Survivor Guilt: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

{{quote|''There's a grief that can't be spoken.<br />

''Now my friends are dead and gone...''|'''Marius''', '''''[[Les Misérables]]'''''}}

 

 

Can also lead to the victim becoming a [[Death Seeker]]. May cause [[Bad Dreams]], [[Drowning My Sorrows]], and various other ways to cope. Contrast [[You Should Have Died Instead]], where one survivor tries to evoke [[Survivor Guilt]] in another.

* After the Kakyuu Princess dies in ''[[Sailor Moon|Sailor Stars]]'', the Starlights, the last survivors of their planet, convene to strike back against Galaxia for no other reason than vengeance, stating that without her, they have no reason to live. Their attack fails and they get battered for their troubles, but not killed, leaving them to lament at how they've survived once more.

** In the manga, it is reversed: the Starlights die, and then Kakyuu Princess [[Level Up|levels up]] into Sailor Kakyuu to strike back against her killers. However, {{spoiler|she still dies}}.

* Fai from ''[[Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle]]'' was the last survivor of not one but ''two'' destroyed worlds, to say nothing of {{spoiler|his twin brother sacrificing his life so that Fai could be free of the magical prison they were both trapped in. Neither the first destroyed world nor the death of his brother was actually his fault, but everybody blamed it on him anyway. By the time the second world rolled around he was perfectly capable of blaming himself without anybody else's help}}.

* The writer of ''[[Grave of the Fireflies]]'' must've felt this way because, in [[Real Life]], Setsuko was the only one who died. {{spoiler|In the book he wrote and the film, Seita dies as well; [[Tear Jerker|showing the writers remorse that he hadn't died along with his little sister...]]}}

** {{spoiler|Kotomi's situation}} also fits this trope and narrowly skirts the edges of [[Deus Angst Machina]]; her parents died in a plane crash when she was very young, right after she had a fit and told them (untruthfully) that she hated them. And then she burned up an extremely important document, the only remaining copy of the last thing her parents wrote, in an attempt to bring them back. She becomes obsessed with her parents' death, and tries for years to reproduce the document, but never manages to; and she has trouble making friends because she's secretly terrified that she might make some other mistake and cause their deaths, too. She improves, though, when she learns that {{spoiler|the thing she incinerated was a teddy bear catalog, and that her parents managed to mail her a teddy bear ''from the crashed airplane'', because [[Heartwarming Moments|it was the only thing she'd ever asked them for.]]}}

** Scar, whose {{spoiler|brother died in his place}}.

** Ed, who got away with the loss of just an arm and a leg while Al lost his whole body.

** ANY person who was involved in the Ishvalan war and isn't one of the bad guys. Especially [[Colonel Badass|Roy]], [[Gentle Giant|Alex]], and [[The Atoner|Marcoh]].

** Hohenheim, who {{spoiler|is the only survivor of a race of people, whose genocide was partially his responsibility}}.

* Gohan and Krillin both suffer this in ''[[Dragonball Z]]'' after all their comrades are killed in the battle with the Saiyans.

* Terry Sanders Jr. in ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam The 08th MS Team]]'' has it particularly bad: He earned the nickname "Shinigami" ("The Team-Killer" in the English dub, [[Bowdlerise|Bowdlerised]] to "The Reaper" for the daytime broadcast) because every team he was a part of would get wiped out save for him on their third mission together.

* ''[[Ranma One Half]]'': One of the reasons why Ranma angsts about Akane [[Disney Death|dying]]. She dies twice, right after saving Ranma's life each time.

{{quote| '''Ranma:''' It would have been better if it were me. You should have let me die, but you're always butting in... Why did you have to get involved? Damn, Akane. You fool. Why didn't you let me go?}}

* Yuya, a [[Wholesome Crossdresser]] in the hentai manga ''Secret Plot Deep'', suffers from this along with being [[The Unfavorite]], as his twin sister had died in a car crash and his parents went into deep depression as a result. Then one day, as his back-story reveals, his mother mistook him for his sister when he was coming out of the shower (his having long hair didn't help), and when he came home from school the next day, all his stuff was thrown out and his sister's stuff put back in place instead; he decided to [[Wholesome Crossdresser|go along with the charade]] in order to keep his parents happy. When he reveals this to his love interest, he's clearly unhappy with the situation, declaring that it should have been ''him'' that died instead of his sister. [[Crowning Moment of Heartwarming|Said love interest disagrees]].

* [[Angel Beats]] has Yuri, who had to deal with a group of robbers who broke into her house and told her to bring valuables to them quickly, or one of her three siblings would be killed every ten minutes. It took thirty minutes for the cops to come.

 

== Comic Books ==

* Speaking of ''[[Kingdom Come]]'', Magog blames himself for the obliteration of millions. Mind, it IS his fault, but seeing the Cable Expy have a BSOD was a little surprising.

* ''[[Smax]]'' from ''[[Top Ten]]''. The entire reason he left his home, and went as far away as Precinct 10, was that he couldn't save a little girl from a dragon. Her handprint was permanently burned onto his chest, which didn't exactly help matters.

* [[Marvel Universe|Speedball]]'s survivor guilt (plus shrapnel embedded in his spine) over his being the only one of his teammates to survive the Stamford explosion is responsible for his transformation into Penance.

* [[Superman]] has been accused of constantly doing good works partly because he feels guilty for being the last survivor of his entire planet. The extent of this varies on the character's portrayal. The [[Silver Age|Pre Crisis]] Superman left Krypton as a toddler and had total recall, so he could remember his childhood home very clearly and always felt horrible about what happened to it. The [[Post-Crisis]] John Byrne version had no memory of Krypton, and when he finally learned about it, it turned out to be a dystopia that wasn't worth missing. However, in most incarnation there ''are'' other survivors, such as Supergirl and the inhabitants of the Phantom Zone.

* Played with in ''[[Preacher (Comic Book)]]'', when Spaceman visits the Vietnam Memorial.

{{quote| So tell me somethin'. How come you shitheads never write?}}

 

== Film ==

** Similarly a major theme of [[The Big Chill]].

* Zac Hobson has a case of this in ''[[The Quiet Earth]]'' after discovering that he might just be the last human alive--compounded by the fact that he was part of the research team that caused the mass extinction in the first place- and spends several weeks [[Sanity Slippage|going insane from loneliness and guilt]]. He gets better after encountering two other survivors.

{{quote| ''"Sometimes I'd stay up all night/ Wishing to God that I was the one who died"''}}

* A deleted scene from ''[[Unbreakable]]'' has Bruce Willis' character having a [[Shower of Angst]] while hearing reports of the train crash, of which, he was the lone survivor.

* In ''[[Pitch Black]]'' Riddick is briefly struck with this near the end {{spoiler|after Fry is killed when she goes back to save him}}, if his screaming protests of "Not for me! Not for ME!" are any indication.

* In "[[I Miss You I Miss You]]" there is a heartbreaking scene where Tina addresses this. She was running just one step ahead of her twin sister when her sister was hit by a car and killed. Afterward she has nightmares where her sister wants them to trade places, and sometimes hears her sister's voice in her head.

{{quote| '''Cilla's voice''': I don't want to die, Tina. I want to live.<br />

'''Tina''': (''sobbing'') I want to live too, Cilla. I want to live. Let me be. ''Let me be''. I want to live, Cilla! If I had only watched where I was going. If only I had seen the car. }}

* The film adaptation of [[Schindler's List]] has shades of this. After his [[Heel Face Turn]], Schindler financially ruins himself bribing Nazi officials in an effort to save Jews from the Holocaust. After he escapes, he forlornly notices that hawking his getaway car could've saved more lives, too, and the Nazi party pin he wore could've bribed someone for just one life.

 

** Specific examples from the ''[[X Wing Series]]''. Wedge Antilles has largely, though not entirely, handled this, but it pops up sometimes while he bears [[The Chains of Commanding]] and considers the friends he's sent to their deaths. Kell Tainer has incredible angst over failing to save a wingmate and being [[Medal of Dishonor|honored for the attempt]]. Myn Donos. And Tyria Sarkin is the last of her branch of the Antarian Rangers, sort of semi-Jedi, and she always feels that she's not nearly good enough to live up to them.

* In Gav Thorpe's ''[[Warhammer 40000]]'' novel ''13th Legion'', Kage throws away his pardon by starting a brawl at the end. In the subsequent novels, Schaeffer, more than once, points out that this was what motivated him, as he was the last of the four thousand the legion started out with.

* This is the plot of the Lurlene McDaniel book ''The Girl Death Left Behind'', as the main character's family dies in a car wreck (on the 4th of July, no less) and she struggles with the aftermath.

* Septimus in ''Mrs. Dalloway'' watched his friend die in World War I and suffers from hallucinations.

* In the ''[[Heralds of Valdemar|Last Herald Mage]]'' series, Vanyel has a major case of this over the death of his {{spoiler|True Love}}: not only is he heartbroken, he thinks he can never measure up to {{spoiler|Tylendel}}, either as a new mage or in his aunt's affections ({{spoiler|Tylendel}} was a sort of surrogate son for his aunt). He turns out to be quite wrong on both counts.

** Berry Zilwicki is also said to be dealing with this after surviving an assassination attempt aimed at killing ''her'' in ''At All Costs.''

* Taran experiences this in ''Taran Wanderer,'' the fourth book of the ''[[Prydain Chronicles]]'', when {{spoiler|he's unable to save the life of the shepherd Craddoc}}.

** This trope is arguably the defining personality trait for the Ninth and Tenth Doctors, although Ten is a lot better at hiding it.

** The Eleventh Doctor also experiences it from time to time. Unless Gallifrey is restored at some point, it's likely that all Post-Time War Doctors will experience it once in awhile.

** Also, Sam for Jess in Season One and John for Mary his entire life. While Dean's situation is [[Survivor Guilt]] taken to the most extreme level, their guilt was portrayed as no less tragic.

* That ''[[Family Ties]]'' episode about Alex's friend who died when Alex hadn't gone with him.

* Tyzonn in ''[[Power Rangers Operation Overdrive]]'' takes the "vengeance" route after his rescue squad, including his fiancée, gets murdered in action. Also "Doggie" Cruger of ''[[Power Rangers SPD]]'', who has vowed never to fight again after losing his people and his wife in a genocidal war. (Both women turn up OK at the end.)

* In ''[[Caprica]]'' Lacy experiences a great deal of guilt and regret over the fact that she was almost on the train that exploded in the first half hour of the pilot, killing her best friend Zoe Graystone (along with two [[Posthumous Character|other important characters]]).

** Also Amanda {{spoiler|the girl that George pulled out from in front of a Bus. She survives with minor injuries, while George is killed. For a month or so afterwards, Amanda spent every day sitting in front of the hospital, uncertain of how to carry on with her life}}.

* In ''[[The Twilight Zone]]'' TOS episode "King Nine Will Not Return", James Embry feels guilty about not being with his crew mates when their bomber was lost in action during [[World War 2]]. He wasn't on the mission because he was seriously ill.

 

== Theatre ==

* In ''[[Les Misérables]]'', Marius suffers from survivor's guilt after being the only one to survive the barricades. "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables," his mourning song for his friends, is essentially Survivor Guilt: The Song.

 

 

== Video Games ==

** Neku. Shiki? Mm. Joshua? Suuure. {{spoiler|Well, when he thought he was dead}}.

** In the bad ending of ''Max Payne 2'', he's in for a lot more of this since [[Kill'Em All|everyone dies]], most of them by his hand. {{spoiler|The good ending, on the other hand, has Mona surviving, so he might be pretty okay}}. Though judging by his state in the upcoming third game, the [[Cutting Off the Branches|good ending is non-canon]]. Or [[It Got Worse]].

* Fiora in ''[[Fire Emblem|Fire Emblem: The Blazing Sword]]'' is traumatised after losing her whole squad of Pegasu Knights, though her sister Florina quickly helped her snap out of the worse part of it. She still has traces of said guilt in her supports with others, though.

** Harken in the same game, as the only survivor of Elbert's knights. He becomes first a [[Death Seeker]] and then a [[Failure Knight]] (after finding [[The Hero|Eliwood]]) as a result.

* Hits on Lamia Loveless of ''[[Super Robot Wars]]'', coming off from being the last surviving of the Shadow Mirrors, that she takes part in destroying. She attempted to initiate a self-destruct code in result, but her friends usually come just in time to stop her and persuade her to live out the rest of her life.

* Important theme in ''[[Fatal Frame]] 3''.

** Big Boss also suffered from this in regards to killing The Boss.

* This triggers the [[Face Heel Turn]] of Elpizo, [[Big Bad]] of ''[[Mega Man Zero]] 2''. He's the only survivor of [[Operation Blank|Operation Righteous Strike]], a disastrous attack of [[La Résistance]] upon [[The Empire|Neo Arcadia]].

* Between all her psychological problems, this is the biggest one in ''[[American McGee's Alice]]''. And in Wonderland, this guilt is personified by the Jabberwock, and the cutscenes make it clear that confronting him terrifies Alice more than any other boss/trauma. Appropriately enough, [[That One Boss|the player will agree]].

* This shows up a few times in ''[[Dragon Age]]'' ''Origins''. {{spoiler|The mind reading Guardian of the Ashes of Andraste}} reveals that Alistair feels this way about surviving Ostagar. Alistair straight up admits that he thinks everything would have been better if he had shielded Duncan from the killing blow and died in his place. The Sloth Demon of [[That One Level|The Fade Dream]] even invokes this to keep Wynne imprisoned.

* {{spoiler|Kaidan or Ashley}} after Virmire in ''[[Mass Effect]]'', and Jack in ''[[Mass Effect]] 2''.

** In addition to the guilt that she felt for {{spoiler|handing Shepard's body to Cerberus}}, it is VERY heavily implied (especially in a romance) that Liara felt unbearable guilt for surviving while Shepard was killed.

** Jack from [[Mass Effect 2]] is a ''huge'' and Anvilicious example of this. You only get to hear about it if you romancer her, though.

** The krogan as a race suffer from this to an extent due to the genophage leaving 99.9% of their young stillborn.

* General Alister Azimuth in ''[[Ratchet and Clank]]'' {{spoiler|was left in behind by the Lombaxes as punishment for giving Tachyon access to Lombax technology. He is determined to bring them back, even if it means risking the universe}}.

* Getting over this is a major theme in ''[[Rule of Rose]]'': first Jennifer had to come in terms with surviving from an airship accident that claimed her parents, and then {{spoiler|being the only survivor of the orphanage massacre instigated for her sake}}.

* Samus in the ''[[Metroid]]'' series has a hefty dose of this, exacerbated by the fact that every time she starts to come to terms with the tragedy that is her past, it happens all over again.

 

== Visual Novels ==

** Because of that, unlike normal people, Shirou is unable to create his own happiness and feels "happy" only if people around him are also happy. Which leads him always putting the needs of others before his own.

** Shirou's [[Survivor Guilt]] is so powerful that {{spoiler|it manifests as his [[Reality Warper|Reality Marble]] [[Field of Blades|"Unlimited Blade Works"]]. A normal person could never accomplish something like that.}}

== Western Animation ==

* Gunrunner was a ''[[Transformers]]'' Autobot commander. His entire squadron was slaughtered, except for him, due to his pretender shell. Worse, he promised them all they would get out alive.

** [[Transformers Generation 1|G1]] Bluestreak is described as the only survivor of his city, and presumably developed his nervous habit of constant chatterboxing to fill the silence.

* On ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]'', Aang goes through this phase in the episode "The Storm".

* The ''[[Justice League Unlimited]]'' episode "Hereafter" features an interesting version. Superman is flown far into the future; where the Earth is a wasteland. The sole surviving human is the Immortal Vandal Savage, who reveals that he ended up destroying humanity in one of his plans for world domination. Guilty for what he did, he assists Supes in returning to his own time and stopping him.

** From the same episode, back in the present day, the League and Toyman think that Superman is dead. Superman got hit by shoving [[Batman]] and [[Wonder Woman]] out of the way of Toyman's ray. Wonder Woman gets homicidal over survivor's guilt, and Toyman only survives thanks to [[The Flash]].

* Cleveland from [[The Cleveland Show]], when his ex-wife Loretta dies, it forms a rut between him and his wife because of ''how'' broken up he is over it, eventually he figures it must be survivor's guilt because Loretta died due to something Cleveland survived multiple occasions ([[Family Guy|Peter]] destroying his house, which caused his bathtub to slide off the second floor and shatter, he survived this three times, the first time it happened to her, it broke her neck, killing her).

 

 

== Webcomics ==

* Jane from ''[[Everyday Heroes]]'', when she gets a [http://www.webcomicsnation.com/eddurd/everydayheroes/series.php?view=single&ID=111611 reminder] of her past life {{spoiler|as a villain}}.

* {{spoiler|Zero}} and {{spoiler|Shiki}} both experience this in [[Mitadake Saga]] during the second arc.

* In ''[[The Specialists]]'', Captain Victory feels guilty about the loss of Project Ares, which produced only him.