History Main / GainaxEnding

* The ending of ''VideoGame/BioshockInfinite'' involves [[spoiler: the two protagonists of the game hoping around from dimension to dimension via a series of lighthouses in an attempt to get rid of Comstock. Comstock maybe dead in their world but they need to go from where he originated from to stop him once and for all. However, along the way, Booker finds out that Elizabeth is actually his daughter, whom he sold to pay off some debts but then would later come to regret his decision. Then, at the end of it all, it is revealed that Comstock is actually an ''alternate universe version of Booker'' and Booker willingly accepts his death at the hands of multiple Elizabeths via a baptism.]]

* The ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'' DS LicensedGame has one of these. [[spoiler:After going through a trippy nightmare world and fighting the Scarecrow (and watching Robin [[DisneyVillainDeath fall to his death]]), Batman finds out that the whole thing was a hologram ala ''VideoGame/MegaMan2''. A PostFinalBoss fight ensues, with the hologram-maker boasting a pretty sizable health bar... [[ZeroEffortBoss but he gets knocked back several miles with one hit.]] Right after, Batman runs after the boss, carrying a CartoonBomb in a {{Homage}} to ''Film/BatmanTheMovie'' and dodging obstacles, then reaches it and throws the bomb at him, destroying him (and, it's implied, [[HeroicSacrifice Batman as well]]).]] Roll credits. Do note that the game beforehand had no real plot besides "bad guy is doing bad things somewhere, go stop him with a random superhero", so this ''really'' comes out of nowhere. ]
* The ending of ''VideoGame/BioshockInfinite'' involves [[spoiler: the two protagonists of the game hoping around from dimension to dimension in an attempt to get rid of Comstock once and for all. However, it also reveals that Elizabeth is actually Booker's daughter, whom he sold to pay off some debts but then would later come to regret his decision. Then, at the end of it all, it is revealed that Comstock is actually an ''alternate universe version of Booker'' and Booker willingly accepts his death at the hands of multiple Elizabeths via a baptism.]]

* The ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'' DS LicensedGame has one of these. [[spoiler:After going through a trippy nightmare world and fighting the Scarecrow (and watching Robin [[DisneyVillainDeath fall to his death]]), Batman finds out that the whole thing was a hologram ala ''VideoGame/MegaMan2''. A PostFinalBoss fight ensues, with the hologram-maker boasting a pretty sizable health bar... [[ZeroEffortBoss but he gets knocked back several miles with one hit.]] Right after, Batman runs after the boss, carrying a CartoonBomb in a {{Homage}} to ''Film/BatmanTheMovie'' and dodging obstacles, then reaches it and throws the bomb at him, destroying him (and, it's implied, [[HeroicSacrifice Batman as well]]).]] Roll credits. Do note that the game beforehand had no real plot besides "bad guy is doing bad things somewhere, go stop him with a random superhero", so this ''really'' comes out of nowhere.

** "Princess Potluck" ends with Jake getting randomly shot at the back of his head with an arrow by [[CallBack the squirrel from "The Duke"]], who has suffered, pardon if we're {{Understat|ement}}ing this, '''''massive''''' SanitySlippage. Well, at least that explains the random arrows BEFORE the ending.

** "Princess Potluck" ends with Jake getting randomly shot with an arrow by [[CallBack the squirrel from "The Duke"]], who has suffered SanitySlippage. Nevermind that the squirrel doesn't relate to this episode one bit nor [[BigLippedAlligatorMoment this may get mentioned again]].

* ''ShinMazinger''. Goddammit. Just... goddammit. [[spoiler: It ends on a horrible cliffhanger, with Mazinger defeated and the Earth seemingly about to be taken over. It seems to be a hook for a Shin Great Mazinger sequel, but there's no plans for one.]]

* The original ''Fim/RyanVsDorkman'' ends with [[spoiler:Dorkman successfully offing Ryan and walking away to leave - only for Ryan to reappear and ignite a lightsaber through Dorkman's chest]]. It didn't make any sense until the ending of ''Ryan Vs. Brandon 2'', which reveals that [[spoiler:there is a bunch of Ryan clones - this also explains why Ryan has lost every single one of his fights and manages to come back alive]].

* The original ''Ryan Vs. Dorkman'' ends with [[spoiler:Dorkman successfully offing Ryan and walking away to leave - only for Ryan to reappear and ignite a lightsaber through Dorkman's chest]]. It didn't make any sense until the ending of ''Ryan Vs. Brandon 2'', which reveals that [[spoiler:there is a bunch of Ryan clones - this also explains why Ryan has lost every single one of his fights and manages to come back alive]].

* The Creator/AkiraKurosawa crime drama ''The Bad Sleep Well'' ends with [[spoiler: [[CorruptCorporateExecutive the villain]] not only killing the hero and the whistle blower but with him destroying the evidence, meaning his ruthless actions will go unpunished. This happens off-screen and is only alluded to, making an important moment in the story something of anti-climax. Further more, the villain's conversation on the telephone at the end implies that he is in league with someone [[TheManBehindTheMan far more powerful than he]], though this character [[TheGhost was barely alluded]] to until the end. His children disowning him, however, is small consolation.]]

* The Nintendo 64 adaptation of ''NeonGenesisEvangelion'', much like the anime series and movie it was based on, [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xxsnMkr1rk has a Gainax Ending]], but with some important distinctions from ''EndOfEvangelion'': After Asuka's death, instead of a HeroicBlueScreenOfDeath, Shinji goes on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge, using the Lance of Longinus to destroy the Mass-Produced EVAs. Third Impact still occurs, but the game ends on a slightly happier note with Shinji reaching down to Asuka instead of trying to choke her on the beach.

The TropeNamer is StudioGainax, who became associated with this trope after the infamous ending of ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion''.

** "SpongeHenge". '''''[[PunctuatedForEmphasis THAT.]] [[UpToEleven IS.]] [[NightmareFuel ALL.]]'''''

** [[spoiler:It makes perfect sense really. The protagonist kept searching and searching for the atomic bomb, '''hurting the relationship with his wife/girlfriend in the process.''' All the while he thought he was the hero, instead of the obsessed madman he was. If you spend the time to get every star (An obsessive act in itself) the protagonist ignores the needs of his girlfriend and discovers the bomb. And then... BAM!]]

->''"I wanted controversy, arguments, fights, discussions, people in anger waving fists in my face saying, 'how dare you?'"''
-->-- '''Patrick [=McGoohan=]''' on the ending of ''Series/ThePrisoner''

** Monetary constraints aside, the ending was pretty straightforward: [[spoiler: the party fights Deus in its sanctuary, Elly takes Deus away before it self-destructs on the planet, Fei enters Deus and he and Elly have a BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind with it, chat with Krelian, and leave before Deus explodes. Then they come back home to a very unambiguous, triumphant welcome from the rest of the heroes]]. It got metaphysical once or twice, but everything else was spelled out crystal-clear, leaving virtually no room for alternate interpretations.
*** Though the fact that [[spoiler: [[CompleteMonster Krelian]] managed to [[KarmaHoudini get away with his numerous crimes including genocide and psychologically scarring Ramsus and Fei]] for no adequately explained reason, to the point that he condescendingly informs Fei that "Only God can judge him now"]] left a bitter taste in many fan's mouths.

*** Though the fact that [[spoiler: [[CompleteMonster Krelian]] managed to [[KarmaHoudini get away with his numerous crimes including genocide and psychologically scarring Ramsus and Fei]] for no adequately explained reason, to the point that he condescendingly informs Fei that "Only God can judge him now" left a bitter taste in many fan's mouths.

** Aaaand yet another at the end of "Mystery Train" when the train falls off an open cliff and lands on a gelatin person. Jake says that this wasn't planned, and he was the one who arranged the train ride for Finn. The ending seems to suggest that Jake knew this the whole time and either he or the designer of the train tracks was planning to commit a mass murder-suicide.
*** This may be because Finn accidentally destroyed the train's control panel in the fight directly before the cliff. Since Jake set the whole thing up to be filled with all sorts of heroic things, his original plan probably involved a dramatic "slam on the breaks before it goes off" scene.

* ''DivergenceEve: Misaki Chronicles'' does this. It breaks the original theme of the series by showing everyone dead is alive again, and also is totally confusing.
** You obviously didn't watch all of that season. It's well explained quite early on that it's TIME TRAVEL. The surviving characters are traveling to past eras, thus meeting those characters BEFORE THEY DIED. This is due to the collapse of the wormhole. And it's meant to be confusing, but the second season specifically does not break continuity with the first season. In fact, it clears up all the loose ends.

* The music video for the song 'Fantasy' by Dye. It starts off innocently enough, with four teens (two girls and two boys) breaking into a swimming pool to fool around a bit. One pair of teens starts to get rather ''frisky'' in the pool, while the girl in the second pair shies away from her mate and jumps into the deeper end of the pool instead. Then things start to get... [[NightmareFuel weird]]. [[spoiler: The girl who jumped into the pool notices a strange bulge start to move around in her underpants, and quickly gets out, then she and the boy she left by the poolside turn around, and notice the other pair of teens who had been making out [[BodyHorror have turned into something ''different'']]. The mutated girl somehow assimilates the other boy into her body, while the final girl tries to escape, but fails. As her former peers close in around her, she jumps into the pool again, and, upon reaching the bottom, somehow finds herself in a [[AnotherDimension different world]]. She then looks over the horizon, and [[GoMadFromTheRevelation her eyes explode]]. The camera then pans over to a massive EldritchAbomination, and the video ends.]]

* A [[NightmareFuel scary]] one comes from the ''{{Rugrats}}'' episode "What the Big People Do": After Chuckie and Tommy return back to normal, Angelica, for no reason other than scaring the crap out of people watching the episode, says "Oh BOOOOYS! Time to play HOUSE!" Cue Angelica's face morphing back into her adult version, her making an EvilLaugh, Tommy and Chuckie screaming and a '''''hard''''' cut to black.
* Another [[NightmareFuel scary]] one is from ''TheAmazingWorldOfGumball'' episode "The Remote". Throughout the episode, Gumball, Darwin, Richard, Anais and Nicole have been fighting for the remote since their shows come at the same time. At the end, Gumball discovers this was planned by Anais from the whole start after she told them to buy the wrong remote. So when they realize the real one is still in the house, they find out they have been locked out of the house so Anais can watch her show alone, and at the same time everybody else's shows comes on. The other Wattersons then scream and Anais makes a ''[[NightmareFace horrifying]]'' [[NightmareFace face]] which the camera proceeds to zoom in on.

** ''Adventure Time'' evidently loves this trope. There was another one in "[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVXAqJQf6K4#t=10m20s The Chamber of Frozen Blades]]" when Gunter, one of the Ice King's penguins that he took to the hospital, lays an egg that hatches... into a floating, pink cat. Then the Ice King says, "[[NoodleIncident Gunter, why didn't you tell me? Oh-ho-ho, Gunter-]]" as he is interrupted by Finn and Jake both kicking him.

*** That one got a MindScrewdriver in "Cristals Have Power".
** Also "Evicted", from the first season. After a whole episode of dealing with [[CuteMonsterGirl Marceline]] taking over Finn and Jake's house, she gives it back... and they return to find a giant worm that blasts them with a ray of some sort and asks them to hug it. Possibly, it was a two-parter leading to "King Worm"... three seasons later!

*** [[spoiler:What's particularly meta is that the final scene was never meant to be taken literally; [[http://wiki.puella-magi.net/Madoka_Magica_Episode_12:_My_Best_Friend#Observations it was an homage]] to ''{{Blade}}'', of all things. What's meta about it is that Gen Urobuchi, the writer for the series, was taken aback by interpretations like Homura being the only magical girl left alive; in a way, fans thinking like that is a GainaxEnding in itself to his writing the show.]]

* VideoGame/MassEffect3: [[spoiler: After three games, the final level of the game does not feature most of the allies you made over the course of the game fighting alongside you. The Rachni never really end up mattering. You never fight Harbinger. Instead, Shepherd gets badly injured, drags himself into the Citadel (which was taken over by the Illusive Man, regardless of what you did to improve its defenses earlier in the game), who you kill in a cutscene (or who you get to kill himself). Afterwards, when you finally activate the superweapon you spent all game building, it turns out that all it really does is interface with the AI who controls the Reapers, whose existence had never even been hinted at prior to that point, and who then gives you three options of how to deal with the reapers - to destroy all synthetic life in the galaxy (including your allies, the Geth), to take control of the Reapers, or to make everyone in the universe into a bio-synthetic hybrid. In the original ending, the only real difference was which color explosions the mass relays made, and while the extended cut at least explained the consequences of your choices, the rest of the ending remained the same. The ending created massive InternetBackdraft and proved to be a BaseBreaker.]]