Wham! Episode/Anime and Manga: Difference between revisions

* [[Wham Episode/Bleach|Bleach]]

* [[Wham Episode/Guilty Crown|Guilty Crown]]

* [[Wham Episode/One Piece|One Piece]]

** Chapter 100: Seven words: {{spoiler|"[[Wham Line|PCP isn't going to get an anime]]"}}.

** 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.

** 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.

** The second half of Season 2 attempted to make ''every'' episode a [[Wham Episode]]. [[Broken Base|Some people liked it for its quick pacing and unexpected developments, and some people called it "Code Trainwreck" due to the fact that people's actions were often given little explanation and characterization took a backseat to plot twists]].

** The last five episodes of Season 2 were basically the collective wham of the entire series, with everyone's roles turned upside-down: Lelouch, former leader of [[La Résistance|The Black Knights]], becomes the Emperor of his enemy [[The Empire|Britannia]]; his former enemy Suzaku becomes his bodyguard; Kallen, who spent most of the show with a [[Bodyguard Crush]] on Lelouch, chooses heer beliefs over him and will stop at nothing to kill him; and Schneizel, Prince of Britannia, joins forces with the very organization Lelouch created. Also, after Lelouch's primary motivations for the first 90% of the show involved avenging his mother's death and creating a gentler world for his [[Ill Girl|blind, wheelchair-bound sister]], Lelouch discovers his [[Lady Macbeth]] mother's still alive and promptly becomes a [[Self Made Orphan]], then creates a brutally oppressive regime bent on world domination, and when his [[Morality Pet|beloved little sister]] begs him to stop, he makes it clear that he won't hesitate to kill her if it's convenient to his plans. And the clincher? {{spoiler|It's all an act to unite the world [[Thanatos Gambit|with his death]]. [[The Extremist Was Right|It worked out somehow]], But even more, he didn't die, if you looked at the japanese dub}}.

** While this wouldn't register with most English speaking fans due to [[Sequel First]] making it a [[Late Arrival Spoiler]], the '''entire Saiyan arc''' would qualify for this. Goku ''[[Chaste Hero|has a son]]'', as well as an ''[[Long-Lost Relative|evil brother]]''. Goku and Piccolo ''[[Super Hero Origin|are aliens]]''. Goku is '''''[[The Hero Dies|dead]]'''''. [[Anyone Can Die|Yamcha dies, Chaozu dies, Tenshinhan dies]]... [[Alas, Poor Villain|Piccolo dies]], with him Kami dies, and thus '''[[Oh Crap|the Dragon Balls vanish]]'''... And [[Big Bad|Vegeta]] ''escapes''. (In a strangely ironic twist, Krillin [[Throw the Dog A Bone|survives]].)

*** 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 revelation of Pride's identity. Although this was more of a Wham because [[I Knew It|someone predicted it in advance]].

* The ''first three'' episodes of ''[[Ga Rei Zero|Ga-Rei -Zero-]]'' are [[Wham Episode]]. First, the [[Decoy Protagonist|supposedly-main-characters]] are killed in episode 1. Then, the bloody murderer in the episode before is introduced as a [[Heel Face Turn|lost member]] of another squad. And then, in the third episode ''flashback'' begun, which has nothing similar with the high body count of the first two episodes.

* ''[[Guilty Crown]]'' has so many of these that it's easier to count the episodes that ''don't'' qualify. Every single episode after episode 12 certainly does qualify. Up until that point, it seemed like just another overall awesome action-anime, but after {{spoiler|Shu kills Gai in episode 12}}, it becomes a whole lot [[Darker and Edgier]]. To the point where it actually starts having [[Wham Episode|Wham Half-Episodes]]. The list on the page for Guilty Crown is simply so long that the show seems to try to take this trope [[Beyond the Impossible]]! It now has it's [[Wham Episode/Guilty Crown|own page]].

* In a very interesting variation, the ''Saikoroshi-hen'' arc in ''[[Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni (Visual Novel)|Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni]] Rei'' was one [[Suzumiya Haruhi|megas]] [[Wham Episode]] for ''[[Umineko no Naku Koro Ni (Visual Novel)|Umineko no Naku Koro Ni]]'', because before Rika returns to her original world that was post-''Matsuribayashi-hen'', she reveals that she is also [[Umineko no Naku Koro Ni (Visual Novel)|Frederica Bernkastel, the Witch of Miracles]]. After declaring that she would no longer hold that role, the two entities separated. In a nutshell, '''every''' Rika Furude (except the last one that survived) is Bernkastel. And they're bitter, hence we got ''End of The Golden Witch''.

** Chapter 7 of ''Force'': the manga starts off as a slighly [[Darker and Edgier]] version of ''StrikerS'' and then Cypha of Hückebein goes and kills the [[Ensemble Darkhorse]] [[Lady of War]] Signum and her [[Fairy Companion|Unison Device]] Agito. Well, not quite, they both get better (hopefully), but this was the first time a main cast member was put through a [[Near Death Experience]] in the main story (as opposed to flashbacks).

* In the last episode of the first season of ''[[Magic Knight Rayearth]]'', it turns out the Princess is the [[Big Bad]] and ''not'' the [[Damsel in Distress]]. [[The Dragon]], Zagato, got killed trying to ''save'' her from death. The Princess' [[Super-Powered Evil Side]] emerges and battles the girls. The [[Power Trio]] has to kill her against their will and [[I Cannot Self-Terminate|under her pleas]], otherwise Cephiro dies. The Princess [[Go Out With a Smile|dies smiling]] and sends the three broken kids back home. [[Nice Job Breaking It, Hero|HOLY S...!]]

* 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.

* ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam (Anime)|Mobile Suit Gundam]]'' provides multiple examples. In fact, you can consider the first episode of [[The Original Series]] a meta-[[Wham Episode]] for the entire anime industry, as it was the first [[Real Robot]] anime.

** 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.

* Sket Dance, 'Switch Off'. {{spoiler|Kazuyoshi Usui became 'Switch' in memory of his late younger brother, who was murdered in confused circumstances Switch blamed himself for. Done in the form of a [[Wham Line|Tomato]] [[Tomato Surprise|Surprise]] with the proceeding episode - Takemitsu reconciling with his younger brother, and Switch's reaction to it - going some way to mislead viewers about what happens.}}

**** {{spoiler|And in chapter 88 it ends with Shinigami's [[Wham Line]] ordering Spartoi to kill Chrona}}

** Episode 18: [[Whole Episode Flashback]] revealing Vash's history and nature.

** 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.