History Main / CerebusRollercoaster

''Animation/ScissorSeven'' somehow manages to balance its comedy between serious moments of drama and development, within an [[WorldOfBadass insane world.]] An episode can be about a touching love story, another about a QuirkyMinibossSquad causing trouble, or getting into a character's DarkAndTroubledPast. For example: One episode goes from a series of stupid challenges that the [[IronButtMonkey hero]] [[HilarityEnsues gets destroyed at,]] to a TroubledBackstoryFlashback about a side character, the hero [[LetsGetDangerous getting serious]] and taking down the enemy in an epic action scene, ending with a SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments of the hero defending his [[FireForgedFriends friend's]] honor. And all of that in less than 12 minutes. And it's not even getting close to just how dark, or wacky the show is willing to get.

* The ''Franchise/RatchetAndClank'' series tends to run on this trope, though whether it plays it straight, downplays it, or outright goes into CerebusSyndrome territory depends on the game in question. But mostly it tends to shift between being a light-hearted space opera with humor not unlike something you'd see in a [[Creator/DreamWorksAnimation Dreamworks movie]], to clashing with villains that have a history of destroying planets, committing galactic genocide, or enslaving other galactic heroes into becoming gladiators... then moves back to the light-hearted stuff again.

* In "Series/DonMatteo "a dark Moment(like a dying child) can be shown in the same episode with a goofy moment(like Checchini's wacky antics).

* The {{superhero}} genre went through this. UsefulNotes/{{The Golden Age|of Comic Books}} was pretty dark - Franchise/{{Batman}} was a gun-wielding VigilanteMan, Franchise/WonderWoman liked to have her enemies BoundAndGagged and a lot of heroes had no problem with killing criminals, especially ThoseWackyNazis. UsefulNotes/{{The Silver Age|of Comic Books}} was a result of ReverseCerebusSyndrome when everything became LighterAndSofter, sometimes to ridiculous levels. UsefulNotes/{{The Bronze Age|of Comic Books}} moved towards a more serious direction, which was taken way too far in UsefulNotes/{{the Dark Age|of Comic Books}}. As a result, in UsefulNotes/{{the Modern Age|of Comic Books}}, everybody said "screw it" and does whatever they want, so the same company can now publish the adventures of ComicBook/TheIncredibleHercules and ComicBook/ThePunisher, or ComicBook/PowerGirl and ComicBook/JusticeLeagueCryForJustice.

* [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog1 The first]] ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' game was lighthearted and cartoony with some shonen elements. Then the sequels increasingly [[SequelEscalation upped the stakes and expanded on the shonen elements]]. This eventually led to the ''Sonic Adventure'' duology, with [[VideoGame/SonicAdventure the first installment]] culminating in an ancient god of destruction flooding a city [[AutobotsRockOut while a dramatic rock song plays]], and the [[VideoGame/SonicAdventure2 the sequel]] involving the murder of a terminally ill child whose grandfather was forced to make weapons for the military. ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes'' briefly went back to a more cartoony tone ([[MoodWhiplash apart from the Last Story]], the game was largely a lighthearted romp with heavy emphasis on ThePowerOfFriendship), only for the series to reach the epitome of its CerebusSyndrome with ''VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog'' (which expands on the aforementioned murder backstory) and ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006'' (where Sonic is [[TheHeroDies temporarily killed off]], among [[KudzuPlot other things]]). Due to complaints about this, Sega decided to [[ReverseCerebusSyndrome go in a more lighthearted direction]], starting with ''VideoGame/SonicUnleashed'' (despite still taking itself somewhat seriously, there's still a decent amount of silliness to be had), and culminating in [[DenserAndWackier the comedic and trippy]] ''VideoGame/SonicColors''. This eventually led to complaints about Sega going too far in the opposite direction. Possibly as a response, the series started to wander back in a more serious direction, with ''VideoGame/SonicLostWorld'' having some dark moments sandwiched by comical moments. ''VideoGame/SonicForces'' further toned down the comedy and upped the stakes, resulting in one of the darkest installments in the series. And then we have VideoGame/SonicFrontiers, who is even darker than the previous game, primary thanks to its main villain: [[spoiler: THE END, an OmnicidalManiac EldritchAbomination who is basically [[GreaterScopeVillain responsible for all the bad stuff that happened in the Sonic Universe.]]]]

* [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog1 The first]] ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' game was lighthearted and cartoony with some shonen elements. Then the sequels increasingly [[SequelEscalation upped the stakes and expanded on the shonen elements]]. This eventually led to the ''Sonic Adventure'' duology, with [[VideoGame/SonicAdventure the first installment]] culminating in an ancient god of destruction flooding a city [[AutobotsRockOut while a dramatic rock song plays]], and the [[VideoGame/SonicAdventure2 the sequel]] involving the murder of a terminally ill child whose grandfather was forced to make weapons for the military. ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes'' briefly went back to a more cartoony tone ([[MoodWhiplash apart from the Last Story]], the game was largely a lighthearted romp with heavy emphasis on ThePowerOfFriendship), only for the series to reach the epitome of its CerebusSyndrome with ''VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog'' (which expands on the aforementioned murder backstory) and ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006'' (where Sonic is [[TheHeroDies temporarily killed off]], among [[KudzuPlot other things]]). Due to complaints about this, Sega decided to [[ReverseCerebusSyndrome go in a more lighthearted direction]], starting with ''VideoGame/SonicUnleashed'' (despite still taking itself somewhat seriously, there's still a decent amount of silliness to be had), and culminating in [[DenserAndWackier the comedic and trippy]] ''VideoGame/SonicColors''. This eventually led to complaints about Sega going too far in the opposite direction. Possibly as a response, the series started to wander back in a more serious direction, with ''VideoGame/SonicLostWorld'' having some dark moments sandwiched by comical moments. ''VideoGame/SonicForces'' further toned down the comedy and upped the stakes, resulting in one of the darkest installments in the series. And then we have VideoGame/SonicFrontiers, who is even darker than the previous game, primary thanks to its main villain: [[spoiler: THE END, an OmnicidalManiac EldritichAbomination who is basically [[GreaterScopeVillain responsible for all the bad stuff that happened in the Sonic Universe.]]]]

* [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog1 The first]] ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' game was lighthearted and cartoony with some shonen elements. Then the sequels increasingly [[SequelEscalation upped the stakes and expanded on the shonen elements]]. This eventually led to the ''Sonic Adventure'' duology, with [[VideoGame/SonicAdventure the first installment]] culminating in an ancient god of destruction flooding a city [[AutobotsRockOut while a dramatic rock song plays]], and the [[VideoGame/SonicAdventure2 the sequel]] involving the murder of a terminally ill child whose grandfather was forced to make weapons for the military. ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes'' briefly went back to a more cartoony tone ([[MoodWhiplash apart from the Last Story]], the game was largely a lighthearted romp with heavy emphasis on ThePowerOfFriendship), only for the series to reach the epitome of its CerebusSyndrome with ''VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog'' (which expands on the aforementioned murder backstory) and ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006'' (where Sonic is [[TheHeroDies temporarily killed off]], among [[KudzuPlot other things]]). Due to complaints about this, Sega decided to [[ReverseCerebusSyndrome go in a more lighthearted direction]], starting with ''VideoGame/SonicUnleashed'' (despite still taking itself somewhat seriously, there's still a decent amount of silliness to be had), and culminating in [[DenserAndWackier the comedic and trippy]] ''VideoGame/SonicColors''. This eventually led to complaints about Sega going too far in the opposite direction. Possibly as a response, the series started to wander back in a more serious direction, with ''VideoGame/SonicLostWorld'' having some dark moments sandwiched by comical moments. ''VideoGame/SonicForces'' further toned down the comedy and upped the stakes, resulting in one of the darkest installments in the series. And then we have VideoGame/SonicFrontiers, who is even darker than the previous game, primary thanks to its main villain: [[spoiler: THE END, an OmnicidalManiac EldritichAbomination who is basically [[GreaterScopeVillain responsable for all the bad stuff that happened in the Sonic Universe.]]]]

* [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog1 The first]] ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' game was lighthearted and cartoony with some shonen elements. Then the sequels increasingly [[SequelEscalation upped the stakes and expanded on the shonen elements]]. This eventually led to the ''Sonic Adventure'' duology, with [[VideoGame/SonicAdventure the first installment]] culminating in an ancient god of destruction flooding a city [[AutobotsRockOut while a dramatic rock song plays]], and the [[VideoGame/SonicAdventure2 the sequel]] involving the murder of a terminally ill child whose grandfather was forced to make weapons for the military. ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes'' briefly went back to a more cartoony tone ([[MoodWhiplash apart from the Last Story]], the game was largely a lighthearted romp with heavy emphasis on ThePowerOfFriendship), only for the series to reach the epitome of its CerebusSyndrome with ''VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog'' (which expands on the aforementioned murder backstory) and ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006'' (where Sonic is [[TheHeroDies temporarily killed off]], among [[KudzuPlot other things]]). Due to complaints about this, Sega decided to [[ReverseCerebusSyndrome go in a more lighthearted direction]], starting with ''VideoGame/SonicUnleashed'' (despite still taking itself somewhat seriously, there's still a decent amount of silliness to be had), and culminating in [[DenserAndWackier the comedic and trippy]] ''VideoGame/SonicColors''. This eventually led to complaints about Sega going too far in the opposite direction. Possibly as a response, the series started to wander back in a more serious direction, with ''VideoGame/SonicLostWorld'' having some dark moments sandwiched by comical moments. ''VideoGame/SonicForces'' further toned down the comedy and upped the stakes, resulting in one of the darkest installments in the series.

This may occur for different reasons. Sometimes creators just plain don't know exactly what tone they want to give their work. Maybe the story went too far into CerebusSyndrome, and the writer is tired and horrified of the CrapsackWorld it has become, but while trying to reverse the process, he finds out that new, DarkerAndEdgier settings have a lot of fans, so he desperately tries to balance drama and comedy to keep both fanbases happy. Sometimes the new writer decides to take the series in a new direction, then into another direction and so on, until fans who have grown to be writers themselves [[RunningTheAsylum take the series back to its original roots]]. Some people may just FollowTheLeader too much, and when the leader changes, so too does the direction of their story. And sometimes they just don't want to stick to one setting and are forced to discard all story ideas which are too dark or too light for basic settings. Administrivia/TropesAreTools -- when played right, it may give a series a unique, recognizable style and keep it fresh. If done badly, however, this will pretty much turn the story into a train wreck.

* ''Manga/ChainsawMan'' uses a lot of BlackComedy to disguise its cynical tone. The series is set in a CrapsackWorld were thousands die each month due to the attacks of powerful devils where most of the important side characters drop like flies. However, the main protagonist usually gets into silly antics saving people from the devils, and usually those side characters are very colorful, so it doesn't get too dark.
* ''Anime/CodeGeass'' varied wildly in tone, influenced by a lot of ExecutiveMeddling and behind the scenes stuff.

** The new series ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'' also engages in this, thanks to its melding of classic ''DB'' humor with ''DBZ''-style fighting [[SerialEscalation amped-up to the next level]]. One episode had [[ItMakesSenseInContext Vegeta staving off death by sucking on a pacifier]], and then the last five minutes sets up the next story arc by showing Future Trunks battling an OmnicidalManiac who just so happens to look like an EvilDoppelganger of Goku.
* ''VideoGame/GateKeepers'' go up and down with this, in both humorous, and dark elements.
* ''Manga/{{Gintama}}'' exemplifies this trope, flipping from hilarious to heart wrenching in moments.
** Best exemptified by the [[spoiler:Yakuza Arc, which went from a story of trying to get a hikkimori heir to a Yakuza clan out to one of the more DownerEnding for an arc with most of their employers dead and ''nothing meaningful resolved''. And it took one scene to jump from Comedy to OhCrap.]]
** The point, however, the series got infamous for this is the [[spoiler:first Yoshiwara arc, which not only had the fewest comedy bits, but also advanced the story and lore, especially with Kagura's brother.]]

* ''Animation/TheHauntedHouseTheSecretOfTheGhostBall'' constantly switch between comedy, drama, NightmareFuel, and occasional heartwarming and heartbreaking moments.
* ''Manga/{{Helck}}'' frequently goes into both ends of SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism and SlidingScaleOfSillinessVersusSeriousness in scenes or discussed topics. Though overall tone remains optimistically comedic, many chapters can get extremely [[DarkAndTroubledPast depressing]] or [[TransformationHorror horrifying]].

* ''Manga/KarakuridoujiUltimo''. Starts off with the 16-year-old protagonist running into a cute little boy robot, who wants him to help save the world. A few chapters later, we found out, that said robot boy is a SociopathicHero at its worst. Then more comedy and action scenes, which lead up to the protaganist's best friend [[HoYay being in love with him]], and also being batshit insane. Then all the good guys are killed, and the world blows up. Which leads us right into part 2, with time restarted and everybody fine. They even threw in some more comedy just to reassure us that everybody is A-OK. [[CerebusSyndrome Until the end of part two]]. [[spoiler:Two of the original Good Doji masters are dead, and the others are out of commission.]] Part 3, managed to do this in single chapters alone. The only thing you can be sure of with the tone of this series, is that by the end of each part, something bad is going to happen to somebody, if not everybody.

* ''Franchise/LupinIII'' may be the ultimate example of this, even by LongRunner standards. It's a franchise that can shift from being a wacky family-friendly GagSeries to a dark, gritty {{Seinen}} drama with little to no humor. For instance, ''Anime/LupinIIITheWomanCalledFujikoMine'', a extremely dark, violent, NightmareFuel filled series, got followed up by ''Anime/LupinIIITheItalianAdventure'', a {{Shonen}} series with plenty of humor and a relatively light-hearted, adventurous plot. Then ''that'' got followed up with ''Anime/LupinIIIPart5'', which, while not to the same extent as ''Fujiko Mine'', had a much darker, grounded, and more ominious plot, and a lot more violence.
* ''Anime/MagicalProjectS'' starts off as an over-the-top parody of {{Magical Girl}}s and stays that way for more than half the series. Then for about three episodes the plot suddenly abandons its silly and goofy elements in a favor of a heart-wrenching story involving the DarkMagicalGirl. Then the comedy comes back in for the remainder of the series, but now it is [[IndecisiveParody the very genre that it was parodying]].

* ''Manga/OnePiece'' should be called ''Cerebus Rollercoaster: The Series''. To put it simply, a given arc will typically start with lighthearted moments between the Straw Hats on the ship, which continues once they get on their current island, although there will be hints of darker action. Then trouble starts, and the Straw Hats are once again fighting for their lives against a gang of villains, who will typically be led by a JerkAss at best. Subjects such as [[WarIsHell war]], [[FantasticRacism racism]], [[SlaveryIsASpecialKindOfEvil slavery]] or the death of one's loved ones may become prominent. After the end of the struggle, things go back to being lighthearted, even with occasional jokes about the life or death experiences. Even fights can rapidly switch from serious to silly, such as when Zoro accidentally ends up handcuffed to Usopp, and the two of them and their opponents (who refuse to work together) argue over how to resolve the situation.

* ''Anime/SonicTheHedgehogTheMovie'' was an action-comedy for most of the movie. Just near the end it gets a SuddenDownerEnding, with Metal Sonic sacrificing himself and Sonic being shaken up... only to return to wacky comedy within the last 4 minutes.
* ''Manga/SunKenRock'', all over the place, there's so much comedy, but so it's a LOT of serious yakuza styled drama.
* ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'' in a way mirrors the rollercoaster ride taken by the entire mecha anime genre through its history. Episodes one to eight are very optimistic and often outright comedic, taking a lot from classic 70's SuperRobot anime like ''Anime/MazingerZ'' or ''Manga/GetterRobo''. The next episodes contain their share of angst and dark themes, and villains, while still evil, gain some depth. It mirrors the effect ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam'' had on the genre. Later episodes are post ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' era, being much darker than before, with varying moral values. Yet in both parts, the anime remains pretty captivating and the last part is especially awesome and HotBlooded, mirroring the effects ''Anime/GaoGaiGar'' and other {{reconstruction}}s had on the mecha genre. It seems that what ''Gurren Lagann'' is trying to say is that it doesn't matter what tone or message your mecha show has - if it doesn't have its share of [[RuleOfCool epicness]], you're doing it wrong.

* ''Literature/WanderingWitchTheJourneyOfElaina'' is primarily an episodic series consisting of standalone stories, and the tone of said stories vary between wholesome, disturbing, comedic, and depressing.
* The fourth season of ''Anime/YuGiOh''. There are some funny moments in-between, even after [[spoiler:Yugi sacrifices himself in the Pharaoh's place]]. But the humor dramatically lessens when [[spoiler:Jonouchi, the series' PluckyComicRelief, dies.]]
* ''Manga/YuYuHakusho'' plays this trope to the hilt. It begins at first as bit of a BlackComedy about a dead teenager hilariously doing anything to come back to life,''anything''. Then he gets resurrected and has to hunt down criminals like a detective and the whole thing escalates with the Toguro Brothers and Yukina. Then comes the second season which although does have development, mostly is just shonen-style fighting,...then Genkai dies and it just keeps getting darker. That doesn't stop again until Yusuke proposes a tournament for the Three Kings.

** Since the late 2000's, DC and Marvel have fallen into a recognisable pattern. Since they believe that TrueArtIsAngsty, every few years their entire universe starts to become [[DarkerAndEdgier darker]], introduing more mature themes, increasingly flawed characters and contrived conflict. This is divisive among fans but generally commercially successful and draws a lot of publicity and critical praise for the new, interesting direction. Inevitably they take it too far and the majority of fans turn on them or just [[TooBleakStoppedCaring stop caring]], usually following a particularly bleak CrisisCrossover or string of unpopular creative decisions. The publisher stubbornly digs their heels in for a little while as fan backlash becomes more vocal, meanwhile the LighterAndSofter spin-off media and adaptations gain dedicated fanbases and are hailed as a refreshing respite from the oppressively grim source material. Eventually the publisher relents and launches a whole load of new comics boasting a return to lightheated adventure. This is divisive among fans but generally commercially successful and draws a lot of publicity and critical praise for the new, interesting direction. After a couple of years, writers feel like the heat is off and are comfortable enough to start writing “serious” stories again and the cycle begins anew. Since 2011 Marvel has had three company-wide relaunches following controversial storylines, while DC has rebooted their entire multiverse three times in the space of ten years.
* ''ComicBook/JohnnyTheHomicidalManiac'' started as a black comedy, went serious in its fourth and fifth issue and then jumped back to black comedy

** And what followed that? Pak's ''ComicBook/TotallyAwesomeHulk'', where Amadeus Cho took the Hulk curse from Banner and tried to show the world a more optimistic, heroic Hulk in fun-loving stories...only for it to get dark when Banner was killed in ''ComicBook/CivilWarII''. The tone then went up for a few stories only to get progresively darker, until a BittersweetEnding. And then Banner returned in Al Ewing's ''ComicBook/ImmortalHulk'', which is straight out a horror story.

** The Coming Storm was more action packed, but more violent, and funny up until the SuddenDownerEnding which kills most of the cast.

** A Team Effort focuses on another team, and contains no character death, it's a space-adventure turned mystery.

* ''Fanfic/AdviceAndTrust'': This story's mood and tone shift constantly due to the length of the chapters and the author's desire to blend waff and comedy with the darkness of canon. In a single episode you can go from wacky teenager antics to mecha action to a character considering committing suicide to two children in love snuggling up on their bed.

** Season 2 is a bit more adventure-focused, but still ideal. The SeasonFinale, has a woman attempting to ''[[OffWithHisHead behead]]'' Calvin (though said woman is StupidEvil, so it's all good).

* ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'' starts off LighterAndSofter, then gets darker and much more serious with chapter 11. Then there's a few lighter chapters, interspersed with a lingering threat, until chapter 21, which is pure unbridled NightmareFuel.
** After that, the horror takes a step back, and it gets lighter again... then there're several chapters in which it becomes very apparent that Harry's something of a StepfordSmiler, then he deals with his issues. Then he and some new friends get kidnapped by some utterly horrific creatures. Then Harry manages to IndyPloy his way out of trouble. Then it quietens down, with a little revelation or two about Harry's godmother of the ParentsAsPeople variety, looming threat mingled with Fudge having rings run around him and followed by the bad guys facing their first significant setback. Then we see London nearly overrun by an army of the undead, one of the secondary protagonists nearly eaten alive on screen and [[spoiler: Sif]] has her heart ripped out and [[spoiler: Harry Dresden]] uses his Death Curse. Both get better courtesy of Doctor Strange.

** And then, in chapter 2 of the sequel, ''Ghosts of the Past'', [[spoiler:Voldemort]] turns up again and starts wreaking havoc. Then things quiet down as the fall-out is managed, until the end of chapter 7, when the long anticipated [[spoiler: Sinister]]/Red Room arc, ''Forever Red'' kicks off, which promptly turns out to be ''the'' darkest in the series so far, being largely composed of an absolutely brutal 8 chapter TraumaCongaLine. The details are too long to get into, but Harry is left with a ''monumental'' case of [[ShellShockedVeteran PTSD]], leaving him - at the age of ''14'' - a semi-functional emotional wreck with a HairTriggerTemper. And that's not even starting on [[spoiler: the Dark Phoenix]], or [[spoiler: Maddie's]] story, which is arguably even worse (short version: [[spoiler: Jean's twin sister, stolen at birth,]] raised to believe she was artificial, never shown real kindness 'til she met [[spoiler: Gambit]], and believed she existed to be [[spoiler: Sinister's]] LivingWeapon.). However, interspersed with all the horror is [[spoiler: Maddie]] steadily shaking off the conditioning of a lifetime and pulling a HeelFaceTurn - underlining it by [[spoiler: briefly wielding Mjolnir]] - and meeting her family, as well as learning how to make a life of her own, while Lorna (another Red Room prisoner) gets to know her [[{{ComicBook/Magneto}} father]] and has her mother's memories of her restored, Harry coming out of his dark funk and dealing with his issues, and other such heartwarming things, and as of chapter 22, the roller coaster seems to be on an upward swing... but with ominous hints of further darkness to come.
** In short, while it's rarely sudden, this is a series which ''specialises'' in MoodWhiplash.

** The first chapter's fairly lighthearted... Then Chapter 2 has [[spoiler:the revelation that Azurai murdered Buwaro's birth parents]], and [[DoomedHometown Thornwood's destruction]]. Then they visit Barracalo, and have a great time... Until [[spoiler:Buwaro finds Azurai]]

* ''Fanfic/FireEmblemThreeHousesFifthPath'' will swing back and forth between comedy and somberness, sometimes within scenes of eachother. Possibly the best examples are Chapters 18 and 19 which switch between sadness and humor often within the same scene.

* ''Fanfic/AGrowingAffection'' has this in spades. Book one starts off with Naruto and Hinata getting to know each other better, with a few darker hints. Then it ends with a major, if short war, and some life changing events therein. Book two returns to the light and fluffy, focusing at first on Naruto and Hinata's relationship now that they are officially a couple, and their growth as ninjas. Then in the second half [[spoiler:Naruto gets kidnapped, and his friends go AWOL to rescue him]]. Several major characters die, and other are irrevocably changed. Then the first novella of book three goes back to Naruto and Hinata's relationship, having them deal with some interference from her grandfather. The rest of the novellas in book three are much darker, killing more major characters and pushing others to their breaking point. Then book four is about [[spoiler:the Fourth Ninja War]]. Again there are a few lighter moments early on, but in general, the tone is the most serious, even if it is not quite as dark as the last two parts of book three. And then it has a happy, fluffy ending.
* ''Fanfic/HalloweenUnspectacular'' is an anthology series which alternates between comedic stories (on even numbered days) and darker action/drama/horror entries (on odd numbered days). This pattern was apparently unintentional early on in the first HU collection, but once it was pointed out to the author E350, he decided to codify it.
* ''Fanfic/ItsJustALightRainButTheStormsStillComin'', a ''VideoGame/Persona5'' fanfiction centering on the ButterflyOfDoom of Joker not entering the Metaverse with Ryuji on April 11, leans heavily on the CerebusSyndrome side of the roller coaster. The story starts with a DownerBeginning and time skips to when Kurusu Akira is discovered to develop a Palace where things are also taking a turn for worse with how tough the Phantom Thieves handle their heist without Joker in the helm and their attempt to solve Akira's palace only made things worse due to their mistaken first impression that Akira is just as evil as his fake criminal record makes him out to be due to being last seen speaking to Shiho, causing the group to assume the worst that Akira is somehow responsible for Shiho's suicide. While the story establishes a few hopeful moments to show that the situation might be looking up for Akira and the thieves, the story just as quickly takes that hope away in the following scenes. Though the story does away the light-hearted and comedic moments of ''VideoGame/Persona5'' in favor of focusing on the ButterflyOfDoom in effect, it still had it's own hopeful and heartwarming moments that prevents the story from being considered a DarkFic.

* ''Fanfic/PokemonNovaAndAntica'': The fic generally maintains the lighthearted nature of its source material, which makes the deviations all the more evident. Generally speaking, you'll have all sorts of friendly battles and warm moments one instance, and in another, allusions to death as well as personal drama and strife.

* For the first half of ''Fanfic/ShadowsOverHell'' the tune of the chapter varies from chapter to chapter. You could get either a very sweet and fun outing of Loona & Octavia with some angst and the brief bits of horror, or it could be a Lovecraftian Horror chapter, filed with actions, scares and nightmarish imagery, that will chill you to the bone. [[spoiler: This last until Chapter 25, when the Uproar happens, throwing all of Hell into chaos and causes the rest of the story to have much more of an Eldritch Apocalypse Horror with political drama and devastating angst, with a few moments of levity on occasion.]]

* ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}'', being [[LongRunners the longest-running film series in history]], is well acquainted with this trope. The darkest and most horrific film of the series was the original, a somber and intelligent allegorical parable about nuclear warfare. Over the next two decades, the series gradually shifted to more and more {{camp}}y, child-friendly fare, then took a sudden serious turn just in time for the series to take a ten-year hiatus. 1984's ''Film/TheReturnOfGodzilla'' set up a new continuity that, while not dealing with the previous themes of nuclear war nearly as extensively or didactically, still maintained a consistently serious tone. The third sub-series, in which every movie (save ''Film/GodzillaTokyoSOS'', a direct sequel to the movie preceding it) established its own continuity, ranged everywhere between outrageously campy and over-the-top to the most serious and frightening film since the original. More recent reboots have returned to a more serious tone [[RevisitingTheRoots similar to the original]].

* Creator/MartinMcDonagh's ''Film/ThreeBillboardsOutsideEbbingMissouri'' is an example done quite successfully, where the sharp-witted barbs, one-liners and pitch-BlackComedy never get in the way of how tragic, sad and disturbing the characters and their lives really are.

* The ''Literature/AuntDimity'' series as a whole can be characterized this way. The novels have many elements of comedy and {{Farce}}, and some of the solutions to the mysteries are simple and largely non-threatening. In other portions, tragic and horrific elements appear, and the answers (e.g. terrorism, suicide, survivor's guilt, murder) are far more grim. Interestingly, the opposites tend to reinforce one another: Characters can take things so seriously that they jump to dire conclusions that are dispelled by relatively innocuous explanations, and everyone has a good laugh afterwards. Alternatively, they can go blithely forward in a misplaced confidence that nothing bad will happen, until something does. There are additional benefits in avoiding saccharine extremes and keeping the audience guessing.

* The ''Literature/WingsOfFire'' series. The first book is a straightforward, dragon-centric adventure story, with a fairly dark plot, a villain who's [[LaughingMad actively insane,]] and serious CharacterDevelopment moments. The second book is a much more lighthearted romp, with a less serious plot, a goofier antagonist (who is, at heart, an overprotective mother), [[HormoneAddledTeenager fluffy relationship drama]], and its hero is the fairly stubborn Tsunami (who doesn't change much). The third book swings back around to having Glory as its protagonist, who may have one of the ''darkest'' psyches ever explored in a children's book (a [[AbusiveParents highly abused]] dragon girl with deeply ingrained {{Boomerang Bigot}}ry), as well as the series' most unsettling plot yet. The fourth book brings back the relationship fluff and introduces a new PluckyComicRelief in the form of Fatespeaker, while keeping the dramatic plot. And the fifth book stars Sunny, the local [[TheCutie cutie]] and eternal optimist--so naturally [[BreakTheCutie it has some of the heaviest character moments yet]].

* ''Series/TheAvengers1960s'' began as a relatively gritty spy-adjacent crime series before the second series added Creator/HonorBlackman and moved firmly into SpyFiction. When Creator/DianaRigg was added as the legendary Emma Peel, the supra-realistic settings, whimsy and comedy were dialed up even more... in ''most'' episodes.

** The classic series had a lot of wild shifts in tone, particularly whenever new people took over behind the scenes. The best example might be the tenure of Creator/TomBaker as the [[TheNthDoctor Fourth Doctor]], since it lasted so long. It began with the comical "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS12E1Robot Robot]]", which established Four as much sillier and more alien than his predecessor. Soon it was doing far darker stories like "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS13E3PyramidsOfMars Pyramids of Mars]]" and "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS12E4GenesisOfTheDaleks Genesis of the Daleks]]". MoralGuardians complained, so we got a RobotBuddy and much more comedy with serials like "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS17E2CityOfDeath City of Death]]" (written by comedic author Creator/DouglasAdams). Baker's final season, however, was comparatively grim and death and decay was a recurring theme.
** Due to the production difficulties of the time (several producers, tortured budgets and plots that had to be written around [[RealLifeWritesThePlot the lead actor's failing mental health]]), Season 3 (with the First Doctor) definitely qualifies. "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS3E2MissionToTheUnknown Mission to the Unknown]]", a BottleEpisode without the Doctor in it where a bunch of people get miserably slaughtered by Daleks, is followed by "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS3E3TheMythMakers The Myth Makers]]", a lighthearted {{Bathos}}-based social comedy set in Troy which suddenly becomes very dark and bloody when the Greeks invade in the final episode. "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS3E4TheDaleksMasterPlan The Daleks' Master Plan]]" is a SpaceOpera {{Arc}} combining an extreme bodycount (including the deaths of ''two'' companions) and brutal violence with the [[AffablyEvil intentionally goofy]] villain the Monk and a ridiculous comedy episode halfway through where they get stuck on a 1920s film set and then go off to celebrate Christmas. "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS3E5TheMassacre The Massacre]]" is another unusually dark episode with a DownerEnding where the Doctor is forced to ignore a genocide and has a HeroicBSOD, interrupted in the last five minutes by a giggly CloudCuckooLander ManicPixieDreamGirl companion accidentally breaking into the TARDIS. Then we get the [[AngstWhatAngst somewhat less relentlessly negative]] "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS3E6TheArk The Ark]]", the absolutely ridiculous "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS3E7TheCelestialToymaker The Celestial Toymaker]]", a comedy MusicalEpisode ("[[Recap/DoctorWhoS3E8TheGunfighters The Gunfighters]]") which again has a suddenly dark and bloody ending, and it's only by "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS3E9TheSavages The Savages]]" and "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS3E10TheWarMachines The War Machines]]" that the series settles back down into monster-based adventure serials.

** The Twelfth Doctor's tenure continues this trend. Series 8 is mostly standalone stories while Series 9 prefers multi-parters, but it's common for light adventures to suddenly swerve into tragic territory and dark ones to indulge in whimsy as the much-changed Doctor's relationship with Clara is tested again and again. "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS34E6TheCaretaker The Caretaker]]" has Clara trying to hide her two relationships with Danny and the Doctor from each other when the latter poses as a human at her school... but it also addresses Danny's concern that Clara will come to a bad end traveling with the alien. "[[Recap/DoctorWho2014CSLastChristmas Last Christmas]]" has brain-eating, DreamWithinADream-weaving aliens...but SantaClaus himself helps our heroes escape them. ItMakesSenseInContext. "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E5TheGirlWhoDied The Girl Who Died]]" has the Doctor help a village of Viking farmers defeat hammy aliens... but when the cost of victory is too high to bear, he makes a rash decision that haunts him for the rest of the season. The intense "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E7TheZygonInvasion The Zygon Invasion]]"[=/=]"[[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E8TheZygonInversion The Zygon Inversion]]" has cheeky comic relief and a SurprisinglyHappyEnding. The tragic, massively-scaled three-part Series 9 finale starts with what ''could'' be a whimsical adventure, but certain villains are out to get the Doctor ''and'' Clara makes a well-meant choice... After that saga's BittersweetEnding comes "[[Recap/DoctorWho2015CSTheHusbandsOfRiverSong The Husbands of River Song]]", a ChristmasEpisode that outstrips just about every other revival episode for wackiness '''''then''''' becomes a tender romance that has its own BittersweetEnding -- albeit one more sweet than bitter. Series 10 starts out episodic by way of introducing lighthearted companion Bill Potts to him, but it has a dark undercurrent in the background that moves to the forefront in episode five, "Oxygen", which ends with the Doctor [[spoiler: blinded]], leading into the Monks Trilogy mini-arc that fully reveals the season's StoryArc ([[spoiler: the attempted redemption of Missy]]). The happy ending of the trilogy leads into two lighter episodes, but the arc still holds sway and the two-part SeasonFinale sees sweet Bill [[spoiler: converted into perhaps the first true Cyberman]] and ends with the Doctor nearly being KilledOffForReal with all his hopes for those he cared about in tatters. AND THEN a RayOfHopeEnding leads directly into his GrandFinale "Twice Upon a Time". Conceived ''only'' because a ChristmasEpisode for 2017 was needed and the incoming showrunner didn't want it to be Thirteen's debut, it's a '''much''' LighterAndSofter team-up with the First Doctor in which [[spoiler: there's NoAntagonist, EverybodyLives, and he gets positive resolution to lingering issues regarding Bill ''and'' Clara]], ending Twelve's MythArc on a note of hope just before the traditional regeneration {{Cliffhanger}}.
** In the Creator/ChrisChibnall era of the show, the stories seem to alternate between rather lowkey stories in his first season, to an epic myth arc in his second. Yet even the epic myth arc has more lighthearted fare sandwiched in it, and though the lowkey stories had no world-ending stakes, the story's subject matter often spoke of racism, corporate greed and misogyny in appropriate severity. Flux goes full serialized MythArc, and the two specials after that are more lighthearted than the GrandFinale seems to be.

* As with many tropes it played with, ''Series/{{Farscape}}'' took this and ran with it for all it was worth. Not only would it alternate between highly dramatic and comedic episodes (for example, a drama-heavy two-parter which ended with the death of one of the main characters, being followed by an episode that was largely animated as an homage to Creator/ChuckJones, and then was followed once again by an episode dealing with the aftermath of that character's death) but would have heavy MoodWhiplash within the individual episodes, especially as Crichton's mental state was variably played for laughs and drama. This even extends from season to season, as the series gets progressively darker over the course of season 1 and 2, before taking the plunge outright in season 3. Season 4 then backpedals into a somewhat lighter tone, before things get pitch black in ''The Peacekeeper Wars''.
* ''Series/{{Glee}}'' for sure. Often episodes can start off with a upbeat cover of some top 40 hit, but by the end of the episode can have dealt with, among others, attempted suicide, almost death and temporary paralysis of a teenager, unwanted pregnancy, a bully assaulting another teen verbally, physically, and eventually sexually - all this between episodes surrounding choosing between Katy Perry and Lady Gaga, weddings, and puppets. Especially notable is the start of season five when we jump from a Beatles tribute to the Cory Monteith memorial - the writers wanted to start the season on a positive note.

** ''[[Series/KamenRiderFourze Fourze]]'' has to take the cake when it comes to the rollercoaster. We can have our LargeHam protagonist kicking ass and then go to [[spoiler:finding out the school board are creating this year's monsters]] before going to a Christmas based episode and then [[spoiler:it brings out one of the worst monsters in the show]] and then we have the HighSchoolDance. ''Then'' we get [[spoiler:our hero dying at the hands of the Second Rider]] and that's when it takes corkscrews and loop-de-loops around this thing.
** ''Series/KamenRiderGaim'' is an even bigger rollercoaster than ''Fourze''. While the main plot is overall very dark [[spoiler:AlienKudzu is threatening to devour the planet, and the MegaCorp that has the means to fight it is lead by power-hungry backstabbers who don't give a damn about saving humanity]], there's still plenty of humor to be found both in the premise (the Riders' armor is fruit-themed) or the cast (which includes ThoseTwoGuys and a [[AgentPeacock Badass]] CampGay pastry chef). This gets {{Lampshaded}} late in the series during a dark portion when the chef and one of the two guys [[spoiler:the other having been killed much earlier]] lament that it feels like they have nothing to do anymore.

* ''Series/PrimevalNewWorld'' always fluctuated with its tone. The series started off being DarkerAndEdgier than its [[Series/{{Primeval}} predecessor]], but started to lighten up, until [[WhamEpisode "Undone"]] aired. From that point on, the series flip-flopped between being dark, to being light-hearted (and even humorous at times) until the show ended the same way it started: dark and grim.

* ''Series/{{Psych}}'' used this to its advantage for a multi season story arc. By keeping the show episodic and lighthearted during most of each season the Yin and Yang episodes they used for the finales seemed much darker in comparison.
* ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'' is best described as a collision between a medical drama and a slapstick comedy with great big dollops of tragedy, GallowsHumor, surrealism and LemonyNarrator thrown in for good measure, and it's a complete toss-up as to what each episode will give the viewer. And it's not just across the show or across seasons, it can be across a single episode: one storyline might be a ZanyScheme filled with sex jokes, pratfalls, and wacky shenanigans, while another storyline might be a gut-wrenching, savagely dark tragedy about the death of patients and the psychological fallout from one or more of the doctors, while the camera merrily {{Whip Pan}}s between the two.

** ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' took the cake however, especially in season six which had all out war for the Federation's existence, Ben Sisko injured and at the mercy of a major antagonist having a complete mental breakdown, and an episode implying the entire show is being dreamed/hallucinated by a Black sci-fi author battling systemic racism in the Fifties — interspersed with Bashir befriending a quirky gang of (autistic-coded) genetically engineered folks, a Ferengi spin on ''Film/WeekendAtBernies'', and a runabout being shrunk to the size of a Hot Wheels toy. Yes, folks, the same season that introduced [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans Section 31]] also has Quark forced to dress in drag.
** ''Series/StarTrekStrangeNewWorlds'' has been dealing with this in its second season. It is noticeable from the fourth episode onward. The tonal shifts have gone from harrowing memory loss, a comedic episode where Spock becomes fully human, a horror themed episode where Uhura suffers from hallucinations, a {{Crossover}} with the comedy ''WesternAnimation/StarTrekLowerDecks'', an UnexpectedlyDarkEpisode involving M'Benga suffering PTSD from the Klingon War, complete with a DownerEnding, but that's okay because the episode after that is a '''''MusicalEpisode'''''. And, finally, the '''''[[TheDreaded Gorn]]''''' return, and ''Enterprise'' goes into battle with hundreds of innocent lives and potentially the fate of TheFederation at stake. '''ToBeContinued...'''

* Musical duo Music/TroutFishingInAmerica recorded two albums of children's songs in their earliest years. Then they did an album of mostly dead-serious folk-rock. Ever since then, they've gone back and forth between the two, even splitting the difference with sillier folk-rock songs, and albums that contain a little of both.
* Music/{{Weezer}} began as a radio-friendly power-pop band with hits like "Buddy Holly" and "Undone -- The Sweater Song" until they took a DarkerAndEdgier approach for their follow-up ''Music/{{Pinkerton}}'' which featured harsher production and lyrics that explore isolation and sexual frustration. When ''Pinkerton'' was bashed by critics, the ''The Green Album'' which came afterwards was a LighterAndSofter "return to roots" album that went back to the radio-friendly power-pop sound with simpler lyrical themes. Then they followed ''that'' up with ''Maladroit'' which while maintaining the lyrical simplicity of the Green Album returned to the harsher, heavier sound of ''Pinkerton''. Then the next album ''Make Believe'' returned to the emotionally vulnerable lyrics that defined ''Pinkerton''. The tone of their music continued to fluxuate with ''[[TotallyRadical Raditude]]'', ''Everything Will Be Alright in the End'', and ''Pacific Daydream''.

* ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}'''s story went pretty steadily into the dark, but some of the franchise's later additions make it into an example. For instance the book ''Raid on Vulcanus'' is one of the darkest and most violent entries in the entire franchise, with its many gray-morality protagonists, brief discussion of complicated moral questions and graphic, sword-to-flesh violence (and yes, this is still a Franchise/{{LEGO}} franchise we're talking about) and tragic war stories. Its direct sequel, the animated feature ''The Legend Reborn'' is meanwhile a fairly light-hearted action-adventure film with moments of {{slapstick}} and goofy cartoon sound effects. The novelization, however, averts this completely and more or less keeps the previous book's tone. Which then clashes with the purposely light and tame stories of the easy-level reading children's books.

** ''VideoGame/DiabloIII'' regions start out at the mid-fantasy level, troubled but beautiful, and grow progressively grim-dark until you're slaughtering abominations in burning torture chambers or walking on the flayed skin of giants. Some fans derided the bleakness water-down, others liked the progression of Cerebrus with grace periods for contrast. But ultimately, this is a game where you unlock a bonus level full of rainbows and unicorns after your MissionControl is brutally murdered.
* ''VideoGame/{{IMGCM}}'' starts as a normal MagicalGirlWarrior genre with comedic and vivid DemonSlaying adventure. [[spoiler:Then it escalates into DarkerAndEdgier ScienceFantasy, {{Multiverse}} and [[MindScrew mind-screw]] after Kaori's death and her [[AndThenJohnWasAZombie subsequent corruption into a demon]]. Don't worry, [[DeathIsCheap the heroines get better]] and [[StatusQuoIsGod their status quo is maintained]] as Chapter 7 Episode 2 reveals that Omnis' ability is to create new realities/universes and merge the old univereses where he previously screwed-up with universes he recently created (depending on his wishes and intentions), which means both alive and dead heroines (except ones who are corrupted into demons, who are replaced by copies from new universes instead of being merged) are merged with new ones from those new universes, resulting all of them alive. Despite the desperate situations in some battles against sexy demon {{Eldritch abomination}}s, they managed to win their battles and end them in much positive manner, after Tobio learns that his ability has a risk of creating more demons from his slain heroines. Tobio and the heroines also encounter their various alternate selves from alternate universes]]. Despite the dark aspects, some hilarities and {{mood whiplash}}es ensue. Some event scenarios tend to have LighterAndSofter than the main story.
* ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'', being a massive {{crossover}} between loads of Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon properties and ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'', jumps around in tone like crazy. You can go from fighting an intense battle against [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII Sephiroth]] to hanging out with [[WesternAnimation/TheManyAdventuresOfWinnieThePooh Winnie the Pooh]]. You can summon [[WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}} Genie]] or [[WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitch Stitch]] or even WesternAnimation/ChickenLittle to fight against a horrible EldritchAbomination. You can go from walking through the [[FieldOfBlades Keyblade Graveyard]] with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoCbMsVWvT4 this music]] to walking through Disney Town and playing a mini-game involving [[ComicBook/DisneyDucksComicUniverse Huey, Dewey and Louie]], an ice cream cannon, and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fzJKGIDzwI It's a Small World]].

** The games bounce all over the place between serious, funny, and action movie camp. The ''Metal Gear Solid'' sub-series in particular has gone from [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid "Save the world" action with a twist]] to [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2SonsOfLiberty nonsensical mind screw]] to [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater break the most bad ass cutie ever]] to [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots utter depression with a bittersweet ending]] to [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVThePhantomPain an opening that is straight out of a horror movie]], all of which bounce all over the place and can go straight from a horrifying scene of Meryl getting shot by a sniper to a ButtMonkey guard trying not to crap his pants or Snake being tortured so badly he pisses himself to him chastising MissionControl for mentioning vampires ''because it will give him scary dreams''. And that's not even going into spinoffs like ''[[VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance Metal Gear Rising]]''...
** ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVThePhantomPain'' ups the ante with the rollercoaster madness of an open world. You unlock wacky costumes and joke items between missions involving war crimes and institutionalized mass-genocide. Sometimes you'll gross out your underlings by not showering for weeks, only to discover that a virulent plague has begun killing off specific ethnicities. You might find and adopt a puppy just in time to land a contract on murdering child soldiers. Fanservice with Quiet will eventually grow gruesome and disturbing, ending with an attempted rape scene.
* The ''VideoGame/DeadIsland'' series had seemingly had miscommunication between programmers Techland and developers Deep Silver in that when it was first revealed in 2007 it was basically a zombie outbreak on a tropical island. Then when the game was revived in 2011 it went a much different route that seemed to want to outdarken ''Franchise/TheWalkingDead'' based on the trailers and some of the in game content. Titles such as ''Riptide'' or ''Escape'' play up the horror or psychological themes, but at the same time there is humor in the game if you look for it, goofy elements and the games can very much be an action filled case of PlayTheGameSkipTheStory for those who aren't interested.

* The ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes'' series does this constantly and completely on purpose. Mixed in with all the self awareness and wacky villains are played straight moments of the main character foaming mad over his best friends death and scenes that slowly reveal just what a dark hole you got yourself into.
* ''VideoGame/Persona4'' plays out this way, compared to the rest of the games in the series being consistently dark throughout. The game begins with two murders, one of them being a teenager, and a generally unsettling atmosphere as a serial killer is on the loose and the police are useless at dealing with their supernatural methods. Your first venture into a dungeon results in the comic relief best friend's hidden fears and insecurities manifesting themselves as a Shadow and trying to kill you. From that point on though, you're able to rescue the killers' other targets in advance, the Shadow bosses gradually become more comedic, and by the mid-game the story has shifted to light-hearted high school SliceOfLife. Until the last months of the year, where the murder/kidnapping plot comes back in full force, [[spoiler: the latest victim being the protagonist's 7-year-old cousin, who comes very close to dying, and the protagonists (who are teenagers) come ''dangerously'' close to [[VigilanteExecution murdering the guy responsible]], and if you get the Bad Ending they ''succeed'' and Nanako dies for real]]. This is followed by the reveal of the true killer. [[spoiler: Turns out the goofy detective you've met all game was a sadistic, misogynistic attempted rapist who had no motives for doing what he did]]. After their capture the story goes back to being lighthearted with Christmas and Valentines Day, especially in the UpdatedRerelease, before lapsing back into darkness with the TrueFinalBoss before ending on an unambiguously happy note.
* The ''Franchise/RatchetAndClank'' series tends to run on this trope, though whether it plays it straight, downplays it, or outright goes into CerebusSyndrome territory depends on the game in question. But mostly it tends shift between being light-hearted space opera with humor not unlike something you'd see in a [[Creator/DreamWorksAnimation Dreamworks movie]], to clashing with villains that have a history of destroying planets, committing galactic genocide, or enslaving other galactic heroes into becoming gladiators... then moves back to the light-hearted stuff again.

* Due to the relaxed nature of its story progression, ''VideoGame/SolatoroboRedTheHunter'' can feel all over the place in terms of tone. We have the main plot, which goes from light-hearted, if somewhat dramatic adventure story to sudden talks about human nature, WorldWarIII, who deserves life, and mass genocide in the second half alone, all of it which is broken up by unlockable sidequests that involves Red rushing to deliver a pie, getting hit on (and creeped out) by a DragQueen, collecting fish to make stew, or [[ItMakesSenseInContext having to publicly admit to wetting the bed as a child without actually admitting it]].
* [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog1 The first]] ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' game was lighthearted and cartoony with some shonen elements. Then the sequels increasingly [[SequelEscalation upped the stakes and expanded on the shonen elements]]. This eventually led to the ''Sonic Adventure'' duology, with [[VideoGame/SonicAdventure the first installment]] culminating in an ancient god of destruction flooding a city [[AutobotsRockOut while a dramatic rock song plays]], and the [[VideoGame/SonicAdventure2 the sequel]] involving the murder of a terminally ill child whose grandfather was forced to make weapons for the military. ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes'' briefly went back to a more cartoony tone ([[MoodWhiplash apart from the Last Story]], the game was largely a lighthearted romp with heavy emphasis on ThePowerOfFriendship), only for the series to reach the epitome of its CerebusSyndrome with ''VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog'' (which expands on the aforementioned murder backstory) and ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006'' (where Sonic is [[TheHeroDies temporarily killed off]], among [[KudzuPlot other things]]). Due to complaints about this, Sega decided to [[ReverseCerebusSyndrome go in a more lighthearted direction]], starting with ''VideoGame/SonicUnleashed'' (despite still taking itself somewhat seriously, there's still a decent amount of silliness to be had), and culminating in [[DenserAndWackier the comedic and trippy]] ''VideoGame/SonicColors''. This eventually led to complaints about Sega going too far in this opposite direction. Possibly as a response, the series started to wander back in a more serious direction, with ''VideoGame/SonicLostWorld'' having some dark moments sandwiched by comical moments. ''VideoGame/SonicForces'' further toned down the comedy and upped the stakes, resulting in one of the darkest installments in the series.
* ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' games are generally light and comedic but there will be times the series will take an unexpected dark turn. In ''VideoGame/SuperMario64'', all the worlds are colorful and mystical but then you have Big Boo's Haunt that has a dark atmosphere, eerie music, coffins that smashes you, and a killer piano with razor-sharp teeth. The DS remake adds a maze-like level where a maniacal laughter by King Boo can be heard throughout the area. Another example is the Crumbleden in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioOdyssey''. Contrary to other kingdoms in the game, this one is dark and lifeless with destroyed buildings and no survivor in sight. The possible cause of this? The boss of this world, which is a gigantic purple dragon sporting a design one would expect from ''Dark Souls''.
** The ''Mario'' [[RolePlayingGame [=RPG=]s]] are also often like this. The ''VideoGame/PaperMario'' series goes from light hearted and comedic to dark at almost a moment's notice (just compare the somewhat cheery Petal Meadows, Excess Express and Fort Francis sections of their respective games to the rather morbid Twilight Town, Palace of Shadow, and Sammer's Kingdom return ones). And the ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigi'' series? Same. ''[[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiSuperstarSaga Superstar Saga]]'' was mostly comedic, ''[[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiPartnersInTime Partners in Time]]'' was arguably the darkest Mario game ever released, and ''[[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiBowsersInsideStory Bowser's Inside Story]]'' went back to being somewhat comedic again. Although they all do have their dark moments (like the Hooniversity in the first game, Dark Bowser/Dark Star in ''Bowser's Inside Story'', or Bowser's Dream in ''[[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiDreamTeam Dream Team]]'').

* ''WebAnimation/TheMisadventuresOfR2AndMiku'' has a rare example of this occurring with a single installment of a series. While most of the series is a surreal BlackComedy concerning the titular two characters (one of whom is a [[UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist callous]] [[TheDitz ditz]] and the other being a straight man), "Miku Hits R2 with a Chair" opens with exactly that happening, followed by R2 chewing out Miku to such an extreme that the mood turns genuinely serious. This leads into a scene where a very hurt Miku has a heart-to-heart with her mother that's tinged with BlackComedy (because her mother is [[VideoGame/{{Portal}} GLaDOS]], and she's quite reticent to say she loves her daughter), followed by Miku tearfully attempting to make amends with R2 in a completely serious manner. After they reconcile, it switches back to comedy when Miku falls for a trap and ends up getting the two of them killed... before the episode concludes with a deadly-serious PSA about suicide prevention.

* ''Webcomic/CtrlAltDel'' has done this as well, going from gag a day strips to marriage to [[spoiler:miscarriage, loss, and death]]. It eventually goes through this cycle again with new characters. Gag a day, then story arc, then gag a day again with a promise of another drama arc.
* ''Webcomic/CucumberQuest'' oscillates wildly between cute and funny and dark and emotional, thought this is an intentional part of the comic's tone. [[spoiler: The Nightmare Knight, the main villain of the series, is shown baking shortbread cookies, lamenting the fact that since his powers come from fear he has to pretend to be evil in order to keep his children alive, breaking into a television studio where live-action children's shows are filmed, and visiting Mistmaster, who was reduced to a constantly weeping shell of a person.]] This does blend with CerebusSyndrome, as most of the darker elements are introduced later in the comic, but the tone still can be very light and comedic even in later chapters.

* ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'' has this problem - when it went through CerebusSyndrome, it ended up being too dark in ''Painted Black'' arc, so the author took it back to being silly and fun, but decided to introduce serious elements from a completely different angle, adding a lot of relationship driven plot points, teenage angst, and SliceOfLife elements. Ultimately the series evolved into a combination of comedy and teen drama.
* ''{{Webcomic/Homestuck}}'': The main villain is a dog with sunglasses...who thinks only of killing everything in sight...and occasionally dog treats and is unable to kill the cutie of the group thank to loyalty...but then ends up in a universe where he quickly finds other cuties to kill. And it all began as a young boy playing a game with his friends. The creator has picked up on this and the comedic elements now are usually situational or background events to the overarching drama.

* ''{{Webcomic/Roommates}}'' uses a premise where fictional characters are "real" and know their fictional nature. So what's free will? How binding is their {{Canon}}? What happens when too many storytellers mess with you? In practice this goes like: The dramatic arc which dealt with Javert's dark past (canon) was followed by the Jareth vs. Misto story that was purely comedy, after that came a dramatic and romantic arc about Erik finding a new girlfriend (and giving the impression to have a crush on Music/SarahBrightman), intersected with a meta and hilarious outtake about the "[[TropaholicsAnonymous Killed for canon meeting]]", which results in a carefully calculated and deviously executed MoodWhiplash "What does FriendsWithBenefits mean anyway?" and so forth.

* ''Literature/{{Legatum}}'' consists of standalone novels -- all of which have a different theme, and therefore a different tone. ''Literature/SmirvlaksStone'' focuses mostly on world building; ''Literature/HelpNotWanted'' is mostly a dark dramedy; ''Literature/TheRoadToHell'' is the darkest story in the series focusing on realistic themes about revolution.

* ''WebVideo/EverymanHYBRID'' starts out a lighthearted fitness series/parody of Franchise/TheSlenderManMythos, before some hints show up that the ''real'' Slendy might be getting involved, then there's a WhamEpisode where he appears to the group in Evan's home...but in their next few videos and Ustreams they blow it off and take a step back into lighthearted territory, though Slendy still shows up if you look hard enough...until "Joke's Over", where all pretenses of fitness or hijinks are abandoned and the series takes a full step into CosmicHorrorStory territory.
* WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic does this a little differently to Linkara, as his show never has any battles or villains, and the only problems he has are of the "inner demon" kind. But he'll give you a long, easy road of funny, then exhausts everyone with CloseToHome things like child abuse, domestic abuse, self-worth problems, feeling like a failure etc., and after a while goes back to "hehe, just a funny review show". And so on and so on.

* ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'' just loves to do this. As it underwent CerebusSyndrome, the episodes starting getting [[GrowingTheBeard more mature and character-oriented]], but the show is still mostly a bizarre comedy. So, one episode we'll have [[WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids nuclear warfare and a thinly-veiled Alzheimer's metaphor]]; the next, we'll have [[MoodWhiplash Finn and Jake treating a children's book like a]] TomeOfEldritchLore [[MoodWhiplash and BMO talking to himself in a mirror.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingWorldOfGumball'', a normally upbeat and wild cartoon, unexpectedly took a turn for the dramatic with "The Treasure" which gave an explanation for the Watterson's financial troubles and featured a rather dramatic and perilous climax (With the Watterson kids going into an unfamiliar area and nearly getting badly injured in the process). The series then went back to normal light-hearted fare...then came [[SeriesFauxnale The Finale]] where the series NegativeContinuity is deconstructed and the Wattersons discover that their various whimsical misadventure have left long term effects on Elmore, ultimately resulting in the family [[DownerEnding getting lynched by just about the entire town]].
** The third season goes back and forth between sillier episodes and...some less sillier episodes that can go from Gumball and Darwin dealing with an obsessed fan and ADayInTheLimelight for various background characters, to fighting an evil pet turtle, Mr. Robinson needing a life saving operation (in way that isn't quite as played for laughs as usual), and the fact that the world Gumball lives in can just spirit you away to a nightmarish parallel universe if it deems you a "mistake". The season has both DenserAndWackier episodes, along with [[CerebusSyndrome Serious-er]] and [[WhamEpisode Wham-ier]] episodes.

* ''WesternAnimation/BeastWars'' shifted its tones frequently. Season 1 was an episodic and fairly balanced series of semi-serious and humorous stories, while season 2 was serious-toned all the way through (with some amusing moments sprinkled throughout its run). Season 3, on the other hand, went from being serious, to half-serious and jovial, back to being dark again, but with some truly over-the-top comedic moments, which made not only the season, but also episode-tones shift wildly.

* ''WesternAnimation/BojackHorseman'' regularly ventures between lighthearted comic-relief episodes and dark, depressing ones. Like ''Rick and Morty'' it tends to switch between both sides within one episode. Occasionally it depends where you're looking on the screen, since even the dark scenes have the odd FunnyBackgroundEvent. The show also loves to use the comedy to either set up the drama or deconstruct the comedy itself. Frequently the show will set up a standard comedy plot, only for it to deconstructed in such a way to highlight just how screwed up the characters are. In most comedies, a wild drugs and alcohol binge by the protagonist might get them into a crazy situation that ultimately will have no long term impacts. In this show however [[spoiler:one of Bojack's only true friends, one of the only people just like him, [[IntergenerationalFriendship Sarah Lynn]] dies of a drug overdose because of it.]] Bojack impulsively uproots his life to join TheOneThatGotAway? She's married with kids, but still lets him live in a boat in their yard as a member of the family, parodying the "weird character in a sitcom that's not technically part of the family but is anyways and lives a weird bachelor life". Then he tries to [[spoiler:bang her 17 year old daughter after getting her friends drunk because he has no idea how to act like an adult.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' is this by design, combining high-stakes adventure episodes (which have surprisingly dark points for a TV-Y show) mostly in the season premieres and finales, with lighthearted comedy and everyday life lessons in between. It should be noted that it still doesn't skimp on the jokes and lightheartedness in the 2-part adventure episodes, however, so it's not THAT big of a shift. With the exception of the first season, each of the others BookEnds with darker or story-changing episodes.

* ''WesternAnimation/ReBoot'' was mostly comical during season 1, but the season ended with a somewhat darker two-part episode. Season two went back to comical for half of the season, but kicked off a plot for the second half that ended with a WhamEpisode. Season 3 got darker every four episodes, before spending the last ten minutes with a MusicalEpisode. Season 4 goes to the point of ''Cyberspace Annihilation'', then swings back into comedy. ''THEN'' a previous villain returns, '''[[TheBadGuyWins WINS]]''', and we get a {{Cliffhanger}}. This series is a freakin mood yoyo.
* ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty'' is pretty much always dark. Whether the dark is utterly hilarious or depressingly serious is another matter. Race of man made people taking a restaurant hostage, being held on trial for the death of a giant, or getting ready to bring Armageddon to start another Adam and Eve situation? Hilarious. Marital troubles, other versions of you from other dimensions causing trouble, and [[spoiler:replacing yourself in another universe seconds after the you from that one died]]? Disturbing. And it's not uncommon to switch between the two sides several times in the same episode (e.g. what happens when you create a universe solely to provide you with power).

* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'' is very fond of this, with its MythArc concerning the possible re-ignition of an interstellar war regularly being tempered by lighthearted episodes where the main character forms a band or hangs out at an amusement park. Some of these lighter episodes still manage to take 90 degree turns into dramatic and heartwrenching scenes, however. One notable episode from the show's first season has two characters role act out a children's book before transitioning into a reveal that one of them was ''literally'' grown to be a soldier on the opposing side of the war that her current family fought, and that she constantly agonizes about this fact, worrying that the others see her as a lesser being because of it.

* The ''Literature/ATwistedTale'' series is often inconsistent with the violence levels among its installments. In general, most of the books are varying degrees of DarkerAndEdgier compared the Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon movies they are based on. The violence reaches its peak in the books ''A Whole New World'' and ''Once Upon a Dream'', featuring gruesome deaths, blood, and ruthless villains. ''Part of Your World'' is near the middle, with a more serious tone than its [[WesternAnimation/TheLittleMermaid1989 base movie]], but not as outright terrifying. At the other end of the scale, ''Conceal, Don't Feel'' is LighterAndSofter, a stark outlier from the other dark Twisted Tales. It is the only Twisted Tale that does not show blood whatsoever, and what little violence that's left never exceeds what is already in the [[WesternAnimation/Frozen2013 movie]] it is based on.

* ''WesternAnimation/BojackHorseman'' regularly ventures between lighthearted comic-relief episodes and dark, depressing ones. Like ''Rick and Morty'' it tends to switch between both sides within one episode. Occasionally it depends where you're looking on the screen, since even the dark scenes have the odd FunnyBackgroundEvent. The show also loves to use the comedy to either set up the drama or deconstruct the comedy itself. Frequently the show will set up a standard comedy plot, only for [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome surprisingly realistic outcome]] to occur and it's deconstructed in such a way to highlight just how screwed up the characters are. In most comedies, a wild drugs and alcohol binge by the protagonist might get them into a crazy situation that ultimately will have no long term impacts. In this show however [[spoiler:one of Bojack's only true friends, one of the only people just like him, [[IntergenerationalFriendship Sarah Lynn]] dies of a drug overdose because of it.]] Bojack impulsively uproots his life to join TheOneThatGotAway? She's married with kids, but still lets him live in a boat in their yard as a member of the family, parodying the "weird character in a sitcom that's not technically part of the family but is anyways and lives a weird bachelor life". Then he tries to [[spoiler:bang her 17 year old daughter after getting her friends drunk because he has no idea how to act like an adult.]]

* ''Fanfic/ItsJustALightRainButTheStormsStillComin'', a ''VideoGame/Persona5'' fanfiction centering on the ButterflyOfDoom of Joker not entering the Metaverse with Ryuji on April 11, leans heavily on the CerebusSyndrome side of the roller coaster. The story starts with a DownerBeginning and time skips to when Kurusu Akira is discovered to develop a Palace where things are also taking a turn for worse with how tough the Phantom Thieves handle their heist without Joker in the helm and their attempt to solve Akira's palace only made things worse due to their mistaken first impression that Akira is just as evil as his fake criminal record makes him out to be due to being last seen speaking to Shiho, causing the group to assume the worst that Akira is somehow responsible for Shiho's suicide. While the story establishes a few hopeful moments to show that the situation might be looking up for Akira and the thieves, the story just as quickly takes that hope away in the following scenes. Though the story does away the light-hearted and comedic moments of ''VideoGame/Persona5'' in favor of focusing on the ButteflyOfDoom in effect, it still had it's own hopeful and heartwarming moments that prevents the story from being considered a DarkFic.

* The ''VideoGame/{{Diablo}}'' series seems to be riding on this. Despite its immense popularity, ''VideoGame/DiabloII'' was sometimes derided for [[LighterAndSofter not being as dark and edgy as the first game]]. In the books as well, the mood can range from as dark and edgy as the first game to surprisingly goofy. On the other hand, whatever funny moments the series has [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools can prevent it from getting]] ''[[Administrivia/TropesAreTools too]]'' [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools dark]].

** ''VideoGame/Diablo3'' regions start out at the mid-fantasy level, troubled but beautiful, and grow progressively grim-dark until you're slaughtering abominations in burning torture chambers or walking on the flayed skin of giants. Some fans derided the bleakness water-down, others liked the progression of Cerebrus with grace periods for contrast. But ultimately, this is a game where you unlock a bonus level full of rainbows and unicorns after your MissionControl is brutally murdered.

** Series 7 had "standalone adventure" style episodes, many of them with an at-face-value goofy, funny or gimmicky plot idea. And though there is a lot of comedy and charming moments throughout the series, it also deals with war-weariness (the Doctor and Kahler Jex), moral ambiguity (the Doctor's confrontations with certain antagonists and his inner demons rearing their ugly head), loss (the Doctor having to part with River and losing his companions in a traumatic manner), grief and depression (the Doctor retreating into himself and noting that "the universe doesn't care", though he eventually gets better), ''death'' (the deaths of Amy and Rory, the deaths of Clara's echoes, the Doctor's eventual revelation that he's out of regenerations and will probably die on Trenzalore, the death of Clara's mother hanging like a shadow over her future, Kahler Jex's bitter self-sacrifice), issues of trust (between the Doctor and Clara, due to the odd mystery surrounding her), and facing one's past (the Eleventh showing his darker side more often, and eventually revealing the existence of the War Doctor). Though the two different halves of the series prove a pretty big comedy-drama rollercoaster in virtually every episode, the 50th anniversary special that follows on from the finale is one of the most optimistic episodes in years: Even if the Doctor has to acknowledge and face some of the sadder moments of his past and legacy, there is always room for redemption, as long as one doesn't give up on hope, mercy, kindness, and the courage to set right what once went wrong.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'' is a black comedy that can veer into this when one considers the implications of what is happening. This is the series that in its relatively more lighthearted first season still was the trope namer for PoweredByAForsakenChild, based on the orphan's heart used for the LotusEaterMachine, and while that heart is implied to be only one of the morally questionable parts Dr. Venture used, it is also the only one he is willing to reveal.

** ''Series/StarTrekStrangeNewWorlds'' has been dealing with this in its second season. It is noticeable from the fourth episode onward. The tonal shifts have gone from harrowing memory loss, a comedic episode where Spock becomes fully human, a horror themed episode where Uhura suffers from hallucinations, a {{Crossover}} with the comedy ''WesternAnimation/StarTrekLowerDecks'', an UnexpectedlyDarkEpisode involving M'Benga suffering PTSD from the Klingon War, complete with a DownerEnding, but that's okay because the episode after that is a '''''MusicalEpisode'''''. And, finally, the '''''[[TheDreaded Gorn]]''''' return, and ''Enterprise'' goes into battle with hundreds of innocent lives and potentially the fate of TheFederation at stake. '''ToBeContinued...''

** ''Series/StarTrekStrangeNewWorlds'' has been dealing with this in its second season. It is noticable from the fourth episode onward. The tonal shifts have gone from harrowing memory loss, a comedic episode where Spock becomes fully human, a horror themed episode where Uhura suffers from hallucinations, a {{Crossover}} with the comedy ''WesternAnimation/StarTrekLowerDecks'', an UnexpectedlyDarkEpisode involving M'Benga suffering PTSD from the Klingon War, complete with a DownerEnding, but that's okay because the episode after that is a '''''MusicalEpisode'''''.

* ''Series/StarTrekStrangeNewWorlds'' has been dealing with this in its second season. It is noticable from the fourth episode onward. The tonal shifts have gone from harrowing memory loss, a comedic episode where Spock becomes fully human, a horror themed episode where Uhura suffers from hallucinations, a {{Crossover}} with the comedy ''WesternAnimation/StarTrekLowerDecks'', an UnexpectedlyDarkEpisode involving M'Benga suffering PTSD from the Klingon War, complete with a DownerEnding, but that's okay because the episode after that is a '''''MusicalEpisode'''''.

* Due to the relaxed nature of its story progression, ''{{VideoGame/Solatorobo}}'' can feel all over the place in terms of tone. We have the main plot, which goes from light-hearted, if somewhat dramatic adventure story to sudden talks about human nature, WorldWarIII, who deserves life, and mass genocide in the second half alone, all of it which is broken up by unlockable sidequests that involves Red rushing to deliver a pie, getting hit on (and creeped out) by a DragQueen, collecting fish to make stew, or [[ItMakesSenseInContext having to publicly admit to wetting the bed as a child without actually admitting it]].

* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' started using this trope every now and then since its 7th season.

* ''Series/TheAvengers(1960s)'' began as a relatively gritty spy-adjacent crime series before the second series added Creator/HonorBlackman and moved firmly into SpyFi. When Creator/DianaRigg was added as the legendary Emma Peel, the supra-realistic settings, whimsy and comedy were dialed up even more... in ''most'' episodes.
* ''Series/{{Charmed|1998}}'' had a pretty dark first season. Season 2 was LighterAndSofter, downplaying most of the magic and focusing more on a LoveTriangle and {{Melodrama}} in the sisters' love lives. Season 3 became more action-packed, with Season 4 getting ''really'' dark (involving a character being KilledOffForReal and a subsequent FaceHeelTurn for another character). Seasons 5 and 6 became LighterAndSofter, with more fantasy-themed standalone episodes. Seasons 7 and 8 are closer to Season 1's level of tone.

* ''DontCryMaouChan'' is mostly wacky shenanigans broken up with some occasional drama... that is resolved by wacky shenanigans. Like the time the Western Hero turned out to be the head of a mafia family that kidnapped the title character's best friend and is defeated by criticizing her fashion choices (I swear ItMakesSenseInContext).

* The ''Franchise/StarWars'' trilogies do this. The first trilogy starts off as lighthearted in ''Film/ANewHope'', turns dark in ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'', and mingles light and dark in ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'' (just compare the scenes with TheEmperor to the scenes with the Ewoks). In the prequels the first film was very light-hearted, then the ''[[Film/AttackOfTheClones latter]]'' ''[[Film/RevengeOfTheSith two]]'' takes a nosedive into dark and serious territory.