Inferred Survival: Difference between revisions

Perhaps the [[Ensemble Darkhorse|popular]] [[Anti-Hero]] was [[Left for Dead]] in a [[Heroic Sacrifice]] [[No One Could Survive That|that no one could survive]], but since they [[Never Found the Body]], and he already had a penchant for [[Faking the Dead]], their survival [[Sorting Algorithm of Deadness|isn't so far fetched.]]

 

 

See also the [[Wild Mass Guessing]] [[Sorting Algorithm of Deadness/WMG|Sorting Algorithm of Deadness]] for the odds of some characters returning.

 

== Anime and Manga ==

* {{spoiler|Lelouch}} from ''[[Code Geass]]''. Immortality does exist in universe, and he had time to plan for what eventually happened to him, so it is possible. [[Word of God]] came and denied it, although [[Lying Creator|this particular God]] has lied about who's dead before...

** Actually, [[Alternate Ending]] proves [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Sc1cSx7iWo it was the original plan]. Then the ending was edited to ''ambiguous'', and [[Word of God]] nailed the coffin. It's also probably the only way Nunnally's memory flash makes sense (hypothesis explained [http://www.bfmracing.net/forums/index.php?topic=32410.0 here]).

* ''[[One Piece]]'': Zoro's childhood Kuina was supposed to have died (and in the manga, we see the body), and now we have [[Identical Stranger]] Tashigi. This trope wouldn't come up if it weren't for how ''One Piece'' is a [[World of Ham]] where {{spoiler|women can hold babies in their bodies for 20 months}}, states again and again that [[Power of Friendship|true friendship never ends]], and that Zoro working on their promise alone [[Broken Aesop|isn't thematically consistent with "No one is alone at sea."]] Though, [[Word of God]] has shot down that Tashigi and Kuina are the same person/even remotely related to one another and that it's just complete coincidence. Still, in the world of [[One Piece]], anything can happen.

** This trope applies to a LOT of ''[[Bleach]]'' characters. Szayel (although admittedly, he wishes that wasn't the case), Afrocar, {{spoiler|Hiyori (thank you [[Reality Warper|reality warpers!]]), and Hinamori (she was still talking, I'm not in denial!)}}.

** Similarly, {{spoiler|Harribel}} was taken out with a stab through the shoulder and a slash to the stomach. No offense to her attacker, but we've seen it takes '''''a lot''''' more than that to kill Arrancar significantly lower on the totem pole.

** Harribel has been confirmed to survive, no real word on Grimmjow though one way or the other.

* 4Kids loves applying this trope in their dubs, even when in the original Japanese version it is blatantly obvious that the character died.

* Despite how most chose to [[Kill Them All|interpret]] the ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion|End Of Evangelion]]'' {{spoiler|ends with this, as narration make clear anyone can regain their individuality if they want to}}.

* The fate of {{spoiler|Chrono}} in the epilogue of ''[[Chrono Crusade]]''. {{spoiler|He is shown to have survived the final battle with Aion, but was last seen seven years later at Rosette's death. His survival to the last point of the epilogue, sixty seven years later, is not proven. Still, ''somebody'' had to be leaving those flowers on Rosette's grave every year without ever being seen...}}

* Example from [[The DCU]]: Due to the ludicrous event regarding [[Women in Refrigerators|her death,]] and since she was simply left for dead in a hospital, this is what some like to think happened to Dr. Light.

** ...and lo and behold, a couple years later, an arc of ''[[Justice League of America]]'' confirmed that she survived.

** Apparently the characters in ''X-Men'' are pretty [[Genre Savvy]], since her tombstone reads: Jean Grey-Summers: She Will Rise Again.

** It's gotten to the point where they're barely phased at all by dying anymore. One of Cyclops's plans began with "Step 1: Die. Step 2: Come back to life," and works flawlessly. Another character remarked that Mutant Heaven doesn't have pearly gates, but a revolving door.

* Corsair was one of the victims of the "Rise and Fall of the Shi'ar Empire" arc, but unlike the various people who suffer deaths that are ''far'' more gruesome than X-Men's normal (though not to [[Gorn]] levels) his corpse was very non-brutalized. He was then buried on a habitable but uninhabited planet. ''Hmm.''

 

** Shaak Ti is in the same situation. Her established history of cheating death (her death was intended to happen 2 or 3 times previously to this) doesn't hurt either.

** [[Star Wars Expanded Universe|K'kruhk]] is even worse. He later [[Lampshade Hanging|lampshades]] it:

'''K'kruhk:''' ''"I died so many times before... [[Healing Factor|at least]] [[Or So I Heard|that's what I heard]]."'' }}

* Spock's death in ''[[Star Trek]] II'' was made non-permanent by a tiny little mind-meld with an unconscious McCoy.

** {{spoiler|Data's}} death in ''[[Star Trek]] Nemesis'' was given an out by {{spoiler|dumping all of Data's memories into B-4}}.

 

 

== Literature ==

* {{spoiler|Sandor Clegane}} in ''[[A Song of Ice and Fire]]''. He is explicitly stated in ''A Feast for Crows'' to be dead and buried by the priest who found him dying. Clues within the chapter in question suggest otherwise to such an extent that his survival is widely accepted among readers.

** {{spoiler|Gregor Clegane}} may count as well, for varying values of "alive."

* A couple of characters who vanished during a particularly bloody book in the ''[[New Jedi Order]]'' survived to be the maimed semi- and actual antagonists in the [[Dark Nest Trilogy]].

* Also a few characters in the [[X Wing Series|X-Wing series]], most notably {{spoiler|Lara}}.

 

 

== Tabletop Games ==

** [[Word of God]] has stated that characters will not be killed off as they were before, as not only does it upset the [[Status Quo Is God|state that the storyline has settled into]] and also make it a pain to knit together planned story arcs, people do genuinely get attached to characters and don't want to have them consigned to "historical battles". [[Crack is Cheaper|Oh, and it's silly to kill off characters you still make models for]].

 

== Live Action TV ==

* Almost any character on ''[[Lost]],'' but particularly Jin.

** There was a lot of speculation that {{spoiler|Juliet}} was still alive since {{spoiler|Desmond}} survived {{spoiler|an electromagnetic explosion}} in season 2. Leading many to believe {{spoiler|Juliet}} would just wake up in the jungle like he did.

* At this point, who still expects Daniel Jackson to stay dead in ''[[Stargate SG-1]]''? Not the characters, certainly. At one point, after Daniel's last known location was a replicator ship that they're ''certain'' exploded in space (and the audience sees him get stabbed in the chest for good measure), General O'Neill refuses to hold even a memorial service because he's [[Genre Savvy|expecting Jackson to pop into his office by the end of the day]].

* Not a literal example of there being a character's death, but Ronnie Gardocki's final fate in ''[[The Shield]]'''s series finale (betrayed by Vic and arrested/made into the Judas Goat for the Strike Team's crimes and being sent to prison, where death is the LEAST horrifying thing that could happen to him) had a built-in inferred survival escape clause, since Ronnie was aware of a TON of crimes that Vic Mackey OMITTED from his immunity deal with the Feds, which the Feds outright tell Vic that they would love to void in a heartbeat if they find out that he omitted ANYTHING from it.

* For a while, there was no solid proof that [[Kingdom Hearts|Zexion]] was dead, leading many fans to believe he was alive. Unfortunately, when they remade the game he died in, they removed the fade-to-black over his death scene. He's definitely dead now.

** In fact, given the nature of his death ({{spoiler|having his lifeforce absorbed by the Riku Replica, who then died in battle with the real Riku}}), it's possible that he's the only member of the group who's [[Deader Than Dead]]. The jury's still out on this one though.

 

 

== Western Animation ==

** Well it is a kids show. It's not suprising they don't want kids to die brutal deaths. The ambiguity is lampshaded when they attend a [[Show Within a Show]] play based on their adventures to date:

''Sokka:'' It's a bit unclear. }}

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Death Tropes]]