History Main / YoyoPlotPoint

* No matter what happens to Joe during his adult life in ''Webcomic:JoeVsElanSchool'', he always inevitably circles back to living at his childhood home and being completely miserable. He leaves Elan School, then returns and lives at home. He goes off to college, then returns and lives at home. He attends a foreign exchange program and graduates college, then returns and lives at home. He sells his car, moves to Europe, and gets married, then returns and lives at home. He and his wife move to New York and seem stable, try to move to Italy, then blow through their savings before splitting up...and then Joe returns and lives at home.

* Yasuo in ''Videogame/LeagueOfLegends'' is a {{ronin}} archetype with three major woes -- his master died, he was framed for the murder, and he had to kill his own brother in self defense. Over the years, Yasuo's lot has improved -- he was acquitted and exonerated (the murder was an accident caused by an unwitting third party) and his brother even came back from the dead -- but ''every'' Yasuo-centered story begins him wallowing in regret and ends with him making peace with his past and moving on.

* Yasuo in ''Videogame/LeagueOfLegends'' is a {{ronin}} archetype with three major woes -- his master died, he was framed for the murder, and his brother tried to kill him the crime and died in the attempt. Over the years, Yasuo has been acquitted (the murder was an accident caused by an unwitting third party) and his brother came back from the dead as a sort of revenant, but ''every'' Yasuo-centered story begins him wallowing in regret and ends with him making peace with his past and moving on.

** Homer's half-brother Herb Powell's first appearance in Season 2 ends with him losing all his money, which he regains in his second appearance in Season 3. We don't hear from him again until Season ''24'', when we find out that [[NoodleIncident he somehow lost all his money again]].

This trope is not about [[JustEatGilligan plot points that get dragged out long past when they should have been resolved]], but about plot points that are resolved, and then un-resolved, repeatedly. PostScriptSeason is related, but typically happens only once. See also: StatusQuoIsGod, FailureIsTheOnlyOption, SequelReset, HeelFaceRevolvingDoor, RelationshipRevolvingDoor, AesopAmnesia, FullCircleRevolution, OncePerEpisode, HereWeGoAgain, and HappyEndingOverride. JokerImmunity and CardboardPrison are related, employed so that villains may be defeated many times over. [[JustForFun/IThoughtItMeant Not to be confused with]] a yo-yo that is used as a plot point.

* ''Anime/SuperGals'' has [[ShrinkingViolet Aya Hoshino]], [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold Rei Otohata]], and [[WillTheyOrWontThey their romantic situation]]. Aya has fallen into depression over being "A stupid little mole" and been dragged out due to Otohata being an aloof Jerkass whose [[DefrostingIceQueen defrost cycle is apparently being done by fanning him with an even bigger block of ice]] more times than one can count, and this keeps going far into the series, with the fallout from her uncertainty having lasting effects all the way to ''the last episode of the anime''. The manga isn't much better; Aya overreacts to everything and lacks self-confidence the entire time she seems to be dating him, even going so far as to say it's okay to flat out be told that [[spoiler:Otohata had fallen for Ran]] and then crying cause she's "screwing things up herself". Thankfully, she gradually stops caring during Volume 8 and seems confident enough to finally stand by his side in the final volume.

* ''Series/GilmoreGirls'': This proved to be a huge problem in the later seasons with Lorelai and Luke. After five years of will they or won't they, Lorelai proposed to Luke at the beginning of season 6 and he accepted. Instead of dealing with the myriad other potential plots the show had going on at the time (namely, the fallout from Lorelai and Rory's estrangement), a long lost daughter was introduced who literally served no purpose other than to break up Luke and Lorelai and send Lorelai into a quickie marriage with old flame Christopher which in turn served no purpose other than pushing Lorelai and Luke getting together "for good" back to the series finale.

** Marshall's career follows a similar trend. Get a job doing environmental law, decide to go into soulless, corporate law for the money instead, get fed up and quit. Repeat. This happened in season 1 (turning down an internship with the NRDC for one at Altrucell), season 3 (turning down a job at the NRDC for one at a soulless law firm, then quitting), season 4 (giving in and getting a job at GNB, quitting), season 6 (get an internship at the NRDC, quitting to find something that pays more), and [[spoiler: season 9 (getting a judgeship, turning it down to go to Italy and winds up going into soulless corporate law)]].

* ''Series/{{Lost}}'''s love triangle between Jack, Kate, and Sawyer. Kate just keeps bouncing between those two guys like a ping pong ball well into the fourth season. Lampshaded when she leaves Sawyer for Jack yet again, and Sawyer doesn't react at all, telling her to her face that he knows within a few days she'll have found some reason to get mad at Jack again and come back to him. Later [[spoiler:after Jack and Kate get off the island, their engagement ends when it's revealed that Kate has been covertly fulfilling some promise to Sawyer, even though he got left behind.]]

** After the first season, there has almost always been a recurrence that is as follows: somewhere, there is a LeakingCanOfEvil. Sam and Dean must seal the Can. Whether they succeed or not is irrelevant because either way, the following season will involve the aftermath of the Can. Rinse. Repeat.[[spoiler: Season 2 culminates in a battle to seal a gate to Hell, and Season 3 is the aftermath of Dean's choices. Season 4 introduces Lucifer's cage, and Season 5 is about the brothers and their allies trying to fix the epic-level fuckup that let the Devil out. Season 6 through 8 is the Purgatory arc. Season 9 and 10 give us a respite of a sort, but the finale of 10 unseals yet another Can. Cue Season 11 - trying to get rid of the thing they released.]]
* ''Series/OnceUponATime'': Rumplestiltskin has become the Dark One, overcome it, succumbed again, died, been reborn as the Dark One, lost the powers again, and intentionally resumed being the Dark One. His character growth and development is summarily tossed in the garbage with each trip through the revolving door.

* After being a CosmicPlaything so long, one would think that Kratos from ''VideoGame/GodOfWar'' would learn to not trust any god who tells him to do something. And yet, he always goes along with the machinations and whims of one of the gods of Olympus or the titans who claim to be on his side, and acts surprised when they inevitably [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness turn on him]]. Kratos then swears vengeance against the gods and that he'll never trust them again, only to completely forget about this come the next game. It's only in the GrandFinale of the series, ''VideoGame/GodOfWarIII'', that Kratos finally seems to wise up.

** Starting with the ''Tides of War'' novel, Jaina's characterization. Is she a WideEyedIdealist who strives for peace between the Alliance and Horde at all costs? Or is she an angry, vengeful Mage who wants to see the Horde destroyed and is only kept in line by other more reasonable characters? [[DependingOnTheWriter Depends on what quest you're on]], to the point where many cut plotlines have involved Jaina either crossing the line into villain territory, or going against it.
* ''VideoGame/MetalGear'' forces its main characters into AesopAmnesia due to its very medium. The series deals with themes of war and being controlled by others, and most games end with the hero realising this and denouncing the battlefield, and/or flinging off his metaphorical chains to forge his own path. The trouble is that it's impossible to have a war-themed video game character do this and still have a fun war-themed video game. Creator/HideoKojima is clearly aware of the inherent irony to the premise, but attempts to avert it (such as replacing the main character with a new character) tend to be found unsatisfying by fans, and so it is just dealt with as a part of the setting, even getting PlayedForDrama quite often. Snake is ''not'' happy about constantly being dragged back into things, with his PTSD getting worse with each game he's in, and Big Boss gets so disillusioned with his constant failures to reform that he outright [[ProtagonistJourneyToVillain becomes a villain]]. Raiden becomes so frustrated that he has to deal with crazed terrorists spouting philosophical monologues for a THIRD time despite his attempts to lead a relatively normal life working security that he gives up and regains his battle crazed Ripper persona.

* A major part of the Franchise/{{DCAU}} pre-''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague''. Many of the sympathetic Franchise/{{Batman}}[=/=]Franchise/{{Superman}} villains actually get resolutions to their issues during their respective shows run. In ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' Scarface gets mental help, Two-Face Harvey gets his face reconstructed, Harley Quinn gets away from the Joker. Superman helps a blackmailed member of a black ops assassination group get her freedom. Eventually, all of these criminals (and several more) go back to their lives of crime, no explanation given. Made more frustrating in that in many cases, the HeelFaceTurn episodes are played as major TearJerker moments that are meant to take. While a handful of reformed criminals in the DCAU did stay on the straight and narrow, this trope made a lot of [[HeelFaceTurn Heel-Face Turns]] a lot less believable.

* In the first season of ''WesternAnimation/{{Ninjago}}'', the second episode featuring Samurai X centers on the ninja attempting to learn their identity, until the end where Kai discovers that it's Nya and the other ninja learn as well later. In the fifth season, Nya abandons her samurai persona to become the [[MakingASplash water]] ninja and a new character takes up the identity of Samurai X in season 7, leading to Nya trying (and failing) to uncover who the new Samurai X is until season 8 revealed that this Samurai X is [[spoiler: P.I.X.A.L. in a new body.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' frequently took advantage of circumstances only possible in a SciFi setting to [[RelationshipUpgrade upgrade]] the WillTheyOrWontThey relationship between Fry and Leela only to [[RelationshipResetButton send them back to square one]], with several incidents involving TimeTravel, some related EasyAmnesia and at least one case of FlowersForAlgernonSyndrome. Even after finally gaining OfficialCouple status at the end of the last movie, they were caught in the RelationshipRevolvingDoor throughout season 5.

* This plagues the elongated conclusion of the [[WarArc Fourth Shinobi World War Arc]] in ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'', thanks to the BigBadEnsemble.

** Are the X-Men heroes or a bunch of borderline-fascistic jerks that are no different from the other fascistic jerk factions in the mutant conundrum but are the "good guys" because they only wish to take mutants to a place where they will be left the hell alone (which makes them also no different from the Inhumans)? It started since at the very least post-M-Day and doesn't really seems to stop, leading to schisms in the team, fights with the Avengers and the Inhumans, and ''ComicBook/{{Deadpool}}'' of all people calling them out on it (not that they listen).

* ''Series/OnceUponATime'': Rumplestiltskin has become the Dark One, overcome it, succumbed again, died, reborn as the Dark One, lost the powers again, and intentionally resumed being the Dark One. His character growth and development is summarily tossed in the garbage with each trip through the revolving door.

** The main characters can't trust each other nor anybody else who comes along (it's somewhat justified in that it's a spy series, but multiple characters also espouse the whole "this is not a team, this is my family" mentality and get burned '''hard''' for it). Ever. They get the "WhatTheHellHero" riot act, they learn to trust, they kick villain ass, and then ''something'' happens that makes them lose trust again. Rinse and repeat.

** The main characters can't trust each other nor anybody else who comes along (it's somewhat justified in that it's a spy series, but multiple characters also spouse the whole "this is not a team, this is my family" mentality and get burned '''hard''' for it). Ever. They get the "WhatTheHellHero" riot act, they learn to trust, they kick villain ass, and then ''something'' happens that makes them lose trust again. Rinse and repeat.

** Clark and Lana, dragged out far, far beyond the point where all viewers lost interest in their RomanticPlotTumor. Everyone familiar with just about every other version of the Franchise/{{Superman}} canon [[ForegoneConclusion already knows where that one is going]]. UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks managed to be worse (the love triangle was only resolved by [[spoiler:the KillEmAll ending of ''ComicBook/WhateverHappenedToTheManOfTomorrow'']] after, what, 20, 30 years?) but viewers generally expect this kind of thing to be tidied up by AdaptationDistillation.

* Averted in ''Series/{{Frasier}}'': after seven years of WillTheyOrWontThey, Niles and Daphne finally got together in the season 7 finale. However, at the beginning of season 8, it looked like the writers were gonna use various plot elements (mainly Niles' ex-wife Maris) to stop them from actually being together. Thankfully, though, these issues were resolved in a handful of episodes, and the writers managed to integrate Niles' and Daphne's relationship into the series for its final four seasons.

** [[VideoGame/{{Splatoon}} The Great Zapfish will always be stolen from the Inklings]]

** [[Franchise/{{Metroid}} The Space Pirates will always be doing something nefarious concerning Metroids]]

* Tends to happen with most Creator/{{Nintendo}} franchises which isn't [[TropesAreTools necessarily a bad thing]] and there are plenty of [[SubvertedTrope subversions]] and [[AvertedTrope aversions]] but in general:

** [[Franchise/StarFox Corneria will always get attacked by some invading force]]
** [[Franchise/{{Pokemon}} A 10 year old will always go on a monster collecting journey and become champion]]

* The Franchise/MarvelUniverse in general has always been pretty prone to use LetsYouAndHimFight, but as far back as ''at least'' ''ComicBook/CivilWar'' things have escalated to full-blown "WithUsOrAgainstUs" wars that keep swearing up and down that will change the Marvel Universe "forever" and have extended periods of people hating each other in the aftermath, then cooling down... and then along comes ''ComicBook/AvengersVsXMen'', Hickman's ''Avengers'' run, ''[[ComicBook/CivilWarII Civil War]]'' '''[[ComicBook/CivilWarII TWO]]''', ''ComicBook/InhumansVsXMen'', and now we have ''ComicBook/SecretEmpire'' (that makes it an important plot point that '''[[OmnicidalManiac Ultron]]''' is so sick and tired of seeing the superheroes' in-fighting that he has decided that they are doing a better job at trying to kill each other than he has ever done [[spoiler:although that is definitely Hank Pym's uploaded personality talking (and being ignored when he tries to deliver a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech to make everybody see reason)]]... It has come to the point when people don't really know what to think of the situation, [[TooBleakStoppedCaring and some people have actually quit reading Marvel Comics in disgust]].
** With ''ComicBook/CivilWar'' (2006), ''ComicBook/CivilWarII'' (2016), and ''ComicBook/{{Outlawed}}'' (2020), people are now complaining that Marvel Comics, when they can't think of a better idea for a CrisisCrossover, are now going to bring back the plot of "[[MutantDraftBoard make superpowered people unlawful]], have law enforcement [[DayOfTheJackboot go full Gestapo]], and have heroes [[WithUsOrAgainstUs stand on both sides of the line]] willing to do [[JerkassBall incredibly vile and stupid things]] for the sake of supporting their point, and presto", no matter how much the audience makes clear that they're sick of it.

* Comicbook/SpiderMan moving out of Aunt May's place, [[Comicbook/CivilWar publicly revealing his secret identity]], and most of all getting married. Attempts to backpedal on any or all of these [[ComicBook/TheCloneSaga have been]] [[Comicbook/OneMoreDay disastrous]]. And this is all alongside someone deciding they want to put their "once and for all" stamp on Gwen Stacy's clone(s) (which would be three or four since the mid-90s).

** The relations of the Alliance and the Horde. They're at war? Not anymore. Oh wait, now they're fighting again... And here comes the next excuse for them to ally with each other! Lampshaded in the Crossroads cinematic when Thrall dismisses Jaina's suggestion of peace between the Alliance and the Horde, citing that they've tried several times and it always falls apart. And again by some random soldiers after the conclusion of the war campaign where one comments about the war being over and another remarking that it'll start up again soon, citing that the ceasefires between the Alliance and Horde never last long.

** Starting with the ''Tides of War'' novel, Jaina's characterization. Is she a WideEyedIdealist who strives for peace between the Alliance and Horde at all costs? Or is she an angry, vengeful Mage who wants to see the Horde destroyed and is only kept in line by other more reasonable characters? [[DependingOnTheWriter Depends on what quest you're on]]...

* Kira and Rei of ''Manga/{{MARS}}'' are supposed to be "rescued" by each other's love. However, pairing them up early in the story just won't provide the {{Wangst}}-fuel for fifteen volumes, so the comfort and stability (and CharacterDevelopment) they create for each other is constantly tested via ExpansionPackPast. The result is that they seesaw between "well-adjusted individuals" and "pair of head cases" as each trauma comes to light, with the unaffected partner having to rescue the victim all over again. With Kira in particular, the pattern started veering away from tragic and towards ridiculous, and issue upon issue was heaped on her. By the end of the story, there doesn't seem to have been a torment that she hasn't suffered.

** ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'': Bowser will always kidnap the Princess
** ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'': Ganondorf will always try to claim the Triforce
** ''Franchise/{{Kirby}}'': Kirby will always defend Dreamland from some monstrous outside force
** ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'': The Space Pirates will always be doing something neferious concerning Metroids
** ''Franchise/DonkeyKong'': DK's Bannana Hoard will always be stolen
** ''VideoGame/{{Wario}}'': Wario will always be after more treasure
** ''Franchise/StarFox'': Corneria will always get attacked by some invading force
** ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'': A 10 year old will always go on a monster collecting journey and become champion

** Comicbook/IllyanaRasputin tends to have one repeating story in which Illyana struggles and inevitably fails to resist the evil in her soul, leading to her FaceHeelTurn and transformation into [[SuperpoweredEvilSide the Darkchilde]] until she's reset to struggling to resist the evil in her soul.

* The "[[JerkJock Flash Thompson]] becomes Spider-Man" ComicBook/WhatIf has been done a total of 3 different times, though all three were of course alternate realities, [[JustifiedTrope so it wasn't repeating from their perspective]]. What If stories can turn into this also when they're made to happen in the main universe. So ComicBook/JaneFoster became Thor twice, once in a What If story and once for real. And as for Flash, well he never became Spidey for real... He became ComicBook/{{Venom}} instead!

* In ''Manga/InuYasha'', while the romances are definitely of the WillTheyOrWontThey variety, the true culprit is the main plot of killing [[BigBad Naraku]]. They get close, then he escapes. [=InuYasha=] gets a new attack that makes it possible for him to kill Naraku. Naraku [[IAmNotLeftHanded levels up]] and defeats it. Rinse and repeat for [[EndingFatigue way too long]]. Eventually, they finally do kill him.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Spawn}}'' featured many variations of "Violent psychopaths invade Spawn's alley and inevitably force him to butcher them to protect the bums he's pretending not to care about".