Could Have Avoided This Plot: Difference between revisions

Line 10:

Sometimes, [[The Call Has Bad Reception|when a call has bad reception]], this can make a would be hero fall right into this trap. [[Let's You and Him Fight]] stories often have this flaw.

A common symptom of [[Chronic Backstabbing Disorder]] and holding the [[Idiot Ball]]<ref>If everybody involved gets up to this, you probably have an [[Idiot Plot]]</ref>.

A common symptom of [[Chronic Backstabbing Disorder]] and holding the [[Idiot Ball]].<ref>If everybody involved gets up to this, you probably have an [[Idiot Plot]]</ref>

Compare [[Dramatically Missing the Point]].

Line 19:

* In ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Abridged Series|Yu-Gi-Oh the Abridged Series]]'', Yami rants to Pegasus about all the unnecessary death, expense and pointless angst he's caused by setting up the Duelist Kingdom tournament to try and cheat Yugi out of the Millennium Puzzle. "Did you ever consider just ''asking'' me for it? I mean, do you have ''any idea'' how much time and money you've wasted with this whole façade? People have ''died'' because ''you'' wanted a ''necklace!'' I killed a gay clown for Ra's sake!"

** It's true, too. "Hi, I'm a filthy rich business mogul with an interest in Egyptian artifacts. How would you like living like a king and never having to work again in your entire life?" "But... Grandpa..." "You can share. Disgustingly large sums of money are nice like that."

** It helps that, in the original Japanese version, it had nothing to do with the ~~puzzle--he~~ just had to beat Yugi to get some executives on his side ([[It Makes Sense in Context|don't ask]]). Of course, there was still no need for the soul stealing and the giant tournament.

** It helps that, in the original Japanese version, it had nothing to do with the puzzle—he just had to beat Yugi to get some executives on his side ([[It Makes Sense in Context|don't ask]]). Of course, there was still no need for the soul stealing and the giant tournament.

** It's also revealed that the Big Five wanted to take over Kaiba Corp and merge with Industrial Illusions, and the condition for the merger was Pegasus being able to defeat Yugi, who had defeated Kaiba, and thus help mitigate the blow to KaibaCorp's reputation.

*** This would have made the proceeding [[Filler Arc~~|Filler Arcs~~]] make more sense.

*** This would have made the proceeding [[Filler Arc]]s make more sense.

*** The German dub points this out several times. Kaiba his brother and Pegasus mention it often to Yugi. Never seen other dubs so cant say how different the schenes are.

** In the ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh! GX]]'' manga, Chronos threatens Sho with expulsion for getting a 0 on a test, having him to duel Judai to stay (with Judai losing his deck if he loses). After Judai wins, Midori Hibiki reports that Chronos read a provisional report, and that Sho got a high score, only having it counted as a 0 for the preliminary report because he didn't write his name. Then again, given that Chronos is a [[Sadist Teacher]] with a grudge against Judai, it's possible he never cared if the report was accurate.

Line 41:

* ''[[Letter Bee]]'': In the "Letter to Jiggy Pepper" arc, a girl named Nelly and her brother were once friends with Jiggy Pepper before he left town to become a Letter Bee. Nello, dying of a disease, wrote a letter to Jiggy and confessed to being "so angry," which Nelly believed meant that he was angry with Jiggy Pepper, and caused her to steal Lag's crossing pass in order to deliver Nello's letter herself. It turns out that Nello was angry with himself for not being able to get better so that he could protect his sister, he encouraged Jiggy to follow his dreams, and Jiggy left to finance building a church in the village.

* '''So much''' could have been avoided in ''[[Code Geass]]'' {{spoiler|had Lelouch been truthful to Suzaku about his Geass going out of control while joking to Euphie during their bugged-by-Schneizel conversation towards the end of R2.}} Or EVEN EARLIER if he didn't have such a morbid sense of humor.

** 1): Who would ever believe {{spoiler|"I accidentally forced my half-sister to commit genocide"}}? And 2): For most of the first season, Lelouch didn't know Suzaku was the one piloting the Lancelot, so he didn't really have any reason to try to get him on his side other than their ~~friendship--and~~ Lelouch has a habit of trying to keep his friends out of the war, rather than recruiting them. Still, if he had taken off his mask when he first saved Suzaku from being executed, the series would definitely look a lot different.

** 1): Who would ever believe {{spoiler|"I accidentally forced my half-sister to commit genocide"}}? And 2): For most of the first season, Lelouch didn't know Suzaku was the one piloting the Lancelot, so he didn't really have any reason to try to get him on his side other than their friendship—and Lelouch has a habit of trying to keep his friends out of the war, rather than recruiting them. Still, if he had taken off his mask when he first saved Suzaku from being executed, the series would definitely look a lot different.

** Really, a lot of things could have been avoided in Code Geass. Poor Lulu, [[Diabolus Ex Machina|the whole universe was just out to get him.]]

* The Doom Tree arc in ''[[Sailor Moon]]''. Ail and An are [[Anti-Villain|not really evil]], they are just [[Last of His Kind|the last of their species]] trying to survive. If only they, you know, asked the Sailor Senshi to strike some mutually acceptable agreement about energy instead of forcefully draining it from random people... Granted, we eventually find out that there was [[Freudian Excuse|a reason]] they acted that way.

* ''[[Naruto]]'': If [[Memetic Badass|Aoba]] didn't open that door and scream into Sasuke's face that [[Aloof Older Brother|Itachi]] came back to Konoha, Sasuke's [[Roaring Rampage of Revenge]] wouldn't have been triggered and he may have never left Konoha.

** {{spoiler|The entire debacle with the Uchiha Clan's massacre could likely have been avoided if ''anyone'' had listened to the Third Hokage when he tried to negotiate a peaceful solution. However, Danzo's rampant paranoia and the unyielding arrogance of the Uchiha ringleaders over a quasi-imagined slight meant that any diplomatic solution was rendered impossible and Itachi was forced to kill the entire clan to prevent a civil war. Itachi arguably screwed the pooch in regards to his [[Gambit Roulette]] regarding Sasuke, too; if Itachi hadn't been so dedicated to [[Suicide by Cop]] and ''forcing'' the role of hero on his little brother, it's likely Sasuke wouldn't be a raving, genocidal lunatic today. To be fair, some fans suspect Tobi sabotaged both of these plans to use Sasuke and his father (the coup's ringleader) as [[Unwitting Pawn~~|Unwitting Pawns~~]].}}

** {{spoiler|The entire debacle with the Uchiha Clan's massacre could likely have been avoided if ''anyone'' had listened to the Third Hokage when he tried to negotiate a peaceful solution. However, Danzo's rampant paranoia and the unyielding arrogance of the Uchiha ringleaders over a quasi-imagined slight meant that any diplomatic solution was rendered impossible and Itachi was forced to kill the entire clan to prevent a civil war. Itachi arguably screwed the pooch in regards to his [[Gambit Roulette]] regarding Sasuke, too; if Itachi hadn't been so dedicated to [[Suicide by Cop]] and ''forcing'' the role of hero on his little brother, it's likely Sasuke wouldn't be a raving, genocidal lunatic today. To be fair, some fans suspect Tobi sabotaged both of these plans to use Sasuke and his father (the coup's ringleader) as [[Unwitting Pawn]]s.}}

* That moment in ''[[Gundam Wing]]'' where the entire plot could have been averted by the peaceful coalition of Alliance generals negotiating with the Colonies...if {{spoiler|Treize hadn't tricked the pilots into blowing them up.}}

* This trope is present in ''[[Fullmetal Alchemist (manga)|Fullmetal Alchemist]]''. Had the unnamed Alchemist of {{spoiler|Xerxes}} never created the {{spoiler|Dwarf in the Flask}} the series wouldn't {{spoiler|even have a [[Big Bad]]}}! Also done from the villain's perspective. See the Fullmetal Alchemist entry on [[Nice Job Fixing It, Villain]].

Line 89:

* Author [[Matt Stover]] presents an interesting twist on this one in ''[[The Acts of Caine|Blade of Tyshalle]]''. In the book's prologue, protagonists Kris Hansen and Hari Michaelson plot to get Hari out of Magic School and into Battle School. Their plan hinges on getting Hari to demonstrate his fighting prowess by "saving" Kris from a rival, crippling him in the process. Afterward, the head teacher tells them their plan has succeeded, but laments that another person's dream was crushed so that they could have theirs, adding plaintively "Couldn't you have asked?"

** It's played also as a sort of "[[What the Hell, Hero?]]" moment. The dean who has been depicted as an antagonist jerk is completely at the end of his rope, almost in tears because whatever else he is he is a teacher who cares for his students.

* In ''Queen Zixi of Ix'' (by L. Frank Baum, the author of the Oz series), the title character is a [[Vain Sorceress]] who attempts to steal a magical cloak that will grant one wish to each person who wears it. In the end, when her schemes are discovered, the cloak's owners tell her that they would have been willing to let her borrow the cloak and make her one wish, so she had no need to resort to theft. However, this incident convinces the fairies who made the cloak that humanity is no longer worthy of such a gift, and they take it ~~back--so~~ Zixi still never gets to have her wish granted.

* In ''Queen Zixi of Ix'' (by L. Frank Baum, the author of the Oz series), the title character is a [[Vain Sorceress]] who attempts to steal a magical cloak that will grant one wish to each person who wears it. In the end, when her schemes are discovered, the cloak's owners tell her that they would have been willing to let her borrow the cloak and make her one wish, so she had no need to resort to theft. However, this incident convinces the fairies who made the cloak that humanity is no longer worthy of such a gift, and they take it back—so Zixi still never gets to have her wish granted.

* In the short story ''The Necklace'' a woman asks her friend to borrow a necklace for a party to make herself stand out. Her friend gives it to her but after the party the woman loses the necklace. Rather then tell her friend the truth, she replaces it with a similar but very expensive one and she and her husband work themselves into poverty trying to pay it off. When she see her friend against, its ''then'' she reveals the truth to her... {{spoiler|[[Shoot the Shaggy Dog|only to be told the necklace that was loaned to her was a cheap imitation that was hardly worth anything.]]}}

* [[Harry Harrison]]'s novel ''Invasion: Earth'' describes Earth's [[First Contact]] with two alien races. One of them, pale-white [[Human Aliens]], claim they arrive in peace to protect Earth against their enemies, who are bent on conquering the planet and taking its resources. They set up powerful weapons in Antarctica but require large quantities of radioactive materials to power them, which the grateful Earth governments supply them. When the US and USSR start to suspect their new "friends" may not be telling the truth (like when two major cities get wiped out with [[Neutron Bomb~~|Neutron Bombs~~]]), they send a mission to the Moon, where the main characters communicate with the other aliens ([[Star Wars|Wookie]]-like beasts), who claim the first aliens are the evil ones. The end result is that the Earth governments are supplying the humanoid aliens with resources to maintain the ruse of cooperation while also supplying resources to their enemies for help in liberating Earth. It turns out that {{spoiler|both alien races are working together to trick humans out of their resources, which they need to power their ships. After kicking out the aliens, one of the main characters wonders why the aliens didn't simply ask for help while offering their technology in return. She also condemns the military for striking back at the aliens instead of offering help, which would carry more weight if they weren't responsible for millions dying in the most horrific way}}.

* [[Harry Harrison]]'s novel ''Invasion: Earth'' describes Earth's [[First Contact]] with two alien races. One of them, pale-white [[Human Aliens]], claim they arrive in peace to protect Earth against their enemies, who are bent on conquering the planet and taking its resources. They set up powerful weapons in Antarctica but require large quantities of radioactive materials to power them, which the grateful Earth governments supply them. When the US and USSR start to suspect their new "friends" may not be telling the truth (like when two major cities get wiped out with [[Neutron Bomb]]s), they send a mission to the Moon, where the main characters communicate with the other aliens ([[Star Wars|Wookie]]-like beasts), who claim the first aliens are the evil ones. The end result is that the Earth governments are supplying the humanoid aliens with resources to maintain the ruse of cooperation while also supplying resources to their enemies for help in liberating Earth. It turns out that {{spoiler|both alien races are working together to trick humans out of their resources, which they need to power their ships. After kicking out the aliens, one of the main characters wonders why the aliens didn't simply ask for help while offering their technology in return. She also condemns the military for striking back at the aliens instead of offering help, which would carry more weight if they weren't responsible for millions dying in the most horrific way}}.

* In the [[Dale Brown]] novel ''Shadows of Steel'' [[Big Bad]] Buzhazi is told that he could have avoided getting into trouble with the US had he only {{spoiler|destroyed their spy ship but let the crew be, since the US would have swallowed the destruction of the ship in exchange for not letting the truth about it out.}}

* The [[Tales of the Otori]] series ends with a fairly spectacular disaster that was considerably worsened by {{spoiler|Takeo not telling Kaede that he had gotten another woman pregnant when he left her and thought they would never see each other again.}} It is worth noting that there were ''sixteen years'' during which this information could have been imparted, but every time he considered telling her he kept putting it off. He does, at least, fully acknowledge how stupid he's been, but by then it's too late to solve the problem.

Line 124:

* In ''[[Chrono Trigger]]'', {{spoiler|Magus' goal is to summon and destroy Lavos, the [[Eldritch Abomination]] who he blames for corrupting his mother and tearing his family apart. In the process, he becomes leader of an army of magical beings waging war against humanity. The heroes, who also want Lavos destroyed, break into Magus' fortress and screw up the summoning ritual because they've been led to believe (quite reasonably, given the circumstances) that Magus created Lavos as a weapon. He becomes an optional party member at a later point in the game, if you manage to settle your differences with him.}}

* In the final case of [[Ace Attorney]] ''Trials & Tribulations'', Godot admits to [[Phoenix Wright]] that {{spoiler|if he had warned Wright about the plot to kill Maya from the get-go, they would have avoided all of the drama, to say nothing of the death of Maya's mother. He even admits that he cared more about proving himself to his dead lover, Wright's mentor and Maya's sister Mia, than he did about Maya herself. He basically set up the whole scheme as a way to make up for sleeping through her death due to being in a coma.}}

* [[Batman: Arkham City]] has a confrontation between [[Batman]] and Mister Freeze that was totally unnecessary, and caused largely by the latter trying to ''order'' Bats to do something he would probably do willingly if ''asked'', and the former deciding to jeopardise a potential alliance and risk his own life rather than just swallow his pride for a short while. However, since many people consider the ensuing confrontation to be one of the best [[Boss Fight~~|Boss Fights~~]] in video game history, [[Rule of Cool|their stupidity can be forgiven.]]

* [[Batman: Arkham City]] has a confrontation between [[Batman]] and Mister Freeze that was totally unnecessary, and caused largely by the latter trying to ''order'' Bats to do something he would probably do willingly if ''asked'', and the former deciding to jeopardise a potential alliance and risk his own life rather than just swallow his pride for a short while. However, since many people consider the ensuing confrontation to be one of the best [[Boss Fight]]s in video game history, [[Rule of Cool|their stupidity can be forgiven.]]

* In ''[[Assassin's Creed Revelations]]'', Tarik Barleti, the captain of the Sultan's bodyguards, agrees to smuggle weapons on behalf of the Templars so he can learn the location of their hideout and ambush them. The Sultan's grandson Suleiman, unaware of his intentions, suspects him of betraying the Ottoman Empire and orders Ezio to assassinate him. Tarik laments his own hubris with his final words, and Suleiman, upon learning the truth, expresses regret that he was so secretive and chose a terrible way of doing a good thing.

* The [[Mass Effect]] 'verse has a centuries-long war being fought between [[Woobie Species|the]] [[Subverted Trope|quarians]] and [[AI Is a Crapshoot|the]] [[Subverted Trope|geth]], because the quarians saw the geth becoming self-aware and tried to destroy them, but lost the war and got driven off their planet. It turns out that {{spoiler|the geth only fought back in self-defence and allowed the quarians to flee when they could have easily wiped them out, actually want peace with the quarians, have been preserving the eco-system of the quarian world and would have happily given them their planet back if they had asked.}} Instead, the widespread (though still understandable) bigotry of the quarians in general, and the blind hatred of one [[General Ripper|individual quarian]] will get one of the species completely wiped out unless [[Player Character|Shepard]] does literally everything right in his/her interactions with both species.