Don't Say Such Stupid Things

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    During a tense situation, the protagonist starts berating himself: "I'm useless! It'd be better if I didn't exist!" then—SLAP! The older-sister type (usually a Tsundere) tells him to get a hold of himself and yells, "Don't say such stupid things!"

    She gives a speech about the people who love him, the reasons he really is important, and so on. This always seems to be just what he needs to gain the confidence to resolve the story.

    If the title sounds dorky, it's probably because it's mirror-translated from Japanese ("bakana koto o iu na"). A more natural translation would be along the lines of "Don't be an idiot!"

    If it's the forces of the universe telling a character this, it can result in It's a Wonderful Plot.

    Examples of Don't Say Such Stupid Things include:

    Anime and Manga

    • Sakuraba gets one of these (specifically a punch) from Takami in Eyeshield 21 after ranting that he has wasted five years of his life on football and that he should just quit the team and stop making a mockery of himself.
    • Luffy does a version of this to Vivi in One Piece to make her realize that she's being naive and that a war can't be won without casualties.
    • Happens word for word in Inuyasha, when Rin asks Sesshoumaru if he'll remember her after she dies.
    • Hanon and Rina give Lucia more than one of these speeches in Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch.
    • This speech, almost to the word, was the climax of one episode of Rozen Maiden; it was delivered to the protagonist, a Hikikomori named Jun, by his sister.
    • In Toradora! after snapping at Yasuko about her being the source of his failures, Ryuji later calms down and admits to Taiga that it is actually the opposite: Ryuji has always thought that if he had never been born, Yasuko would have finished high school and have a better life. Taiga immediately goes off on him for saying such a thing. In fact she gets a little too upset at him, and almost grants his wish, sending him over into the river.
    • Butt Monkey Shinji Ikari gets a variation of this from Misato in Neon Genesis Evangelion.
      • As per usual for Neon Genesis Evangelion, it's subverted unpleasantly, the first time, in that Shinji is moping after killing Kaoru, and Misato tells him that people with low survival drives don't deserve to live and that in killing the one person who's been nice to him in months, Shinji did the right thing. Naturally, it just sent him right over the edge into full on breakdown.
      • The verbal chastising that she gave him in End of Evangelion was spot on, though. It actually managed to get him moving again for the moment.
    • After Chrono suffers from a Heroic BSOD in the Chrono Crusade manga, he forces himself into a coma to keep from draining any more of Rosette's life. Rosette dives into his soul to follow him and convince him to come back. When she finds him, he insists that he can't continue on because she'll die because of their contract—she then slaps her hands on his face and gives him a speech about dealing with regret, and saying that she doesn't want him to be alone because of his fear of hurting her. The speech brings them closer to becoming an Official Couple, and gives Chrono the courage he needs to continue.
    • Rukia and Ichigo from Bleach fit this trope perfectly. When Rukia isn't using this trope on Ichigo, she's physically abusing him or making fun of his recklessness and/or stupidity.
    • This is switched around with Sara and Shu in Now and Then, Here and There when Sara tries to kill herself when she finds out that she's pregnant. When she says that it would be better off if she didn't exist, Shu slaps her and basically says not to say such stupid things.
    • Negi tends to get a lot of these from Asuna, especially during the festival arc when he's angsting over Chao or when Fate messes with his head. Even Yue and Chisame gave him one over Chao, though.

    Film

    • In Walk the Line, when Johnny Cash is fighting his pill addiction and depression:

    Johnny Cash: What have I done? Just hurt everybody I know. I know I've hurt you. I'm nothin'.
    June Carter: You're not nothin'. You are not nothin'. You're a good man, and God has given you a second chance to make things right, John. This is your chance, honey.

    • At a critical moment in the The Goonies, the kids have a chance to escape from the dangerous treasure hunt but Mikey wants to continue. An argument starts between Andi and Mikey and eventually leads to Mikey's Rousing Speech.

    Andi: Maybe Chunk is dead.
    Mikey: Don't say that! Never say that. Goonies never say "die".

    • There is an interesting version of the trope in Lawrence of Arabia. "All right, all right, I am exceptional."

    Live Action Television

    • A lovely one occurs between River and the Doctor in the Doctor Who episode "The Wedding of River Song". When River tells The Doctor that she sent out a distress beacon to rally help for the him, he insists that no one would care that he was going to die. He is, of course, very wrong.

    River: The sky is full of a million million voices, saying, "Yes of course. We'll help." You've touched so many lives, saved so many people. Did you think when your time came you'd really have to do more than just ask? You've decided that the universe is better off without you. But the universe doesn't agree.
    The Doctor: River, no one can help me. A fixed point has been altered. Time is disintegrating.
    River: I can't let you die—
    The Doctor: But I have to die!
    River: Shut up! I can't let you without knowing you are loved. By so many and so much. And by no one more than me.

    Theatre

    • A variation: in the penultimate scene of The Music Man, Winthrop says to self-admitted con man Harold Hill, "I with you'd never come to River Thity!" Marian gently says, "No you don't, Winthrop," and goes into a touching speech about all the difference it made.
    • The final scene of Bells Are Ringing:

    Jeff: All right--Mel--Ella--Mom--whatever your name is. I love you!
    Ella: But you can't! I tricked you!
    Jeff: Pretty shabby trick--saving a man's life!
    Ella: But--all that intuition stuff. I was just telling you what you told Mom. I'm nothing.
    Jeff: Don't you call Mom "nothing." I loved talking to her. She was warm, sympathetic, understanding, wise.

    Video Games

    • This happens to Luke in Tales of the Abyss about every five minutes in the latter half of the game.
      • In fact, it happens pretty much every time he opens his mouth—barring the punching, which only happens once.
    • In Final Fantasy IV, Rosa gives Cecil one of these during a My God, What Have I Done? moment.
    • In Final Fantasy VIII, Rinoa gives Squall one of these (as long as you play the specific scene correctly).
    • In Disgaea 2 the character Yukimaru spends a great deal of time trying to commit suicide for various failures, with the rest of the characters having to continually talk her out of it. Played for laughs.
      • There's also Rozalin's pleas to Adell to kill her if her Super-Powered Evil Side shows up again. Adell will have none of it.
    • Sami to Eagle in Advance Wars: Dual Strike, if both are chosen for the final campaign mission, when Eagle worries about one or both of them not getting out of it alive:

    Sami: Oh, no, you don't! Stop it right there! If two people make a promise like that, one of them is going to end up dead! [...] Save the promises for later, OK?

    • Among numerous other examples, at one point in Fate Stay Night, UBW route, Tohsaka declares she will quit their partnership if Shirou continues talking about his ideal without anything to back it up or a reason he wants to save everyone and calls him delusional. He doesn't take back anything he said and even talks a little more about it, but she can't hold it against him because he at least recognized how distorted his ideal is.
    • The dialogue in the first chapter of the fan-made continuation to the original Neverwinter Nights campaign entitled Aribeth's Redemption consists almost exclusively of Aribeth telling the player to leave her alone and let her commit suicide; the player has no option but to respond with this trope.
    • Resonance of Fate's bridge scene pulls off a slightly gritty version of this.

    Zephyr: Leanne... why?...
    Leanne: You IDIOT! You WANTED to die, DIDN'T YOU?
    Zephyr: ...Wouldn't it be better that way? I SHOULD be dead!
    Leanne: You THINK that can make up for what you did? NOT EVEN CLOSE!
    Leanne: ...If you're going to die... at least die with courage.
    Zephyr: Why am I... why am I even alive?
    Leanne: If you hadn't been here, I'D be dead. Isn't that enough?...

      • While this seems to end on a rather poor note, in the next scene Zephyr has decided that he has to live long enough to make Leanne happy, at least. (Which leads into a very sudden moodswing into a touching scene or hilarious moment, depending on your view.

    Web Original

    • Done in Yu-Gi-Oh the Abridged Series when Yugi is moping that for supposedly being the title character, he doesn't play a big part in the show itself:

    Yugi: Face it, I'm as irrelevant to this story as Bakura.
    The Pharaoh (disproportionately horrified): Don't say that! Don't even think it!

    Western Animation

    Jazz: Excuse me. I don't know this kid, but I hope it's okay if he gets a second opinion. *Lays the smackdown on Spectra.*

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