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1* ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing'':
2** Since ''Wild World'' was for a system that was much less powerful than the system the last game was on, roughly half of the 318 villagers from the [[VideoGame/AnimalCrossing2001 first game(s)]] had to be cut. Even some special characters didn't make a return to ''Wild World''. From ''City Folk'' onwards however, [[TheBusCameBack the series has gradually brought back some of those villagers]], and as of ''New Horizons'' there are around seventy villagers that are still absent from the series.
3** Wisp actually had this trope happen to him twice. After he didn't return in ''Wild World'', he returned in ''City Folk'', only to not return again in ''New Leaf''. However, he was added back in for the ''Welcome Amiibo'' update.
4** Even characters introduced after the original game aren't safe from this trope:
5*** Kaitlin doesn't appear in New Leaf since her daughter, Katie, is now old enough to travel on her own.
6*** Champ is the only villager not from the original game or its updates to ever be cut, being absent from ''New Leaf''.
7*** Serena, the Fountain Goddess, and Frillard, Dr. Shrunk's mentor, have only ever appeared in ''City Folk''. Dr. Shrunk sometimes says in New Leaf that he misses Dr. Frillard, implying that he may have passed away after ''City Folk''.
8* ''Videogame/Borderlands3'': Dr Zed and Nurse Nina, who are the primary figures of medical care in Borderlands/[[VideoGame/Borderlands2 Borderlands 2]] and the [[Videogame/BorderlandsthePresequel Presequel]] respectively, do not appear or even get mentioned in Borderlands 3, beyond Dr Zed's face being on vending machines; rather, Patricia Tannis occupies the infirmary on Sanctuary III despite limited, if any, medical experience.
9* While [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Mario]] and Franchise/DonkeyKong have both ascended to stardom since their debut game, their supporting cast hasn't been as lucky:
10** Pauline, the girl they fought each other for in the first place, faded into obscurity as Princess Peach took over her role as DamselInDistress. She did reappear in ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong94'', only to disappear for another decade until ''Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2'', in which Pauline's relationship status to Mario was demoted from "girlfriend" to "friend". However, she does appear (instead of Peach) in the ''VideoGame/MarioVsDonkeyKong'' games ''March of The Minis'', ''Minis March Again'', and ''Mini-Land Mayhem''. It goes further with one of the ''Puzzle Swap'' pictures: Pauline gets just as much focus as the other princesses in the "Nintendo Starlets" puzzle. Finally averted with ''VideoGame/SuperMarioOdyssey'', where she is revealed to have stayed behind in the city where her original kidnapping took place and since become mayor. She has continued to make other significant appearances since then, such as becoming an outright playable character in ''VideoGame/MarioTennis Aces'' and cameoing on the New Donk City Stage in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate''.
11** Donkey Kong Junior (as a separate character from/father of the "modern" Donkey Kong; [[ContinuitySnarl it's complicated]]) hadn't appeared since ''VideoGame/GameAndWatchGallery Advance'', until he made a comeback in ''VideoGame/MarioKartTour'' (in 16-bit form).
12** Stanley from ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong3'' also vanished from the series appearing only in some cameos like ''VideoGame/WarioWare'' or ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros''. It's unclear, but it's said he's also the protagonist from the Game & Watch ''Greenhouse'' and it's also rumored that he is Mario's cousin.
13** [[VideoGame/SuperMarioBros2 Wart]] similarly disappeared, though it's worth noting his only two appearances are AllJustADream. (Even that's not an entirely satisfactory explanation, as Bob-ombs returned in the very next game, and various other enemies, including Shy Guys and Birdos, would later on.)
14** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioLand'': Tatanga seems to have ceased to exist. He kidnapped Princess Daisy in ''Super Mario Land'', was revealed to have been reduced to working for Wario in ''Super Mario Land 2'', and was never heard from again. Even in ''VideoGame/WarioWare'' he doesn't return despite Wario wanting to hire people to make games for him and a different alien, Orbulon, appears. He also didn't return in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRun'', with Bowser instead kidnapping Daisy in the Remix 10 mode. Lastly, this also seems to have happened to Sarasaland itself, as Mario never ventured there again after ''SML''; the only proof it even exists is Daisy herself, through mentions in her profile bios or text quotes in most ''Mario'' spin-offs.
15** Most characters in the ''VideoGame/WarioLand'' series just vanished without a trace after the original games they were in. Captain Syrup returned in ''VideoGame/WarioLandShakeIt'', after a ten odd year gap between appearances, but God knows what happened to Rudy the Clown after he returned in ''VideoGame/DrMario 64''...
16** Poochy had an entire level designed around him in ''VideoGame/YoshisIsland'', but was absent from new titles after ''VideoGame/YoshisStory'' and before ''VideoGame/YoshisNewIsland''. This has effectively been revoked as of ''VideoGame/YoshisWoollyWorld'', which features him prominently and even gives him pups (as well as being added to the title) in the [=3DS=] port. Much like Pauline and the Koopalings, he has continued to make significant appearances since then, even appearing in ''Super Mario Odyssey''.
17** Every non-standard human character Camelot creates for their ''Mario'' sports spin-offs tends to fall into this, such as Plum, Charlie, Sonny, Harry, and Maple, from ''VideoGame/MarioGolf'' for the Platform/Nintendo64, and Alex, Nina, Harry and Kate, from the Platform/GameBoyColor version of ''VideoGame/MarioTennis'' (and the Platform/GameBoyAdvance sequel, ''Mario Tennis: Power Tour''). None of them has made a single appearance in any game since, unless you count Plum's cameos in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosMelee'' and ''[[VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosBrawl Brawl]]'' as a trophy and sticker respectively. Not to mention that that's ''five out of fourteen'' playable characters in ''Golf'', while the four of ''Tennis'' were the protagonists of the GBC version's story mode.
18** The Koopa Kids (also known as the Baby Bowsers during the N64 era, and Mini Bowsers in the European versions of the later installments) were staple characters in the ''VideoGame/MarioParty'' series ever since their debut in the very first installment and one of them even was PromotedToPlayable in ''VideoGame/MarioParty5'' and ''[[VideoGame/MarioParty6 6]]''. Starting with ''VideoGame/MarioParty8'' however, Koopa Kids vanished from the series completely without an explanation. This was most likely done in favor of Bowser Jr., who essentially fulfils the old role the Koopa Kids had ever since his debut in the ''Mario Party'' series in the Nintendo DS installment. Most tellingly, ''Mario Party: The Top 100'' and ''Mario Party Superstars'' have minigames that originally featured the Koopa Kids reworked to replace them with Bowser Jr.
19** The Koopalings have a long and convoluted history of being PutOnABus. They first appeared as recurring antagonists in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros3'', ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld'', and ''VideoGame/YoshisSafari'', then vanished without mention for over a decade before reappearing in ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiSuperstarSaga'', then vanished again, before reappearing a second time in ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBrosWii'' (with their original relationship to Bowser having been {{retcon}}ned away) and have been making fairly regular appearances since.
20** All the original characters from ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRPG'' like Geno or Mallow [[ExiledFromContinuity are property of]] Creator/SquareEnix, therefore they simply vanished from all the subsequent Mario games except from a brief cameo of Geno in ''[[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiSuperstarSaga Superstar Saga]]'' (and even ''that'' was removed from the Platform/Nintendo3DS remake), and his apperances as a Mii Costume in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosForNintendo3DSAndWiiU'' and as a Spirit as well in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate''.
21** Mario RPG characters in general rarely reappear in other Mario titles. Exceptions include Goomba King, Baby Peach, and the Star Spirits, although in Baby Peach's case her debut in ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiPartnersInTime'' was likely coincidental. ''VideoGame/PaperMarioStickerStar'' is notable for not returning any previous ''Paper Mario'' characters and only using characters from the main series, introducing only Kersti as a new character.
22** Even Luigi went through a low hiatus for almost ten years. Eventually he came back though.
23** Mario rescued Daisy in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioLand'' and she didn't appear again for years. Now she's a standard of ''Mario'' spin-off games.
24** Except for some cameos and guest star appearances in some spin-off games, Dixie Kong virtually disappeared from the franchise after ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongLandIII'' in 1997. She wouldn't return as a playable character in a mainline Donkey Kong game until ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryTropicalFreeze'' in 2014.
25** King K. Rool, Donkey Kong's arch-nemesis, hasn't appeared in any game (except as a cameo in ''Smash Bros.'') since ''Mario Super Sluggers'' in 2008 or in any Donkey Kong game since ''VideoGame/DKJungleClimber'' in 2007. This is especially baffling, as King K. Rool once appeared as reliably in Donkey Kong games as Bowser does in Mario games. ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryReturns'' and ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryTropicalFreeze'' make no mention of him whatsoever, mostly because Retro Studios weren't interested in using the Kremlings as villains in those games. He does make a physical return in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'' (2018), and as a playable fighter no less!
26** Kiddy Kong appears as the playable sidekick in ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry3DixieKongsDoubleTrouble'' and its Platform/GameBoy counterpart. The instruction manual for ''Donkey Kong 64'' says he's Chunky's baby brother and he was going to be in the cancelled ''Donkey Kong Racing''. He never appears nor is even mentioned again.
27** Similar to Kiddy or Swanky Kong, Chunky Kong get this treatment. He hasn't got any major physical appearance since Rare buyout. (although Chunky appeared as a cameo in the GBA remake of ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry3DixieKongsDoubleTrouble''). He is the only Kong in ''Donkey Kong 64'' to not appear in ''Donkey Kong Barrel Blast'' (although his Pineapple Launcher was included).
28** Lanky, Tiny, Candy Kong haven't appeared in any game (except as a collectible in ''Smash Bros.'') in over a decade since ''VideoGame/DKJungleClimber'' in 2007 or Tiny in ''Mario Super Sluggers'' in 2008.
29** While never being a regular, Toadsworth would appear around every 2 years at worst, and appeared in every ''Mario & Luigi'' game. However, his last appearance has been ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiDreamTeam'' in 2013 after being absent for 4 years, and was even absent from ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiPaperJam''.
30** Toadette was dropped from the series after ''VideoGame/MarioSuperSluggers'' in 2008 and was absent for six years before finally returning in ''VideoGame/MarioKart8'' and making frequent appearances in spinoffs since major role debut in ''VideoGame/CaptainToadTreasureTracker'' in 2014.
31** Bowser had a brother in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBrosTheLostLevels'' that appeared as a "miniboss" in the final level, who was blue in the original version. Outside of this game, he stopped appearing outside of PaletteSwap nods, and Bowser having siblings is not so much as mentioned. It took until tips in the ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' series to even acknowledge him at all, referencing that Bowser's blue palette is based on him.
32* Zhuzhen and Halley from the original ''VideoGame/ShadowHearts'' are unmentioned in the sequels. This may be somewhat justified, though, in that the former returned to China while the later left for America. The Valentine family gleefully subvert this.
33* ''Franchise/MegaMan'':
34** Everyone and everything to do with the much-reviled DOS ''VideoGame/MegaManClassic'' games (including all the robot masters and CRORQ) appeared in only those two games and never again. Four robot masters from those games (Wave Man, Oil Man, Blade Man and Torch Man) even had their names recycled for other robot masters.
35** After what is very nearly a perfect attendance record since their introduction (excepting ''III'' for the Game Boy), Proto Man and Bass are both inexplicably absent from ''VideoGame/MegaMan11''. Proto Man is mentioned under the gallery entry for Sniper Joes, but Bass is completely AWOL. According to WordOfGod, this is because ''Mega Man 11'' was designed to be a SoftReboot for the series, so the limited cast was an intentional choice to avoid overwhelming newcomers.
36** Dynamo in ''VideoGame/MegaManX5'' and ''[[VideoGame/MegaManX6 X6]]''. The only antagonist in the series to remain alive and intact, that is, not coming BackFromTheDead or even appearing on the traditional BossRush at the final stages. He worked for Sigma in ''X5'', returned in an arbitrary cameo in ''X6'', and vanished off the face of the Earth.[[note]]Worth noting, he worked for Sigma on a mercenary contract. Let us say that again: [[BadBoss Sigma]] never deemed necessary, or even considered, infecting him with the Maverick Virus, which would be ''a first'' on a kilometric list! And yet, this isn't enough merit for Dynamo to be called back into the series. Go figure...[[/note]]
37** Similarly, Douglas only appears in ''X5'' and ''X6'', then disappears after that. Lifesaver only appears in ''X5'' (granted, he wasn't very popular due to his NiceJobBreakingItHero action). Dr. Cain was last seen in ''[[VideoGame/MegaManX3 X3]]'', last mentioned in ''[[VideoGame/MegaManX4 X4]]'', and gone after that.
38*** The UpdatedRerelease ''Maverick Hunter X'' has Dr. Cain dying in an attack on the Hunters' headquarters; whether this is a {{retcon}} or not remains unclear.
39** In the ''VideoGame/MegaManStarForce'' series, Pat Sprigs is a major character in the first game, cameos in the second, and vanishes in the third. What's frustrating is that the game itself acknowledges that it still has plot points to wrap up regarding him. Pat also disappears from the anime as well, only to make a very minor cameo at the end of the final episode.
40** None of the new characters introduced in ''VideoGame/MegaManXCommandMission'' have ever appeared again in any capacity despite the game spawning many {{Ensemble Darkhorse}}s. Partially justified by the game's ambiguous place in the timeline ([[AlternateContinuity or if it even belongs in the timeline at all.]]) However, at least four of them (Cinnamon, Marino, Steel Massimo, and Ferham) will appear in the mobile title ''Mega Man X Dive'' as playable characters.
41** After King decided to [[WalkingTheEarth Walk The Earth]] after his defeat in ''VideoGame/MegaManAndBass'', he was never heard from again.
42* In ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}'', Billy's dad Jessiah disappears (much like most of the game) when Disc 2 starts. At least, from the storyline, technically he is still around as he is the gun/bullet in one of Billy's gear's special moves. Oh, and Kaiser Sigmund too - despite the fact that an early Disc 2 plot point would probably have him heavily involved. Disc 2 has a much tighter story focus than the first disc, playing more like an interactive novel than a standard RPG, and the planned storylines for both characters may have gotten lost in the same budgetary constraints that are rumored to have caused the gameplay shift.
43** Yui, Citan's wife, also vanished from Disc 2 onwards, although it's implied that [[spoiler: she may have become a Wels like most of the other ordinary people]].
44* Parodied in ''VideoGame/BanjoTooie'', where the face of Tooty, DamselInDistress of the original ''VideoGame/BanjoKazooie'' and kid sister of Banjo, appears on [[FaceOnAMilkCarton a milk carton]] in {{Cloudcuckooland}}, one of only two appearances of Tooty in the game (the picture of her in Banjo's house from the previous game is still there; in fact it's one of the few things in the house that is not significantly damaged or destroyed). Rare obviously never saw her as anything more than a [[FlatCharacter walking plot device]] for the first game, and thus hand-waved her absence circa ''Nuts and Bolts'', saying she was hauled off by the "Rubbish Video Game Characters Police". However, three other characters stated to be hauled off by said police (namely the Tutorial enemies with the exception of Quarrie) make small cameos in the game. It wouldn't be until ''2019'' that she would make another physical appearance in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'', making a cameo alongside other ''Banjo-Kazooie'' characters on the Spiral Mountain stage.
45* ''VideoGame/MetalGear'':
46** Every surviving character from ''VideoGame/{{Metal Gear|1}}'' and ''VideoGame/MetalGear2SolidSnake'' that didn't make the transition into the ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'' series was forgotten by default: Ellen Madnar, Diane, Jennifer, Holly White, [[strike:Yozef Norden]] Johan Jacobsen, and George Kasler.
47** Subverted with Meryl, who vanished without explanation, except for an implied reference in an optional conversation in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2SonsOfLiberty'' in which Snake says he's had enough of tomboys. Players were left to assume that the ending of ''[=MGS1=]'' in which she died was canon, until she showed up in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots''.
48** Surprisingly enough, this is averted with Dr. Pettrovich Madnar in ''[=MGS4=]''. While he doesn't make an actual appearance, it's explained that he saved Raiden's life behind the scenes, even though he hadn't been mentioned at all in the previous games (nor is it mentioned that Snake killed him by firing remote-control rockets into his back to hit Madnar, but that's probably for the best), and him being the original creator of the first Metal Gear had long since been retconned.
49** Also averted with Big Boss[[spoiler:, specifically, the one fought in ''Metal Gear''. The general consensus was just that the deal with the Big Boss fight in ''Metal Gear 2'' was just a retcon of killing him in ''1'' [[ActuallyADoombot lazily handwaved as a body double]], leaving plenty of plot holes unaddressed. Then ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVThePhantomPain'' rolls around, and the twist turns out to be you ''playing as that body double'', and pretty intricately exploring the implications of Big Boss using other people as unwilling decoys to save his own skin.]]
50* ''Franchise/AngryBirds'': Due to the failure of the ''Angry Birds Stella'' brand, all the characters (Luca, Dahlia, Poppy, Willow, Gale and Handsome Pig) introduced in ''Angry Birds Stella'' have gone on to face this fate, especially after the game itself was discontinued and removed from the App Store. ''Angry Birds POP!'', the only other game that featured them, has gradually seen them be replaced with the original ''Angry Birds'' cast (Although Willow, Dahlia, Poppy and Gale manage to made a cameo in ''WesternAnimation/TheAngryBirdsMovie'').
51* ''VideoGame/SlimeRancher2'' does away with [[StoryBreadcrumbs emails]], effectively removing Casey from the story. Also, [=BOb=] is the only Range Exchange requester who doesn't return.
52* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'':
53** Many characters like Mighty the Armadillo, Ray the Flying Squirrel, Fang the Sniper (a.k.a. [[DubNameChange Nack the Weasel]]), Bean the Dynamite, Bark the Polar Bear, Mecha Sonic, Tails Doll, Gemerl, Metal Knuckles, and Mecha Knuckles have been subject to this. Several of these characters got [[TheCameo cameos]] on "Wanted" and "Missing" posters in ''VideoGame/SonicGenerations''. Mighty and Ray are listed as [[LampshadeHanging "Missing since 1993"]] (even though Mighty was last seen in 1995's ''Knuckles Chaotix''). ''VideoGame/SonicMania'' brought back Mighty and Ray in a 2018 update, and ''VideoGame/SonicSuperstars'' brought back Fang.
54** Since about the time of ''VideoGame/SonicUnleashed'', more recent and/or once-major characters have been set aside in favor of simply having Eggman, Tails, and Sonic. This may be in response to the criticisms for the series' huge cast.
55** In June 2012, the infamous Big the Cat [[http://youtu.be/l_fL0NRDYjw?t=2h2s was seemingly retired from the series]]. He was already being slowly phased out of the series by that point anyway -- his only noteworthy appearances after 2003's ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes'' being in ''VideoGame/SonicChronicles'' and the first ''[[VideoGame/SegaSuperstars Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing]]'' (and even then, he was removed from the roster in the sequel but made a cameo). He did eventually get a major role in the form of the parodical ''VisualNovel/BigsBigFishingAdventure3TheTrial'', as well as appearing in a few mobile games. He later had another comeback as a playable character in ''VideoGame/TeamSonicRacing'' as well as an appearance in ''VideoGame/SonicFrontiers''.
56** Several of these characters have remained as recurring characters in the comics up until their discontinuation, with Mighty being a main/semi-regular cast member since the Chaotix tie-in mini-series and Knuckles' own spin-off, and Nack being a recurring villain as far back as (or even further back as) the "Mecha Madness" super special. [[BrokenBase Fans of the comics are just as outspoken when criticizing these absences from the games that they rival the critics of the series']] large cast.
57** While Cream the Rabbit's Chao Cheese often appears alongside her, Cheese's twin brother Chocola hasn't appeared since being kidnapped in his debut in ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes''.
58** Cream herself has been largely absent from the series after ''VideoGame/SonicGenerations''. She was never seen or mentioned in ''VideoGame/SonicForces'' or ''VideoGame/TeamSonicRacing'' and was also absent (but mentioned) in ''VideoGame/SonicFrontiers'' and ''VisualNovel/TheMurderOfSonicTheHedgehog''. She finally made her return in ''VideoGame/SonicDreamTeam''.
59** ''VideoGame/SonicForces'' takes place during a world war. Despite this, G.U.N. is mysteriously absent. It's implied in the prequel comics that Shadow and Rouge are working for G.U.N., but the name is never outright mentioned. It was revealed in episode 2 of ''WebAnimation/TailsTube'' that Eggman destroyed G.U.N. offscreen when that happened.
60* ''VideoGame/SoulCaliburV'' is notable for having a lot of new characters at the expense of losing some old faces, including, rather infamously, popular faces Talim and Zasalamel as well as Rock, who have literally disappeared without a trace. At least Cassandra had her fate told in an artbook and the fate of Seong Mi-Na, Yun-seong and Setsuka were mentioned later on (with Setsuka having been Patroklos' teacher at one point) but Talim, Zasalamel and Rock have seemingly vanished off the face of the earth with no mention whatsoever from artbooks or WordOfGod as to what happened to them, almost as if they never existed. ''VideoGame/SoulcaliburVI'', being a ContinuityReboot, along with bringing many other characters who were part of ''V''[='=]s story but excluded from the playable roster, brought Talim and Zasalamel back.
61* ''Franchise/TouhouProject'''s transition from PC-98 to Windows is either a ContinuityReboot or the single largest case of this ever. Only four characters ultimately survived the changeover out of forty or so. Many of the disappearances may have been caused by the fact that ZUN became the sole author of the Touhou series once it moved to PC.
62* ''VideoGame/PacMan'':
63** Ms. Pac-Man and just about the entirety of the Pac Family[[note]]which include Pac-Man Jr., Baby Pac-Man, Professor Pac, and the two pets Chomp-Chomp and Sourpuss[[/note]] have been missing for years. [[note]]Ms. Pac-Man's disappearance is mainly due to [[ScrewedByTheLawyers ownership reasons regarding the character]].[[/note]] With [[WesternAnimation/PacManAndTheGhostlyAdventures the reboot]] they might have been retconned out of existence.
64** Any of the ghosts outside of the main four from the original game [[note]]Sue, Funky/Common, Spunky/Grey Common, Kinky, and Orson. Tim from ''Jr. Pac-Man'' is excluded since his game is not considered official.[[/note]] also seemed to vanish.
65* ''VideoGame/PunchOut'':
66** The characters Kid Quick and Pizza Pasta have not been seen since the original arcade version of Punch Out. Though Pizza's absence is commonly attributed to his character being a [[NationalStereotypes potentially offensive]] stereotype of [[GratuitousItalian Italian people]], the reason for Kid Quick's absence remains unknown.[[note]]Interestingly enough, fans have noted the eerily close similarities he and the Wii remake exclusive character, Disco Kid, share with each other. Both are from Brooklyn New York, weigh 210 lbs, and Disco Kid donning a similar hairstyle to Kid Quick during Title Bout. More evidence of this is Doc Louis saying "This kid is quick!" when referring to Disco Kid and even some of Disco Kid's game files being labeled "kidquick." Indicating that he was meant to be Kid Quick at some point in the game's development.[[/note]]
67* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'':
68** The series' {{Player Character}}s have a semi-enforced and downplayed variant: the following games do acknowledge what happened in the preceding ones, and they do touch upon the character in question, insofar as the character would be known to the public. However, details that would vary from play-through to play-through (race, sex, playstyle, etc.) are, for the most part, strenuously avoided, presumably to avoid invalidating people's play-throughs and to avert CuttingOffTheBranches. WordOfGod on the events of ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'' tries to explain this by saying "all the quest chains present in the game happen, but not all are necessarily done by the Dragonborn." This could also be taken as their attitude towards the protagonists in previous games.
69** From ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsArena Arena]]'', General Warhaft. He was the leader of the Imperial Legion, wrote two of the in-game books on armor and fighting, and was imprisoned along with the Emperor by [[BigBad Jagar Tharn]]...but he never is mentioned after, except for in the aforementioned books. If you visit the Imperial Leagion headquarters in ''Oblivion'', there is still no mention of him and he's replaced by Commander Adamus Phillida.
70** In ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIDaggerfall Daggerfall]]'', Ebonarm is a [[WarGod god of war]] worshiped in the Iliac Bay region and is held in high regard by the Redguards. He is a BlackKnight with an [[BladeBelowTheShoulder ebony sword fused to his right arm]] and is [[TwentyFourHourArmor never seen without his dark ebony armor]]. He is a noted adversary to most Daedric Princes and, despite being a god of war, usually appears on the battlefield to ''prevent'' bloodshed and reconcile the opposing sides. Ebonarm hasn't been mentioned in any form since ''Daggerfall'', in ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsOnline Online]]'', there is a book from ''Daggerfall'' appears that previously mentioned him, but has all mentions of Ebonarm removed. However he is mentioned in a book added in a DLC. Ebon arms has since also been added into Skyrim:Legendary Edition
71** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]'':
72*** In a large-scale Chucking, the cities of Sutch, Artemon, and Mir Corrup were mentioned as being in Cyrodiil in several prior games. However, in ''Oblivion'', ''the entire cities are gone''. The developers admitted they never had time to add them into the game (a semi-canonical explanation ''was'' made for Sutch, though - apparently, the city was ceded to Hammerfell as part of the peace settlement following the events of ''Redguard''. Which only left the problem of why Sutch had been implied to have been a part of Cyrodiil after that point, of course).
73*** The ''Shivering Isles'' expansion ends with [[spoiler:[[ControlFreak Jyggalag]] freed from [[IronicHell the curse that forced him to become]] [[MadGod Sheogorath]]]]. However, come ''Skyrim'', he is not mentioned or referenced even once. It's implied in some obscure texts and interviews that he doesn't have much of an interest in Nirn and is more active in Oblivion. [[spoiler:[[JustifiedTrope Which makes sense, because Nirn is already pretty ordered, and Oblivion is an infinity of chaos]].]]
74* Almost half the kids in the ''VideoGame/BackyardSports'' series. But the series never explains why ''anything'' happens anyway.
75* In ''VisualNovel/DaughterForDessert'', Veronica is a dating option for the protagonist early in the the game, and soon afterward, she is hired at the diner as the office manager. However, her only appearance after that is to tell Amanda that she can’t fire Lily just because. [[spoiler:She doesn’t join the first attempt to get Amanda back from Cecilia, she’s not at the protagonist's not-going-to-prison party, and the protagonist can’t finish the game in a relationship with her.]] Amazingly, even if the protagonist took Veronica to the video game arcade instead of Heidi, the dialogue between him and Heidi will flat-out say that this date was between Heidi and the protagonist.
76* ''VideoGame/SimonTheSorcerer 3D'' has a strange character called Jar Nin whom you accidentally kill at the beginning of the game. Towards the end of the game it turns out that you have to resurrect him because you need him on your team. But when you do, he does exactly nothing and even vanishes shortly after, never to be seen or mentioned again.
77* Not characters ''per se'', but every creature from the Xen borderworld in the first ''VideoGame/HalfLife1'' - apart from the headcrabs (and zombies), the barnacles, the Vortigaunts (now as an ally), an ichthyosaur as a cameo, and the leeches ([[BorderPatrol who are now invincible barriers to the ocean]]) - somehow vanished from the cast list before the start of ''VideoGame/HalfLife2''.
78** For that matter, with the exception of Barney, pretty much every major character from the first game's expansions (Adrian Shephard from ''Opposing Force'', Gina Cross and Colette Green from ''Decay'', and Rosenberg from ''Blue Shift'') disappeared entirely between the first and second game. Considering the circumstances, this could be justified.
79* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'':
80** Agatha was a member of the Elite Four in ''VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue'' and their remakes, but disappears without a trace in ''VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver'' and their own remakes. This wouldn't be a problem, since you would think that Agatha could have retired, but neither set of games make any further reference to her past.
81** Ultimately subverted with Lorelei, who was also an Elite Four member in ''VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue'' but was absent in ''VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver''. While she's still gone in the latter's remakes, the remakes of the former gave a reason for this, implying she retired to protect her home island after an incident with Team Rocket. She does return in ''Let’s Go!'', but now poor Janine ends up as this.
82** Somewhat infamously, Blue's Raticate from ''VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue''. He has it as a Rattata in the battle the first time you arrive at Cerulean City, and as a Raticate for the battle at the S.S. Anne; however, it vanishes without a trace from the Lavender Town battle onward, despite the fact that in that particular battle he's got a free slot in his team thanks to its absence. It's still gone as of ''VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver'' and all of Blue's subsequent appearances. Given that the first battle it's absent for is in the Pokémon Tower, a dedicated burial site for Pokémon, some fans theorize that it died for whatever reason at least after the Cerulean City battle (since you can [[SequenceBreaking technically skip]] the S.S. Anne until after visiting Lavender Town, and he won't battle you there if you go back afterwards) and he's there to mourn it.
83** Red used an Espeon in ''VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver'', implied to have evolved from the Eevee obtained in Celadon City in ''Red/Blue''. ''[=HeartGold/SoulSilver=]'' replaced it with a Lapras (which is obtained in Silph Co.), and in ''VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2'' and ''VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon'', the Lapras remains on Red's team with no sign of Espeon.
84* ''VideoGame/JakAndDaxter'':
85** Gol and Maia are the duo's first major baddies, and after their defeat in the first game a return is hinted at by the Green Sage. However, the series decided to go DarkerAndEdgier and thus the rogue Sages were [[{{Pun}} "chucked"]] out.
86** [[VideoGame/JakIIRenegade The second game]] introduces us to Brutter, the leader of the local Lurkers who befriends Jak and Daxter. At the end of the game, he seems to be working for Ashelin as captain of the New Krimzon Guard, but he is nowhere to be seen in ''[[VideoGame/Jak3 Jak 3]]''. Admittedly, Brutter does make a short appearance in the ''Daxter'' spin-off, but since that game is set before ''Jak II'' it doesn't explain what happened to him between ''Jak II'' and ''3''.
87** The second game also had the Crocadog, a [[MixAndMatchCritters Mix-and-Match Critter]] that Jak seemingly adopts as his pet in the end. He is never seen or referenced after ''Jak II''.
88** Jak's uncle in the first game. While [[spoiler:Jak was born in the future and thus he can't be his real uncle]] it feels a bit weird how after delivering the orbs to him he is never mentioned again. You'd think that he'd care a bit more about Jak's adventuring since he probably raised him.
89** [[spoiler:Ottsel Veger]] is adopted by Kleiver as a sidekick, yet vanishes entirely by ''Jak X'' and is never mentioned again. His fate is unknown, but [[MoralEventHorizon hopefully]] [[YouKilledMyFather very]] [[KnightTemplar unpleasant]].
90* More or less every single non-Swordian user from ''VideoGame/TalesOfDestiny'' is completely absent from ''Tales of Destiny 2'', except for a brief reference to Mary in one of the first few skits. This was, in retrospect, [[OutOfFocus just a side-effect from what happened to them in the last third of the first game, though]].
91* A handful of the characters from the very first ''VideoGame/{{Street Fighter|I}}'' are nowhere to be found. At first Ryu, Ken, and Sagat were the only ones to return, then the ''[[VideoGame/StreetFighterAlpha Alpha]]'' series brought back Birdie, Gen, and Adon. Eagle made an appearance in ''VideoGame/CapcomVsSNK2MarkOfTheMillennium'' and the handheld version of ''Alpha 3''. To this day, however, Geki, Retsu, Lee, Mike, and Joe are all but disowned from the series, not being so much as acknowledged until ''VideoGame/StreetFighterV'' (and even then, only through [[AllThereInTheManual a website]], with their mentions primarily meant to dispel fan theories of post-''SFI'' appearances[[note]]namely, that Joe and Mike were the two guys shown fighting in the original ''VideoGame/StreetFighterII'' introduction, that Lee had died prior to ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIV'', or that Mike is the same person as Balrog, owing to the latter's name in Japan being "Mike Bison". Amusingly, Balrog's ending in ''SFV''[='=]s Arcade Edition - wherein reporters swarm in following his victory, but mistakenly focus on Mike rather than Balrog - may be a nod towards the latter theory.[[/note]]).
92** The comics have had some fun with these. Lee reappears in the ''Sakura Ganbaru'' manga as an opponent for Sakura, and in [[Comicbook/StreetFighter UDON's comics]], reappears to challenge Fei Long and is stated to be the uncle of Yun and Yang. Also in UDON's comics, Geki attempts to assassinate Gen, and in the Ibuki miniseries, "Geki" [[CollectiveIdentity is retconned to be the name of a ninja clan, not an individual]], which has a rivalry with Ibuki's clan.
93** Some of the ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIII'' cast would qualify, too. Only a few characters like Ibuki, Dudley, and Makoto were reintroduced rather quickly, many of them took a few versions in other ''Street Fighter'' games to make another appearance (Yun, Yang, Elena, Hugo[[note]]technically from Final Fight, but still counts[[/note]], Alex, Urien, Gill, Oro). The remaining ones got non-player appearances at best in Sean's case, and Necro, Remy, Twelve, and ([[SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute possibly]]) Q have yet to make an appearance since. Part of the problem, it should be said, is the near-decade-long lull in Capcom fighting game releases between ''III: Third Strike'' and ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIV''.
94** The characters who debuted in ''VideoGame/StreetFighterEX'' have never appeared in another ''Street Fighter'' game outside of the EX series. The fact that the characters are joint-owned by Capcom and developer Arika may have something to do with it (though a few have made the occasional cameo in other Arika games, and the company started work on a game featuring the EX-only cast, later to be released as ''VideoGame/FightingEXLayer'').
95*** One of the most unusual cases within the EX series was a character called Hayate, a young Japanese swordsman. He appeared as a newcomer in ''EX 2'', but was mysteriously removed from the updated version of the game. The [=PS1=] port returned him to the roster as a secret character, but after that, he never appeared again (and was the only character from ''EX 2'' to not return for ''EX 3''). There was [[UrbanLegendOfZelda a persistent rumour]] that he had been killed off between the two games, but no, he simply vanished entirely without a trace. ''VideoGame/FightingEXLayer'' eventually revealed that his [[GrandTheftMe body was taken over]] by Garuda.
96*** A potential explanation for Hayate is that Capcom removed the character because they couldn't sell ''EX 2'' in Korea due to that country's hatred of samurai[[note]]The same reason Namco created Arthur, a blond British [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial totally-not-a-samurai]], to replace Mitsurugi in certain versions of ''Soul Calibur''[[/note]]; he does stay around in another way, as his Super Combos were given to [[AnimatedArmor Garuda]] as his Meteor Combo.
97*** And speaking of ''VideoGame/FightingLayer'', the only characters from the original to return in ''VideoGame/FightingEXLayer'' were Allen Snider and Blair Dame, who were carry-overs from ''VideoGame/StreetFighterEX''. None of the game’s newcomers returned.
98** This also happened to [[VideoGame/StreetFighterAlpha Ingrid]], whose profile on the CFN refused to label her as an actual ''Street Fighter'' character. [[note]]This is also due to a translation error, as the Japanese version of ''Alpha 3 Max'' does not give her real connections to the ''Street Fighter'' universe.[[/note]]. This seems to have been reversed since then, considering her appearance in ''V'', and even then, only as a costume for Karin.
99* ''Franchise/MortalKombat'': All of the characters from ''Special Forces'' and ''Mythologies: Sub-Zero'' who haven't appeared in a FightingGame before (Sareena had a playable appearance in a portable version of ''Deadly Alliance'' called ''Tournament Edition'') didn't made the cut for ''Armageddon''.
100** Except Sareena's two partners in ''Mythologies''; they appear in Konquest Mode of ''Armageddon'' as minibosses.
101** Tremor later resurfaced as a Challenge Tower opponent for the PS Vita release of ''VideoGame/MortalKombat2011'' due to immense fan demand, and would reappear as a playable character as part of ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX'''s first Kombat Pack.
102** This also applies to the Konquest Mode-exclusive characters. Some of these characters, with the odd exception of No-Face, do make appearances in the comics, though. No-Face’s existence was not acknowledged until ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11'', alongside [[CanonImmigrant Hydro]], as a possible assist.
103* ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'':
104** Calia Menethil, ''heir to the throne of Lordaeron'', disappeared without trace shortly before ''VideoGame/WarcraftIII''. It was speculated by players that she has taken the name Calia Hastings and was working for SI:7, based solely on the OneSteveLimit. However, Calia finally made a reappearance in ''Legion'' as one of Priest's class champions, having taken up the life of a discipline priest. It's even {{lampshaded}} that it's a big deal that she's here but that they aren't going to discuss it much.
105** A Q&A with ''Warcraft'''s [[WordOfGod creative devs]] had them answer all "where are they now" questions with a general "we have plans and don't want to spoil them" answer.
106** Following the reworking of almost the entire Vanilla world in ''Cataclysm'' (and the eponymous near-apocalyptic event), a large number of [=NPCs=] disappeared without explanation. Overlaps with NeverFoundTheBody in some cases.
107** The black dragon Sabellian, as the only one of his race who doesn't seem to have a problem with the player races, is conspicuously absent from all the events surrounding the return of his father Deathwing, the destruction of the rest of the black dragonflight as incurably corrupted, and the birth of his uncorrupted brother Wrathion. Possibly he decided he wanted no part of the whole thing and just stayed in Outland. It was later confirmed that Sabellian is still alive and Wrathion simply doesn't know about him.
108* Kaya Daidouji is a pretty important character in ''VideoGame/RaidouKuzunohaVsTheSoullessArmy''. In the sequel, ''VideoGame/RaidouKuzunohaVsKingAbaddon'', she isn't mentioned once, though it's implied she moved away, as her old mansion is inhabited by ghosts in a side mission.
109* Magma is the point-of-view character and saves the planet in ''VideoGame/XMenLegends'' but isn't even mentioned in its sequel.
110* Happens to quite a few characters in ''VideoGame/VanguardBandits'' due to the branching paths in the game. An important ally in one path can disappear into the ether on the next.
111* ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot'':
112** Because executives at Sony were uncomfortable with her "sexual" character design, Crash's girlfriend Tawna was axed after [[VideoGame/CrashBandicoot1996 the first game]], replaced instead by hacker sister Coco. Yes, [[LampshadeHanging apparently, Crash has a little sister that he was never told about]]. After a ten year absence Tawna made a reappearance as a playable character in the DS party game ''Crash Boom Bang!''. Although it's not considered canon, the Japanese Crash 2 game manual explained that she dumped Crash for Pinstripe Potoroo sometime after the first game. Tawna finally made her return to the main series in ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot4ItsAboutTime'', where a FutureBadass version of herself is PromotedToPlayable.
113** Baby T., the [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin baby T-rex]] from ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot3Warped'', has never made another significant appearance after that game, even though the ending implies that Crash took him back to the present and he joined Polar and Pura as Crash and Coco's pets. WordOfGod claims he was originally planned to come back in ''VideoGame/CrashOfTheTitans'', but he was eventually cut from the final draft.
114** A lot of classic characters from the first few games stopped appearing altogether shortly after the series was passed from Naughty Dog, prior to ''VideoGame/CrashBandicootNSaneTrilogy'' bringing them all back. The Komodo Brothers were last seen in ''VideoGame/CrashBash'', Koala Kong got a minor cameo in ''VideoGame/CrashTwinsanity'', Papu Papu disappeared after ''Twinsanity'' as well, Pinstripe and N. Tropy were last seen in ''VideoGame/CrashBoomBang''... Even series mainstays like Dingodile, Polar and Pura [[DemotedtoExtra started gradually disappearing towards the end]], with Dingodile only appearing once after Twinsanity in the DS and GBA versions of ''VideoGame/CrashOfTheTitans'' while Polar and Pura disappeared after Boom Bang.
115** Averted as of ''VideoGame/CrashTeamRacingNitroFueled'' (which is admittedly a remake of ''VideoGame/CrashTeamRacing''), which brings back both Tawna and Baby T, as well as almost every single other named character in the franchise, as part of their respective Grand Prix events.
116* ''VideoGame/LegoIsland'' was hit with this hard. Let's see, we had Captain D. Rom, Enter and Return, the Funbergs, Polly Gone, Studs Linkin, all of the flying Legondos (excluding Jack O'Trades), and the two workers.
117* Nutorious across the ''VideoGame/{{Richman}}'' franchise, as many characters appear only once in their debut title and disappear ever since.
118* ''VideoGame/DynastyWarriors 6'' was notorious for cutting some of the roster and relegating twenty-four of the remaining forty-one characters to "Free Mode only" (having no Musou Mode storyline and cutscenes, though its [=PS2=] re-release converted six of them to Musou Mode, for a total of twenty-three Musou Mode characters and eighteen Free Mode only), but in ''Dynasty Warriors 7'' when all of them were brought back except Zuo Ci and Pang De. The former was an inconsequential Daoist mystic, but the latter a notable warrior who'd participated in several key battles ''and'' brought his own coffin to his final military campaign ("win or die," literally), only to not be mentioned ''at all'' in the game, which KOEI explained was due to "certain storyline constraints" (namely, that they didn't have room for him in the direction they were taking the story). In a subversion, however, Pang De reappears in ''Xtreme Legends'', which made it look like the trope was a harbinger for his eventual return (and eventually does, alongside Zuo Ci, in ''8'').
119** ''VideoGame/SamuraiWarriors'' has an JustForFun/{{egregious}} example with Goemon Ishikawa, who has never been seen again after the first game. And after the second game, Musashi Miyamoto and Kojiro Sasaki never appeared either. However, along with Zuo Ci, the three are still present in ''VideoGame/WarriorsOrochi''. Zuo Ci would later appear in ''VideoGame/DynastyWarriors 8'', while Goemon, Mushashi, and Kojiro would appear in ''VideoGame/SamuraiWarriors 4''.
120* General Vladimir, who was an important supporting character in ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRedAlert2'', is nowhere to be seen in ''Yuri's Revenge'', the game's expansion pack.
121* Dragon halfling Halfas in ''VideoGame/DragonValor'' is nowhere to be seen after chapter five, despite the fact that his actions drive the plot of chapter four (either killing the SacrificialLion or cursing the character to die in a month).
122* The ''VideoGame/WaveRace'' series has the four races from ''Wave Race 64'' appear... except for Miles Jeter, who just didn't come back without an explanation.
123* In ''[[VideoGame/NintendoWars Advance Wars: Dual Strike]]'', Flak and Adder are completely absent from the story, though they are playable after you beat the campaign. This may have been because of how similar they are to newcomers Jugger and Koal, who have actual bearing on the story.
124* Loading the first pre-made neighbourhood included in ''VideoGame/TheSims2'', the player is greeted with a short slide show which informs them that this particular neighbourhood's story picks up twenty-five years after that of the default neighbourhood in [[VideoGame/TheSims1 the first game]]. Members or descendants of four of the five original base game families are there (as well as one or two of the families from later expansion packs). But Chris Jones and Melissa Smith (a.k.a. Chris and Melissa Roomies), who were at least as important and popular with the fans as the other characters - they're simply not there, nor do they even turn up in later expansions as some others eventually did.
125* ''VideoGame/{{Fairune}}'': The Purple Fairy only appears in Fairune Origins as a thoroughly flat DamselInDistress and vanishes from the series afterwards.
126* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'': Most of the first half of the game is spent working with the Returners, including the old man Arvis who's the first non-Imperial you speak to and Banon, their leader. [[spoiler: You last see the two of them in the ruins of the Imperial capital, Vector. Kefka's ascension and the destruction of the world might have killed them, but they're simply never seen or mentioned again.]]
127* In the ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' series, a number of supporting characters have gotten hit with this over the years.
128** [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyX Tidus, Wakka]] and [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII Selphie]] were friends of Sora, Riku and Kairi at the start of ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsI'' but have pretty much vanished from the series apart from Selphie's brief appearance in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'' and data-versions appearing in ''coded''. The series never really re-visiting the Destiny Islands likely has something to do with this.
129** Sora's mother is a especially bad example of this. We only hear her briefly in the prologue of ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsI'', and she's never been mentioned again at all.
130** A whole world was permanently retconned out of the series: [[{{WesternAnimation/Tarzan}} Deep Jungle]]. This is justified, as Disney could no longer secure the rights to the franchise. In the dreams at the beginning of ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'', when [[{{WesternAnimation/Aladdin}} Jafar]] mentions that Sora's found a Keyhole, the following scene is Sora sealing the one for Agrabah ([[PlotHole after Jafar's defeat]]), when he actually said it after the one for Deep Jungle was sealed. As of 2021, Disney no longer sees Deep Jungle as canon, even to the point where a few official Facebook posts mention that Aladdin was Sora's first GuestStarPartyMember.
131** [[VideoGame/CrisisCore Zack Fair]] was last seen in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep'' vanishing in the end credits and has never been mentioned since.
132** A complaint about ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII'' was how the Radiant Garden Restoration Commitee ([[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII Leon,]] [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII Aerith, Yuffie, and Cid)]] fell victim to this despite being Sora's closest allies in Radiant Garden. They did return for the Re Mind DLC though averting this.
133** A number of character are hit by this in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII'',
134*** [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII Tifa, Sephiroth,]] and [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyX2 the Gullwings]].
135*** While the absence of Seifer and his gang is accounted for in NPC dialogue, Vivi and Selzter are nowhere to be found in Twilight Town.
136*** Pain and Panic are absent from Olympus despite the role they played in the [[WesternAnimation/{{Hercules}} original film]].
137*** Owl, Kanga, and Eeyore are absent without explanation from the [[Franchise/WinnieThePooh Hundred-Acre Wood]] level. Inverted with Gopher, as this was his first appearance in any licensed product since ''Kingdom Hearts II''.
138* ''Franchise/SpyroTheDragon'':
139** Elora was a major character in ''VideoGame/Spyro2RiptosRage'' but only got a cameo at the end of ''VideoGame/SpyroYearOfTheDragon''. After that she's suspiciously left out of every other title in the "classic" line, aside from popping up on a trading card in ''Spyro Orange'', despite the fact the others (even Bianca) became {{Ascended Extra}}s. There were plans on include her in two games but she was DummiedOut.
140** Minor supporting characters Colossus Yeti, Mr. Bones, Handel and Greta all debuted in ''Ripto's Rage!'' and returned for ''Year of the Dragon'', but haven't made any appearances since the original trilogy ([[VideoGame/SpyroReignitedTrilogy remakes notwithstanding]]). Oddly enough, it's {{subverted}} with Mr. Bones' caveman friend Ooga, as he appeared in ''VideoGame/SpyroShadowLegacy'' without Mr. Bones.
141* In the ending of the Decepticon version of ''VideoGame/TransformersTheGameDS'', the player's last words imply that Megatron is the only Transformer still alive. While all of the Autobots and most of the Decepticons are killed on screen, Brawl is never seen again after he kills Ironhide.
142* ''Franchise/AssassinsCreed'', after meticulously chronicling Altair and Ezio's rich, complex, influential careers from beginning to end, got ''really'' bad with this.
143** [[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIII Connor]]: Has one last melancholy conversation with Davy Crockett before leaving to face an uncertain future. The last we hear about him at all is a random comment on an Abstergo Entertainment e-mail which hints that he had a turbulent marriage and suffered a brutal death, but there are no specifics. Later materials retcon this so that he actually had a happy marriage and was a loving dad, but give no details on his ''actual'' fate (''[[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIVBlackFlag Black Flag]]'' hangs a nasty lampshade on Connor's popularity by having Abstergo state "we could only get one game out of Connor.")
144** [[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedRogue Shay]]: Assassinates Arno's father and reaffirms his loyalty to the Templars. Completely disappears afterward.
145** [[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedUnity Arno]]: The main game ends with him gazing at his lover's grave and quietly contemplating the meaning of the Creed; the expansion ends with him watching as Napoleon is arrested. Never mentioned again; no indication that his actions had any real effect on future events.
146** [[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedSyndicate Evie]]: No word on what she does with her newfound influence after completing the Queen's missions, or for that matter what her status in the Brotherhood even is. As Syndicate covers the most recent time period, it's extremely unlikely we'll ever see what legacy she had, if any. (Jacob at least has a tangle with Jack The Ripper and eventually becomes the grandfather of Lydia, who more or less brings the Assassins into the modern era.)
147** Even the modern era isn't immune. At the end of ''III'', Desmond Miles frees Juno...a highly infamous {{precursor|s}} whose bitter eons-old rivalry with Minerva indirectly led to the current crisis...so that she can save the world. She does, but the final scene ''very'' strongly hints that she'll be a serious threat in the near future, if not an outright BigBad. ("You played your part well, Desmond. Now it's time that I played mine!") In the next game, ''Black Flag'', she's trapped in Abstergo Entertainment's computer network and only has one brief appearance near the end, claiming that she needs "more energy" to escape (oh, and her biggest ally dies shortly afterward). In ''Rogue'', her situation has not improved in the slightest, and all she does is send out a bunch of patronizing messages. She's never mentioned or heard from again in the games, [[spoiler:with ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedOdyssey'' only momentarily touching on the event of the comics where she died.]]
148* Tristan and Duke Devlin don't appear in ''VideoGame/YuGiOhNightmareTroubadour'', even though everyone else from the first three seasons does.
149* ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' has had a few of these, all averted in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'', which had [[DreamMatchGame every past character]] return.
150** ''[[VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosBrawl Brawl]]'' cut five characters from ''[[VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosMelee Melee]]'': Dr. Mario, who returned in [[VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosForNintendo3DSAndWiiU the fourth game]]; Mewtwo and Roy, who returned in the fourth game's DLC; and Pichu and Young Link, who returned in ''Ultimate''.
151** The fourth game cut the Ice Climbers, Snake, Wolf, and Lucas from ''Brawl'', though Lucas returned via DLC. In addition, Charizard was spun off from Pokémon Trainer, effectively cutting Ivysaur and Squirtle in the process.
152** As for boss characters, Tabuu and Duon from ''Brawl'' make no further physical appearances in the series. At least Tabuu's boss battle music returned for later installments, but even that doesn't reference him by name. Both bosses appeared as Spirits in ''Ultimate'', however.
153* ''Franchise/{{Kirby}}'':
154** The [[PowerUpMount Animal Friends]] and Gooey were prominently featured in ''VideoGame/KirbysDreamLand2'' and ''VideoGame/KirbysDreamLand3'' with Gooey even being upgraded to Kirby's sidekick in 3. ''VideoGame/Kirby64TheCrystalShards'' replaced them with Adeline, Ribbon, and [[ADogNamedDog an unnamed Waddle Dee ally]]. However, ever since series creator Masahiro Sakurai left the series, all of these characters have effectively vanished from the main cast and are only acknowledged through trophies in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' or in-game references[[note]]until ''VideoGame/KirbyStarAllies'' made them playable as Dream Friends post-launch, with the exception of Waddle Dee[[/note]]. Ribbon could be [[JustifiedTrope justified]] in that she lives on a completely different planet while the unnamed Waddle Dee's role has effectively been filled by [[BreakoutMookCharacter Bandana Waddle Dee]] with many Fanon theorizing that they are in fact the same character. Part of the problem comes from the fact that ''Kirby's Dream Land 2'', ''Kirby's Dream Land 3'', and ''Kirby 64'' were directed by relatively obscure developer Shinichi Shimomura, himself a notoriously ReclusiveArtist.
155*** Rick, Coo, and Kine, the original animal friends, have made cameos in recent games, but the three Animal Friends introduced in ''Dream Land 3'' were still nowhere to be found until they made cameos in ''VideoGame/KirbyStarAllies'' within another ''Kirby's Dream Land 3'' exclusive, the Clean ability (renamed Cleaning).
156** Meanwhile, an enemy featured in ''VideoGame/KirbysAdventure'' and ''VideoGame/KirbySuperStar'' (Bounder) was excised from the franchise and substituted with an entirely new enemy (Gip) come their remakes. This rule also extends to the mid-boss Rolling Turtle, who showed up in ''Adventure'', only to be replaced by Phan Phan in ''Nightmare in Dream Land'', as well as Togezo, who was replaced by Needlous in the remake of Adventure, despite making a few cameos in ''Dream Land 3'' and ''Dream Course''.
157** Poppy Bros. Sr., [[KingMook a larger counterpart to the smaller Poppy Bros. Jr. mooks]], used to be one of the most reoccurring mid bosses in the series and usually the first to be encountered in levels. After ''Kirby Super Star Ultra'', he hasn't been in a single game.
158* In ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublicIITheSithLords'', party member Bao-Dur is KilledOffscreen during the game's final act but as a result of the game being ChristmasRushed he seemingly vanishes from existence entirely with no mention of his fate. Even with the Restored Content GameMod, the only remnants of this plot thread are Atton briefly mentioning that he's missing and Bao-Dur himself appearing as a SpiritAdvisor to give TheExile an inspirational monologue.
159* Kogoro and Mii, the two [[OriginalGeneration original protagonists]] of the first ''VideoGame/ProjectXZone'', are briefly mentioned at the end of Chapter 37 of the second game. It's revealed that Mii, despite being a high school student, is currently an intern at Shinra while Kogoro works at Shinra's intelligence division.
160* ''[[Franchise/RatchetAndClank Ratchet & Clank]]'' is rather notorious for this, since most of the supporting cast from the previous games just cease to exist in the newer ones. If your name is not Ratchet, Clank, Captain Qwark, Doctor Nefarious or The Plumber, chances are you'll either be [[DemotedToExtra Demoted to Extra]], get a throwaway mention or just disappear altogether.
161* The ''VideoGame/KaoTheKangaroo'' series has a habit of not keeping any of the friends Kao makes between games. His kangaroo friends from the first game are absent in the second and third, and all the animals from ''Round 2'' are missing from the third (aside from some pelicans that we never met before).
162* ''VideoGame/LeisureSuitLarry'': Passionate Patti disappears without reason from continuity after her last appearance in ''VideoGame/LeisureSuitLarry5PassionatePattiDoesALittleUndercoverWork'', according to Official Book of LSL he still lives with her, but they haven't yet married at least up to the seventh game. Larry is now an actor, who works for Sierra, and films ''VideoGame/LeisureSuitLarry6ShapeUpOrSlipOut/VideoGame/LeisureSuitLarry7LoveForSail'' while she remains at home waiting for him at the end of the day. Al Lowe claims the reason why she isn't in the games is they couldn't afford to hire her, to take part in the games. However, in the non-Al Lowe games he's fully broken up with her by the time of ''VideoGame/LeisureSuitLarryMagnaCumLaude'', and pining away for her.
163* ''VideoGame/{{Deltarune}}'': Of all the named characters from ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'', [[CuteMonsterGirl Muffet]] is the only one who neither appears in person nor is directly referenced through dialogue. Just about the entire cast of the original game [[spoiler:except for Asriel, possibly]] was DemotedToExtra for this one, but she got the worst of it--even the throwaway gag "character" Ice-E gets more attention than her. Muffet's in-universe existence ''may'' be vaguely hinted at in a line found by checking the picnic table by the lake.
164* ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyo Quest'' served as a massive TheBusCameBack moment for the series, bringing back most of the characters. The exceptions are Sukiyapodes, Zombie, Mini-Zombie, Nomi, Choppun, Dragon, and the majority of characters introduced in ''Puyo Puyo Box'' and the ''Nazo Puyo'' series (with the exceptions of Jan, Mandrake (who also cameoed in the GBC version of ''Sun'' and in ''Box''), Demiserf, Succubus (who also cameoed in the GBC version of ''Yon''), and Nega Kikimora). While many of them can be considered to be too grotesque for Sega's vision of the series (for instance the zombies who would often lose their eyeballs), the absence of others is more [[{{Pun}} puzzling]].
165** There's also Skeleton-T's mysterious buddies from ''7'', whom have vanished in the games since.
166* Goro Akechi and Kasumi[[spoiler:/Sumire]] Yoshizawa, both characters who were heavily promoted in promotional materials for ''[[UpdatedRerelease Persona 5 Royal]]'' (with the former being a party member in vanilla), are the only two Phantom Thieves to not appear in ''VideoGame/Persona5Strikers'', to the point where neither of them are brought up once in the story. While this seems downplayed for Kasumi given that ''Scramble'' was in development before ''Persona 5 Royal'' [[spoiler:and Akechi is [[NeverFoundTheBody (probably)]] dead]], a scene late in ''Scramble'' briefly mentions a major plot point from ''Royal'', making their exclusion even more jarring.
167* ''VideoGame/ZeldaIITheAdventureOfLink'': Barring a single mention in the manual, the princess Zelda from [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaI the previous game]] is nowhere to be seen or heard.
168* ''VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy2015'': The player-created protagonists of ''FFXI'', ''FFXIV'' and ''FFXV'' Comrades don't appear and are never mentioned (though the Warrior of Light and the Onion Knight still do). Shantotto, Y'Shtola and Noctis are the representatives for their games. Justified for FFXV as Noctis was the protagonist in the vanilla version.
169* ''VideoGame/GianaSisters'': Giana's twin sister Maria, who was one of the two playable characters and co-protagonists in [[VideoGame/TheGreatGianaSisters the original game]], is completely absent for the ''VideoGame/GianaSistersDS'' reboot.
170* ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}'': Between the second and third games, there is a nineteen year timeskip and many characters from the former end up not returning for the latter. The vast majority eventually return in later games, but a handful of them never show up again. At least Jun Kazama gets mentioned on a semi-regular basis and eventually reappeared in ''VideoGame/TekkenTagTournament2'' and ''VideoGame/Tekken8'', but Kunimitsu never canonically does despite being Yoshimitsu's rival, as does the first Kuma, whom the fandom theorized dies in between the games.
171** According to Harada, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PirknWQxhFs Kunimitsu was most likely removed]] for being unpopular in earlier games. [[LegacyCharacter Her daughter takes her role]] in ''VideoGame/Tekken7'' most likely due to being [[https://twitter.com/Harada_TEKKEN/status/365395288652918784 highly played in TTT2]].
172* Due to different reasons, Gust and Nisa never appeared again after the first two ''VideoGame/HyperdimensionNeptunia'' games. Their roles were either written out entirely or given to other characters in the remakes.
173** Gust represented the real-life Creator/GustCorporation that was bought and absorbed into Koei-Tecmo.
174** Nisa represented Creator/NipponIchi and they had a falling out with Compile Heart that led to a number of NIS workers quitting to go work at Compile Heart. The exact reasons are unknown (Though it is apparently at least partly NIS's fault due to the rumors of mistreated employees tied to the falling out), the two companies have stopped working together and NISA eventually stopped bringing over Compile Heart's properties outside Japan.
175* ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters'': Was it due to [[CreatorsPest SNK's hate of him]]? Was it due to fear of a lawsuit by Creator/KatsuhiroOtomo, creator of ''Manga/{{AKIRA}}''? Regardless, after ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters2002'' SNK went out of their way to pretend that K9999 never existed - replacing him with [[MovesetClone Nameless]] in ''2002'''s UpdatedRerelease, editing him out of images in the gallery of ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFightersXIV'', and making it company policy that even alluding to him was forbidden. This lasted for 20 whole years [[SubvertedTrope before he was finally repackaged and reintroduced]] in ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFightersXV''.
176* In the ''VideoGame/UncleAlbertsAdventures'' series, Alberto the robot doesn't appear in games taking place after ''Uncle Albert's Mysterious Island'' (third game). While it's justified by the fact that these games happen in different places, it can feel a bit weird that he's never referenced again.

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