History Main / BackForTheFinale

** The SeriesFauxnale episode "Epilogue" served as the finale to ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'', and featured the return of several characters from throughout the timeline of both Batmen: the fictional hero "The Grey Ghost", Andrea Beaumont, the Phantasm, Amanda Waller, the Royal Flush Gang, Inque, Shriek, Stalker, Terry's parents Warren an Mary, and Dana Tan.

* ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague Unlimited'':

** Darkseid's return set up the two part series finale, which had Martian Manhunter's return in the final episode. many more characters had cameos.
** The first SeriesFauxnale had the ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'' characters show up.

** In their final major appearance following Ash, Team Rocket are reunited with [[spoiler: all of their Pokemon stationed at Team Rocket HQ. This results in the first time either Jessie or James have a full team of their own six Pokemon, and their most successful scheme to capture Pikachu, only being foiled by [[DidntSeeThatComign an unknown unknown Latias]].

** During the GrandFinale in ''Journeys'', ''all'' of the Pokémon who traveled with Ash appear in [[spoiler:a vision to cheer for Pikachu, including released Pokémon[[note]]Butterfree, Pidgeot, Lapras, Goodra, Greninja and Naganadel[[/note]]), Pokémon they haven't seen for ages[[note]]Squirtle and Primeape[[/note]], Pokémon Ash traded away[[note]]Ambipom[[/note]], and even Pokémon that weren't caught[[note]]Larvitar and Solgaleo[[/note]]]]. In ''Aim to be a Pokemon Master'', [[spoiler: all of Ash's released Pokemon except Primeape appear by the end of the series, with the very last episode featuring Pidgeot again]].

** Martian Manhunter's return in the final episode. And Darkseid (although he showed up at the end of the second-to-last). Come to think of it, every major character who wasn't either dead (Brainiac), not yet born (''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond''), in the future (Supergirl) or ExiledFromContinuity (Bat-Embargo characters) who ever appeared in the DCAU could qualify for this, even though most of them were limited to cameos.

** Sadly, Aquaman was also absent due to a similar embargo, which is a real shame considering his importance in the rest of the series as well as to the comic book Justice League.

* In the final chapter of ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'' [[spoiler:Chao Lingshin returns from the future]].

* ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'': Just about every character who had even a token speaking appearance at some point in the series show back up in "Watching and Dreaming", with most of them making backgroud cameos during the epilogue. And in something of a meta example, TJ Hill (the composer for the first season) returned to write the final song heard in the show.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'''s first four season finales, all the eliminated contestants return, as well as any non-competing panelists. In ''Total Drama [[NewSeasonNewName All-Stars]]'', only four losers return; and in ''Total Drama Pahkitew Island'', only two losers return. Come, ''Total Drama: The Ridonculous Race'', everybody comes back for the finale.

* ''LightNovel/{{Slayers}} Next'' ends with, among other things, the wedding of Martina and Zangulus. Vrumugun, one of a set of sorcerer copies who aided Zangulus in battle in the original series, can be seen in the audience. Without a gem on his forehead, suggesting that he may be the original.

* ''Anime/PatlaborTheMovie'': Kanuka Clancy went back to the NYPD during the TimeSkip between the ''Anime/MobilePolicePatlabor'' OVA and this film, but she returns at the start of the third act to help Special Vehicles deal with the villain's plot. She makes no appearances in the sequels.

** During the GrandFinale in ''Journeys'', ''all'' of the Pokémon who traveled with Ash appear in [[spoiler:a vision to cheer for Pikachu, including released Pokémon[[note]]Butterfree, Pidgeot, Lapras, Goodra, Greninja and Naganadel[[/note]]), Pokémon they haven't seen for ages[[note]]Squirtle and Primeape[[/note]], Pokémon Ash traded away[[note]]Ambipom[[/note]], and even Pokémon that weren't caught[[note]]Larvitar and Solgaleo[[/note]]]].

* When Music/{{Sentenced}} played their final concert at the Club Teatria of their home-town Oulu in 2005 (which was later released as the GrandFinale live album ''Buried Alive''), Taneli Jarva, the original singer and bassist who had quit the band ten years prior, came to the stage to sing five songs from the bands' early years.

* When Music/{{Sentenced}} played their final concert at the Club Teatria of their home-town of Oulu in 2005 (which was later released as the GrandFinale live album ''Buried Alive''), Taneli Jarva, the original singer and bassist who had quit the band ten years prior, came to the stage to sing five songs from the bands' early years.

** During the final chapters of ''Anime/DragonBallZ'', virtually ''every single character'' who ever appeared in the entire series is shown giving Goku their energy for the final [[CombinedEnergyAttack Genki Dama]]. Except Lunch, because Akira Toriyama had replaced her with No. 17 in the last second. The anime rectifies this by giving Lunch a cameo.
** In the finale of ''Anime/DragonBallGT'', everyone in the ''universe'' contributed to the [[CombinedEnergyAttack Genki Dama]].

* ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters2002'' was the DreamMatchGame serving as the wrap-up for the "NESTS Chronicles" story arc of [[Franchise/TheKingOfFighters the franchise]]. To coincide with the return back to the Orochi Saga's trademark "3-on-3" format, several characters that had never been playable in any of the "NESTS Chronicles" trilogy (more specifically, [[QuirkyMinibossSquad Yashiro, Chris and Shermie]], [[LovelyAngels Mature and Vice]], and perhaps the biggest name of all, [[SNKBoss Rugal Bernstein]]) all returned to the roster of ''2002''.

** During the final chapters of ''Anime/DragonBallZ'', virtually ''every single character'' who ever appeared in the entire series is shown giving Goku their energy for the final [[CombinedEnergyAttack Genki Dama]]. Except Lunch, because Akira Toriyama had replaced her with No. 17 in the last second.
** The anime rectifies this by giving Lunch a cameo.

* ''Manga/{{Gintama}}'' in the GrandFinale Silver Soul Arc involves the return of not only all of Edo residents in defending Earth from the Liberation Army and Utsuro and among those include Kyuubei and the rest of the Yagyuu Clan, Sacchan and Zenzou, The Shinsengumi after the absence following Farewell Shinsengumi Arc along with Matsudaira, [[spoiler:Gintoki's robot-double Kintoki, Pirako and Jirocho, Onmyoji and Shikigami, Hedoro, and even the Miko Sisters.]] Even Prince Hata and Jii makes a return after a long absence in the series apart from the anime.

* "Graduation Day", the final episode of ''WesternAnimation/XMen'', brought back Magneto and Morph when they had been absent for a while.

* After spending most of season 2 of ''WesternAnimation/IronMan'' being written out, ComicBook/ScarletWitch, ComicBook/{{Hawkeye}}, Century, and the Mandarin's minions returned for the GrandFinale.

** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'': The GrandFinale of ''A Realm Reborn's'' quest chains featuring CluelessDetective Hildibrand features everyone you met during the prior quests appearing to assist in some form. From the initial quests comes Humphrey, the man who posed as a Warrior of Light, who has since joined the Sultansworn and introduces you to Phillice. Collector Durilda, thankful for helping mend her relationship with her daughter during the Treaty-Blade segment, gets a reluctant witness to give you information. Gladiator Avila from the Coliseum segment and Arabella, the lapis maiden of Costa del Sol, help you procure ingredients needed to save Hildibrand after he's been poisoned, only for it to turn out that his time among the zombies at the very start of the quest chain gave him AcquiredPoisonImmunity. Last, but not least, Hildibrand's BigDamnHeroes moment in the climax, in which he commands the loyalty of the zombies otherwise under the main antagonist's control, is backdropped by light shining from the bald head of old man Eleazar, just as it did at the end of the first questline.