Redemption Equals Death/Playing With

Basic Trope: Someone who has made a terrible mistake that caused the heroes' problem in the first place or worked for the villains realizes their mistake and sacrifices their life to redeem themselves.
 * Straight: Drake has done horrible things during his time serving Emperor Evulz, but comes to regret his actions and chooses to sacrifice himself to help the heroes stop his master.
 * Exaggerated: Drake keeps seeking out the heroes and trying to get himself killed.
 * Justified: The crimes were committed by The Corruption or a Super-Powered Evil Side, and the only way to stop himself is to Kill Us Both. Or he's a Proud Warrior Race Guy who can't turn away from serving Evulz without losing his honor.
 * Inverted: Redemption Equals Life
 * Or the death of a Morality Chain causes a hero to succumb to evil.
 * Subverted: Drake makes a suicidal charge at Emperor Evulz, sustaining only a wound in the process.
 * Double Subverted: He dies from the wound after the heroes get him out of there.
 * Parodied: Drake was a Complete Monster, but accidentally killed himself and happened to stop Evulz's plan... and is hailed as a hero.
 * Deconstructed: Drake's suicide charge was a Senseless Sacrifice. Alternately, he may have died with honor and taken out Evulz, but the heroes are going to have their hands full cleaning up after Drake's mistakes and feel obligated to do so because of his sacrifice.
 * Reconstructed: But considering Drake was only slightly less of a Complete Monster than Evulz, it's probably for the best that he died. His victims would be waiting with Torches and Pitchforks if he survived, anyway.
 * Zig Zagged: Many mooks have been killed immediately when they saw the light. But later, the Quirky Miniboss Squad switches sides and lives. Then Drake sees the light and dies.
 * Averted: Drake makes a simple Heel Face Turn and joins the final battle alongside the heroes, but survives it or he simply does not turn at all.
 * Enforced: Executive Meddling demands that Drake pays for his crimes, and the easiest way to do it is by killing him off.
 * Lampshaded: "Drake sacrificed himself to save us. It was all he could do to atone for the things he'd done."
 * Invoked: "Better I die for my crimes than you die needlessly."
 * Defied: "I choose to live with my crimes. Dying is the coward's way out."
 * Discussed: "Let me guess, you plan to kill your master and die in the process."
 * Conversed: "Here comes Drake's Darth Vader moment."
 * Plotted A Good Waste: Drake turns out to be one of the most popular characters in the series, and killing him off destroys any chance at developing his character further.

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