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Mentor Occupational
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"Well, as an older mentor

figure, the most likely
scenario is that I'd return only
to be randomly killed by an
enemy of yours so that you
can cradle my dying body
while swearing revenge — so
don't take it personally if I say
that I sincerely hope we
never cross paths again."
— Julio Scoundrèl (to Elan),

The Order of the Stick

A hero's mentor dies, often to further the development of the hero or make the
villain appear more despicable and imposing.

Being the Mentor is never an easy job. Fighting the Big Bad yourself and
stopping The End of the World as We Know It is tough enough as it is, and you
would know. Now you have to do that and take this Naïve Newcomer under
your wing and teach them the ropes of herodom.

If you don't have to convince The Chosen One who just wants to be normal to
grow a spine and accept the Call to Adventure, you have to convince your
blindly excited and dangerously eager young pupil that You Are Not Ready to IMPORTANT LINKS

learn the Dangerous Forbidden Technique. When you try to protect The Hero Ask The Tropers
from the Awful Truth, you end up facing their Rage Against the Mentor. If they're Trope Finder
an orphan, you have to find them a set of Muggle Foster Parents while keeping
You Know That Show...
social services in the dark. You have to endure accusations of insanity when
Trope Launch Pad
you're trying to teach your charge that Your Eyes Can Deceive You, give them
advice on how to tell a love interest "It's Not You, It's My Enemies," and keep a Reviews
close eye on them 24/7. Live Blogs

And what is your reward for all this patience and effort? Go Ad Free!

You die.

Yes, there is a 90-100% chance that the Cool Old Guy who has stood by The
Hero's side through thick and thin since the first episode/chapter/installment
gets offed before the climax of the story. He might get an Obi-Wan Moment if
he's lucky. He's just that cool: Too Cool to Live. It's necessary for The Hero's
development — can they rise to the occasion and save the day without their
teacher holding their hand? Are they ready to accept the torch?

If the student is lucky, their Mentor will stick around as a Spirit Advisor. Either
way, expect them to retreat into a Heroic BSoD for awhile, possibly mumbling
"It's All My Fault," before the Unstoppable Rage kicks in and the villain
responsible pays. They needn't dwell on it too long, though. It was probably all
part of the plan.

This is one of the hardest deaths for an audience to accept but ironically, one of
the types most likely to stick even if coming Back from the Dead has been done
before. An alternate plot involves the Missing Mentor, whose removal from the
story (albeit alive and well — we can assume) still prompts The Hero to take on
his greater responsibility.

Compare/contrast Dead Sidekick. Maybe the result of Opposed Mentors. Not all
mentors fall into this, of course. A great number, if not most, of those that don't
fall to the hazards of the occupation eventually turn out to have been a Broken
Pedestal; then the inevitable death is either a particularly emotionally charged
hero-kills-villain or Redemption Equals Death instead. Then posthumous
character development can turn them into a Rebuilt Pedestal.

Since this is a Death Trope, expect plenty of spoilers.

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Video Example(s): Feedback

Jaro Tapal
Jedi Master Jaro Tapal gives his life to save his Padawan Cal Kestis and mask their escape
during Order 66.

Star Wars: A Ne...

Alternative Title(s): Obi Wans Disease

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