History EarnYourHappyEnding / AnimeAndManga

* ''Manga/BusoRenkin'': Despite the series having a generally light-hearted tone, things get increasingly bad for the heroes, particually [[StockShonenHero Kazuki]], as they are forced to fight against friends, get terribly wounded, have to deal with [[spoiler:turning into a WalkingWasteland]], get separated from loved ones and [[spoiler:exiled to the moon]]. While an [[TakeAThirdOption alternative solutions]] that could help out come along every so often, but something usually happens to delay or invalidate it. The heroes keep pushing on, however, until everything works out in the end, even for many of the villains.

* By the end of ''Anime/CowboyBebop'', Ed and Ein have abandoned the ship to search for Ed's neglectful father, Jet's ship is wrecked and his leg injured, while Faye discovers that her family history is unsalvageable, and all of her friends old are dying. Meanwhile, Spike is planning a suicidal assault on Vicious' Red Dragon Syndicate. Spike discovers that the woman who abandoned him 3 years prior and sent him down his self-destructive, fatalistic path was still alive. He meets her in the cemetery where they had planned to run away together, and learns that she had abandoned him to avoid getting them both killed by Vicious, who returned from the Titan war furious at being betrayed by both his best friend and his lover. They reignite their plans to run away from the Red Dragon Syndicate, which they were both high-ranking assassins for. This plan lasts [[spoiler:about the span of half an episode, 10 minutes, of the series' 570, before she's tragically shot in the back by some mook on a fire escape.]] Before leaving he tells his friends perhaps the most he's ever told them about himself, and abandons the Bebop for the last time. In thin metaphors he explains to Jet and Faye that, since the disappearance of Julia and the loss of his eye, he's seen his past replayed in the fake eye and reality repeating in his real eye, leaving him uncertain if he is alive or in a bad dream. He tells them that the only way he can validate his love for Julia, and free himself from his dream-like state, is to find out if he was really alive by [[spoiler:dying]]. The only way the ending could have been more depressing, at least on the surface, is if Punch, Judy, the two remaining old men that dug the gates and Rocco's sister were all somehow killed in the climactic battle. There is a happy ending, however, for all of the characters. Ed finds a purpose, and has gained both friends and the potential for finding her father again. Jet resolved some major loose ends in his life and has a real shot at peace. Faye lost her past, but is a strong woman, and has a future ahead of her. Spike, in finding [[spoiler:death]], discovered that his life was not just a dream, and his love for Julia was genuine.

* Applies to each major arc in ''Manga/FairyTail'', but is especially relevant after the TimeSkip as it involves [[spoiler: Fairy Tail having lost its fame and half of its members, becoming the most laughed-at guild in the region. Participating in the Grand Magic Games is treated as the only way that the guild can win back its status. So it's pretty painful to watch when the two Fairy Tail teams spend the first half of the Games trying to claw their way up from last place, sometimes due other guilds cheating. They manage to fight their way into first place by the end, but when they do finally win the Games, it's only because Sting of Sabertooth lost the will to fight in the last round and surrendered.]]

* ''Manga/DemonSlayerKimetsuNoYaiba'': '''Oh yes''', despite the Demon Slayer Corps suffering from numerous casualties — including the vast majority of the Hashira. The sinister Demon King, Muzan Kibutsuji, is dead, and confined to the deepest part of hell for good, while Tanjiro, despite (''and'' [[NiceJobFixingItVillain due to]]) being revived as a Demon, is returned to normal by Lady Tamayo's drug injected by Kanoe. As for the rest of the surviving characters, Nezuko returns to her humanity after receiving the drug, Zenitsu and Inosuke avenge their loved ones by killing their respective nemeses (Zenitsu to Kaigaku for Jigoro, Inosuke to Doma for Kotoha), Sanemi, Giyu, and Tengen also survive (though the former two are doomed to die at an early age due to the Demon Slayer mark), as well as Kiriya who gets to finally live a normal life and disbands the Demon Slayer Corps for good, with the world completely free from those man-eating monsters. The epilogue TimeSkip takes this to a whole new level, as it is heavily implied (based on their descendants) that the main trio become HappilyMarried with their respective loved ones (Tanjiro to Kanoe, Zenitsu to Nezuko, Inosuke to Aoi), in addition to the other characters either having descendants of their own or reincarnated into the modern times (Tengen's descendant is a gymnastics gold medalist, Muichiro and Yuichiro get a second chance in life as twins, the Kocho sisters also get a second chance in life as students, Gyomei is reincarnated as a kindergarten teacher, Obanai and Mitsuri also get a second chance in life now as a couple, Sakonji and Jigoro also gets to live out normal lives peacefully, Genya is reincarnated as a police officer who is happily working well with Sanemi's descendant, Giyu's descendant gets to truly form a long-lasting friendship with the reincarnations of Sabito and Makomo, and Senjuro's descendant also gets to live out a normal life possibly as his great-great-great uncle's reincarnation). Because Muzan's curse on the Ubuyashiki family is broken, Kiriya is still alive as the oldest man in Japan, in addition to Yushiro, being the LastOfHisKid, also living a peaceful life as a renowned painter of Lady Tamayo.

* ''Manga/WannaBeTheStrongestInTheWorld'': After a very grueling match, both Sakura and Elena get what they wanted without having to sacrifice any of their dreams. Months later, they are seen racing each other to the ring, fresh from performing a concert with the rest of Sweet Diva and stripping of their idol attire to reveal their wrestling costumes underneath (with Elena even wearing a new garb different from the one she wore as Blue Panther). It wasn't clear if the impending match would be a rematch of their last encounter in the ring or a tag-team battle against an opposing pair of wrestlers, but their manager reminds them that they have a another idol performance after that!

* ''Anime/AttackOnTitan'': The manga ends on some sort of a high note despite Eren's death and the Rumbling successfully wiping out 80% of humanity. Because of the sheer power of the Wall Titans unleashed, the rest of the world is in no place to harm the Paradis Eldians, who are now fully under the Yeagerist regime. As for the individual characters themselves, Armin, Jean, Connie, Pieck, Annie, and Reiner are now ambassadors — Armin potentially starting a relationship with Annie, Connie relieved that his mother is reverted back to being a human (and is alive and well), and Reiner completely at a peace of mind after spending the vast majority of the Time-Skip suffering from PTSD. Despite being permanently crippled, Levi retires with the satisfaction that he did his duty as a member of the Survey Corps (successfully avenging Hange Zoe and Erwin Smith in the process), now under the care of Gabi and Falco (who have implied to have entered in a RelationshipUpgrade).

* ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'': Ed and Al. Let's remember: Their father, Hohenheim, leaves them and their mother, Trisha, without telling them why (Trisha knew, though). They lose their mother at the tender age of 4-5. The parents of their best friend, Winry, were murdered. They try to bring their mother back from the dead just so they can feel the love they so desperately miss. They fail and come back screwed up. They than fail to save a little girl, Nina, from her insane father, Shou Tucker. Later they lose a close ally, [[spoiler: Hughes]], and later discover it was partly their fault he was murdered. They than have to deal with the fact they left a family broken. [[spoiler:Next, they discover said best friend's parents murderer, Scar, and have to try and stop her from trying to exact revenge. Then their close friend, Ling, is [[DemonicPossession possessed by a homonculus]]. Then they have to take on [[BigBad Father]], the original homunculus on a quest for godhood, who blinds Roy and steals the souls of ''everyone else in the country'' (dooming all those people to AFateWorseThanDeath) to fulfill that quest. Next, Al sacrifices himself so Ed could survive and win. Then Ed sacrifices his ability to use Alchemy to bring back Al. In short: wow, they really did deserve that happy family photo at the end of Chapter 108.]]

** Also in the anime, Ash is constantly unable to win Leagues, due to factors beyond his control, including most egregiously a Trainer who uses nothing but Legendaries. However, [[spoiler:things finally go his way in Alola and he finally wins the first ever Alola League, putting an end to his losing streak. It then gets better as he then defeats Kukui in the promised exhibition match, going so far as to defeat Tapu Koko when it decides to be the final opponent. Perhaps best of all is that there is a subtle allusion to each match he lost which manages to be avenged.]]

* ''LightNovel/{{Gosick}}'': [[spoiler: In many stories the crowning moment of awesome is when the hero or heroine dies for the other; in the last episodes of Gosick, Victorique and Kujo take the harder path ... and go through hell to live for each other.]]

* So far in the ''LightNovel/ShakuganNoShana'' anime at least, almost every battle the good guys have been in were very difficult to win. The bad guys often had some kind of ace up their sleeve, and the good guys had to really fight, or exploit a weakness, in order to win.

* In ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnline'', it takes four volumes, but after going through a lot of shit and never giving up, Kirito and Asuna are reunited in the real world. This is also a general theme with the various main story arcs as a whole.

** ''Anime/GundamBuildFighters'' has Aila Jyrkiäinen, [[spoiler:who has endured [[DarkAndTroubledPast being an orphan, poverty, and getting poor treatment from Team Nemesis]]. After Reiji gives her an offer to stay at Sei's place in Episode 21, she quits Team Nemesis but not before [[CallingtheOldManOut calling them out for abusing her]]]]. This action ultimately resulted with [[spoiler:her hooking up with Reiji to the point where she went to Arian (via a wish through her Arista) so she could [[StayWithTheAliens stay with him]]]]. In the ''Anime/GundamBuildFightersTry'' OVA, it is finally revealed at TheStinger that [[spoiler:she and Reiji are married and had a daughter, who turns out to be the "Mysterious Girl".]]