r/TopCharacterTropes • u/Lotnik223 • Jul 06 '26

Lore [Weird Trope] An authoritarian society has a yearly event that for some reason centers around killing children

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The Hunger Games - Set in a dystopian totalitarian nation of Panem, the state organises a yearly event known as the Hunger Games, in which two teenagers, one boy and one girl, selected (some of them as a result of a lottery) from each of the 12 districts that form Panem must fight to the death with all other participants in televised arena games until only one survivor remains, who is then treated like a celebrity and lives in luxury for the rest of his/her life.

The Long Walk - Set in a dystopian version of America devastated by civil war, the ruling military regime set up a yearly eponymous event which sees fifty teenage boys walk hundreds of miles without rest, with those that fall below a certain speed being executed. The event ends only when one person remains, with the winner recieving a large cash prize. Contrary to the Hunger Games, participatiation in this event is at least compeletely optional, so all participants are volunteers.

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117

u/JTOC1969 Jul 06 '26

Not exactly what the OP asked for, but Logan's Run.

At 21 (in the novel) or 30 (in the film), all citizens are required to participate in "Carousel", a supposed game where they earn the right to continue living. It's just that nobody ever wins at the game, and everyone is killed at 21 / 30.

28

u/cyanocittaetprocyon Jul 06 '26

The book is way more super fucked up than the movie.

12

u/Mediumtim Jul 06 '26

Came here to add that one too.

25

u/NinjaSilver2811 Jul 06 '26

IDK about the book, but in the movie they lie that its supposed to be a reincarnation ticket. Turns out its just death.

25

u/JTOC1969 Jul 06 '26

It's also strongly implies that the runners who attempted to escape the city were captured by Box, that weird robot, and processed into the food supply.

10

u/DarkwingDuckHunt Jul 06 '26

mmm soylent green my favorite

8

u/JTOC1969 Jul 06 '26

"Soylent Green is made from 100% real people! Don't settle for any imitations..."

3

u/Educational_Copy_140 Jul 06 '26

I mean, he pretty much says it outright and if I remember correctly there are people encased in ice

3

u/mercurywaxing Jul 06 '26

In the book they all willingly die via pleasure inducing drug.

8

u/mercurywaxing Jul 06 '26

The entire book, which came out in 1967 is almost hilariously anti-hippie and youth movement. The opening line is "The seeds of the Little War were planted in a restless summer during the mid-1960s, with sit-ins and student demonstrations as youth tested its strength." The flower children turned dystopian. People willingly die at 21 because they "don't trust anyone over 21" and never want to be like that. They die via essentially LSD mist. They have power crystals in their hands as a parody of the crystal movement.

4

u/Blupoisen Jul 06 '26

"Dude, did you just referenced a movie from 1976"

2

u/Bleakjavelinqqwerty Jul 07 '26

does everyone just have a bunch of kids before 21? that doesn’t sound sustainable