History Main / DidNotGetTheGirl

* KingsQuestIV: Despite having a massive crush on Rosella, and risking Lolotte's wrath by convincing her to spare Rosella's life, and by smuggling Rosella a key later, Edgar initially falls victim to this trope. Of course, KingsQuestVII works out better.

* Yorick in ''YTheLastMan'' [[spoiler: in two different ways. First, he discovers that his girlfriend Beth, who he has been right around the world to find again, was planning to break up with him (and even the death of all other men doesn't help.) But he realised that he'd fallen in love with his bodyguard, and the feeling is mutual...until she's shot by a sniper. Regardless, Beth ends up with [[GirlsLove Yorrick's sister]].]]

* Subverted in the end of the Cell Saga in [[DragonBall DBZ]], where Android 18 mocks Krillin's resucing her from Cell as an attempt for trying to win her. Then, she leaves after rejecting his offer for her to stay with the gang. [[spoiler: Then, seven years later, Krillin and #18 are [[HappilyMarried now married]] and [[BabiesEverAfter have a little girl]]]

* Subverted in the end of the Cell Saga in [[DragonBall DBZ]], where Android 18 mocks Krillin's resucing her from Cell as an attempt for trying to win her. Then, she leaves after rejecting his offer for her to stay with the gang. [[spoiler: Then, seven years later, Krillin and #18 are [[HappilyMarried happily]] [[UglyGuyHotGirl married]] and [[BabiesEverAfter have a little girl]]]]

** And rounding out the gang, we've got [[FaceDeathWithDignity November]] and Paul, [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy Alpha]] and Echo, [[SurvivorGuilt Topher]] and [[OneHitKill Bennett]], and [[YourMileageMayVary Echo and Paul]], all from {{Dollhouse}}... JossWhedon [[MagnificentBastard may as well have been the]] TropeNamer

* ''TheFirstLaw'' plays this straight with Logen/Ferro and Jezal/Ardee, making ''two'' heroes who did not get the girl...but, at Jezal's expense, deliciously subverts it with Glokta, Hero #3.
** Depending, of course, on how you define "hero".
* {{Dean Koontz}}'s novel "Your Heart Belongs to Me" ends like this, which is something of a break in formula for him.
* Thomas Hardy's {{Jude the Obscure}}. Subverted in that he does get a girl, but she's not the main romantic lead and she's a complete harpy. Played straight in that Sue decides to go back to Philloston after the big tragedy.

* In the original ''MobileSuitGundam'', Amuro not only DidNotGetTheGirl, he [[spoiler:accidentally killed her]]. Amuro and Char blame each other for this, marking the incident as the point where their rivalry [[ItsPersonal becomes personal]].

* A running gag for Sanji in {{One Piece}}. For a feminist womanizer, no single woman was ever seen falling for him.

* ''DoctorHorriblesSingAlongBlog'' plays this horribly, ''brutally'' straight.

* ''The Student Prince'': In a huge TearJerker moment, just as the titular prince is about to defy his father and marry the commoner he's fallen in love with... he learns his father is dying. He agrees to marry for diplomatic reasons, and take the crown but goes to see his true love once more before he does.

* Jack Point in ''The Yeomen of the Guard'' plays it tragically straight.

* Guy from {{Fire Emblem}} 7 has to give up Priscilla at the end if you get their supports. He's a commoner and she's a Princess {{so yeah}}...

* Not sure if anyone noticed but most of these examples belong in a [[BittersweetEnding different trope]]. This trope is for cases where the lead did not get the love interest because said love interest picked someone else, for whatever reason. It is not for cases where they do love each other but are separated in end due to circumstances, such as: death, being separated by time and space, etc.

* ''TheThirdMan,'' with its famous ending shot of the hero's love interest walking coldly past him without even a sidelong glance. The film pulled this off so well that its ending was lifted almost verbatim in ''TheDeparted''.

Despite the name this trope can just as easily apply to female leads not getting the guy.