Character Death
A character dies.

(permanent link) added: 2013-03-14 11:43:10 sponsor: Fighteer edited by: Chauer (last reply: 2013-03-30 13:04:20)

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Note: This emerged from Trope Repair Shop, where it was identified thanks to Missing Supertrope Syndrome. It will be indexed under Death Tropes and Omnipresent Tropes, and is intended to capture many of the Sinkholes that were previously going to Killed Off for Real.

A character dies. Shot, stabbed, fell, blown up, poisoned, succumbed to disease or old age -- whatever the cause, they are kaput, deceased, gone to Heaven (or Hell), kicked the bucket... an ex-character.

In fiction, as in real life, it's all too common, but in fiction, it's often dramatic, occasionally shocking, and frequently undone. Some works have death as an everyday occurrence, while others go out of their way to avoid it. Some call it something else, some never let it stick, and others make damn sure that it sticks. Mooks tend to die a lot; Heroes not so much, unless the story takes a darker turn.

We have a whole index of tropes that talk about the ways to kill characters or cope with their deaths, and an index of ways to reverse those deaths. As Character Death is so common, it is considered an Omnipresent Trope and thus no examples are needed. This marks it as one of the few Death Tropes that does not require a spoiler warning.

No examples, please.
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