Wham! Episode/Anime and Manga: Difference between revisions

 

== A-F ==

** Even more so episode 9, which reveals the causes of the jumps.

* ''[[Angelic Layer]]'' contains a giant one in episode 24, though it's for a character rather than the viewers. {{spoiler|At the end of the episode, the champion of Angelic Layer reveals that she is Shuuko, Miskai's mother, who Misaki hasn't seen in years.}} Episode 25 then shows the impact of it resulting in a brilliant tearjerker episode in an otherwise light hearted show.

** [[It Got Worse|All hell breaks lose]] in {{spoiler|episode eleven}} when the rest of the class hears {{spoiler|the tape from years ago which says the only way to stop the calamity is to kill the ghost student}}. In their fear-stricken panic, they all decide that {{spoiler|Misaki Mei}} is the extra student and {{spoiler|[[Ax Crazy|go batshit insane]], chasing her around the creepy hotel trying to murder her. They accidentally kill their own teacher, who tries to protect Mei, and [[Cruel and Unusual Death|two of the students end up dead]] during the chase.}} There are at least {{spoiler|three other murders/deaths}} outside of that incident in this episode as well.

** Chapter 53: {{spoiler|Detective Trap, the main characters' first series, gets canceled}}.

** Chapter 64: Azuki confronts Mashiro about the secrets he kept from her, and then hangs up on him when he is unable to provide a satisfactory explanation, leading them to temporarily break up.

** More properly played straight in the anime, which cut out the Guardians of Desire arc altogether. Although the events of the Eclipse were strongly foreshadowed, the last few episodes still constitute a pretty powerful Wham.

** In Chapter 307, Femto uses the power of the Skull Knight's Sword of Resonance to tear open the bonds of reality, and merges fantasy and reality.

** And if you thought 6 was bad, 8 and 9 go straight past it with {{spoiler|a monster attacking the school and killing '''EVERYONE''' in Saya's class, even her friend Yuka. The only survivors are Saya, Tokizane, and Itsuki}}

** Add yet '''ANOTHER''' [[Wham! Episode]] with episode 11. To wit, {{spoiler|The Motoe Twins, Tokizane, Yuka, Itsuki, Fumito, and Kanako are all actors, and Saya's whole life in town was part of some twisted [[Truman Show Plot]].}}

* ''[[Bokurano]]'': Every time a detail is revealed about the battles that take place in ''[[Bokurano]]'' can qualify as part of a [[Wham! Episode]]. In particular, one occurring in both the second episode and chapter where it turns out whoever is chosen to be the main pilot for a battle dies as soon as the fight is over and still later when it is revealed that when a battle is over, whoever loses has their entire universe destroyed. Those two points end up setting the tone and sense of desperation for both versions of the series.

* ''[[Chrono Crusade]]'', ep 19. The [[Big Bad]] has been subverted so far, everyone's enjoying a carnival...and Mr. [[Big Bad]] himself comes out of nowhere, assembles all his [[MacGuffin|MacGuffins]] in one slick move, and accomplishes the very thing the heroes have been trying to prevent him from doing!

** This actually is based on a plot twist that happens in the manga--only the manga version has even ''more'' wham, since it also includes Chrono finally breaking down and snapping after ''years'' of mental anguish, flying into an [[Unstoppable Rage]] that destroys part of San Francisco and ends with him having a [[Heroic BSOD]] that lasts for more than an entire volume!

** And the same goes for ''~After Story~'' episode 22, where Tomoya initiates a [[Time Skip]] thanks to the death of the girl from the illusionary world, who is actually Ushio after she loses her memories when she died, by obtaining a light orb, and using said light orb, travels back in time and is given a second chance to witness Nagisa's childbirth. This time around, she lives.

** The ''[[Recap Episode]]'' of all things, can be considered a [[Wham! Episode]] because it's confirmed that the reality where Nagisa, Ushio, and Tomoya died really happened.

*** Chapter 20: {{spoiler|The Emperor has a coup to replace the established governments of the Areas with his own men, and moves to put his [[Assimilation Plot]] into action}}.

* Episode 6 of ''[[The Daughter of Twenty Faces]]'' comes out of nowhere and sends earthquakes through the viewer's previous suppositions about the show and its content.

* Episode 4 of ''[[Diebuster]]'': Up till this point, Nono has been basically a tag along to the Topless, hoping that she could gain her own [[Humongous Mecha|Buster machine]] to defend Earth from the Alien Monsters. When archaeologists on Titan discover what they believe to be an ancient, incredibly powerful Buster machine, Nono violates orders to get close to it. As punishment, the [[Creepy Twins|Serpentine Twins]], Leaders of the Topless, send her on a [[Snipe Hunt]] to Pluto to retrieve what may possibly be an intact Buster Machine, that crashed there some years previously. When the Titan excavation completes, three things are revealed simultaneously: The Alien Monsters they've been fighting up till this point aren't Alien Monsters at all, but part of a forgotten defense system designed to destroy threats to Earth; The "Buster Machine" on Titan isn't a Buster Machine at all, but one of the '''real''' Alien Monsters from Gun Buster; and that Nono is actually Buster Machine No. 7, the control unit for the Defense System and one of the most powerful Buster Machines in existence.

* ''[[Digimon Tamers]]'' goes from fantasy-violence kiddy hero show to mind-rape extravaganza when Beelzemon kills Leomon, later following up with possibly the most destructive and disturbing [[Big Bad]] in Digimon history, the D-Reaper, possessing Juri's voice, memory, and for a while, her very appearance.

** When Goku tells Bulma, Yamcha, Oolong and Puar about the night a giant ape monster killed his grandpa when the moon was full. After a few minutes of Goku's reminiscing (in which he recalls how his grandpa told him never to look at the full moon) the gang, petrified, scoot into the corner and deduce that ''Goku'' was the monster that night.

{{quote| '''Yamcha:''' I-I-I had a f-feeling he wasn't an ordinary k-k-kid...!}}

** A minor one in the beginning of the Android Saga, when it was revealed that the mysterious sword wielding Super Saiyan was in fact Trunks the son of Vegeta and Bulma... [[Kid From the Future|who hasn't even been concieved yet]].

** When Goku had to distract Majin Buu the first time he fought him everyone thought he would share the same fate as Majin Vegeta . That was until Goku revealed that he had a Super Saiyan 3 transformation. This of course shocked both the audience and the characters a bit, echoing the Super Saiyan transformation in the Freeza Saga. This ended up as a [[Crowning Moment of Awesome]] in the show showing one of the most spectacular transformation sequences ever.

* ''[[Durarara]]'' has Episode 11. The leader and the founder of the Dollars is revealed.

*** I'd argue that it's actually Episode 10. Even though the fact that {{spoiler|Mikado}} is the leader of the Dollars isn't explicitly stated until Episode 11, the end of Episode 10 ''strongly'' implies it. The [[Wham! Episode|Wham]] comes from the realization that {{spoiler|this supposedly nice, innocent kid is actually a badass with a better handle on the situation than anyone else}} and that the seemingly inane details that fill the rest of the episode are not only important, but do a masterful job of setting up the end reveal. This was the episode that made the show go from "quite good" to "absolutely incredible."

** The person behind the Slasher attacks in episode 'Mutual love'.

* ''[[Fairy Tail]]'' has a few of these like chapter 134 when {{spoiler|The Oracion Seis takes out the entire guild alliance}} and chapter 169, the beginning of the [[Alternate Universe|Edoras arc]].

** The ending of the Edoras arc too. The heroes are back home, having sorted everything out and patting each other back when, "Oh hey, what's the [[Alternate Universe]] counterpart of the dead childhood friend doing here?"

***** {{spoiler|And that something turns out to be the black dragon that kicked [[Badass|Gildartz's]] ass. The dragon then proceeds to utterly devastate the Fairy Tail mages before destroying the island}}. Leading to a [[Time Skip]]... Holy ''shit''.

* Episode 25 of ''[[Fancy Lala]]'' where not only the titular character loses the item to transform, but also loses Mogu and Pigu.

** Pales in comparison to the meeting between the Elrics and Father. In the course of a chapter its revealed that Father is not Hohenheim (but he knows him), he can prevent anyone from using Amestris alchemy, but Xing Alchemy can function. Scar finds out that the Homunculi started the Ishval War, and Ling is possessed by Greed. The next chapter reveals that Greed has no memories of his past life, and Ling is still in there.

** Gluttony almost kills Riza, the Mustang crew learns about Homunculi, Havoc's spinal cord is severed, Roy gets stabbed in the ribs, Al almost dies, [[The Stoic|Riza]] learns Mustang "died" and starts screaming, crying, and has a [[Heroic BSOD]], Mustang comes back and we learn that Homunculi actually can be killed. All in one episode.

** Then in Chapter 104, Father reveals that his plan is to open the Gate of Truth for the planet. He also activates the country-wide transmutation circle, sucking out the souls of almost everyone in the country. Then he absorbs GOD into his body.

** In chapter 107, Al reverses the transmutation Ed did to attach his soul into the armor, returning Ed's right arm and getting trapped into the Doors of Truth in process.

*** Don't forget the reveal of Dante and Hohenheim's secret in Episode 45.

* ''[[Fushigi Yuugi]]'' has several

 

== G-L ==

* ''[[Giant Robo]]: The Day The Earth Stood Still'' episode 3, at very end. Daisaku and Giant Robo finally arrives at the battlefield, Daisaku gives a speech about how he can never forgive all the evil Professor Vogler did and orders Robo to attack Volger Sphere. But when Robo puches it....his arm ''breaks into the pieces''. {{spoiler|Also, next episode, in which several characters are [[Killed Off for Real]]}}.

* ''[[Great Teacher Onizuka]]'' had a veritable WHAM clusterfuck when Urumi posted a website showing video of Miyabi doing personal stuff around her house (she discovers hidden cameras in her bathroom and bedroom). Onizuka races to find Urumi before she kills herself while his students must find a way to shut the website down. Teshigawara convinces the vice-principal to kill Onizuka {{spoiler|but all that was a smoke screen so Teshigawara can kidnap Azusa}}.

* ''[[Guyver]]'': There are a few, especially as it's a constantly-escalating plot, but the most infamous is when Sho's father becomes an unwitting Enzyme-type Zoanoid who rips the Guyver's brain out, forcing the Guyver to kill him on autopilot.

** The appearance of Archanfel, the [[Big Bad]] of the series, and the leader of the Zoalords. He gets sucked into a black hole, climbs out a couple of chapters later, and turns Guyver I and Guyver III's Mega Smashers back on them, nearly killing them in the process. As this takes the Guyver units out of the picture for a large chunk of time, the Zoanoids use the lack of any real threat to their powers to [[Take Over the World]].

* ''[[Heroman]]'' episode 4 was one, being the first time Joey and the eponymous robot couldn't do anything but stall, and one of those things was hard to stop, but at the end of the episode, ''more'' pop out, episode 5 established that the Skrugg aren't so [[Genre Blind]], and they promptly try to remove the threat with new, human soldiers (who turn out to be the [[Jerk Jock]] and his little buddy).

** Episode 13, Joey comes home from a date, his friends tell him that the government is after him, and he may have to leave, he does.

** Higurashi itself has a few. For example, episode 25 {{spoiler|where you learn that the entire first arc was from an [[Unreliable Narrator]]'s stand-point and he was [[Mistaken for Murderer|hallucinating]].}} The second season has numerous once we learn the plot, also one episode ends with {{spoiler|everyone dying, right after it looked promising that they would be safe}}.

* Episode 42 of ''[[Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne]]'' has three revelations. The titular character is an [[Unwitting Pawn]] all this entire time, her helper Finn is turned evil all this entire time, and Miyako has ''finally'' gets the chance to discover the titular character is none other than her best friend, Maron Kusakabe. [[Tear Jerker|Ouch]].

* For its 7 first episodes, ''[[Kannazuki no Miko]]'' is cute, touching, sometimes silly, and full of [[Fan Service]] of all kinds, and if you don't sympathize with Chikane by the end of episode 7 you just have no heart (or don't like [[Schoolgirl Lesbians]] for some reason). You MIGHT sense episode 8 is going to be a turning point, but you sure as hell don't expect Chikane to respond to Himeko's apparently choosing Souma by ''raping her'', stealing Souma's mecha and [[Face Heel Turn|becoming the 8th and most dangerous of the enemies]]. That is, [[All There Is to Know About "The Crying Game"|if you're not watching the show for the twist]].

* ''[[Kanon]]'' episode 21: Akiko gets hit by a car.

* Chapter 12 of ''[[Karakuridouji Ultimo]]''. After introducing a whole bunch of new doji, in the previous chapter, new Evil Doji are introduced, who proceed to murder the Good Doji in brutal and disturbing ways, kill all the good doji members in almost as brutal ways. Then the world blows up killing anyone who had any ounce of life left. [[The Hero|Yamato and Ultimo]] manage to use [[Reset Button|Time Manipulation]] to save everyone at the last second, but, the fandom still probably suffers from that chapter.

* Episode 6 of ''[[Kemono no Souja Erin]]''.

* Episode 15 of ''[[Kiddy Grade]]'' ends with the destruction of GOTT headquarters, with the following episode introducing Eclair as acting chief of the "new and improved" GOTT... or so one would think.

** There are many other Whams that are hugely significant to the show's various arcs. {{spoiler|The Kaiser's death to illness in season 1 robs Reinhard of one of his motivations and sparks a civil war in the Empire, which causes Reinhard to engineer a civil war in the Alliance, contributing to weakening the Alliance and enshrining his own position. In season 2, he then uses this to wage a campaign against the Alliance, occupying previously-neutral Phezzan, and closing the season with the unification of the galaxy under his rule, plus an [[Awesome Moment of Crowning]], which cements his authority over the Empire. The Legend finishes, but the list goes on...}}

* In Chapter 16 of ''[[Letter Bee]]'', Lag encounters his old friend Gauche, and learns that he lost all his memories, joined an anti-government organization as a "marauder," and has a mysterious girl with him who has the same name as the dog that used to be his dingo.

 

== M-R ==

** In chapter 311, Chachamaru seemingly blows up Fate. But remember how Fate is the 3rd in the Averruncus series? Numbers 4,5, and 6 crash the party, and they make him look as gentle as Nodoka.

** Does anyone remember the first anime? The episode where Asuna '''drops dead''' counts. And the following episode, where it actually manages to [[It Got Worse|get worse]]. [[Despair Event Horizon|Much worse.]] They even dropped the [[Mood Whiplash|cheerful intro]], just in case you hadn't caught on yet.

*** {{spoiler|And then Evangeline [[Big Damn Heroes|arrives.]] }}

**** {{spoiler|And she brought the Ala Rubra as back-up}}.

** In Chapter 334...Hey guys, ever wondered what happened to {{spoiler|Nagi Springfield}}? Well, guess who got {{spoiler|possessed by the Lifemaker}}...

** Chapter 352: {{spoiler|Asuna wakes up from her hundred-year sleep to find that she overslept for thirty years and Negi ''died'' somewhere in the intervening timespan, despite supposedly being immortal now.}}

** However, an even ''bigger'' "wham" hits at the end of Episode 16. Searrs is supposedly defeated, and everybody's declaring their friendship with one another. Good times to be had, right? Sorry, [[Your Princess Is in Another Castle]]! There's still that pesky little matter of eliminating the other HiME to prevent the world from being destroyed. So much for eternal friendship... thanks for nothing, [[Lovable Traitor|Nagi]]!

** Episode 16 of ''[[Mai-Otome]]'': The reconstruction of the portion of Mashiro's castle that was destroyed in an earlier episode is finally completed to coincide with Garderobe's graduation/advancement ceremony, and the large curtain is removed to reveal...{{spoiler|a Schwarz superweapon capable of summoning Slaves en masse to every corner of the planet}}.

* Episode 3 of ''[[Martian Successor Nadesico]]'' announced to the viewers that this would ''not'' be a [[Super Robot]] show where nobody really died by having Gai, the [[Hot-Blooded]] otaku, get shot and killed without ever seeing it coming.

** Also, episode 13: the heroes capture an enemy mech and it has a cockpit full of ''[[Gekiganger 3]]'' merchandise, thus proving that the "alien invaders" are actually humans.

** This extends into episode 16, where the history of the "alien invaders" is revealed.

** Long before there was an episode where the villains took over a Japanese village in a very Nazi-like manner, including a systematic slaughter of the civilians that they considered "useless" and usage of the women of the village as human shields for their latest Mechanical Beast. That was quite shocking and brutal, too.

** Episode 41 of [[The Original Series]] ends with the Zeon firing the Solar Ray [[Kill Sat]] that destroys a third of the Federation fleet and kills both Zeon leader Degwin Zabi, and Federation Fleet commander General Revil. The real Wham? Earlier in the episode Amuro attacks Char, but Lalah Sune, [[Love Triangle|the woman both men loved]], [[Taking the Bullet|intercepts the attack]] and dies. The result is that Char now hates Amuro for killing Lalah, while Amuro hates Char for letting Lalah fight. The rivalry ends in ''Char's Counterattack'' when both die during the battle.

*** Like anyone ''didn't'' see that coming, especially after the previous fates of Icelina, Hamon (Ranba Ral's girlfriend) and Miharu (the Zeon spy that Kai fell for). Doesn't help that Lalah was introduced only a few episodes back, yet held such a big impact on both Amuro and Char in her first appearance; that's practically a bright flashing neon sign that reads "DEAD GIRL WALKING!"

** And to not be less than the other series [[Gundam AGE]] has episode 14. {{spoiler|Yurin L'Ciel, massive [[Ensemble Darkhorse]] and the most likely candidate to become Flit's girlfriend, is '''horribly''' killed off, which ultimately makes the traumatised Flit switch from [[The Messiah]] to [[Dark Messiah]].}}

* In [[Muhyo and Roji]], the competition between Muhyo and Goryo concludes with {{spoiler|Goryo winning on a technicality, resulting in him winning control of Muhyo's office. Muhyo effectively puts Roji on leave, and tells him that he's fired if he doesn't learn what he has to do by the time they meet up again}}.

* The first few episodes of [[Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water]] were pretty lighthearted. The two main characters were mostly running around, some Team Rocket-like jewel thieves were chasing them, and the titular Nadia was trying to find a way to get to Africa. Then they end up on Gargoyle's island and boy, things get REALLY dark out of nowhere. Most of the people on the island have been killed by Gargoyle's men. The main characters find a little girl whose parents and even dog were just killed, and it's a life or death situation when they all have to hide from them. It's truly scary.

* ''[[Naruto]]'' has plenty, which is a given considering it is a Shonen manga. The end of the Sasuke Retrieval Arc, the Hunt for Itachi arc and the Pein Invasion Arc are the most well known.

* Pop up from time to time in ''[[Pandora Hearts]]'', with Retrace 65 being the most infamous for crushing the status quo of the series thus far.

** After that came some chapters that served as [[Mind Screwdriver|Mind Screwdrivers]], then came [[It Got Worse|Retrace 70]]...

** More like Episode 13. After the [[Big Bad]] is defeated, Stocking casually wonders if angel weapons work on angels. She then proceeds to {{spoiler|kill Panty by slicing her into 666 pieces, in order to resurrect the [[Big Bad]], say "I'm actually a demon", and then walks off into the distance with the aforementioned [[Big Bad]]}}.

* Despite being based on an earlier work, ''[[Pluto]]'' has a few:

** In a flashback Gesicht hounds a human being into a corner and murders him, overcoming his in-built robotic rules through sheer hatred.

** Gesicht, the main character, is murdered three-quarters of the way through.

** Brau 1589, the resident psychopath and [[Hannibal Lecter]] expy, spares the Thracian president and sacrifices himself to kill the real mastermind ''on the very last page''.

* The anime version of ''[[Prétear]]'' has a WHAM episode in Episode 10 when [[White-Haired Pretty Boy|Sasame]]--the [[The Chick|sweet, sensitive]] member of the group--suddenly reveals he's in love with the [[Dark Magical Girl]] and pulls a [[Face Heel Turn]].

** Episode 3: {{spoiler|Mami, the cool mentor, dies suddenly and horribly.}}

** Episode 6: {{spoiler|It turns out magical girls are, basically, [[Our Liches Are Different|liches]]. }}

** Episode 11 sees {{spoiler|Kyubey point out that all the time traveling has inadvertently given Madoka all the magical power of ''all'' her previous incarnations, which due to Homura's [[Groundhog Day Loop]], are legion, meaning she's destined to be the most powerful witch ever, and every time Homura tries to fix it, she makes it ''worse.'' Speaking of Madoka, she shows up at the very end, causing divergence from the foreshadowing of episode one, and announces her intent to make a wish.}}

** And in Episode 12, we see {{spoiler|what she wishes for -- and it's big enough to [[Reality Warper|completely rewrite the laws of physics]]. [[Apocalypse How|Even]] [[Oh Crap|Kyubey]] [[Villainous Breakdown|freaks out.]]}}

*** Chapter 4: {{spoiler|Kyubey makes [[The Cameo|a small but significant cameo.]] The [[Mysterious Watcher]] from the previous chapter is revealed as Juubey, a fairy that can ''purify [[The Corruption]] from Soul Gems''. The strange witches fought in the first two chapters were actually pseudo-witches created by Yuuri - the antagonistic magical girl from previous chapters - using imitation Grief Seeds. She then promptly takes the role of [[Knight of Cerebus]], bloodily incapacitates the other magical girls, and shoves one of her imitation Grief Seeds in Kazumi's forehead.}}

*** Chapter 8: Fairly minor but {{spoiler|the new antagonists pull out Evil Nuts, suggesting they either avert [[No Ontological Inertia]] or they were created by someone else. Then Nico suddenly becomes a witch. Or does she?}}

*** Chapters 10-12: Oh boy, these 3 chapters were so full of Whamness that this troper has to put it this way.

*** Chapter 13: [[Up to Eleven|Oh boy!]] {{spoiler|And we get to know that Kazumi is a [[Cloning Blues|clone]] of the original Kazumi, Kazusa Michiru.}}

*** Chapter 2: {{spoiler|The series has an [[Antagonist Title]]; Oriko is the [[Big Bad]].}}

*** Chapter 5: {{spoiler|The witch Oriko saw is [[Dark Messiah|Krimehild Gretchen]]; she's trying to kill [[Apocalypse Maiden|Madoka]].}}

*** Chapter 6: {{spoiler|Everything Oriko did was just to [[Gambit Roulette|distract Kyubey from Madoka and put her in a position where she would be killed.]] And the first part doesn't work.}}

* Episode 28 of ''[[Rurouni Kenshin]]'' introduced Saitou Hajime with a bang and officially kicked off one of the series' pivotal arcs. This is more obvious in the manga, which changed from small arcs barely connected to each other to large arcs that follow one another closely; the "Wham" aspect, however, is more pronounced in the anime, as it had just come off a string of lackluster [[Filler]] episodes, making the coming episode a real shocker (which was even reflected in the previous episode's more ominous [[Post Episode Trailer]]).

** The anime [[Adaptation Distillation|makes a real attempt to distinguish this episode from previous ones]] stylistically, as well. It has a much darker, more slow and methodical atmosphere than other episodes, the backdrops change to being either at night or in perpetual cloudy gloom (compare to the sunny skies of previous episodes) and even the music consists mostly of new tracks. They also change the ending theme song. It does a very good job of sending the message that things are about to get very serious.

 

== S-Z ==

** Also, in the previous season, when [[The Scrappy|Chibi-Usa]] is revealed to be Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen's daughter, and by association, later, that Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen are going to be King and Queen of Crystal Tokyo.

** The first [[Wham! Episode]] in the series is probably the one where {{spoiler|Nephrite dies}}. Before that, it was mostly about the wacky adventures of three clumsy superheroes and their talking cat; this episode marks the first time someone other than a [[Monster of the Week]] actually dies (as opposed to being [[Human Popsicle|frozen in a crystal]]), leaving another character heartbroken, and things generally take a darker turn from here.

* In ''[[Sekaiichi Hatsukoi (Manga)|Sekaiichi Hatsukoi]]'', episode 16 is what shocks the viewer given that this [[Mood Whiplash|series is a light hearted shonen ai comedy with some drama.]] The ending of the episode leaves a bitter taste in your mouth.

** To sum up the episode, Chiaki thinks that Hatori is cheating on him with his ex-girlfriend in high school and that he deliberately skipped out on their date to see a movie (which was staying in theaters for one last day) in order to see her. Pissed off and jealous, he goes to Yanase's house to vent. The typical drama of this series. {{spoiler|Then things take a turn for the worse when Hatori calls Yanase and Yanase says he's not handing Chiaki over. Yanase tries to confess to Chiaki a second time hoping he would take him seriously this time (and at this point, Yanase is desperate for Chiaki to return his feelings). By forcing himself on Chiaki, Chiaki retaliates by actually punching in the face (and mind you that Chiaki is the type of person that wouldn't hurt a fly) and the rejection finally causes him to [[Break the Cutie|break down]] [[Cry Cute|crying]] in front of his best friend. Naturally, what makes the situation worse is Hatori forcing his way inside the house and [[Kick Them While They Are Down|proceeding to beat up]] Yanase after he [[Heroic BSOD|literally shut down and wasn't going to fight back.]] Chiaki stops Hatori in time and Chiaki literally treats Yuu the same as always as leaving,}} which leaves a bad aftertaste considering the fact that the episode ends with Hatori explaining why he was with his ex girlfriend in the first place and Chiaki forgetting what happened. A what the hell moment with Chiaki acting like nothing happened? Sure. A [[Karma Houdini]] for Hatori in this episode? Definitely. [[The Chew Toy|Yanase is just that unlucky.]]

* ''[[Slayers]]'' is usually free of these, being more comedy-oriented. One notable exception occurs towards the end of ''[[Slayers]] Next'', when Gaav [[No Sell|survives Lina's Ragna Blade]], then Fibrizo reveals himself and effortlessly kills Gaav. It's striking because up to this point Gaav had been clearly presented as the antagonist and Fibrizo does not appear in the opening credits (OK, he does, but you only realize this after [[The Reveal]] is pulled off). The series' tone shifts entirely after this episode as the humor is toned down and characterization kicks into full speed.

* Episode 10 of ''[[Sola]]'' is this, when Matsuri reveals to Yorito that he's not a human, but rather a golem made of paper that Aono had made with her yaka powers and implanted with the memories of her dead brother, Yorito.

* ''[[Soukou no Strain]]'' is another series where the first wham comes at the end of the first episode: Characters are introduced, and even hints of a romance is set up... Then the brother of our main character shows up and [[Kill'Em All|kills everyone]].

* ''[[Soul Eater]]'': The episode where the {{spoiler|Kishin is revived}} You ''know'' that this is a wham episode too, because after this arc ends and the new arc begins, you start to see less and less comedic fillers and more exhausting and '''''BRUTAL''''' battles in the series.

* In ''[[Suzumiya Haruhi]]'', despite brief references to the supernatural, Haruhi appears to be an excessively [[Genre Savvy]] [[Cloudcuckoolander]] who can't tell fantasy from reality... then comes episode five (chronologically third): Yuki, the girl who had just been sitting there reading when the club started, is an alien drawn to the planet by a cosmic disturbance three years before. Mikuru, whom Haruhi grabbed at random because she thought she was cute, is a time traveller there to understand the time travel threshold, three years before. Itsuki, who was inducted due to Haruhi's obsession with the idea of a mysterious [[New Transfer Student]], turns out to be from a group of espers who gained their powers in a cataclysm three years before. What are the odds? High, once you learn that Haruhi herself is a [[A God Am I|godlike being, unwittingly responsible for all three phenomena]]. And there are nine episodes to go.

** Technically the wham episode chronologically would have been Episode 4 (Broadcast Order Episode 10), where the [[Class President]] traps Kyon in an artificial world and tries her best to kill him to see what Suzumiya will do, only to be stopped by the aforementioned Nagato Yuki, wielding reality-overwrite powers. And then he meets Mikuru's future self. This is around the point where Kyon realizes he ''has'' to believe all these weird outlandish stories.

** Before this, there was two in OAV 2. In episode 1, we learn about Washu's past and that the form we see her in ISN'T her true form. And episode 2, we find out Sasami's past.

* ''[[Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann]]''. Episode 8. So you thought this series was just a fun, episodic romp, mmm? Well, here, the [[Plot Armor]] comes off, manly tears are shed, and [[Heroic BSOD]] ensues. From here on out, the show takes itself much more seriously, and so does the audience.

* ''[[The World God Only Knows]]'' Chapter 116 has two Whams in quick succession, following an earlier Reveal: {{spoiler|that Kanon is the holder of the goddess [[Distaff Counterpart|Apollo]], and thus remembers Keima. Wham One: Kanon publically confesses her love to Keima. Wham Two: Kanon suffers a critical stab wound, marking a significant turning point in the series}}.

* Episode 12 of the ''[[X 1999]]'' anime: Kamui chooses to be a Dragon of Heaven, making Fuuma become a Dragon of Earth, and switch personality. After that, Fuuma throws Kamui into a wall, steals his sword, pins him to a wall with shards of glass, piercing his hand with the sword, licks his neck, and proceeds to crucify his own sister and kill her.

** There's also episode 52... in the Japanese version. The dub gave away the big twist in ''the second episode'' (and for some reason the characters are all still surprised come episode 52).

** Season 2 wasn't all light-hearted. Episode 65 comes to mind. Ryo, mentally and emotionally falling apart because of his inability to cope with failure, becoming trapped in an Underground arena, and horribly tortured into a truly disturbing [[Freak-Out]] and [[Face Heel Turn]]. His [[Kick the Dog]] in Episode 95 might count too.

 

{{reflist}}