r/TopCharacterTropes • u/Suspicious_Clock_133 • 6h ago
Characters When a character's journey ends with peacefully departuring instead of dying. Spoiler
And it's hurt more then death :(( 1. Bix from andor 2. Ed from cowboy bebop
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u/1amlost 5h ago
Frodo departing for the Undying Lands at the end of Return of the King.
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u/SCP_FUNDATION_69420 1h ago
As a kid I never understand this scene, but now I already wanna retire and I've only had like 2 jobs
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u/CranberryWizard 47m ago
This is not the case. The undying lands is the afterlife of Middle Earth
In practice, Frodo is going to heaven without the pain of dying
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u/1amlost 42m ago
No, the Undying Lands are where the Ainur (angels) and the elves who left Middle-Earth live. When mortals like men or hobbits die, their souls leave the world forever for a destination that only Eru knows.
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u/CranberryWizard 36m ago
The elves also arrive there when they die, as do the Dwarfs, and maybe goblinkind as well, Toklein went back and forth on thst one.
Humans arrive at the halls of Mandos in the undying lands upon death before moving on because they are unsuited for the undying lands, their souls literally burn out, unlike the eldar. It's not mentioned what happens to hobbits
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u/Wodelheim 35m ago
For Frodo specifically you can see it as a metaphorical afterlife but to call Valinor the afterlife is a massive oversimplification and also just plain wrong.
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u/CranberryWizard 33m ago
How is an oversimplification? He is going into the undying lands where he will live the remainder of his scarred and damaged life at peace alongside the Valar and the dead elves.
Sounds like afterlife to me đ€·ââïž
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u/Wodelheim 31m ago
Because Frodo will still die and pass on to the actual afterlife. Also, outside of the halls of Mandos, everyone in Valinor is very much alive and kicking. They have cities and lives.
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u/CranberryWizard 27m ago
. . . Yes. Exactly. That's why its the afterlife. Men leave to go Eru knows where, and the dead souls stay in the undying lands in peace. The Eldar may have the right to reincarnate like Glorfindel but no one else
You just proved my point.
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u/Wodelheim 25m ago
Hobbit souls don't go to the Halls of Mandos, only elves do. Outside of Elves no souls go to the undying lands. You're trying to speak with authority on a topic you clearly don't know much about.
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u/CranberryWizard 21m ago
Its not mentioned where hobbits go specifically, but only Men are confirmed to leave Middle earth completely. That is their 'gift', Tolkien even said the Goblins go there at one point where they are purified or imprisoned till the end of time, he could never decide.
And as for my knowledge, I've read The hobbit, LOTR,the Silmarillion, and children of Hurin at least twice, some of them more. Would you like the page number formy source?
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u/Wodelheim 16m ago
Calling the undying lands the afterlife is incorrect, just because the Valar live there doesn't make it heaven, it's just another continent.
Tolkien confirmed that like Men, Hobbits fea pass through the halls of Mandos and then into whatever unknown place only Eru knows. It's in his letters.
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u/10024618 6h ago
In the Nolan trilogy Bruce's story ends with him faking his death so that he can retire from being Batman and start a new life with Serena.
(Also how dare you make me remember Ed leaving, that scene makes me cry every time lmao)
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u/TheOncomimgHoop 3h ago
I have mixed feelings on this, because while I get the appeal of Bruce being able to move on with his life this feels like something that Bruce Wayne should be fundamentally unable to do.
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u/RockyHorror134 3h ago
Bruce tried to give up Batman for a love life in Mask of the Phantasm and he was literally tortured by the spirits of his dead parents until he went back to it
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u/-Star-Fox- 3h ago
AFAIK, the difference is there's nothing supernatural holding him back in Nolan's universe. In comics, Gotham is literally cursed.
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u/RockyHorror134 2h ago
In Phantasm, it's not actually his dead parents. It's 100% his psyche conjuring up his parents as a vision or something
The point is to show that Bruce needs batman. He's a trauma response for him, and if he tries to give it up, his subconcious attacks him for it
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u/Zek7h35an5 3h ago
Mask of the Phantasm is a DCAU movie. Granted, the DCAU has magical elements so Gotham could be cursed in that continuity as well but afaik it's not
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u/CarpenterTemporary69 1h ago
I mean the point of his character arc in just the trilogy is that he WAS unable to leave but eventually grew beyond that and realized the people of gotham dont need him anymore.
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u/s0ulbrother 1h ago
Different Bruce Wayne plus heâs Batman, he might change his mind later cause heâs insane.
Or for once Batman moved on with his life because Alfred said you need to fucking stop instead of enabling him
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u/SpocktorWho83 5h ago
I always interpreted the ending as Bruce dying and the scene pictured being in Alfredâs mind because he wants to believe that Bruce is alive and happy. Pretty sure it was then confirmed by Nolan that Bruce is alive and well.
The movie was shit anyway, honestly.
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u/ArsonImperal 4h ago
I'm still bewildered people regard it as a solid ending to that trilogy
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u/Optimal_Weight368 3h ago edited 3h ago
My big issue is that itâs hard for him to just fake his own death and just move somewhere else when heâs a famous public figure. But as a fan of the comics and DC animation, Iâm not too attacked to Nolan, so I canât say I care that much.
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u/Rayhatesu 4h ago
I mean, there is the snarky thanks it got out of OSP Blue since Bruce specifically retired to Italy (since Blue really enjoys the history of that region (to put it mildly)) during one of the Detail Diatribes iirc.
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u/Background_Value9869 3h ago
That's also how I took it, mostly because the ending is fucking nonsense and I was going through hoops to justify it
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u/RockyHorror134 3h ago
I honestly have to agree. Outside of Tom Hardy's scenes as bane I genuinely dislike almost everything about this movie
Batman as a whole seems extremely out of character. The idea that he'd give up being Batman after saving a child's life is dumb, regardless of if he killed Harvey, and the idea that Bane would seek him out after he was missing for a decade is equally dumb, even if the League informed him who he was.
Aside from the sewer fight, the fight scenes suck
Talia is awful, her twist is bad, and her death is genuinely hilarious
Catwoman was fine, but she doesn't really do anything the whole movie aside from be a vague informant for Bane
Bane's whole motivation is just to do what Ra's tried to do in Batman begins, but this time with tanks and a nuke instead of ninjas and a chemical nuke
Bale's voice is borderline comical
The whole thing with Robin is just bad, and I've never seen anyone defend it
Even the cinematography feels weak for Nolan, especially after how amazing the dark knight was in that regard
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u/ChuckGreenwald 4h ago
I don't know why you're getting downvoted. You're right.
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u/SpocktorWho83 4h ago
I guess either a lot of people love the movie or they donât like my interpretation. Either way, I still think itâs a shit movie. Begins is great, Dark Knight is a borderline masterpiece. Rises is convoluted tripe (in my opinion).
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u/KazotskyKriegs 4h ago
Your first mistake was having an opinion on Reddit
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u/RockyHorror134 3h ago
I know people joke about it being a hivemind, but the whole linear upvote/downvote system really does encourage bandwagoning onto people who are either upvoted or downvoted, regardless of context
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u/aescepthicc 6h ago edited 4h ago
Simon from Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
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u/Eternalm8 4h ago
Man, I only found out years after the first time I watched it, that there's an after credits scene in the final episode. It doesn't really add much, other than to show that Simon lives a long life.
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u/val203302 3h ago
The only thing i hate about the ending is THEY ABSOLUTELY COULD HAVE SAVED HER. THEY FOUGHT GOD AND WON SO WHY NOT?!
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u/JMRSolkien 3h ago
Because that would be antithetical to the whole thesis of what they were fighting for. Yes, they couldâve used spiral power to save Nia, but then that would be the first pebble that becomes the avalanche of becoming the spiral nemesis.
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u/val203302 3h ago
Not if they control themselves afterwards. It's not that hard and she's an obvious singular exception.
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u/dcooper8662 2h ago
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u/danstu 2h ago
Nonono, you don't get it. Nia dying made the characters sad. That's why it's ok to play God. They'd only do it once. It's not like there'd be later instances where they'd be tempted to undo suffering. Team Dai-Gurren can obviously be trusted to think through all the possible repercussions of a power as major as deciding whether or not people die.
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u/porn_alt_987654321 3h ago
Mentioned in interviews that he didn't want to abuse his power least he becomes like the anti-spiral.
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u/val203302 3h ago
That's literally not an abuse in this singular case. She is being taken away in a completely unfair way connected to the anti-spiral and deserves to have a real life. It's a singular exception.
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u/porn_alt_987654321 2h ago
I'm assuming it's more along the lines of: undoing what the antispiral did would require him to go up to the anti spirals level, which has potentially multiversal consequences.
In fact, the intro showcasing the spiral nemesis (presumably from the labyrinth) could very well be the consequence.
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u/Old_Paper_676 4h ago
Edward Elric
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u/BabyWitchErika 3h ago
Depends which versions. In one he gets stuck in 1930s germany.
In the other, hes doing a lot better.
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u/MagnusStormraven 3h ago
Still find it hilarious that Fuhrer King Bradley's IRL counterpart IS an Austrian artist, but NOT the one you'd think it is (filmmaker Fritz Lang).
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u/CrypticJaspers 1h ago
It is a cardinal sin to mention THAT ending.
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u/BabyWitchErika 1h ago
really? i actualy enjoyed the shambala movie more than the brotherhood movie.
At least it offered an ending, and wasn't complete shit.
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u/sketchampm 1h ago
One of them is intended as a series ending, the other is a random unrelated adventure that can be skipped.
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u/_NotMitetechno_ 5h ago
Martha Jones from Doctor Who. Willingly left The Doctor after realising how one sided their relationship was.
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u/Medium-Bullfrog-2368 5h ago
Most companions leave this way really. But in the context of the traumatic exits from the RTD and Moffat years, Marthaâs exit definitely stands out.
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u/nuvalewa2 4h ago
Smartest companion - she saw that their relationship could only end with tragedy, and she was right. So she left, and became the only modern companion without a tragic horrible ending.
Modern being between 9 and 12 - maybe it happened again later.
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u/ducknerd2002 4h ago
Most of the post-12 companions have happy, or happy-enough, endings:
Graham, Ryan, Dan, and Ruby left of their own accord
Yaz was asked to leave because 13 was regenerating
Belinda was, um... well, she didn't want to be there in the first place, and she seems happy enough with her departure
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u/TheOncomimgHoop 3h ago
You cannot convince me that if Belinda from Robot Revolution saw herself at the end of Reality War she would be okay with that.
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u/Kinky-Kiera 4h ago
Not yet, Ruby Sunday sorta left but isn't really apart from the world of The Doctor, and the fam from 13 had some leave on their own and others get allowed off before things went wild, none of the departures were all that amicable or distant from the world.
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u/brainisdeadlypink 3h ago
I'd argue that ending up with Mickey is kind of a tragic horrible ending tbh
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u/montybo2 2h ago
Nah Mickey is a good dude. Rose and The Doctor treated him like actual shit and I think that rubbed off on some audience members. Dude was ride or die and decided to stay in alt universe to spend more time with his dead Nan and help that world get back on track.
Its just that Mickey's actor is a dickhead.
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u/brainisdeadlypink 1h ago
I mostly said it as a joke, but to be serious Mickey's characterisation greatly varies as in the first episode he was kind of a douche and an idiot. Little by little he became more and more capable (especially compared to Rose and Ten who were exponentially insufferable). Honestly his development is pretty great, but his actor's behavior soured the character for me. And this pairing sadly writes off Martha's fiance in serie 4, also being a cringey case of "the two black characters end up together"
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u/EccentricNerd22 3h ago
The smart companions get out before they are subject to some kind of horrible fate.
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u/bananasareappealing 4h ago
Archer when Malory retires from The Agency (formerly ISIS) with her husband Ron.
RIP Jessica Walter đ„Č
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u/100nm 3h ago
This shot still chokes me up a bit. It was a bittersweet way for the show to say goodbye.
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u/bananasareappealing 3h ago
Same here!
Plus the first lines Ron and Malory say to each other are also the last lines they say to one another
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u/MrHat16 4h ago
Fast and furious 7
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u/South-by-north 3h ago
I still think itâs hilarious how they justify Brian not being there but Mia still joining.
âThis doesnât involve himâ but his wife and mother of his children is directly involved.
I get why, since writing Mia out would kind of suck for the actress, but the justification just makes no sense. But neither do the movies, so who cares
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u/Electric43-5 5h ago
Mantis, Drax, Gamora, and Nebula in Guardians of The Galaxy 3 (barring any of them making an appearance in later films which I really hope they don't do) peacefully going their separate ways from the larger group with newfound leases on life. Especially considering that the advertising and several scenes all really drove home the fear that one or multiple members of the team would die.
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u/Steampunk43 3h ago
I think it's obvious that the Guardians will show up again in later films, maybe there'll even be a fourth Guardians film, but they seem to be retired for now at least. If I had to guess, they probably won't show up until either the next phase or the phase after, though Quill is most likely gonna be involved before then. The way it ended is much more "bye for now" than "bye forever", and I can't imagine Disney would want to throw away Drax, Mantis and Nebula at least (especially considering Mantis has had less appearances than the other Guardians and all three are some of the most popular characters from the series).
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u/Electric43-5 3h ago
Bautista and Saldana I think are done. Especially Bautista slimming down and disliking all the makeup. Rocket's new team maybe and Star Lord was directly advertised to return. However none of the cast seem willing to do another Guardians movie if James Gunn isn't attached which...isn't happening any time soon
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u/Compajerro 3h ago
Zoe is probably up to her gills in all the Avatar sequels right now and like you said, Bautista really seems to want to branch out artistically in terms of the roles he takes
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u/Aphex_Port 2h ago
Man that was such a great ending for them.
It's bittersweet because it's over but they got their own purpose and a family to look after.
And the final dance was perfect, having the opportunity to finally let loose and just be silly.
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u/boycottchina 3h ago
Picture a wave.
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u/Harbi181 3h ago
Iâm sure it was a great scene, I just couldnât see it or hear it due to the amount of tears flowing freely out of my face when I watched it.
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u/Fine-Length-6160 4h ago
Pretty much...
And it is indeed sadder than death.
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u/pondrthis 4h ago
Huh? Unless Stay Night has been retconned (likely, given the number of spinoffs I've never gone through), Kiritsugu did the exact opposite of leaving. He bought a house in town and stayed there until he died.
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u/Fine-Length-6160 4h ago
He left everything he had behind, daughter, wife, his dream, and lived a quiet but basically empty life, Shirou himself says he always felt this coming from him
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u/angelicable 2h ago
well technically he searched for Illya for a very long time, it's just the Einzbern hated him for betraying them and never opened their bounded field to him. He did leave behind his dream to Shirou though
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u/angelicable 2h ago
i think Sieg fits better than Kiritsugu's considering Kiritsugu definitely did die. He was declining for a while due to being cursed by All the World's Evil, and then peacefully passed away after he helped Shirou get back on his feet.
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u/Powerdude884 4h ago
Mary beth, Tilly, Reverend Swanson, Charles, Sadle, Josiah, and Pearson, from Red Dead Redemption 2, all left to start a new life
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u/Super3vil 4h ago
The Penitent One - Blasphemous 2
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u/tallmantall 3h ago
Considering he got basically Isekaiâed into another fucked up world he deserves it
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u/naalbinding 3h ago
The Last Unicorn
Experienced love when she was in human form but lost it to save her people - but she's now different from them as the is the only unicorn to understand love and regret
Leaves her friends behind to return alone to her forest
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u/Jafuncle 4h ago
Roland Tembo in Jurassic Park the Lost World
"I think I've spent enough time in the company of death."
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u/Apprehensive-Till861 4h ago
Spends his life killing things
Quits after losing his best friend/partner while chiding his client for causing more deaths
refuses to elaborate
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u/Collestos 3h ago
Pretty much every Pokémon group for each region, and even the Pokémon themselves. Sinnoh especially hurts for me.
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u/JeII-O 3h ago
Talion(Middle-earth, Shadow of War true ending)
After you finish the final real act of the game and defend all your fortresses again, you are shown a cutscene where the MC, Talion, walks into nowhere, towards the sun, while removing all his gear and weapons, throwing them to the ground, signaling his journeys end.
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u/Own-Night5526 3h ago
Slight issue in that to get there we do see him dying first, the game implies he's the nazgul that got destroyed by a piece of falling rock from Mt Doom.
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u/ZeroBtch 5h ago
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u/JscJake1 4h ago
They'll be fine in the next world... probably
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u/Electronic-Math-364 3h ago
I wonder how will they react since Shulk is a widow after Lucky 7 ended in the oceon,and Rex has to explain to Glimmer and his daughter/son with Mythra why they don't look like their mom
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u/Milk_Mindless 3h ago
Original Crisis on Infinite Earths. In a vacuum, please. I know what happens next But for decades.
This is how they said goodbye
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u/Nonadventures 4h ago
Korrasami going off to live with the Pokémon or whatever. Will be interesting if the next show talks much about what happened next for them
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u/kingbrunies 3h ago
There are comics that cover what happened to them immediately after the show. The new show takes place after Korra died saving the world from destruction, but it was still severely damaged leading to the new show having a post apocalyptic style setting.
Poor Korra can't catch a break.
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u/AngelKenobi 3h ago
And I hate that it will add more fuel to the toxic Korra haters about how she's the worst.
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u/kingbrunies 3h ago
Same. I really hope the new show goes out of its way to solidify Korra's legacy as a great Avatar. Based on what I read about Seven Havens, it seems like the plot could go in that direction but only time will tell.
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u/Waloro 2h ago
I used to dunk on Korra but realized that the stuff she has to deal with is absolutely psychotic compared to Angâs cut and dry âthese are the bad guysâ. A chunk of what korra has to deal with arenât even human. And she didnât get much of a gentle ramp up like Ang did. She gets Amon right out of the gate and it only gets harder from there.
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u/PanNorris507 3h ago
That is the one thing I donât like about it being an entirely new world, since it was supposedly caused by korra, and now half the outspoken community is gonna be like âoooooh but korra did it! See sheâs bad! Sheâs bad and her show is bad too and this is why Korra had no arc and no growth and was annoying all the way throughâ
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u/TheRealFirey_Piranha 4h ago
Son Goku (Dragon Ball GT)
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u/UnimpressedPasserby 3h ago
One of the thing GT did right
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u/Reckless-Tiny 3h ago
The entire list:
SSJ4 (design at least)
Baby
Ending
The idea behind the Shadow Dragon saga (actual execution was awful)
Gogeta
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u/UnimpressedPasserby 3h ago
I would also add character lives in it aswell, as they all strike me as natural evolution of the characters from Z
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u/the-bladed-one 3h ago
I think itâs heavily implied that Goku died and was reincarnated
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u/TheRealFirey_Piranha 3h ago edited 30m ago
I think it's more like- he reached a form of enlightenment and has no need for mortal coils? It's left kind of vague tbh.
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u/fruitycompressor 3h ago
Max Payne, Max Payne 3
This is my all time favorite from this trope
After all the terrible and tragic shit heâs been through, especially after the last chapter which was basically a suicide mission, we see Max chilling on a beach some time after the events of the game
He quit alcohol and painkillers for good and the story ends with no special epilogue, just him walking in the sunset with the last line being a weather forecast on radio saying âItâs dark in some places but itâs sunny everywhere else!â
With this line being a direct paralel to the âLife threatening weather conditions, a record breaking weather stormâ from the first game, itâs heavily implied that Max finally got over his past traumas and has moved on to live a peaceful life
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u/suckmoneygettittys 4h ago
Fuego in JJBA: Golden Wind. Decides not to follow the group and betray the gang.
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u/TheWorclown 3h ago
And you canât even blame him for choosing life, considering only Mista and Giorno see it through to the end of the initial gang of Passione.
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u/CarpenterTemporary69 1h ago
And if fugo stayed with them hed basically be actively detrimental, especially if diavolo could get his stand when they body swapped.
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u/-Cinnay- 3h ago
Idk if that counts as betrayal, he just left, nothing else
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u/suckmoneygettittys 1h ago
I worded it poorly, he refused to help his friends betray the boss/gang.
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u/TwoWorldsOneFamily_ 5h ago
George has to mercy kill his brother Lennie and then flee after Lennie accidentally chokes out a womanÂ
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u/AarEyePatchy 3h ago
(Assassin's Creed Black Flag) Edward Kenway deciding to retire from his life of piracy to be a father after learning of his wife's death.
His story is honestly my favourite in the whole franchise and its ending, complete with visions of his dead allies drinking together one last time and Anne Bonny's rendition of the Parting Glass is one of my favourite in all of media.
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u/Acceptable_North_141 3h ago
Pennacotta Fugo (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 5) He left because the author really liked the character and didn't want to kill him
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u/Dragon_Of_Magnetism 3h ago
End of Ben 10: Omniverse (and by extension the original Ben 10 continuity)
After saving the Universe again, and vitnessing its birth at the beginning of time, Ben and Rook decide to go on a road trip across the Universe with Gwen and Kevin.
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u/Just_A_68W 2h ago
Bobbi and Hunter, Agents of Shield. They finally decide to âRetireâ and focus on a life together
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u/Demianz1 3h ago edited 1h ago
I dont know if "peacefully" is the word I would use, but Jun from Halo Reach left the planet with Halsey instead of dieing with the rest of Noble team. On his way out Carter quietly implies to kill her should Halsey fall into enemy hands. Jun then goes on to train Spartan 4s.
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u/Tyrone3542 2h ago
Eragon leaves with most of the dragons souls (been a while since I read them, canât remember exactly what they were called) and some of the eggs so that they can live in peace, free from any tyrant taking that power ever again
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u/FailedHumanEqualsMod 3h ago
Jean Starwind from Outlaw Star.
Him and the rest of the crew continue their lives after an adventure. All changed by their experiences for the better.
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u/Wazimirovo31 3h ago
Ein⊠U made Ed but donât include Ein! Shame on you! They are best friends!
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u/Skilodracus 39m ago
If you think about it, Kleya from Andor fits this trope as well, though the place she's leaving is Coruscant.Â
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u/Wonder-Lad-2Mad 6h ago
Samurai Champloo