Memento MacGuffin



An object which is the embodiment or representation of the solid, happy relationship between two characters, or of an important memory or period in someone's life.

Sometimes it's as obvious as a piece of jewelry like an engagement/wedding ring, or a wedding video, or a photograph of a beloved, or a prized heirloom. It can also be a love note or just some small gift, such as a stuffed toy. It can even be a location, such as a childhood home or a favorite corner market, an old building imbued with poignant memories or an entire town. Such a memento can represent romantic partners, deep friendships, familial relationships or even esoteric connections. Whatever the item, and whatever the nature of the relationship, there is a symbolic yet very real form of Synchronization between the Memento MacGuffin and the relationship, and because of that, it tends to also be a Number One Dime.

These items tend to give a lot of exposition and, rather than being true MacGuffins, can play a central role in the plot. Unfortunately, they also tend to be rather luckless. On the other hand, if a character deliberately disposes of the item, it's because It's All Junk. Also, if the character acquires it through a very sad experience, it's a Tragic Keepsake that might be held during a Cradle of Loneliness.

If, however, a character's parents are conspicuous by their absence, or completely unknown, that "treasure" the character carts around with them is probably a specific type of Memento MacGuffin -- the Orphan's Plot Trinket. Expect it to be important.

Anime and Manga

 * Pictured above: The star-shaped music box in Sailor Moon -- a reminder of her link with Endymion.
 * In the early anime, we also have Minako/Venus's friend and Secret Keeper Katherina's locket.
 * Princess Mononoke, The crystal necklace Ashitaka gets from his sister as a (permanent) farewell gift. He gives it to San as a token of affection/remembrance. She later, but without serious consequences.
 * Hitomi's pendant in Vision of Escaflowne belonged to her oft-mentioned grandmother.
 * Yuri's blue pendant in Kyo Kara Maoh is a double whammy -- it was given to him by his godfather, Conrad (and, in a variant of Lost Wedding Ring, Yuri panics when he loses it); but Conrad was entrusted with it by Julia... The pendant therefore connects Yuri to two people (Conrad and Julia) and a memory
 * Masaru's dogtag belonged to his father, who gave it to him the day he left on the Digital World expedition. It symbolizes manhood (what else?) and serves as a reminder of the ideal Masaru is always chasing.
 * In Code Geass, Suzaku's pocketwatch (more accurately, his late father's pocketwatch), which symbolizes his being stuck in the past. When he leaves it behind during the first season's finale, it's supposed to signal the fans that the kid gloves are off.
 * He also keeps his pin(?) designating him as Euphemia's knight, holding it introspectively and brandishing it at others as a symbol from time to time (notably in R2 episode 17).
 * And Rolo's locket, which was given to him by Lelouch. It symbolizes... the er, "brotherly friendship" between him and Lelouch.
 * Tohru's picture of her mother in Fruits Basket -- she takes it everywhere, even addressing it as "Mom."
 * Sora from Mahou Tsukai ni Taisetsu na Koto ~Natsu no Sora~ always wears her late father's watch, even though it's way too large for her wrist.
 * Duel Monsters trading cards are frequently used to this effect in Yu-Gi-Oh. The first episode of the Duel Monsters anime revolves around Seto Kaiba forcibly wresting away Yugi's grandfather's Blue-Eyes White Dragon; he wouldn't sell it because it was a reminder of his friendship with Arthur Hopkins.
 * Of course, the Blue Eyes White Dragon card is a Memento MacGuffin (or Tragic Keepsake, depending on how you look at the situation) for Kaiba himself, which is part of the reason why he wanted it so badly in the first place...For Kaiba, it was a weapon for domination in the card game. Only in the case of the duel against Isis/Ishizu did it become a Memento MacGuffin.
 * Then there was Syrus/Sho's Power Bond card in Yu-Gi-Oh GX.
 * Clam shell in the anime of Witchblade.
 * In Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward carries around a silver pocket watch given to him when he joined the military. In the inside of the watch he engraved the date 10.Oct.3, the day he burnt down his home, to remind him he can never turn back.
 * In Ghost in The Shell Stand Alone Complex, the full cyborgs Batou and Major Katsunagi have mementos from their pre-cyborg days: Batou's exercise weights, and the Major's watch. The watch does double duty as a straight-up MacGuffin as well: the Major accidentally left the watch at her house on the day she had to go into hiding, so Batou risks capture to retrieve the watch for her.
 * In the manga Batou, is still mostly human aside from his eyes and right arm, so the weights do serve a practical purpose.
 * The sheet of song lyrics in Gravitation, the ones that Shuichi wrote and Yuki criticized. Presumably, Shuichi kept the original copy -- it reappears at a key point at the end of the anime.
 * Ryo's bed in FAKE - it belonged to his deceased parents. Don't think about this one too hard...
 * Ichika from Uta Kata keeps in a drawer, together with Manatsu's beloved soap bubble pipe.
 * The three magical jewels in Sorcerer Stabber Orphen, specially Cleao's sword. That one was a heirloom of the Everlasting family, and Cleao tags along with Orphen and Majik to make sure Orphen will give it a good use.
 * In Deadman Wonderland, Nagi has two of these: one is a locket that has a photo of his baby in it, the other is the scarf from his late wife that he ties around his waist. The locket is more plot important, however, as it is revealed.
 * In Madoka Magica, Homura's weapon of choice changes to
 * Rei's bracelet -- later given to Kira -- in Mars. To Rei, it signifies his time in America, and is a good luck charm. To Kira, it signifies the beginning of her "proper" relationship with Rei.
 * Both played straight and subverted in Neon Genesis Evangelion by Gendo's broken glasses. Rei keeps them in her room as a sign of connection and loyalty to him. In End of Evangelion, before, we see the glasses lying on her bedroom floor, smashed to pieces.
 * And then in Rebuild of Evangelion 2.22, we see her, symbolizing that their relationship has moved beyond a professional one. During the finale, she still has it despite having lost even her plugsuit.
 * The Duelist Rings (Rose Signets) in Revolutionary Girl Utena are worn by all duelists. Many episodes show a sequence from Utena's childhood, when she receives hers from Prince Dios.
 * Juri Arisugawa's locket may be seen as this or Tragic Keepsake, depending on whether you see it as a link to the happy days Juri shared with Shiori and the Nameless Boy, or as a reminder of Shiori's betrayal.
 * In the 2001 adaptation of Cyborg 009, Albert Heinrich keeps the ring belonging to his tragically lost fiancee Hilda on a chain around his neck. Eventually, it comes in handy when
 * Also, a man named Nicholas keeps a locket which is found between his clothes right after he's murdered in front of the Cyborgs.
 * In the first episode of the anime version of Get Backers, Natsumi hires Ban and Ginji to get back a stuffed toy cat that was given to her by her mother, who is now dead.
 * Shin's sister's mobile phone in Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny.
 * The stone of Hayate the Combat Butler. Though Hayate doesn't know of its significance for quite a while, he's given the King's Jewel/Stone of Bonds by Mikado, it reminds Mikado of his daughter, who appears to be the original one who found the stones (she's dead and he seems to want her brought back). It's called the Stone of Bonds by Maria and Nagi, and it reminds Nagi of her bond with Hayate. Eventually Mikado decides it's useful as a mark of inheritance for the Sanzenin fortune.
 * It's also a stone that . Multiple uses for a single item that didn't seem particularly noteworthy at first. Oh, and
 * Luffy's straw hat. Some of the Straw Hats also have one. Zoro has Kuina's sword, which doubles as a Tragic Keepsake. Nami has the tangerine trees that her mother Bellemere used to plant. Chopper has the hat that he always wears, given to him by Dr Hiluluk.
 * Goku's Four-Star-Dragonball. It's one of the few things he has to remember his (adoptive) grandfather by.
 * The key Chiyoko gets from the fugitive artist in Millennium Actress.
 * In Future GPX Cyber Formula, Asuka wears her pendant, which contains a photo of her brother who ran away from home 5 years prior to the storyline of the main series.
 * In Maiden Rose, Klaus keeps a textbook which Taki had written "thank you" in back in their Luckenwalde days and has it with him during a mission. It ends up saving his life by slowing down the bullets he takes.
 * Pokémon: Ash received a few gifts over the series, coming from some of the friends that he's traveled with over the years only to go on their separate journeys. A handkerchief and a custom fishing lure from Misty, one-half of a Contest Ribbon and a Teddiursa carving from May, and a broken Pokeball from Gary. Brock also had a present to give, some cutlery, but since he went on to become the one with the currently longest travelling time with Ash, it was kinda moot, and these silver were never heard from again. Dawn, meanwhile, has a Ribbon she received from her mother as a good luck charm.
 * Barnaby from Tiger and Bunny has a burnt sash that he acquired when . Supplimental materials say that he keeps it in his company locker as a good luck charm. Karina also has a memento from Kotetsu -- a towel he got her to replace the one he accidentally ruined.
 * Rurouni Kenshin - the hairpin Tomoe got as a betrothal gift from . When   is seen with it, it cements his identity as.

Film

 * William Wallace's ceremonial cloth in Braveheart.
 * Iron Man The Movie features his prototype Arc Reactor (originally used to power a medical device keeping his heart healthy) which he wanted to throw away, but his assistant instead puts it in a cute little case, as "Proof that Tony Stark Has A Heart".
 * From the Star Wars prequel trilogy, the japor snippet Anakin gave to Padmé.
 * The Spirit movie features this, with the locket given to Sand Saref.
 * The Evenstar in the The Lord of the Rings movies.
 * "Rosebud", in Citizen Kane.
 * The Watch in Pulp Fiction.
 * The titular character of Hancock woke up in a hospital with no memories and no possessions except some gum and two movie tickets quite some time before the start of the movie. He treasures these items, as they're his only connection to the past he can't remember.
 * The Big Bad of Pans Labyrinth has his father's pocketwatch, which he wishes to pass on to his own son.
 * Cobb in Inception uses a top as a totem,.
 * The locket that belonged to Joe's mother in Super 8.
 * The compass containing a picture of Peggy Carter in Captain America the First Avenger, which plays a role in two scenes.

Literature
"But at the urgent entreaty of the princess of Khosala, who loved Bhunda Chand vainly, he gave her a lock of his long black hair as a token of remembrance."
 * In Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, 's locket, which Harry carried with him "as a reminder of what it had cost and what remained still to do."
 * Some rather useful objects are also Memento MacGuffins for Harry, such as his Invisibility Cloak, and several Memento MacGuffins end up being useful, like the shard of the broken Two-way mirror.
 * The town of Godric's Hollow was one for Harry and possibly Voldemort and Dumbledore as well.
 * And apparently even Snape is sentimental enough to hang onto a page of a letter just because  The letter wasn't even addressed to him.
 * Vimes's silver cigar case in Night Watch.
 * The mansion Manderly, in Daphne de Maurier's Rebecca, fits this -- it alternates between being the main character's haven and being a grim shrine to the dead Rebecca, giving it a dual identity as a Memento MacGuffin and a really big Artifact of Doom.
 * In JRR Tolkien's Middle-earth stories (The Silmarillion, The Lord of the Rings) there often appear (new or old, or ancient) gifts and heirlooms, some of them important to the plot and some not. One example is the Ring of Barahir, owned by Aragorn at the time of the LotR, which by then is the most ancient artifact known to be kept by humans, being at least over six thousand years old. It was passed through generations of Numenorean kings and lords and Northern Dunedain kings, but was originally gifted to Barahir by the elf Finrod as a symbol of friendship and loyalty for saving his life.
 * In Edgar Rice Burroughs's Thuvia, Maid of Mars, Carthoris finds a hair ornament, with the insignia of Thuvia's house -- and unfortunately, blood. He instantly adds it to his own harness before going in search.
 * In Bones of Faerie the that is given to her by Caleb.
 * In Taran Wanderer, the third book of the Prydain Chronicles, Taran doesn't want to give up the sword he carries because Princess Eilonwy was the one to gird it on him.
 * Snidely subverted in Monstrous Regiment, in which a character's lover asked for a token of her affection, offering to have the village smith break it in half so they can each keep part of it, to re-join when he comes back from the war. She gave him a sixpence to take to the smith's, and he ran off with it and never came back.
 * Sayuri from Memoirs of a Geisha kept the handkerchief that the Chairman had given her when they first met when she was twelve years old. And when she became a geisha, she would carry it with her for good luck.
 * In Robert A. Heinlein's Have Space Suit Will Travel, Kip receives a "happy thing" (a stone containing a feeling of love, just for him) from his alien mentor. It serves as proof for his interstellar adventure.
 * In Robert E Howard's Conan the Barbarian story "The People of the Black Circle", the necromancers use one to get ahold of the king's hair to murder him.

Live Action TV

 * Mary's golden M on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, which represents home and stability to her. It's the first thing she unpacks in her new apartment when she moves.
 * The toy plane on Lost. It belonged to Kate's first love, whom she got killed during an escape from the police. Kate robbed a bank and shot her three co-conspirators to get it from a safe-deposit box.
 * The titular character in Bones has a small glass dolphin trinket to remind her of her father, and she gets upset when she loses an earring that belonged to her deceased mother.
 * The amulet that Dean always wears on Supernatural. A flashback in the third season episode "A Very Supernatural Christmas" shows that Sam originally got the amulet to give to the boys' father. When John, who has left the boys alone in a motel room again, doesn't show up for Christmas, Sam gives the amulet to Dean instead. When Dean comes back from Hell at the beginning of the fourth season, Sam (who has been wearing the amulet the whole time Dean was dead) gives it back to him. While the amulet seems to do nothing but serve as a symbol of the brothers' close relationship, in the fifth season it is revealed that
 * Until "The Dark Side Of The Moon", of course. Castiel  Because this isn't a despairing show at all.
 * In the Japanese drama Shokojo Sera based on A Little Princess, Seira gave her father a necklace before he leaves, telling him he must keep it on at all times. For her sixteenth birthday, her father would send a similar looking necklace for her. And after he died, she lost her birthday necklace to Director Chieko and her father's necklace was returned to her as proof of his death, becoming a Tragic Keepsake.
 * In Kamen Rider Ryuki, Ren/Kamen Rider Knight wears a necklace with two promise rings around his neck to remind him what he's fighting for:.

Music

 * The token in the "broken token" ballads, as parodied in Monstrous Regiment, above.

Theatre

 * In The Golden Apple, Penelope spends the years waiting for her husband's return by constructing a patchwork quilt out of bits of fabric symbolizing their married life.

Video Games

 * Dante and Vergil's amulets in Devil May Cry, which ; in the original game, Dante discovers
 * In Kingdom Hearts, at the beginning of the first game, Kairi talks about a lucky charm she's making from seashells. Later in the game, she gives the finished charm to Sora as a memento. However, the Oathkeeper is a little different from your typical Memento MacGuffin in that it also has a practical purpose; it's one of Sora's best weapons throughout the series.
 * The Clefairy doll from the Pokémon series. Your hero buys a doll in generation one and gives it to Copycat in exchange for some random TM. The next generation, three years later, has her freak when she can't find her special doll, so you have to go find it.
 * The Memento Ring in Final Fantasy VI is the source of many Epileptic Trees. It's described as a memento of Relm's family. So naturally, Relm can equip it. Except Shadow can too. Other in-game cutscenes make it pretty clear that, yes, Shadow is Relm's father... so why the hell can Gogo equip it?
 * Perhaps s/he mimics being a member of Relm's family? Or maybe s/he's some long-lost relative?
 * The pendant from Chrono Trigger goes through several stages as a memento, aside from literally being a MacGuffin. At first it's just a family heirloom belonging to Marle, but Crono holds onto it after she disappears and continues to do so when she's rescued. Later, after, Marle takes it back as a memento from Crono. Interestingly, never seems to think of it as its original status as a memento of.
 * A similar pendant (maybe even the same one) plays an important role in Chrono Cross, allowing the protagonist's team to travel between dimensions.
 * A Tear Jerker of this trope occurs in Breath of Fire IV with . What makes this a real Tear Jerker is that
 * In The Longest Journey, April receives a stopped watch from Brian Westhouse, who claims to have received it from the Cool Old Guy Cortez and that it represents "Cortez's heart". After she rewinds it, it helps her get back to her world.
 * Link gets a fishing pole very early in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. It seems like it's nothing more than a gesture of affection from Colin, whom he treats like his adopted little brother, but it comes in handy more than once during the plot. It can even be used to distract the Big Bad during the final battle, in keeping with Zelda tradition.
 * Professor Layton's
 * In Persona 3 and Persona 4 when maxing out a social link you receive an item of some importance to the character you maxed out the link with. It's needed in order to prove to Igor that you can fuse the strongest Persona for the arcana of the link in question.
 * Tales of Symphonia: Kratos' locket, witch contains a picture of
 * A golden orb and Bianca's ribbon in Dragon Quest V, both being memento of ghost hunting and saving a sabrecat from being bullied. You lose the former, but you keep and need the later to recruit one character:
 * Alpha Protocol: Sis's locket is a childhood memento. If you spare her after the boss fight, she gives it to you, symbolically letting go of her childhood, which probably wasn't a bed of roses...
 * Sir Francis Drake's ring in Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception,
 * Final Fantasy Tactics: The "reed flute" is more of a skill (the ability to turn a leaf or blade of grass into an instrument) than an actual momento, but it's something that binds Ramza and Delita both to each other and happier days. (Ramza also bonds with Princess Ovelia when she reveals that Alma had taught it to her.)
 * Final Fantasy Tactics: The "reed flute" is more of a skill (the ability to turn a leaf or blade of grass into an instrument) than an actual momento, but it's something that binds Ramza and Delita both to each other and happier days. (Ramza also bonds with Princess Ovelia when she reveals that Alma had taught it to her.)

Visual Novels

 * Kohaku's ribbon in Tsukihime. Bad things happen when Shiki falls for the Twin Switch and gives it to Hisui instead of her.
 * pendant in Fate Stay Night. He gives it back to her early in the story and Shirou uncovers it, but does not realize its significance.
 * Also Sakura's hair ribbon, which was actually.

Webcomics

 * Antimony from Gunnerkrigg Court has a pendant of the alchemical symbol for antimony on a necklace, and a photo of her parents as children. Both have prompted revelations about characters: Reynardine spoke his only unambiguously sincere line upon seeing the necklace, and Annie only has the photo
 * The ring in Girl Genius. It even convinces Zeetha that Gil's determination to drag Agatha back to his father is based on real fear that she's the Other.

Western Animation

 * Avatar: The Last Airbender: Katara's necklace, which belonged to her grandmother.
 * Also, Zuko's knife, which his uncle gave him and has the words "Never give up without a fight" on it.
 * Barbie and The Diamond Castle: Liana and Alexa make necklaces from two heart-shaped stones, to represent their friendship, unaware that these stones are actually diamonds from the magical Diamond Castle. After the two have a fight midway through the movie, Alexa takes off her necklace, and becomes susceptible to the villain's magic. Later, Liana replaces the necklace and is able to undo the villain's spell by chanting a friendship mantra they made up earlier while wearing the necklaces.
 * The treestar in The Land Before Time is Littlefoot's memento of his mother.