History Main / ShipSinking

* On ''Series/{{Glee}}'', Finchel (Finn/Rachel), once one of the most popular ships in the fandom, was instantly sunk by the sudden death of Cory Monteith, who played Finn Hudson, from a drug overdose. Monteith's girlfriend and Rachel's player, Lea Michele, and producer Ryan Murphy both agreed to also kill Finn off in the show, and the entire cast honored Monteith and Finn's character in a special memorial episode. In the episode, Rachel also laments that she had always planned on marrying Finn and having kids with him, but now she would never get the opportunity to, verifying that Finchel was indeed planned as canon before Monteith's demise.

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' ends with Cloud having a PreClimaxClimax with Tifa under the Highwind, but with both of them excited to 'meet [Aerith]' in death; the original cut of ''Anime/AdventChildren'' is set after Cloud has broken up with Tifa, and ends with him returning to be with her and the rest of his family, but also maintaining his solitary lifestyle, seeing Aerith's face for the first time in the church and driving accompanied only by the presence of her ghost in the credits. At some point, later ''Compilation'' entries decided the OfficialCouple was [[ChildhoodFriendRomance Cloud/Tifa]] and [[TogetherInDeath Zack/Aerith]], with ''VideoGame/CrisisCore'' having Aerith as a much more serious love interest for Zack rather than the formative crush he had been for her in media up until that point, and the recut ''Advent Children Complete'' has Zack's sword placed in Aerith's church to cement their eternal union. However, Aerith's relationship with Zack was also stated by Creator/KazushigeNojima to be more of a "juvenile love", closer to a very strong friendship in nature, and all entries indicate her feelings towards Cloud were genuine - [[https://astoryofalove.tumblr.com/post/147049539207/zerith-was-canon-it-isnt-canon-anymore while this post was made with an obvious bias toward Cloud and Aerith, it explains the details]]. Creator/TetsuyaNomura has also repeatedly refused to comment on whether Tifa or Aerith is Cloud's official love interest, saying he has no idea and that "[[FanficFuel it's fun to talk about it with your friends]]". Ultimately, the ''VII'' franchise is full of contradictory EraSpecificPersonality and BroadStrokes continuity, which caused some consternation from ''Advent Children Complete'' and ''Crisis Core'' fans when ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIIRemake'' [[RevisitingTheRoots reverted]] to a flirtatious relationship between Cloud and Aerith (as well as including the expected caring moments between him and Tifa). Does there really have to be only ''one'' true love interest for Cloud? Perhaps the final word on the subject should be Cloud's own words in ''Advent Children'', in which, when asked what (girl) he cherishes most, he responds, "[[AllLovingHero There's not a thing I don't cherish!]]"
* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'' fired [[LikeBrotherAndSister both]] [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy tubes]] to ensure that players understood that [[ChildhoodFriendRomance Quis]][[LovingAShadow tis]] was not going to interfere with the OfficialCouple.
* Prior to the game's release, some ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII'' shippers had taken to Snow/Lightning which was {{Jossed}} hard by canon since Snow's engaged to Lightning's sister and Lightning really hates Snow.

* Charles E. Bastien, the director of ''WesternAnimation/PAWPatrol'', confirmed to a fan on Twitter that Chase does NOT have a crush on Skye or vice versa, and that they are only good friends, ultimately breaking the fanon that has been going on between the two since "Pups Save the Sea Turtles."

** Ike/Soren took a hit thanks to the CanonWelding ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening Awakening]]''... [[spoiler:Priam is in some fashion a descendant of Ike.]] Then again, given that his sister Mist ''does'' have an option to marry at the end, it allows Intelligent Systems to use Ike's popularity while still giving some level of Fanservice. [[note]]If you consider that Marth is still considered as the hero Anri's descendant despite descending from Anri's ''brother'' instead, this theory, though not perfect, makes quite a bit of sense. Debates over the exact nature of Priam's lineage and [[AmbiguouslyBi Ike's sexuality]] by proxy rage on to this day.[[/note]]

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' ends with Cloud having a night with Tifa under the Highwind, but with both of them excited to 'meet [Aerith]' in death; the original cut of ''Anime/AdventChildren'' is set after Cloud has broken up with Tifa, and ends with him returning to be with her and the rest of his family, but also maintaining his solitary lifestyle, seeing Aerith's face for the first time in the church and driving accompanied only by the presence of her ghost in the credits. At some point, later ''Compilation'' entries decided the OfficialCouple was [[ChildhoodFriendRomance Cloud/Tifa]] and [[TogetherInDeath Zack/Aerith]], with ''VideoGame/CrisisCore'' having Aerith as a much more serious love interest for Zack rather than the formative crush he had been for her in media up until that point, and the recut ''Advent Children Complete'' has Zack's sword placed in Aerith's church to cement their eternal union. However, Aerith's relationship with Zack was also stated by Creator/KazushigeNojima to be more of a "juvenile love", closer to a very strong friendship in nature, and all entries indicate her feelings towards Cloud were genuine - [[https://astoryofalove.tumblr.com/post/147049539207/zerith-was-canon-it-isnt-canon-anymore while this post was made with an obvious bias toward Cloud and Aerith, it explains the details]]. Creator/TetsuyaNomura has also repeatedly refused to comment on whether Tifa or Aerith is Cloud's official love interest, saying he has no idea and that "[[FanficFuel it's fun to talk about it with your friends]]". Ultimately, the ''VII'' franchise is full of contradictory EraSpecificPersonality and BroadStrokes continuity, which caused some consternation from ''Advent Children Complete'' and ''Crisis Core'' fans when ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIIRemake'' [[RevisitingTheRoots reverted]] to a flirtatious relationship between Cloud and Aerith (as well as including the expected caring moments between him and Tifa). Does there really have to be only ''one'' true love interest for Cloud? Perhaps the final word on the subject should be Cloud's own words in ''Advent Children'', in which, when asked what (girl) he cherishes most, he responds, "[[AllLovingHero There's not a thing I don't cherish!]]"

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' ends with Cloud having a night with Tifa under the Highwind, but with both of them excited to 'meet [Aerith]' in death; the original cut of ''Anime/AdventChildren'' is set after Cloud has broken up with Tifa, and ends with him returning to be with her and the rest of his family, but also maintaining his solitary lifestyle, seeing Aerith's face for the first time in the church and driving accompanied only by the presence of her ghost in the credits. At some point, later ''Compilation'' entries decided the OfficialCouple was [[ChildhoodFriendRomance Cloud/Tifa]] and [[TogetherInDeath Zack/Aerith]], with ''VideoGame/CrisisCore'' having Aerith as a much more serious love interest for Zack rather than the formative crush he had been for her in media up until that point, and the recut ''Advent Children Complete'' has Zack's sword placed in Aerith's church to cement their eternal union. However, Aerith's relationship with Zack was also stated by Creator/KazushigeNojima to be more of a "juvenile love", closer to a very strong friendship in nature, and all entries indicate her feelings towards Cloud were genuine - [[https://astoryofalove.tumblr.com/post/147049539207/zerith-was-canon-it-isnt-canon-anymore while this post was made with an obvious bias toward Cloud and Aerith, it explains the details]]. Creator/TetsuyaNomura has also repeatedly refused to comment on whether Tifa or Aerith is Cloud's official love interest, saying he has no idea and that "[[FanficFuel it's fun to talk about it with your friends]]". Ultimately, the ''VII'' franchise is full of contradictory EraSpecificCharacterisation and BroadStrokes continuity, which caused some consternation from ''Advent Children Complete'' and ''Crisis Core'' fans when ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIIRemake'' [[RevisitingTheRoots reverted]] to a flirtatious relationship between Cloud and Aerith (as well as including the expected caring moments between him and Tifa). Does there really have to be only ''one'' true love interest for Cloud? Perhaps the final word on the subject should be Cloud's own words in ''Advent Children'', in which, when asked what he cherishes most, he responds, "[[AllLovingHero
There's not a thing I don't cherish!]]"

* The entire compilation of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' is a massive torpedo that neatly pairs off [[ChildhoodFriendRomance Cloud/Tifa]] and [[TogetherInDeath Zack/Aerith]]. WordOfGod has stated in the FFVII 10th anniversary Ultimania, Crisis Core Ultimania and the Final Fantasy 20th Anniversary Ultimania (among others), that Cloud and Tifa are the OfficialCouple. It's a more complicated example than usual though, as the same materials heavily hints that the relationship between Cloud and Aerith was also becoming genuine, and the latter's relationship with Zack is stated to be more of a "juvenile love", closer to a very strong friendship in nature. [[https://astoryofalove.tumblr.com/post/147049539207/zerith-was-canon-it-isnt-canon-anymore While this post was made with an obvious bias toward Cloud and Aerith, it explains the details.]]

** The ''Total Drama Action'' special might have done this for Trent/Gwen shippers. Mot only do the two have no one-to-one interaction at all in the special (significant enough in itself) but Gwen admitted she finds Duncan attractive while Trent has already begun dating different girls. However, after Gwen hooks up with Duncan, she and Trent become AmicableExes.

** In ''X-Men Gold'' #29 and #30, it's seem like Colossus and Kitty are finally, finally getting hitched but when Colossus tries [[https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yWBkXW2GiR0/WypWI67c18I/AAAAAAAABeg/UQUekfgBjYomSOcYQYfYHFpbT8ichoX5wCHMYCw/s1600/RCO021.jpg to put the ring on her]]... it [[{{Intangibility}} doesn't]] [[RunawayBride work out]]. Despite genuinely loving Colossus, Kitty can't form a commitment after such a turbulent history. [[spoiler: But for Gambit and Rogue, on the other hand, uncertainty and turmoil ironically is the basis for their relationship in the first place, so they decide not let the reception go to waste and get married with Kitty and Colossus' blessing]].

* ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'':

* ''ComicBook/BlackestNight'' sinks Kyle Rayner/Donna Troy, with both Kyle and Donna taking great pains to explain to [[spoiler:Jade]] how utterly not interested in each other they are. It was case of BitingTheHandHumor since an editorial mandate around the time of ''ComicBook/CountdownToFinalCrisis'' wanted them as a couple, sinking their ships at the time to make it happen.

** The [[ComicBook/{{Cyclops}} Cyclops]]/[[ComicBook/JeanGrey Jean]]/[[ComicBook/{{Wolverine}} Wolverine]] LoveTriangle has had this happen to it dozens of times, usually due to Jean picking one over the other, one character killing the other or getting retconned out of existence. Though there's always a ShipperOnDeck like Mr Sinister for Scott/Jean or Phoenix Force for Jean/Wolverine who attempts to bring them together via [[FirstLawofResurrection resurrection]] before continuity or writers rip them apart. Scott had done this way more times, sinking his relationships with Madeleine Pryor and Emma Frost due EvilTwin heel turns or being dead.

** Subverted with Gambit and Rogue as similar to Magento, Rogue leaving Gambit in Antarctica after sleeping with him appeared to be end of their relationship as the writers and good chunk of the readers assumed. While it did leave its mark, the relationship eventually recovered and both characters seem perfectly content to forget it ever happened.

** Back in the mainline Marvel Universe, Jim Shooter wrote a romantic sublot for Colossus in the middle of ''ComicBook/SecretWars1984'' for the express purpose of finally putting an end to the Kitty/Colossus relationship, a longstanding point of complaint by Shooter (for good reason -- his concern was not with the relationship itself, but with the fact that Kitty was at the time 14 and Colossus was 19, and so was concerned with reasonable worries about how the relationship would be perceived by MoralGuardians.) The followup issue of ''Uncanny X-Men'' was Claremont taking the plotline and running with it. Despite this, Joss Whedon tried to bring the relationship back during his Astonishing X-Men run. At this point, Kitty was an adult so the age wasn't a problem anymore.

%% Image maintained on page per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1304994757095005300

** The ''Total Drama Action'' special might have done this for Trent/Gwen shippers. Mot only do the two have no one-to-one interaction at all in the special (significant enough in itself) but Gwen admitted she finds Duncan attractive while Trent has already begun dating different girls. However, [[spoiler:after Gwen hooks up with Duncan, she and Trent become AmicableExes.]]
** ''Total Drama World Tour'' dropped a thermonuclear warhead on the the Courtney/Duncan ship before doing a ColonyDrop on the ashes.

** [[spoiler:Heather/Alejandro]], after [[spoiler:Heather]] chose the prize over his love, sealing her decision with a GroinAttack. Fortunately for fans, [[spoiler:they went through a RelationshipUpgrade]] in ''All Stars''.
** Relatively popular pairings in fandom like Heather/Harold and Heather/DJ (both had some ShipTease in previous seasons) were sunk, the first in the first TDWT Aftermath and the second in Newfoundland. And before, Sierra/Chris, after Chris angrilly eliminates her for blowing up the jumbo jet. Come next episode, he deserts her, prompting her to tell her mother to make sure that the museum is destroyed by the time she got home.
** In ''Total Drama All Stars'' the [[spoiler:Gwen/Duncan]] ship was officially torpedoed when [[spoiler:Gwen broke up with Duncan]] because their relationship was no longer thrilling, and he still showed signs of being interested in [[spoiler:Courtney]]. Then the season just proceeds to beat the ashes of the already sunken [[spoiler:Courtney/Duncan]] ship by showing that the fomer has completely moved on at this point, having come to utterly despise the latters' guts and instead pursuing a relationship with new comer [[spoiler:Scott]].
** In ''Total Drama Pahkitew Island'' Dave loves Sky. Unfortunately in the finale, Sky is already spoken for, resulting with Dave's FaceHeelTurn.
** ''The Ridonculous Race'' has officially obliterated the idea of Noah playing for the other team, and the Noah/Owen fan ship, since Noah's interested in [[spoiler:Emma]].

* Fans spent the first season of ''WesternAnimation/{{DuckTales 2017}}'' shipping Webby and Dewey more and more, while the writers spent it telling the fans that there would be [[NoHuggingNoKissing no romance]] between Webby and any of the triplets, since they're all like family. The Season 2 premiere was obviously designed to try to put an end to the idea of Webby and Dewey being a couple, with the two of them becoming discouraged about their relationship, realizing they have nothing in common, and Scrooge successfully convincing them they're LikeBrotherAndSister. The two haven't been paired together on adventures half as much in subsequent seasons as they were in Season 1.

* Deliberately done in ''[[FanFic/UltimateSpiderWoman Ultimate Spider-Woman: Change With The Light]]'' when Mary Jane Watson and Peter Parker realize their shared origins. They feel a special LikeBrotherAndSister bond, and wonder if they could have gotten together... and then they burst out laughing at the sheer idiocy of the idea.

* In ''FanFic/ShinjiAndWarhammer40K'', Shinji/Minase was killed by Minase rejecting him and deep-sixed by Shinji going to Tokyo-3. Nowadays Shinji is being chased by Asuka, Rei, Maya, Mana... and Minase is nothing but a temporary childhood crush.

** Back in the mainline Marvel Universe, Jim Shooter wrote a romantic sublot for Colossus in the middle of ''ComicBook/SecretWars'' for the express purpose of finally putting an end to the Kitty/Colossus relationship, a longstanding point of complaint by Shooter (for good reason -- his concern was not with the relationship itself, but with the fact that Kitty was at the time 14 and Colossus was 19, and so was concerned with reasonable worries about how the relationship would be perceived by MoralGuardians.) The followup issue of ''Uncanny X-Men'' was Claremont taking the plotline and running with it. Despite this, Joss Whedon tried to bring the relationship back during his Astonishing X-Men run. At this point, Kitty was an adult so the age wasn't a problem anymore.

* The entire compilation of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' is a massive torpedo that neatly pairs off [[ChildhoodFriendRomance Cloud/Tifa]] and [[TogetherInDeath Zack/Aerith]]. WordOfGod has stated in the FFVII 10th anniversary Ultimania, Crisis Core Ultimania and the Final Fantasy 20th Anniversary Ultimania (among others), that Cloud and Tifa are the OfficialCouple.

* Discused in [[Fanfic/TheInfiniteLoops the Winx Loops]] when Bloom and Diaspro say that they are not going to get together.

* In ''Webcomic/TowerOfGod'' Twenty-fifth Baam spends a great time chasing after Rachel, who left for the eponymous tower. He finally finds her and since she can't go on without him, he tries to take her along with him. This had a reasonable amount of ship tease. [[spoiler: Then she pushes him into an abyss, it is revealed that she has been psychotically obsessed with getting away from the world she and Baam had lived and is shown to be scared of Baam himself, who is getting stronger by the minute. We discover how she has been leading him on all along and how both were used as pawns in Headon's and Yu Han Sungs plan. Shipping between the two stopped immediately after that.]]

* ''Anime/PrincessTutu'': Are you still waiting for Ahiru to end up with the Prince, [[SlidingScaleOfCynicismVersusIdealism despite how dark the series has gotten since]] [[ShipTease the end of episode 13]]? You'll change your tune come episode 24 [[spoiler: because he prefers Rue ''and'' Ahiru seems to have chosen Fakir]]. A lot.

* In Naomi Novik's ''Literature/{{Temeraire}}'' series, despite the vocal Laurence/Emily Roland shipping presence on Website/DeviantART, this ship is sunk when [[spoiler: Emily displays clear romantic affections for Demane in ''Crucible of Gold'']]. Not that the ship [[TheJailBaitWait wasn't creepy to begin with]].

* ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13487634/1/ Legend of the Monkey God]]'': Yamcha (accidentally) spying on Bulma naked then attempting to use his apology to track her down and steal the dragonballs from her and Goku permanently kills any budding interest she had in the bandit.

* Though some fans actually like Bowser and Peach together, that ship sunk in ''VideoGame/SuperPaperMario'' when it was revealed that the marriage of Bowser and Peach was the first step to summoning a massive black hole that would devour all existence.
** In ''VideoGame/SuperMarioOdyssey'', it comes up once again with Bowser trying to marry Peach. [[spoiler: In the ending, she not only rejects Bowser, but Mario as well. (Whether or not it counts as a sinking of the Mario/Peach ship as well is up for [[AlternativeCharacterInterpretation interpretation]].)]].

* Eva of ''Webcomic/WastelandersAnonymous'' was shaping up to be a ManicPixieDreamGirl to Benjamin, but the climax of the main plot introduced a twist like a giant iceberg! It was deadly to this ship. The little hope which remained was lost in the denouement as Benjamin's feelings were clarified. (But a surprising new ship turned up too.)

* In ''FanFic/ToHellAndBackArrowverse'' the author preemptively sunk all [[ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} Kara]] ships, all Tommy ships, [[ComicBook/GreenArrow Oliver]]/Felicity, and Oliver/Sara.