Swallowed Whole

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A recurring theme in the fantasy, horror, adventure, and science fiction genres, there comes a time when the hero/heroine gets swallowed whole, usually by a giant animal, dinosaur or monster.

This commonly raises the stakes in the story. Getting swallowed can allow the hero to make an escape or in some cases, befriend the creature. In other cases, the creature can, to the hero's surprise, help him.

Sometimes, the hero can defeat the monster by allowing it to swallow him so he can slay it from the inside.

Whales are commonly invoked by writers for this trope across various media, simply because the huge sea mammals were poorly understood for most of human history. Many cultures, even those that have hunted them, hold the cetaceans in awe and feature them in their mythologies. Stories of whales destroying ships and swallowing humans are often heard in many folklores' tales, even though nowadays we know whales are generally shy and easily spooked by people. Not to mention that, despite their immensity, it's mostly impossible for one to devour large prey such as us. Despite all this, whales are still used, since they continue to captivate the imagination. Oceans are not required. Large fish and sharks are a common alternate option.

When a character tries to invoke this trope, it is a case of Eat Me.

Examples

Mythology

Jonah gets swallowed by a giant fish sent by God.

Live-Action

Agent K deliberately convinces Edgar the Bug to swallow him whole in order to get his gun back to blast him from the inside.

Cartoons

Pinocchio gets swallowed by Monstro the Whale, leading to his reunion with Geppetto and eventually their escape.
Fievel gets swallowed by one of the Mott Street Maulers in the first film but escapes. In Fievel Goes West, he nearly gets swallowed by Tiger, but it leads to their reunion.
Darkwing Duck gets swallowed by an alligator, a giant Mechanical bear, a tank gator, a whale, and a shark.
Gosalyn nearly gets eaten by a shark, but she escapes a from the jaws of death in a matter of seconds.
Charlie Barkin nearly gets eaten by King Gator but he gives out a musical howl, allowing the giant reptile
Richard Tyler gets swallowed by a dragon but escapes via a beanstalk.
Hercules gets swallowed by the Hydra, but decapitates the serpent from the inside.
Scooby-Doo gets swallowed by a crocodile but makes it out alive.
Mickey Mouse gets swallowed by Gustav the giant after making the mistake of hiding in a cart of pumpkins, but eventually makes it out in one piece.
Garfield is put on trial by fish everywhere for his crimes against them. He is found guilty, and sentenced to Larry. Garfield is naturally confused, until a massive whale named Larry arrives to swallow him up.

Anime/Manga

Both Android #17 and #18 gets swallowed whole by Cell with his tail right before he transforms into his Perfect form.
Gotenks, Piccolo and Gohan get absorbed by Super Buu.

Videogames

Link gets swallowed whole by Jabu-Jabu, but he did this so he can save Princess Ruto who had it happen to her.

Quotes

“	(Scooby-Doo hears a low growl and looks behind him to see a huge crocodile behind him. Terrified, he taps Shaggy on the shoulder.) (Shaggy: Don't bother me, Scoob.) (Scooby turns around again to make sure the croc is out of earshot, but, suddenly, behind him, the reptile resurfaces and its eyes bug out as it notices him. Suddenly, without warning, the crocodile lunges and chomps down on Scooby's tail!) R-OWWWWWWWWWWW! (With that, Scooby-Doo jumps into the air like a rocket. Before he can make a move, he tumbles into the crocodile's gaping mouth and is swallowed whole. The crocodile floats to the bottom of the river to rest, but Scooby thrashes around inside the monster's belly, pushes open its jaws, and shoots himself back onto the canoe.)	„
	~ Scooby-Doo swallowed by a crocodile.

“	(Beetle: I'm a beetle that loves water, but I'm not a water beetle. Isn't that funny?) (As Lucas washes his face, he hears a loud SNAP, like an enormous whip. The beetle has vanished. Lucas looks around. There is nothing in sight, but he looks to the water. Just then, two big yellow eyes poke out of the lake. Lucas's eyes grow wide. Suddenly, an enormous bullfrog, Croaker, jumps out of the water and fires its long, sticky tongue at Lucas! He screams as he jumps and starts to run, with the huge amphibian in hot pursuit. Croaker continues to chase Lucas, trying to snag him with his tongue.) (Fugax: Hey, Lucas.) (Lucas continues to scream as Croaker continues to chase him. The other ants watch the scene.) (Fugax: Anybody know what "waaa!" means?) (Croaker slams down in front of him.) (Fugax: I just figured it out. (He runs for his life.) Wa-ha-ha!) (Hova: Croaker!) (Croaker charges after the ants and Lucas like an elephant. Kreela notices a huge soda can.) (Kreela: This way!) (Hova, to Lucas: Don't EVER leave me again!) But Zoc-- (Hova: You are MY pupa, not Zoc's.) (The ants climb up the can.) (Hova: Lucas, come on!) (Lucas tries to hop up onto the can, with little luck as Croaker gains on him.) (Hova: Climb! Concentrate! You can do this!) (Lucas jumps on and begins to climb.) I'm an ant. Okay, I'm an ant. (Kreela: He's got it! He's got it!) Look, I'm an ant! (Lucas starts to slip.) (Kreela: He...hasn't got it.) (Lucas tumbles to the ground. Looming over him like a storybook giant is Croaker, who is preparing to close in for the kill. Hova gasps. She reaches out her hand.) (Hova: Grab hold!) (Lucas hops up and is about to grab Hova's hand when...TH-WHAP!) Hova? (It's too late. Croaker has snagged Lucas. He pulls him into his humongous maw and swallows him!) (Hova: Lucas!) (The ants can only watch as the monster, having claimed his prize, hops away.)	„
	~ Lucas Nickle getting swallowed by Croaker.

“	(Drax stands and glares at the Abelisk as Rocket, Quill, and Gamora blast at it without effect.) The beast's hide is too thick to be pierced from the outside. I must cut through it from the inside. (Gamora: Huh?) (Drax laughs, charging the Abelisk.) (Gamora: Drax, no! That doesn't make --) (The Abelisk opens its enormous mouth, and Drax, still laughs, leaps inside it, instantly swallowed up.) (Quill: What is he doing?!) (Gamora: He said the skin is too thick to be pierced from the outside, so he --) (Quill: That doesn't make sense!) (Gaomra: I tried to tell -- !) (Quill: Its skin is the same thickness from the inside as from the out!) (Gamora: I REALIZE THAT!) (Drax hollers as he slashes away inside the goo of the Abelisk's stomach to no avail. Quill reloads his pistol, thinking.) (Quill: Gamora, there's a cut on its neck - Rocket, get it to look up.) (Quill and Rocket jet up high over the Abelisk as they blast repeatedly at the ferocious creature.) (Quill: Hey, you giant Sea Monkey, up here!) (Gamora's rifle is jammed. She tosses it down, pulls out her sword, and snaps it open. The Abelisk screeches at Quill and Rocket flying overhead. The colorful splatter matter flies from its mouth, battering Rocket, burning his clothes. But its neck is exposed, where the skin is thinner, and there is a small wound. Gamora dashes, leaping high into the air, and she plunges her sword directly into the monster's throat. She holds tight to the hilt as she falls, slicing an incision down the length of the creature's neck. The beast wobbles topples to the ground as it breathes its last breath. As it collapses, Drax spills out of the wound. He raises his arms in victory.) Ha-ha! I have single-handedly vanquished the beast! (Quill scoffs. Rocket snorts. Gamora stares at him, dead-eyed. Baby Groot throws a rock at him.) What?	„
	~ Drax the Destroyer allowing himself to be swallowed by the Abelisk, allowing him to (unsuccessfully) kill it from the inside.

“	Stop! Let me out of here, you freak!	„
	~ Android #17 while being absorbed by Cell, Dragon Ball Z Kai, Funimation dub.

“	Damn you, Cell!	„
	~ Android #18 before being absorbed by Cell, Dragon Ball Z Kai, Funimation dub.

“	Get off me! What is this?	„
	~ Gotenks while being absorbed by Super Buu, Dragon Ball Z Kai: The Final Chapters, Funimation dub.

“	(King Ghidorah dodges a blast of Godzilla's atomic breath and blasts him with gravity beams from all three of his heads. The beams push Godzilla until he plummets down the hole Ghidorah emerged from moments before, his roars echoing as he falls. While this is happening, Vivienne and Mark are running as fast as they can to the other Osprey to escape the fight. Suddenly, Vivienne lets out a bloodcurdling scream seconds before Ghidorah's middle head bites down on the ice and swallows her whole! Mark immediately comes to a halt. Serizawa falls to his knees as he sees his longtime friend and colleague perish. Ghidorah's right head snatches a piece of ice that falls from the middle head's mouth as it crushes the ice in its jaws. The left head then looks up momentarily at the other two before turning to the rest of the humans.)	„
	~ Dr. Vivienne Graham getting eaten alive by King Ghidorah during the latter's fight with Godzilla in Antarctica.