Immortality and the cheating of death in all its forms.
Also see Afterlife Tropes, Rebirth and Reincarnation Tropes, Resurrection Tropes, and Undead Index.
Tropes:
- Immortality (super-trope)
- Age Without Youth: An immortal being who still ages.
- The Ageless: A being who never ages.
- Ancient Evil: An evil being that's been alive long before any human lifetime.
- Blood Bath: Bathing in blood in order to obtain immortality or cure ills.
- Body Backup Drive: A character dies and transfers their soul into a new body.
- Born-Again Immortality: A character dies and is reborn as a baby.
- Complete Immortality: A character cannot be killed in any way.
- Contractual Immortality: You know this character won't die because they're alive in the sequel.
- Deathless and Debauched: Immortal characters just can't seem to resist hedonism.
- Elderly Immortal: An immortal being who was already elderly when they first became immortal.
- Elixir of Life: A substance that grants a person eternal life/youth.
- Eternal Hero: A hero who continuously appears in the world throughout the ages.
- Eternal Love: Two immortals are in love and have been together for centuries.
- Eternal Villain: A villain who continuously appears in the world throughout the ages.
- Exposition of Immortality: An immortal being presents proof of their immortality.
- The Fog of Ages: Immortal character doesn't remember everything they've experienced.
- Fountain of Youth: Living longer by making yourself younger.
- Gameplay Ally Immortality: Video game allies can't die during gameplay.
- Healing Factor: Unambiguously superhuman healing and regeneration from physical injury.
- Immortal Apathy: Immortal beings have a difficult time empathizing with mortals.
- Immortal Assassin: A killer who can't be killed himself.
- Immortal Breaker: A weapon that can kill someone who is immortal.
- Immortal Genius: An immortal character who seems to know everything worth knowing.
- Immortal Hero: Heroes never die in the story, unlike villains.
- Immortal Immaturity: When an immortal being doesn't act their age.
- Immortal Procreation Clause: Immortal beings can't/or don't need to reproduce.
- Immortal Life Is Cheap: Character can't die, so the other characters don't have to worry about seriously injuring him.
- Immortal Ruler: A ruler of a land who will never die.
- Immortality Begins at 20: An immortal ages normally until a certain age and they stay looking that age forever.
- Immortality Bisexuality: The tendency for immortals to also be bisexual.
- Immortality Field: A place where nothing can die.
- Immortality Hurts: When being able to live forever doesn't make you immune to pain.
- Immortality Immorality: Seeking immortality is portrayed in a negative light.
- Immortality Inducer: An item that grants a character eternal life.
- Immortality Promiscuity: Immortals have an active sex life.
- Immortality Seeker: Someone who desires to become immortal.
- Immortals Fear Death: Despite being functionally immortal, these characters still fear the idea of death.
- Inconspicuous Immortal: An immortal character with a deliberately simple, undramatic lifestyle.
- Julius Beethoven da Vinci: It's established that multiple historical figures were actually the aliases of an immortal being.
- Life Drinker: A being who gains immortality by draining the life force out of other beings.
- Living Distant Ancestor: An ancient character who is alive at the same time as their descendants.
- Living Forever Is Awesome: An immortal who enjoys being unable to die.
- Living Forever is No Big Deal: An immortal who sees neither an upside nor a downside to living forever.
- Living Ark: A being who contains collective knowledge of a civilization, people, or way of life that have long since faded away.
- Living Relic: A piece of ancient history manages to be alive in the present.
- Long-Lived: They have lived for a long time, but can still die.
- Longevity Treatment: A medical treatment that extends one's life span.
- Mayfly–December Friendship: Friendship between an immortal and a mortal.
- Mayfly–December Romance: Romance between an immortal and a mortal.
- My Grandson, Myself: An immortal passes themselves off as their own descendant.
- Never Grew Up: An immortal being who never grows older and stays a child.
- No Immortal Inertia: A being losing their immortality results in them quickly aging to their true age.
- Not Growing Up Sucks: An immortal unable to grow older is unhappy that they'll be a child forever.
- The Older Immortal: There are multiple immortals running around and they're not all the same age, sometimes not even close.
- "Onwards into Eternity" Epilogue: The story ends with an immortal character starting or continuing their lives, with emphasis on the fact that they'll do it forever...
- Parasitic Immortality: A person prolongs their life by jumping from one body to another.
- Parent-Induced Extended Childhood: A child is deliberately prevented from growing up by an obsessive parent, sometimes to the point of halting the aging process.
- Proportional Aging: Long-lived races have a proportionally long life cycle.
- Purpose-Driven Immortality: Who's got time to die when there's still work to be done?
- Really 700 Years Old: A character looks young despite being much, much older.
- Resurrection/Death Loop: A character is stuck — temporarily or permanently — in a traumatizing cycle of death and resurrection.
- Resurrective Immortality: A being who can get killed, but will keep coming back to life every time that happens.
- Serpent of Immortality: Animal symbolism surrounding immortality and eternity often references serpents.
- Shapeshifter Longevity: Shapeshifters live longer, or even forever.
- Shared Life Energy: When one person is saved from death by other person sharing their literal life force.
- Society of Immortals: A species or civilization whose members are all immortal.
- Time Abyss: Someone is older than all recorded history.
- Token Immortal: A member of a group who possesses immortality.
- Undying Warrior: An immortal devoted to a military or martial lifestyle.
- Wizards Live Longer: A supernatural ability can actively or passively extend a user's life.
- Who Wants to Live Forever?: An immortal being who considers their inability to die a curse.
- You Can't Kill What's Already Dead: Undead beings have a degree of durability to injury.