Shoot the Shaggy Dog/Anime and Manga: Difference between revisions

* During the last few episodes of ''[[Code Geass]]'' {{spoiler|Nunnally's apparent demise was one of the key reasons Lelouch started the [[Zero Approval Gambit|Zero Requiem]], [[Despair Event Horizon|feeling he has nothing left to live for]]. Guess who shows up to oppose him not long after he's in too deep to turn back?}}

** {{spoiler|Even though the end result is world peace, it comes at the expense of the destruction caused during the Zero Requiem, which, again, could have been averted had it not been for the above case. Not to mention that the resulting peace will not last more likely than not, and at the same time, Lelouch will still be dead, when he would be more useful alive as a leader.}}

** {{spoiler|Who then destroys Allen's left arm, punches a hole in his heart and leaves him for dead, because the arc just wasn't cruel enough as it was. Really, the only good things to come out of the arc is that Tincampy manages to escape with Suman's Innocence, and the destruction of Allen's arm eventually leads to him receiving a [[Shonen Upgrade]].}}

* ''[[Gilgamesh]]'' ends with the deaths of {{spoiler|the entire main cast against the villains, followed rapidly by all life on Earth getting wiped clean by a being who intended to reform the Earth afterwards, but is killed before it can recreate it.}}

* ''The Fox of Chironuppu.''

* ''[[Chirin no Suzu]]''.

* ''[[Kurokami]]'' ends with most of the cast dead and when everybody expects a happy life for the main protagonists, it's revealed that the curse is not lifted, and requires a sacrifice to save humanity which will nullify all the reasons why they were fighting. And even after that sacrifice, one genius concludes that it does not matter much since many other curses still exist so getting rid of one was not a big deal.

* ''[[Lost Universe]]'' pretty much ends this way depending on how you interpret the [[Cut Short]] ending was supposed to turn out. Protagonists die while fighting with the [[Big Bad]]. But too bad, there are a few baddies left and now there are no people who have the abilities to defeat them if they show up.

* While the overall series is not so grim, but the 18th episode of ''[[Scrapped Princess]]'' ends with {{spoiler|Furet}} getting killed in order to prevent Pacifica and the others from getting captured, only to have them get captured five minutes later anyway.

* ''[[Katanagatari]]'' combines a horrendous character mortality rate with an epilogue that states the [[Thanatos Gambit]] that caused everything seems to have had no effect whatsoever.

* ''[[Death Note (Manga)|Death Note]]'' in every adaptation sees the deaths of all major characters and many supporting ones, and leaves no implication that the world is a better place for any losses or sacrifices. If Ryuk's statement about [[Cessation of Existence]] is an [[Author Tract]], this can't be anything but a [[Shoot the Shaggy Dog]] story; negative gain for everyone would be the only possible outcome.

** To be fair there was one character who achieved all his goals and changed the world in the way he wanted - Near.

* The Impel Down/Marineford arc of [[One Piece (Manga)|One Piece]]. {{spoiler|Luffy breaks into the most secure prison in the world, makes grudging allegiances with SEVERAL old enemies in the process, undergoes incredible punishment and nearly dies from poisoning...all to save his brother Ace from being executed. It's said that he's sacrificing his lifespan again and again with near-constant uses of Gear Second, plus the treatment Ivankov gives him for the poisons. He then breaks OUT, makes it to the execution, reaches the platform against ALL odds with help from newfound friends, and ACTUALLY SUCCEEDS IN FREEING HIS BROTHER. After all that...it's some choice petty insults from Admiral Akainu that goad Ace into a fight when he and Luffy are about to escape, leading to Ace getting killed by taking a magma fist intended for Luffy. It's the first real time in One Piece where the protagonist DOESN'T accomplish his goal.}}

* ''[[Fate Zero]]'' ends like this, which shouldn't surprise anyone who is familiar with ''[[Fate Stay Night]]'', given that ''Zero'' is the prequel and [[Doomed By Canon|sets up the scenario]] for ''Stay Night'', but the details are [[Tear Jerker|heart wrenching]]. {{spoiler|At the end, Kiritsugu is forced to destroy the Grail which he had banked all his hopes on because it had become corrupted. His wife is dead, he will never see his daughter again, and [[Doomed Protagonist|he has only a few years to live]]. Sakura is still with the Matou. Saber still blames herself for the destruction of her kingdom. Worst of all, the villains all survive. The one ray of hope that keeps this from being the worst [[Downer Ending]] of all time is that Shirou has taken up Kiritsugu's ideal and will eventually make things better.}}