Status Quo Is God/Anime and Manga

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


Examples of Status Quo Is God in Anime and Manga include:

  • Successful ongoing anime series often release tie-in movies that can be problematic to place in the continuity of the show and are never actually mentioned in the series, becoming little more than filler.
    • Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Abridged Movie plays with this trope, as the characters literally mention how many powerful cards they have that they will never use again, and how they will never mention the events that happened in the film again.
    • The Netherworld is never mentioned after Poltergeist Report.
    • Bleach: Memories of Nobody does this but they actually have an explanation.
  • Love Hina manages to reset practically every character or relationship development, even finally getting into Tokyo University or Naru shouting she loves Keitaro at the top of her lungs when he is only a few feet away seems to have no effect whatsoever.
    • Averted by the end, thankfully. Sometimes at the last possible second, but averted. Still doesn't make up for them toying with it earlier.
  • Though not entirely bound to the trope, Ranma ½'s only means of advancing its story appear to have been introducing new characters (possibly explaining its over time rather large cast), or having an existing character learn a new combat technique (usually to little lasting avail). Two of the story's main features, the relationships of the characters and the curses that some of them carried, remained set in stone despite the characters' many attempts to alter them one way or another. In fact, when the story got to the point where it had nowhere to go but to change, the series ended.
  • It's not just Ranma ½. This pretty much describes every Rumiko Takahashi regular series (swapping "curses" for "mental hangups" and "unkillable bad guys" where applicable). Maison Ikkoku being the sole exception (So far...), and even then, change took 96 episodes to arrive and stick.
  • This is painfully common in Inuyasha. Naraku proves to be such an unkillable bastard that he manages to maintain his status as the Big Bad for several hundred chapters, and is generally always the Man Behind the Man for every other villain who doesn't happen to be a Monster of the Week.
    • The third movie is also notably guilty; the enchanted "sit!" beads are broken partway into the movie, but since - like most other feature-length movies made from anime series - the film isn't part of series canon, the beads have to be replaced, which is handled by a post-credits scene in which Kagome puts them back on him for... no real reason.
  • Face it: Ash's Pikachu is never going to be a Raichu. This is explained in a few episodes, most notably when the Vermilion Gym match has it face its evolved form. In-universe, it's a matter of pride. In real life, it's because they'd have to redesign the series' iconic mascot.
    • Ash's Bulbasaur—while not quite as popular as its teammate—has this same dilemma when it shows signs of evolution (unlike Pikachu, Bulbasaur evolves by level). Once again, it's explained as a matter of pride. It's likely really because Ivysaur and Venusaur, while more powerful, aren't as cute, and Ash is apparently only allowed to have one fully-evolved Pokémon per series. Bulbasaur has a Crowning Moment of Awesome as a result when it uses Solar Beam for the first time.
    • On this note, Ash will always hit the Reset Button whenever he finds out about a new region, ditching the Big Three of the last in favor of the next. Also Pikachu as well will go on from defeating legendaries to losing to rookies. And don't even start on Team Rocket, who are perhaps the masters of maintaining the status quo of being ineffectual villains.
    • Speaking of Team Rocket, EVERY. SINGLE. TEAM ROCKET. SPLITTING UP. EPISODE. One has to wonder how many times the writers will recycle a plot about Team Rocket splitting up only to get back together by the end of the episode.
      • Once more Best Wishes subverts it: Meowth splits from Jessie and James and, while it's most likely not permanent, he stays with Ash and company for several episodes rather than just one.
    • Ash will never win a League arc based on the main series's regions. Painfully enforced in the Sinnoh League, where Ash was bested by Tobias and his Darkrai and Latios. The fact that Ash put a better dent in his team than the person Tobias faced next implied that Ash would have won the whole tournament if it weren't for the poorly-established man.
      • It makes one wonder... if they had to bring out a user of legendary Pokemon, what will Ash face in the Unova league?
    • As of September 16th, 2019, this Status Quo is broken too. Behold the new Champion of the Aloha League!
  • The GetBackers do not make a profit. Ever. On the off chance their task is performed to one hundred percent perfection and their client is on the up-and-up, they'll spend it almost instantly.
    • Or will be billed for the collateral damage they racked up on their mission, or have their fees taken by the outside contractors they hired to assist them, or Paul will just take their payment as part of the payment for their monstrously huge tab...
  • Ditto the crew of the Bebop (as far as their financial fortunes went, at any rate). Although some people would say that if gambling was involved (which given that Faye Valentine is part of the crew is definitely a possibility), then their Perpetual Poverty was probably inevitable.
  • And again ditto Lupin III. There's also the Egregious example of the movie Island of Assassins, which ends with Lupin and Fujiko both trapped in a blimp that they can't leave without activating a lethal poison, and with the one known antidote explicitly shown to have failed. Needless to say, it never comes up again.
  • Anime Filler naturally can't affect the overall plot too much. Two interesting examples from Naruto:
    • Sasuke is in the hospital at the end of the "Search for Tsunade" arc but gets revived in time for the Land of Tea filler arc. Since the next arc begins with Sasuke in the hospital, he gets injured again in the filler.
    • In the Fuma Clan filler arc, Naruto and Sakura fight Kabuto... but since he's too major a villain to kill off, it turns out to be someone else in disguise.
      • The same filler arc features Orochimaru. Also as a disguised filler villain. Speaking with villain-disguised-as-Kabuto. Amongst themselves. In character as Orochimaru and Kabuto! Though presumably the idea was that Orochimaru left these disguised villains behind in his base as decoys, the way it was presented manages to combine all the worst aspects of Never Trust a Trailer within the context of the episode itself.
    • This also applies to any filler arc that has at least some potential to get Naruto close to finding Orochimaru and/or Sasuke (Mizuki, Bikochuu, Land of Sea, Three Tails). In the Treasure Hunt arc, Tsunade threatens to send Naruto, Hinata and Kiba back to the academy if they fail—they obviously don't.
    • She was probably lying in the first place.
    • The Three-Tails filler arc focuses on the struggle between Konoha and Orochimaru over the Three Tailed Beast. If you read the manga, you know that Akatsuki manages to capture it, making the outcome no longer a surprise.
  • The "perpetually broke" version of this trope was played with in One Piece. Despite being pirates, the Straw Hats don't usually have much money around. In one anime filler arc, they finally have gotten their hands on a pile of gold, but they end up in tightly secured Marine base. Just when they make it back to their ship and are on their way to freedom, they realize that all their gold was confiscated by the Marines. Just when you think they'll sigh and suck it up, they turn around and break into the base to get it back. However, the status quo at the time was that they had already had a bunch of treasure they just haven't sold yet, so it's kind of a wash. A couple of islands later, they have it converted to cash and, soon enough, two of their three hundred million Berries is stolen and spent before they can get it back. But at the end of it all, the money went into materials used to build them a kick ass new ship.
    • In Movie 4, in which they enter a contest with the same amount of berries as the worth of the aforementioned pile of treasure, they win the contest, but are forced to leave before they collect their winnings.
    • In Movie 7, the crew agrees to return an old woman to an island in exchange for information regarding the island's secret treasure. Despite the local maniacal mechanical genius in charge constantly trying to take them out, they manage to reveal the fact that the entire island is a giant turtle which lays eggs with solid gold shells. The Straw Hats set sail at the end of the movie with a large piece of a shell in tow as thanks for saving everyone... only for it to sink moments later.
  • In Excel Saga, the group ACROSS will never completely take over Fukuoka City, but they can at least make progress. In the anime though, every mission ACROSS attempts will end in failure and they will be no closer to controlling F City then when they started at the beginning of the episode.
  • Keroro Gunsou is particularly devoted to this trope. Let's face it, Keroro will continue building Gunpla and ticking Natsumi off, Tamama will continue eating candy and obsessing over Keroro, Giroro will continue to be infatuated with Natsumi and shine his guns, Kururu will continue being a jerk and eating curry, and Dororo will continue to sit in a corner and cry. NOTHING SHALL CHANGE.
    • Lampshaded in one episode where Momoka visualises herself still watching Fuyuki quietly from a corner. In the future. Where both are well into their eighties. Apparently the Japanese are known to age well, but still...
  • Harima will always be in love with Tenma. And - warning significant spoilers : nothing ever changes. No relationships are resolved, no character development ever really occurs, and all the Ship Tease? Comes to nothing. Absolutely nothing. Placed in spoilers for those who are still watching the series.
  • To Heart 2: After thirteen episodes and five OVAs, the Unlucky Everydude still hasn't chosen a girl out of his Harem.
  • In Gintama, no matter how many jobs the protagonists take on, they will never make any profit. And the rent never gets paid. Ever.
    • Subverted with Gintoki's sword. It is revealed in one episode that in case one gets broken, he just orders another from a galactic shopping channel and has it customized so it looks exactly the same as the previous one.
    • Gintoki manages to pay the rent few times by helping Otose with her problems (i.e. preventing Katherine from running off with Otose's money at the beginning, saving Otose's life). And in one chapter, Gintoki pays the rent in cash (even though he is forced to do so by Tama).
  • Bleach: As of Chapter 423 the Status Quo pre-Aizen's betrayal is God once again in Seireitei. Central 46 has been repopulated from nowhere and all of the Captains of Soul Society are apparently alive and well. There's no mention of the Vizards, Ichigo, Isshin, Urahara or anyone else involved outside of the Gotei 13 either. Perhaps more accurately described as a Reset Button moment.
    • Which means that The Vizards and Quincy are still under threat of death by Soul Society and Yama-Jerkass-moto is still in charge.
      • Subverted some of the vizards have been reinstated as captains.
    • Status Quo hits the heroes with either a new power or development every season; Ichigo has gotten his sword in season one, Shikai in season two, bankai in three or four, his hollow abilities in five, lost all of this in six, and regained powers in seven THEN had them replaced. Uyru has a new bow every arc, Orihime had her powers unexplained until the Arrancar arcs then gained a new ability in the Fullbringers arc, and Chad gained a new arm in Las Noches and found out he was a Fullbringer in the named arc. However, with these new powers, the heroes have to be knocked to the side by the residential rival(s) of the arc every time they do gain a power.
    • Status Quo also have this grasp on dating; there can be only Ship Tease; and it doesn't matter with Orihime not only announced her love to Ichigo and nearly kissed him, but also showing signs of Stockholm Syndrome.
  • This is in fact a very important plot point in Tenshi ni Narumon where the heroine who throughout the whole series was aspiring to become an angel for her loved one, upon gaining her much-awaited wings decides she doesn't really want to be an angel anymore. This applies to the majority of characters. The message is that you don't have to change when your loved ones love you the way you are and that change may sometimes lead to losing all that you held precious to your heart.
  • Unintentionally created by the season 2 finale of The Big O. As the two mechs duke it out a third, goddess, shows up and at first starts deleting everything until Roger convinces her to give the world a chance. It is implied that this has happened before and because there is no season three it could happen again.
  • In the Tenchi Muyo! manga series, despite it running for 22 volumes, Tenchi STILL never chooses a girl. Oh, and if the house blows up, it'll be good as new next story. One story lampshaded this a bit.
    • Admittedly, though, the manga does subvert a lot of how the OVA worked - the gang goes out to more places, the characters are a lot more outgoing, Mihoshi has a driver's licence, Sasami goes to school, among others.
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