Forrest Gump: As Lt. Dan tells his platoon, "Two standing orders in this platoon: one, take good care of your feet; two, try not to do anything stupid, like getting yourself killed."
  Forrest: I sure hope I don't let him down.
• The James Bond film GoldenEye: After M told Bond she had no compunctions about sending him to his death, as long as it was worth something.
  M: Bond... (Bond turns to her, and she cracks the faintest smile) Come back alive.
• The Last of the Mohicans: "Stay alive, no matter what occurs!"
• Speed: Da Chief frequently advises people: "Don't get dead."
• From Full Metal Jacket:
  Gunnery Sergeant Hartman: If your killer instincts are not clean and strong you will hesitate at the moment of truth. You will not kill. You will become dead Marines. And then you will be in a world of shit because Marines are not allowed to die without permission!
• Passchendaele. "There's only one rule. Don't die."
• In the movie Rookie of the Year, a kid basically gets a major-league pitching arm by accident. He signs with the Chicago Cubs, and soon after that is forced to take a turn at bat (since the Cubs play in the league without a Designated Hitter). The batting coach is called in to talk strategy with him but in the end, the situation is so ridiculous that he can't come up with anything but "Don't die."
• Thirteen Days:
  • A twisted version.
    Officer: The president has instructed me to pass along an order to you: You are not to get shot down.
    Pilot: Uh, we'll do our best, sir.
    Officer: I don't think you understand me correctly. You are not to get shot down under any circumstances. Whatever happens up there, you were not shot at. Mechanical failures are fine, crashing into mountains, fine. But you and your men are not to be shot at, fired at, launched upon.... If you are fired upon, the President will be forced to attack the sites that fired on you. He doesn't want to have to do that. It's very important that he doesn't, or things could get very badly out of control.
  • Sure enough, when the pilots in question return from their mission, wings riddled with holes, they claim to have hit a flock of sparrows.
• Team America: World Police parodies this (like everything else) were Gary is promised sex if he promises not to die. He emphatically states "I PROMISE I WILL NEVER DIE," and they immediately go through a pretty explicit sex scene (don't worry they're marionettes.)
• In American Dreamz, a fresh recruit in Iraq asks the more experienced soldier riding next to him in a jeep for any tips. The tip he receives is "Don't get shot". The troop commits this to memory, and a bullet promptly comes through the side of the jeep and wounds him.
• A variant in Gladiator:
  Senator Gracchus: And you stay alive - or I'll be dead.
• In The Untouchables (1987), Malone gives the following advice to Ness when they end their first meeting and Ness says that he's going home.
  Malone: Well, then you've just fulfilled the first rule of law enforcement: make sure when your shift is over, you go home alive. Here endeth the lesson.

Literature

• Discworld:
  • The three rules of the Borogravian army in Monstrous Regiment, as explained by Sergeant Jackrum:
    Jackrum: One obey orders, two give it to the enemy good and hard, three don't die! I intend to assist you in the execution of all three!
  • In Feet of Clay, Vimes orders Corporal Littlebottom to not let go of the slippery pole she's clinging to and fall in the giant vat of molten candle wax down below. This book also introduces the Dwarves' version of this trope; they have an ancient battle cry of "Today is a good day for someone else to die!"
  • In another Watch novel, Lady Sybil says to Vimes "Try not to get hurt", and he replies with something like "I always do, dear. The criminals don't always co-operate, though."
  • General Tacticus welcomes fighting a man willing to die for his country, it means the both of you have the same goal in mind.
• In The Wheel of Time, the Aiel's standard way to say good night is "Sleep well and wake." (As in, live long enough to wake up tomorrow.)
• In David Gemmell's Legend, as the unstoppable horde reaches the thin line of defenders, the reluctant hero asks Druss: "Any last words of advice?"
  Druss: "Live."
• The last line of Radiant Shadows is Devlin telling Seth "Try not to die, brother."
• Haymitch's repeated line of "advice" for how to survive The Hunger Games: "Stay alive."
• Aphrodite and Stevie Rae have these moments occasionally in The House of Night. Used to show serious character development given that Aphrodite treated Stevie Rae like she was only good for being a snack and Stevie Rae tried to kill Aphrodite twice before her humanity was restored.
• In Heart of Steel, this is roughly Julia's advice to Alistair before she leaves him to certain grievous injury at the hands of cyborg Jim while she tries to reach the manual override of a door that's preventing them from escaping.
• In the Novelization of Revenge of the Sith, the first Jedi principle of combat is "survive." At least once, Obi-Wan reflects on how often Anakin seems to forget this.
• In one of the Wraith Squadron novels, Wedge Antilles finishes his briefing with this instruction, and Kell Tainer responds by pretending to type it into his datapad.
  Kell: No... get... killed. I'll try to remember.

Live-Action TV

• Angel: This exchange, during "Not Fade Away".
  Illyria: Try not to die. You are not unpleasant to my eyes.
  Gunn: Uh, thanks. You... try not to die too.
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer:
  • Buffy to Faith:
    Buffy: First rule of being a Slayer? Don't die!
  • Also, Willow:
    Willow: It's part of our whole mission statement. Don't get killed!
  • As the Scoobies go on a mission to destroy a vampire nest, Anya cheerfully waves them out. "Have a nice day. Don't get killed!"
• Heroes, Bob to Mohinder:
  Bob: As of now, your blood is the only cure for that virus. Try not to get yourself killed.
• Burn Notice: In the third season premiere, Fi tells Michael "I'm glad you're alive, try to keep it that way." Considering everything that happened in the second season finale, this almost seems understated.
• In the pilot of Lost Girl, Bo has to fight a couple of Under Fae with no experience whatsover, so Dyson allows her to feed off him to regain her strength, and gives her some advice as well.
  Dyson: You'll be faster, you'll be smarter. They're going to underestimate you; use that to your advantage.
  Bo: I misjudged you. You got any other advice?
  Dyson: Don't get dead.
  Bo: And you're back to being an asshole. Nice.
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: A variation: "I am Chief Miles Edward O'Brien, I'm very much alive and I intend to stay that way!" That one was actually a subversion of the Jem'hadar's standard "I am dead" Rousing Speech.
• Star Trek: Voyager: Played straight in an episode when Tom steps into a "non-lethal" bout with a Klingon warrior, subverting a popular Klingon Pre Ass Kicking One Liner.
  B'Elanna: Today would be a very bad day to die.
• In The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles episode "Attack of the Hawkmen", Indy leaves his war buddy Remy with a hug and an order to stay alive. Made all the more poignant by the fact that "The Minstrel Boy" is playing in the background.
• An episode of Stargate SG-1 has Daniel tricking Lord Yu into believing he is his personal slave, and accompanying him to a meeting of all the Systems Lords.
  Yu: Do not embarrass me by allowing yourself to be killed.
• Doctor Who: In "A Good Man Goes to War", Amy says this to Rory.
  Amy: No offense, yeah, but you let them all die first.
  Rory: You're so Scottish.
• Game of Thrones:
  • Tyrion and his mercenary swordsman Bronn exchange these before the Battle of the Blackwater; they immediately try to cover this Friendship Moment with some mutual snarking.
    Bronn: Don't get killed.
    Tyrion: [shaking hands] Nor you, my friend.
    Bronn: Oh, we're friends now?
    Tyrion: Of course! Just because I pay you for your services doesn't diminish our friendship!
    Bronn: No. Enhances it, really.
    Tyrion: Ooh, 'enhances'. Fancy words from a sellsword!
    Bronn: Been spendin' time with fancy folk.
  • Subverted in Season 8 when Bronn, annoyed at how he's been short-changed by both Lannister brothers, extorts a promise to make him Lord of Highgarden in exchange for not killing them.
    Bronn: No, my fighting days are done. But I've still got a few killing days left, do you hear me? I'll come find you when the war is done. Until then... don't die.
• Lampshaded in Episode 5 of Loki:
  Classic Loki: Tough. Gotta keep moving so we don't die.
  Loki: I can get behind that, but what's your plan?
  Classic Loki: Don't die!
  Loki: I understood, but beyond that?
  Classic Loki: Don't die!
  Loki: "Don't die" isn't a plan; it's a general demand of living.
• In the eighth season finale for Bones, as Booth prepares for his next encounter with serial killer Pelant, Brennan (who had just proposed to him) tells him, "You are not allowed to die."
• On Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Bobbi and Lance tell each other not to die before missions.
• Arrow. In Season 8, Oliver Queen tells his sister Thea that the Monitor has foreseen his imminent death, and is annoyed at her underwhelming response as due to the number of times he's turned out to be Not Quite Dead, she assumes her brother will survive as always. But knowing Oliver believes otherwise, she encourages him not to die at the end of the episode. This time however Oliver really does die.

Music

• A line in the lyrics of the X Japan song Born To Be Free is "Try to hide, try not to die."
• "Don't Get Killed" by the comedy writer Andy Breckman.
  Oh my God, we're out of milk
  It's the middle of the night and we're out of milk
  The grocery store's four blocks away
  Good luck, Mary, don't get killed
• Mitch Benn's version for celebrities is slightly different:
  Try not to die, whatever you do
  The same time as someone more famous than you

Podcasts

• Jon from The Magnus Archives says one when he has to go save Martin, leaving Basira to deal with Not-Sasha, Trevor, Julia, and Daisy after she gives into the Hunt.

Theatre

• In The Will Rogers Follies, when Will Rogers is about to fly to Alaska with Wiley Post, his wife Betty tells him that if he gets himself killed, she'll never speak to him again. Unfortunately, he does.

Video Games

• Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War:
  • One of the most prominent taglines is: "There's only one ultimate rule in war: Survive"
  • The briefings for the final levels of most of the games often end with the officer telling you to come back alive; Zero and 5 in particular both punctuate this with "anything less is not acceptable".
• Used in Armored Core 4's infamously hard "Marche Au Supplice" mission. It's an optional mission that is not required to clear the chapter, but it is undoubtedly the hardest, with you taking on 4 NEXTs at once. While your Operator assures you of your ability to do that, the fact that she uses this trope is indicative on how hard it is.
• Atlas Reactor: Orion has a variant on what happens when this trope crosses with A God Am I.
  Orion: You are not permitted to die. [activates Fate Transfer]
• Boktai Baron Stoker of Lunar Knights takes a moment before his boss battle with Aaron and Lucian gloating about how his armor is supposedly invincible. The dialogue ends with this exact wording.
  Lucian: Come on. You're a vampire. Do you really think you can retain control over the power of the sun?
  Stoker: I intend to prove that with this very experiment. I beg you... try not to die too quickly, mmm?
• Borderlands 2:
  • The Dr. Zed vending machines occasionally say this verbatim when you exit from them.
  • Marcus' machines go with "Don't die! I need your business!"
  • The tradition continues in Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel!, with Marcus's lines copied across verbatim and Nina's vending machines telling you "Do not die! You good for business!"
• Each boss of Catherine is introduced with the female announcer saying, in her usual deadpan tone, "[Boss's Name] has appeared. It's the killer. Do not die."
• Used by Ayla in Chrono Trigger during the assault on the Tyranno Lair.
• In The Crooked Man, Paul tells David to come back safely. "I don't wanna go to my friend's funeral!"
• Dragon Age:
  • Dragon Age: Origins: In the City Elf origin, the PC will ask Duncan (a human) to leave the Alienage. Duncan refuses, pointing out there is little that the PC can do about it, as he is both armed and armoured. If the PC challenges him to a fight anyway, the main character's cousin (who has been listening in on this exchange) will say "Try not to die! I'll run for help!"
  • Dragon Age II: It's a sign of the begrudging respect that the Arishok develops for Hawke that he often ends their conversations in this way, instead of the "Begone!" he reserves for everyone else, including the Viscount.
    Arishok: Panahedan. ^note Literally "take refuge in safety" Hawke. I do not hope you die.
  • Dragon Age: Inquisition: Blackwall asks Solas for advice on fighting demons. "Survive the first thirty heartbeats." Blackwall is annoyed that he's basically just saying "don't die," but Solas clarifies that demons are generally unimaginative, and if you survive the first thirty heartbeats, you've probably seen all their tricks.
    Blackwall: Ahh, that is helpful! I will try to remember that.
    Solas: Also, try not to die.
• Duke Nukem Forever:
  • One of the hints shown in the loading screens states: "Take Less Damage To Avoid Getting Killed".
  • Parodied with another one that tells you "if you died from falling off a high ledge, it's probably your own fault".
• The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion:
  • During the Dark Brotherhood storyline, if you talk Antoinetta Marie before one of your missions, she says "Hope you don't get killed! I mean..."
  • In the expansion Shivering Isles, Sheogorath says this to the player before sending them off to "understand" the place.
• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim:
  • If you accept Jarl Skald the Elder's bounty to deal with a giant, he sends you off with "I'm counting on you. ...Try not to get stepped on."
  • The last thing Galmar Stone-Fist says to you before you go kill an ice wraith to join the Stormcloaks is to not die.
• Said very cheerfully by Moira Brown in Fallout 3. While she generally behaves in a batshit insane manner, some dialogue suggests this is just her way to cope with life in a wasteland. You can make her permanently like that with the right (wrong?) choices.
• Fire Emblem:
  • Greil mentions this relatively early in Fire Emblem 9. Right before the final chapter, Ike gives a speech and mentions how he finally learned what it means.
  • Henry says this word for word if he's a supporter during pair-ups in Fire Emblem: Awakening
• Crops up at least twice in the Golden Sun games, said usually by hapless secondary characters or currently-unavailable main characters. For example, Jenna calls out, "Isaac, Garet! Don't die!" at a suitably dramatic point not long before the pair hears the call. Given how blatant the lines are, this is potentially lampshade-hanging.
• Gundam Vs Series: In Gundam Extreme Vs, Heero and Zechs say this to one another in Endless Waltz's opening movie. "Don't die!" "You either!"
• The Wrath/Saturn stage of Cardinal Sins -Judgement Silversword Recycle Edition- simply has the caption "Don't die." This is the point of the mode: You get a higher grade the fewer lives you lose, with the highest awarded for not dying at all.
• In Jumper Two Editor, the default tip for help-boxes is "Don't die".
• Immediately before the defense of Khoonda in Knights of the Old Republic II, the player is asked to give a Rousing Speech to the defenders. Part of the light-side option is "Don't get shot."
• Variation in Last Scenario:
  Matilda: You'd better come back alive. Otherwise I'll have no one to blame for this mess.
• Mass Effect 3: If the player has made mainly decisions that Wrex doesn't like, he will say something like this before you go to summon Kalros.
  Wrex: I know you're doing this for your own reasons, Shepard, but try to make sure you don't get your ass killed. I wouldn't know what to say at your funeral.
• Snake says this to Otacon near the end of Metal Gear Solid.
• And in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, Ocelot says "Don't you die on me yet" after Snake falls a very, very long way. It's part The Only One Allowed to Defeat You, part Ho Yay.
• It's part of your final order in Metroid Fusion:
  Ship's Computer: Samus, this is your last mission. Go to the Operations Room and adjust the station's orbit path to intercept SR388. Then return to your ship and escape. Move quickly, and stay alive. That's an order! Any objections, Lady?
• Aribeth says something like this to you near the end of the original campaign of Neverwinter Nights if you choose the correct conversation paths earlier.
• Used by Silvia to Travis verbatim in No More Heroes. Bear in mind, her usual parting statement (before her Catchphrase) before boss battles is predicting an increasingly high probability that he'll get killed.
• In Normality, after Dai is shot and left to be captured by the Norms, Kent tells him these exact words.
• Bain's infinite wisdom in PAYDAY 2 gives you this line when an assault begins:
  Bain: Don't die.
• Resident Evil 4 (Remake): At the beginning of Chapter 6 of Separate Ways, Ada and Leon have a video call in which she shares the location of Los Illuminados' important facilities, including a lab that can cure Leon and Ashley of their parasites. She tells Leon "Don't die on me now", although it's after the call ends, so it's more of a prayer. The reason being Leon is heading in a different direction than her, so she can't intervene to help him if the situation turns south.
• In the Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles chapter "Memories of a Lost City" (a retelling of RE2), while patching Leon up after he took a bullet for her, Ada tells him not to die and that she owes him for saving her life.
• Star Control II:
  • "Try to avoid getting gruesomely killed, Captain!" is one of the things Base Commander Hayes says to you as you depart. He seems perfectly cheerful when he says it, too...
  • Also, the traditional Spathi prayer: "Oh God! Please don't let me die today! Tomorrow would be so much better!"
• Star Fox 64: Mostly from Falco.
  Falco: Try to stay in one piece, huh, Fox?"
• Super Smash Bros. Melee: Falco does this enough that it shows up in crossover games.
  Falco: Try to stay alive, huh Fox?
• Tales of Symphonia:
  • Kratos says this to Lloyd on the night before you enter the Tower Of Salvation — a somewhat ironic usage given he is The Mole and has no qualms with handing the party their asses the next day, even if he balks at actually finishing them off. One or two times after that as well, although this time, he wishes for Lloyd not to die to himself. He is Lloyd's father after all.
    Kratos: Don't die, Lloyd... before I do...
  • Lloyd later says this to Regal right before his You Shall Not Pass! moment, telling him that he doesn't want to experience the same pain of loss that he went through.
• In Theme Hospital, the Public Address announcer will sometimes glibly announce "Patients are reminded not to die in the corridors!"
• "Stay alive" seems to be a common farewell words in X-Universe.

Webcomics

• Ti'el from The Wotch: "No dying. You still owe me lunch." (Ti'el's partner, Glock, responded with "If I die, I'll buy you two.)
• Schlock Mercenary:
  • Schlock sums up a briefing thusly:
    Schlock: Look sharp, weapons ready, don't get dead.
  • It's also their first priority: To survive long enough to get paid. Naturally, getting paid is a very close number two. They make sure not to put "The customer is job three" in their flyers, no matter how accurate it is.
• No Need for Bushido:
  • Phrased as "Don't die" in this comic.
  • Not to mention Ken's advice on war, which ends up turning into a Survival Mantra — "Don't stop not dying!"
• In Girly
  Officer Hipbone: Just don't go getting yourself killed, okay?
  Officer Getskilled: I'll try my best not to!
• Gone with the Blastwave: just read it.
• That's Rule #1 in Precocious.
• Moloch Von Zinzer in Girl Genius is constantly telling himself this, and has so far done a pretty good job of it. Best detailed here.

Web Original

• Used repeatedly in Sir Ron Lionheart's Let's Play of Contra III: The Alien Wars: "Remember kid, don't get dead." He doesn't.

Western Animation

• Amphibia: In "Anne Or Beast?", as Sprig runs off to investigate the sightings of a "monster", his little sister Polly shouts "Don't die!"
• Blue Eye Samurai. In the Season One finale, the title character has her apprentice recite a list of instructions for the rescue of Princess Akemi, the last of which is "Do not die."
• Justice League Unlimited:
  • There's an episode where a group of the JL women have been brainwashed and thrown into a ring to fight it out for the entertainment of a crowd. They manage to overcome the brainwashing, but then the four of them get pitted against a brainwashed Wonder Woman, and this trope is basically what they think of their chances. Youtube link
    Vixen: So, anyone got a plan?
    Shayera: Yeah. Try to stay alive.
    Huntress: Anybody have a good plan?
  • Unfortunately Huntress follows up that quip by attempting to shoot Wonder Woman with a crossbow bolt, which definitely qualifies as a bad plan.
• Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles would invert the battle cry "Do you wanna live forever?!" before beginning a mission: "Live forever, apes!"
• In the finale of the second season of The Venture Brothers, Brock Sampson says this verbatim to Hank Venture.
• Dan Vs.: Dan asks Elise, as a favor to him, to not die while fighting the ninja. If only because it means he'll come after him next.
• On Young Justice (2010), Nightwing says this to Tim!Robin right before he goes off to lead his first squad. It comes off harsher when we find out that yes, in this universe, Jason Todd has died in action.
• Occasionally said in Generator Rex to the point it's almost the series' slogan.
  Bobo Haha: Good luck. Try not to die.
  Doctor Holiday: Try not to die this time.

Real Life

• George Carlin comments in a standup routine; "I don't wanna die. I wanna live. That's the secret to life, you know - not dying!"
• George S. Patton famously stated, "The object of war is not to die for your country, but to make the other bastard die for his!"
• There is a story of a lecture from Marine training during WWII. "Every Japanese soldier you face has been told it is his duty to die for the Emperor. Your duty is to assist him in accomplishing his duty in any way possible." Marine humor being what it is, the modern version of the joke replaces "Japanese soldier" with "terrorist" and "the Emperor" with "Allah."
• You could say this is a deconstruction- before the invasion of Normandy in 1944, Major Howard (6th Airborne, first unit to arrive in France and engage the Germans) was visited by Montgomery, the overall British commander. Monty told him that 'whatever happens, bring the boys back home alive' (paraphrased) Howard later recalled that while he understood the brass didn't want a repeat of the Great War, he believed their duty was not to survive but to accomplish the mission, and that's what Monty should have given the pep talk about. Part of the brass' concerns about keeping the troops alive and safe probably stemmed from the disastrous results of the Battle of France. An army that is beaten but escapes can come back to fight another day; an army that is wiped out or captured could spell the loss of the war.
• "Nie bądź głupi - nie daj się zabić!" - Don't be a fool, don't get killed - was a sort of a motto for Polish Army in 1944.

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