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Anime & Manga
TAKE THIS! THE STORM OF MY LOYALTY!!!
— Jeremiah Gottwald, Code Geass
Gilgamesh: Boy, are you Rider's master?
Waver: No. I'm-his servant.
Gilgamesh: I see. But boy, if you are truly a loyal subject, you have a duty to take revenge for your deceased king, do you not?
Waver: If I challenge you, I will die.
Gilgamesh: Of course.
Waver: That won't do. I have been ordered to live.
Gilgamesh: *Stares at Waver for a moment* Your loyalty is splendid. Never tarnish it.
Waver: No. I'm-his servant.
Gilgamesh: I see. But boy, if you are truly a loyal subject, you have a duty to take revenge for your deceased king, do you not?
Waver: If I challenge you, I will die.
Gilgamesh: Of course.
Waver: That won't do. I have been ordered to live.
Gilgamesh: *Stares at Waver for a moment* Your loyalty is splendid. Never tarnish it.
Dio: Are you going to betray me someday? Why won't you attack me? You know that my weakness is sunlight...and you know that I sleep in the dark during the day. You'd easily be able to kill me in my sleep. If you take my stand, The World, you can become the ruler of this world...do it.
Enrico Pucci: I've never even thought of doing that to you. I like people who help me, encourage my growth. You're the king of kings. Where will you end up? I want to see it through, to the end. I love you as I love God.
We guardian knights decided we'd even throw away our honor to save our mistress' smile. You can't stop us!
—Signum, Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A's Episode 9
Signum: We are the the guardian knights who gather before our mistress, she of the night sky.
Shamal: As long as our mistress exists, our souls will never extinguish.
Zafira: As long as we have life in our bodies, we will stand by each other.
Vita: We will always exist before our mistress, Queen of the Night Sky, Yagami Hayate.
Shamal: As long as our mistress exists, our souls will never extinguish.
Zafira: As long as we have life in our bodies, we will stand by each other.
Vita: We will always exist before our mistress, Queen of the Night Sky, Yagami Hayate.
—Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A's Episode 12
The village does have its dark side and its inconsistencies, but I'm still Konoha's Uchiha Itachi.
—Itachi Uchiha, Naruto
Kuma: I can let you live... but surrender Straw Hat Luffy. If we have his head, the World Government will not chase you anymore.
Usopp: You're asking us to betray our comrade...
Kuma: Come... hand me Straw Hat.
Everyone: NO WAY!!!
Usopp: You're asking us to betray our comrade...
Kuma: Come... hand me Straw Hat.
Everyone: NO WAY!!!
Even if it meant our kingdom's demise, we'd never rat out one of our friends to the enemy!
— Cat Viper, One Piece
"They aren't so weak that you need to worry about them! What were you thinking, accepting such a stupid deal before talking to the rest of the crew?! You'd think they'd be happy to go on, knowing that one of their friends had thrown her life away for them? Now that they know why you left, they'll follow you to the depths of hell if they have to and they'll bust every skull they can on the way there! You don't get it, do you? That's the kind of guy Luffy is!"
— Usopp to Nico Robin regarding the rest of their crew, One Piece
Fanfiction
Shinji: I love you too, Asuka. Don't ever leave me. Please.
Asuka: I won't, [...] Never.
Asuka: I won't, [...] Never.
—Children of an Elder God, chapter 23
It doesn't matter if Rose isn't here, Rose is, and it doesn't matter how far apart they are or what anyone else says about who she belongs to because she has Rose now and as long as she's Rose's Pearl she doesn't have to take orders from anyone.
— Fruiting
, a Steven Universe fic
, a Steven Universe ficAsuka: Please, leave. Just leave. I don't want to hurt you anymore.
Shinji: I'm … not going to leave.
Asuka: Then I'm just going to keep kicking you.
Shinji: I am not going to leave! I don't care how much you hurt me. Break every bone in my body if it makes you happy, but I am not going to leave you!
Asuka: But...
Shinji: Why can't you understand? I want to be there when you need me!
Asuka: I don't need you! I don't want to need you!
Shinji: But I need you! And I want to be with you forever!
Asuka: You ... what? Why?
Shinji: You told me that if I couldn't live for myself, then … I should live for those around me. I … I can't live for myself, Asuka. So I'll live for someone else instead. I'll live for you."
Shinji: I'm … not going to leave.
Asuka: Then I'm just going to keep kicking you.
Shinji: I am not going to leave! I don't care how much you hurt me. Break every bone in my body if it makes you happy, but I am not going to leave you!
Asuka: But...
Shinji: Why can't you understand? I want to be there when you need me!
Asuka: I don't need you! I don't want to need you!
Shinji: But I need you! And I want to be with you forever!
Asuka: You ... what? Why?
Shinji: You told me that if I couldn't live for myself, then … I should live for those around me. I … I can't live for myself, Asuka. So I'll live for someone else instead. I'll live for you."
Mama!Kyoko: Shinji? Are you Shinji? She talks about you a lot. She loves you. Be good to my little Asuka, please? I miss her so much...
Shinji: I know she does, ma'am. I love her too. I'll do anything for her
Mama!Kyoko: Protect her.
Shinji: Always and forever. Until the end of the world, I've promised. She means more to me than anything.
Crazy!Kyoko: Until death do you part...
Shinji: No. Not even then. I'm hers until she makes me go. She's what makes my life worth living. If she wants me to go beyond death for her, I'll try.
[Beat]
Both Kyokos: Good boy.
Shinji: I know she does, ma'am. I love her too. I'll do anything for her
Mama!Kyoko: Protect her.
Shinji: Always and forever. Until the end of the world, I've promised. She means more to me than anything.
Crazy!Kyoko: Until death do you part...
Shinji: No. Not even then. I'm hers until she makes me go. She's what makes my life worth living. If she wants me to go beyond death for her, I'll try.
[Beat]
Both Kyokos: Good boy.
"You can hook me up to your machines, you can try to divine the truth, you can even sic that marionette you call your sister on me. She seems like someone who knows how to wield a knife like an artist. But there's just some things you can't make a Mechanicsburger do. There's some things you can't make me do. We serve the Heterodynes. The rest of the world can burn."
— Ducky, Raised by Jägers
Films - Animation
You've got a friend in me
You've got a friend in me
When the road looks rough ahead,
And you're miles and miles from your nice warm bed
You just remember what your old pal said,
Boy, you've got a friend in me
Yeah, you've got a friend in me
...
Some other folks might be a little bit smarter than I am
Bigger and stronger too
Maybe
but none of them
will ever love you
the way I do
it's me and you, boy
And as the years go by,
Our friendship will never die
You're gonna see it's our destiny
You've got a friend in me
You've got a friend in me
When the road looks rough ahead,
And you're miles and miles from your nice warm bed
You just remember what your old pal said,
Boy, you've got a friend in me
Yeah, you've got a friend in me
...
Some other folks might be a little bit smarter than I am
Bigger and stronger too
Maybe
but none of them
will ever love you
the way I do
it's me and you, boy
And as the years go by,
Our friendship will never die
You're gonna see it's our destiny
You've got a friend in me
In the light of the day
In the dark of the night
When you're raring to go
When you're tired from the fight
When you're losing your mind
Let me give you a thought
I'm gonna be right by your side no matter what
In the dark of the night
In the light of the day
When you're rising to shine
When you're hitting the hay
I'll be hanging around
If you like it or not
I'm gonna be right by your side no matter what
...
Through whoever you've been
Through whoever you'll be
Through whatever you lose
You will always have me
At the end of your rope
I'll be holding you tight
I'm gonna be right by your side no matter what
Be right by your side
Be right by your side
Be right by your side no matter what
In the dark of the night
When you're raring to go
When you're tired from the fight
When you're losing your mind
Let me give you a thought
I'm gonna be right by your side no matter what
In the dark of the night
In the light of the day
When you're rising to shine
When you're hitting the hay
I'll be hanging around
If you like it or not
I'm gonna be right by your side no matter what
...
Through whoever you've been
Through whoever you'll be
Through whatever you lose
You will always have me
At the end of your rope
I'll be holding you tight
I'm gonna be right by your side no matter what
Be right by your side
Be right by your side
Be right by your side no matter what
— "No Matter What", Steven Universe: The Movie
Pinocchio: Goodbye, Jiminy.
Jiminy: Goodbye? I may be live bait down there, but I'm with ya!
"Once you’ve earned his loyalty, there is nothing a dragon won’t do for you."
— Hiccup to Eret, How to Train Your Dragon 2
Films - Live-Action
"My life is hers - I would give my last drop of blood to save her."
—Arthur Holmwood on Lucy Westenra, Bram Stoker's Dracula
Steve Rogers: You know me.
The Winter Soldier/Bucky Barnes: No, I don't! [attacks Steve]
Steve Rogers: Bucky. You've known me your entire life. Your name is James Buchanan Barnes...
The Winter Soldier: SHUT UP! [hits Steve]
Steve Rogers: I'm not gonna fight you. [drops his shield] You're my friend.
The Winter Soldier: [lunges at Steve] You're my mission! YOU'RE. MY. MISSION!
Steve Rogers: [bruised and bloodied just as the Winter Soldier is about to deliver a final blow] Then finish it. 'Cause I'm with you to the end of the line.
Michael Corleone: You better get out of here, Enzo, there's gonna be trouble.
Enzo the Baker: If there is trouble, I stay here to help you. For your father. For your father.
Enzo the Baker: If there is trouble, I stay here to help you. For your father. For your father.
"We will fight for you, and we will die for you!"
—Atalanta to Hercules, Hercules (2014) trailer
"For twelve years, every day I wake up on the battlefield, my first thought is of you. Knowing you are there gives me the courage to open my eyes. Forever after, it will still be the same every day."
—Hua Mulan to Wantei, Mulan: Rise of a Warrior
"Today we will stain the battlefield with our blood. Behind us is our homeland. If we have to bleed out our last drop of blood, if we have to become bleached bones in this desert, we must defend it to the death! We must let the Rourans know we Wei warriors will never surrender and will never compromise! Soldiers may rebel against me, generals may leave me for dead, but I, Hua Mulan, will never betray my country!"
—Hua Mulan, Mulan: Rise of a Warrior
"Save your strength, Captain. These men and women swore to live and die at my command two hundred years before you were born."
— Khan Noonien Singh, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
"Watching John with the machine, it was suddenly so clear. The terminator, would never stop. It would never leave him, and it would never hurt him, never shout at him, or get drunk and hit him, or say it was too busy to spend time with him. It would always be there. And it would die, to protect him. Of all the would-be fathers who came and went over the years, this thing, this machine, was the only one who measured up. In an insane world, it was the sanest choice."
—Sarah Connor, Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Caesar: I may not be coming back.
Maurice: (in sign) That's why I'm coming. To make sure you do.
Literature
Bare is back without brother behind it.
"Don't you leave him! they said to me. Leave him! I said. I never mean to. I am going with him, if he climbs to the Moon, and if any of those black riders try to stop him, they'll have Sam Gamgee to reckon with, I said. They laughed."
— Sam Gamgee, The Lord of the Rings
Bear Island knows no king but the King in the North whose name is STARK.
— Lyanna Mormont in a letter to Stannis Baratheon, A Song of Ice and Fire
A thousand years before the Conquest, a promise was made, and oaths were sworn in the Wolf's Den before the old gods and the new. When we were sore beset and friendless, hounded from our homes and in peril of our lives, the wolves took us in and nourished us and protected us against our enemies. The city is built upon the land they gave us. In return we swore that we should always be their men. Stark men!
— Wylla Manderly, A Song of Ice and Fire
Live-Action TV
Lennier: Where you walk, I will walk. I have sworn myself to your side.
Delenn: Very soon now I will be going into darkness and fire. I do not know if I am fated to walk out again. If it is your choice to come with me, then I could not wish for a better or braver companion.
— Babylon 5, "All alone in the night"
Caesar: Can we trust him?
Mark Antony: Who?
Caesar: Lucius Vorenus.
Mark Antony: Vorenus? Deep Thirteenth him. He'd follow the Eagle up Pluto's arse!
— Rome, "An Owl in a Thornbush"
Never has there lived a more loyal squire.
— Tyrion Lannister, Game of Thrones
Ilene Nathan: You were on the wrong side of a cop getting shot, Mr. Brice. You want to even dream about straight life for all these bodies, you better wake up talking about Avon Barksdale and Stringer Bell.
Wee-Bey Brice: Nah.
— The Wire
Music
How do I put into words
That one thing is for sure:
You're the one I'm here for.
I will come running to you
Nothing I wouldn't do
I will never desert you, hurt you
I want you to know
That one thing is for sure:
You're the one I'm here for.
I will come running to you
Nothing I wouldn't do
I will never desert you, hurt you
I want you to know
Who's gonna be there standing by your side forever?
Who's gonna help you when you can't keep it all together?
And who's gonna promise that they'll never leave you all alone?
I will, I will, I will, for you.
Who's gonna help you when you can't keep it all together?
And who's gonna promise that they'll never leave you all alone?
I will, I will, I will, for you.
—Bianca Ryan, "I Will".
'Cause wherever you go, I'll be, no matter the miles or across the sea
Whatever you need, I'm there 'cause my friends count to me.
A cloudy or sunny day, I'm here with you either way
No storm can take me away 'cause my friends count on me
Whatever you need, I'm there 'cause my friends count to me.
A cloudy or sunny day, I'm here with you either way
No storm can take me away 'cause my friends count on me
— Victoria Justice, "Friends Count"
Go ahead and say good-bye, I'll be alright
Go ahead and make me cry, I'll be alright
And when you need a place to run to
For better or worse, I got you.
Go ahead and make me cry, I'll be alright
And when you need a place to run to
For better or worse, I got you.
Leona Lewis, "I Got You"
Wherever you go, just always remember
That you got a home for now and forever
And if you get low, just call me whenever
This is my oath to you
Wherever you go, just always remember
You're never alone, we're birds of a feather
And we'll never change, no matter the weather
This is my oath to you.
That you got a home for now and forever
And if you get low, just call me whenever
This is my oath to you
Wherever you go, just always remember
You're never alone, we're birds of a feather
And we'll never change, no matter the weather
This is my oath to you.
— Cher Lloyd (feat. Becky G), "Oath"
And even when the rain falls
You and I will stand tall
No matter what you go through
I’ll never leave you.
You and I will stand tall
No matter what you go through
I’ll never leave you.
— "Que Sera", by the Justice Crew
It may seem cliché for me to wanna say that you're not alone
And you can call me uncool, but it's a simple fact: I got your back!
And you can call me uncool, but it's a simple fact: I got your back!
— Demi Lovato & Selena Gomez, "One and the Same"
Even if we can't find Heaven, I'll walk through Hell with you.
— Rachel Platten, "Stand By You"
If it means that I can protect you
Then I too will become evil
Then I too will become evil
— Len Kagamine, Servant of Evil
Dear God, I was terribly lost
When the galaxies crossed
And the sun went dark-
But dear God, you're the only north star
I would follow this far!
When the galaxies crossed
And the sun went dark-
But dear God, you're the only north star
I would follow this far!
— Owl City, "Galaxies"
Now that it's raining more than ever
Know that we'll still have each other
You can stand under my umbrella
Know that we'll still have each other
You can stand under my umbrella
— Rihanna, "Umbrella"
I'm still gonna ride with you, ride with you, ride with you
You know I'd die for you, die for you, die for you
Put it all on the line for you, just to keep it bulletproof
Stay with me tonight, I'll be your alibi
You know I'd die for you, die for you, die for you
Put it all on the line for you, just to keep it bulletproof
Stay with me tonight, I'll be your alibi
— Krewella, "Alibi"
We will protect you with our lives
and paint your hills with the color of hope
When you call, "yes!" is our answer!
and paint your hills with the color of hope
When you call, "yes!" is our answer!
— Translation of "Bilada-l ubati-l hudati-l kiram (Country of the Proud, Guiding Noblemen)", the national anthem of Mauritania
Another night,
And so, just crank that music up
We don't know where we're going
And I don't know where I'm at.
It doesn't matter, 'cause we always know what's up;
I know whatever happens
You will be right by my side.
And so, just crank that music up
We don't know where we're going
And I don't know where I'm at.
It doesn't matter, 'cause we always know what's up;
I know whatever happens
You will be right by my side.
— Avril Lavigne, "Dancing Crazy"
Professional Wrestling
It's me and you now! It's me and you now! We the ones, not him! I'm your brother, not him! I would never do you like that! I would never treat you like that! I'm your brother!
— Jimmy Uso, to a shocked Jey, WWE Night of Champions 2023
Tabletop Games
Only the deathless can truly comprehend the burden of unfailing loyalty.
Video Games
Saved again. How many times now, I've lost count. Don't mean I've lost track. The questions are hard: How do I repay his debt? How many times can a man save your life until it's no longer your own? But the answer's easy. At least to me. Loyalty doesn't operate on a sliding scale. It's a safety. On or Off.
— John "Soap" McTavish, personal journal, Modern Warfare
Shepard: If I'm walking into Hell, I want someone I can trust by my side.
Garrus: You realize this plan has me walking into Hell too, right? Heh. Just like old times.
Garrus: You realize this plan has me walking into Hell too, right? Heh. Just like old times.
Garrus: A quarantine zone for a plague that kills turians. Why don't we ever go anywhere nice?
Shepard: This mission's important. I need you to come along.
Garrus: It's your call, Shepard. If you need me, I'm not going to let a cough slow me down.
Shepard: This mission's important. I need you to come along.
Garrus: It's your call, Shepard. If you need me, I'm not going to let a cough slow me down.
Today once again we'll carry, fight, multiply, and then be eaten. Uprooted we'll gather, and be thrown, but we won't ask you to love us...
Shepard, I backed you when I was just a kid on her Pilgrimage. I backed you when the Normandy was a Cerberus ship. What kind of a friend would I be if I didn't back you now? [...] Whatever happens, I'm proud to have served with you, Captain.
— Tali'Zorah, Mass Effect 3
If the entire world turned against you, I'd still be there by your side.
— Guy, Tales of the Abyss
"I won't die, Ike. I vow to remain by your side as long as I draw the breath of life."
— Soren, Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn
The rest of the team is trying their best...
— Shin Megami Tensei IV, if you are killed in battle
I am the flame that opens the path of my king... Even if I am extinguished, I will have no regrets.
— Stern the Destructor, Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A's Portable: The Gears of Destiny
Everything The Boss did, she did for her country. She sacrificed her life and her honor for her native land. She was a real hero. She was a true patriot.
"People may come and go; they live and they die. But a true friend is forever."
— Raven, Twisted Metal: Black
Sissel: So you waited and waited, these ten long years; all for the sake of your two ladies, Lynne and Kamila, eh?
Missile: Of course! Because that's what doggies do!
Missile: Of course! Because that's what doggies do!
"We live and die by your order, Boss."
— Diamond Dog Soldier, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
When this began, I told them all that we were defending ashes and embers from the hungry maw of the final days, and any man or woman among us could leave the city. I would think no less of them. They all stayed. Every last one.
—Gozen on her warriors among the Jingu Clan, The Secret World
"No matter how hard things got, it was all so radiant. I felt like I could follow you to the ends of the earth. That's right. I swore I would fight any opponent so long as I had breath in my body. As horrible as things got, for me, they couldn't have been better... so long as that person was there with me."
— Meltryllis, Fate/Grand Order
"If Elder Maxson ordered me to follow him to the gates of Hell, I'd be the first one to kick them open."
— Brotherhood Knight, Fallout 4
Rib of a Lietch, skeletal revenant of a Kulka'an court sorceror. Their loyalty to the Sun King was so great that not even death could end their tenure.
— Description of a Lietch Rib, Salt and Sanctuary
You defeated the Mandalore clans in the war, Revan. You were the only one in the galaxy who could best us. We had never met one like you before, and never since. How can you even ask if I will follow you? Whatever you are fighting, it will be worthy of my skill. I'm your man until the end, Revan, no matter how this plays out.
— Canderous Ordo, Knights of the Old Republic
Web Animation
"Korea was free, but Yi would never see it. Thousands turned out to see his body returned to his small home village. People lined the road and wailed at the passing of a man they may never have met. The Chinese Admiral wrote for him a eulogy, and even the court and the king tried to make their recompense. And so passed the man so ill-treated in life; so often demoted and accused. The man who would forever be known as the Martial Lord of Loyalty."
Webcomics
"Ve Jägers iz not compelled to serve. Effery vun ov us reached out our hands und took der Jägerdraught by choice — and ve got der good end of der deal, hyu bet ve did! Ve serve der Heterodynes freely, out ov luff and loyalty — und our Heterodynes haff always earned dot! Yah!"
— General Goomblast, Girl Genius
Web Original
You're brave, you know that? You're brave enough to be with someone like me.
— Acktreal Domma, Alien Abduction Role Play
This is Fate Testarossa's tragedy. She is loyal beyond reason.
This is also her triumph.
This is also her triumph.
Luna: I...why betray us now? He was loyal.
Yeshua: He remains as such. Is it true treachery to hold one's master's commands past their day of power? He is loyal - to Locket.
— Satellite City, "The Order of Things"
Western Animation
STASIS LOCK ITSELF COULD NOT DETER ME FROM YOUR GRAND AND GLORIOUS PLAN, OH WISE AND NOBLE MEGATRON!
— Lugnut, Transformers: Animated
"Everything I ever did, I did for her. Now she's gone, but I'm still here."
— Pearl, Steven Universe, "Rose's Scabbard"
"Where Hiccup goes, we go."
— Astrid, Dragons: Riders of Berk, "King of Dragons, Part 1"
Miles: Nemex! Silas, if you don't leave this ship, you'll end up stranded at the far end of the galaxy!
Aggro: He makes a good point, Commander.
Silas: No, I will not abandon my ship.
Miles: Let's go. (takes off)
Loretta: Bye, Silas. (follows Miles)
Aggro: Commander, your orders?
Silas: Aggro, you may leave if you choose. I wouldn't blame you.
Aggro: Where you go, I go.
Silas: Thank you, Aggro.
— Miles from Tomorrowland, "The Nemesystems Takeover"
Remy: Cricket, I've NEVER betrayed you! What are you talking about?
Cricket: I'm talkin' about your signature bein' on Chip's petition to demolish our house!
Remy: Oh, my gosh! Your house is being destroyed?!!! ...Also, who's Chip?
Cricket: Don't play dumb! Your name is right here!
Remy: I didn't sign any petition! This must be fake!
Cricket: Well, if that's true, that means Chip lied to us!...Oh, actually, that makes a lot of sense.
Cricket: I'm talkin' about your signature bein' on Chip's petition to demolish our house!
Remy: Oh, my gosh! Your house is being destroyed?!!! ...Also, who's Chip?
Cricket: Don't play dumb! Your name is right here!
Remy: I didn't sign any petition! This must be fake!
Cricket: Well, if that's true, that means Chip lied to us!...Oh, actually, that makes a lot of sense.
— Big City Greens, "Chipocalypse Now"
Isaac: Behind me, Dracula. They will not reach you while I live.
Dracula: You would give your mortal life to preserve my immortal one?
Isaac: To save your genius? Your knowledge, and your will? Without question. I am just a forgemaster. Yours is the wisdom of ages.
Real Life
"I die as a devoted son and most humble servant"
— Tsarevich Ivan Ivanovich, after being beaten to near-death by his father.
"I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn't lose any voters, OK?"
