Line #29 Main/CliffhangerWall


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6	A franchise or series has an entry end on a major climactic moment or shocking event that indicates that things are going '''down''' in the next installment. Yes, coming up next is a huge shake-up in the {{status quo\|IsGod}}, or the FinalBattle, or the answers to one of the biggest mysteries of the series.
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8	Except... no. The next video game, book, or film isn't about any of that. Actually, the next ''few'' stories aren't about any of that. Instead of a proper {{sequel}}, we get {{prequel}}s, {{interquel}}s, [[{{Spinoff}} spin-offs]], and [[TheRemake remakes]]. The creators just don't want to resolve the storyline they left their audience on years ago, and so leave them staring at a Cliffhanger Wall.
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10	The reasons for this may vary. Maybe the creators just want to flesh out other elements of the world first, to better setup the resolution. Perhaps they have a serious case of writer's block and can't think of a satisfying resolution, so they're stalling until they can. Or they wrote themselves into a corner, but they like the story too much to actually {{retcon}} the events. Or they ''want'' to retcon it (say, because of audience backlash) but can't for whatever reason, so they do the next best thing and pretend it doesn't exist. Whatever the case might be, creators must be careful -- if the audience decides that the cliffhanger will never be resolved, then [[TheChrisCarterEffect they may decide to abandon the series entirely]].
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12	To qualify for this trope, a series should have a minimum of two entries released after the cliffhanger installment that don't pick up where that story left off, or at least some combination of a prolonged SequelGap and a plot ''unresolving'' entry. Either way, the creators must have released other works in that franchise afterwards. If they didn't, you've just been LeftHanging instead. Can overlap with NonLinearSequel if a series that started off going in chronological order begins to permanently jump around the timeline. Can turn into AccidentalDownerEnding if it's confirmed that the resolution to the cliffhanger is never coming.
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14	SubTrope of AnachronicOrder. Can overlap with SequelGap, where a significant amount of time passes between any releases. Compare and contrast with StillbornFranchise, as the franchise does continue, but it nevertheless neglects to further the storyline. Not to be confused with CapcomSequelStagnation, where the intervening time is filled with a multitude of [[UpdatedRerelease Updated Re-releases]] rather than any new stories.
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17	!!Examples:
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19	[[foldercontrol]]
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21	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
22	* ''Anime/DigimonAdventureTri'' ends with [[spoiler:Dark Gennai intending to gather data from Daemon and Diaboromon]]. The next movie after that in the Adventure timeline, though, ''Anime/DigimonAdventureLastEvolutionKizuna'', goes with a different plot instead while never bringing up anyone from the previous cliffhanger.
23	* Zig-zagged by ''Manga/DragonBall'', as the long-running manga ended with a sudden 10-year timeskip with Goku meeting Uub and leaving to train with him, a timeskip that ''Anime/DragonBallGT'' immediately followed right after with an anime-only story with a finale that'd conclude the story of ''Dragon Ball''. With a new show kickstarted by ''[[Anime/DragonBallZBattleOfGods Battle of Gods]]'' in 2013 and followed by 2015's ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'', the series continued as an interquel between the Majin Buu saga and the "End of Z" era, retconning ''GT'' out of canon. Even as the ''Super'' manga has progressed, it still hasn't reached ''Z''[='s=] time skip finale, with the new material staying with arcs between those two points, meaning there's no canon continuation of ''Z''[='s=] ending.
24	* Ever since ''Manga/MagicalRecordLyricalNanohaForce'' was QuietlyCancelled in 2013 (in the middle of a chapter, no less), the primary timeline of the ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'' series has never advanced past its last chapter. Instead, the creators have only published interquels like ''Anime/VividStrike'' and outright alternate timelines, like the ''Reflection'' and ''Detonation'' movies and the ''INNOCENT'' games.
25	* ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagicaTheMovieRebellion'' ends with [[spoiler:Homura stealing Madoka's powers, becoming a devil, and gaining control of the world while trapping everyone in a LotusEaterMachine and erasing their memories]]. But despite this ending being done specifically to set up sequels, with the "Concept Movie" being the planned sequel film, said film, ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagicaTheMovieWalpurgisnachtRising'', would take ''eight years just to get an official name''. Instead, all the subsequent works have been spin-offs such as mangas, mobile games, and drama [=CDs,=] none of which take place after ''Rebellion'' and only one of which references it (''Wraith Arc'').
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28	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
29	* ''Franchise/TheFastAndTheFurious'': The third film in the franchise, ''Film/TheFastAndTheFuriousTokyoDrift'', was followed by three interquels -- ''Film/FastAndFurious'', ''Film/FastFive'', and ''Film/FastAndFurious6'' -- leaving it chronologically the last film for nine years. It wasn't until the release of ''Film/Furious7'' that the timeline moved forward again.
30	* ''Film/{{Insidious}}: Chapter 2'' (2013) ends with [[spoiler:Elise (now a ghost) noticing a demonic presence lurking in the dark]]. The next two films ''Chapter 3'' (2015) and ''The Last Key'' (2018) were both prequels leaving the cliffhanger as the last chronological event for a decade. The cliffhanger is finally broken in ''The Red Door'' (2023), which takes place nine years after Chapter 2.
31	* The Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse films have generally been released in chronological order. However, ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'' ended on a massive cliffhanger in which [[spoiler:Thanos successfully uses the power of the Infinity Stones to wipe out half of all life in the universe]]. Between that film and ''Film/AvengersEndgame'', there were two movies (''Film/AntManAndTheWasp'' and ''Film/{{Captain Marvel\|2019}}'') set before ''Infinity War''.
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34	[[folder:Literature]]
35	* ''Literature/FoundationAndEarth'' ends with half of the path to the Second Empire yet to come, and reflections about how humanity might have to face new threats. However, [[Creator/IsaacAsimov Asimov]] never continued further, and instead wrote two prequel novels.
36	* ''Literature/TheKingkillerChronicle'' has not received a proper sequel since 2011. Instead, Creator/PatrickRothfuss seems content with publishing side stories, like the short stories "How Old Holly Came To Be" and "The Lightning Tree", the novella ''Literature/TheSlowRegardOfSilentThings'', and even a podcast mini-series -- all while assuring the waiting fans that he is working on the next (and final) full installment of the Kvothe trilogy.
37	* Creator/GeorgeRRMartin released the last mainline ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' novel ''Literature/ADanceWithDragons'' in 2011. Since then he's released no fewer than ''six'' books set in the universe but fans are still waiting for him to release the last two planned mainline novels ''The Winds of Winter'' and ''A Dream of Spring''.
38	* Inverted with ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends''. The writers had an ExecutiveVeto that forbid them from exploring anything that happened before ''Film/ANewHope'' meaning anyone picking the books to learn more about the backstory of the characters or the universe would have to wait until ''Film/ThePhantomMenace'' for that to happen.
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41	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
42	* {{Lampshade\|Hanging}}d in ''Series/SledgeHammer'' At the end of the first season, the producers were sure the show would be cancelled so they decided to literally go out with a bang. At the end of the last show of the season, [[KillerFinale Sledge accidentally detonated a nuclear bomb]]. Then, much to everyone's surprise, the series was renewed. The first episode of Season 2 started with a repeat of the Season 1 ending where Sledge blew himself up, before showing a "Sledge Hammer: The Early Years!" TitleCard; the remainder of the series would nominally take place five years before the events of Season 1.
43	* For 18 years, the last entry chronologically in the ''Franchise/StarTrek'' franchise was the final ''[[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration TNG]]'' film, ''Film/StarTrekNemesis''. After that, the franchise saw the UltimateUniverse "Kelvinverse" films based on a reboot of [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries TOS]], before returning to the "Prime" timeline with the ''Series/StarTrekDiscovery'' television series. Even then, ''Discovery'' was a prequel to the original series. At least until the third season, which would TimeSkip to the late 32nd century, moving the timeline forward once more. ''Series/StarTrekPicard'', set several decades after ''Nemesis'', would also debut around the same time.
44	* After the cancellation of ''Series/TwinPeaks'' left the show with a massive cliffhanger, Creator/DavidLynch decided to follow up the show with a movie. Infamously, ''Film/TwinPeaksFireWalkWithMe'' decided to focus on the events leading up to the series premiere, barely alluding to the show's finale, leaving events unresolved for twenty-five years before ''[[SequelGap The Return]]'' finally put it to rest. [[GainaxEnding Sort of.]]
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47	[[folder:Video Games]]
48	* ''VideoGame/AceCombat3Electrosphere'' had quite a mindfuck of an ending ([[spoiler:basically casting doubt that anything that happened in the game had any basis in reality]]), and no game from the core "Strangereal" continuity of ''VideoGame/AceCombat'' has ever advanced the timeline beyond the third game to clear up just what exactly happened afterward.
49	* ''Franchise/AssassinsCreed'' zig-zags this quite frequently. The fifth game, ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIII'', was followed by ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIVBlackFlag'', which focuses on the previous protagonist's grandfather. ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedRogue'' takes place between the two games (technically occurring between the first few sequences of ''III'', which focused on Connor's father Haytham, but prior to the part of the game focused on Connor himself), while the next two games (''[[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedUnity Unity]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedSyndicate Syndicate]]'') occur chronologically in order. Then ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedOrigins'' depicts events that occur around a millennium before the events of [[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedI the first game]], with the subsequent ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedOdyssey'' taking place 400 years before that (with the DLC of ''Odyssey'' revealing [[spoiler:the protagonist is the ancestor of ''Origins'' protagonist Aya]]). This would be followed by ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedValhalla'', set between ''Origins'' and ''I''. This is zig-zagged because the AnachronicOrder of the games only applies to the historical segments, with the modern day segments and their advancement of the MythArc continuing in chronological order.
50	* ''VideoGame/BeastBusters'' ends with the heroes defeating the alien mastermind behind the zombie infestation only to discover the rest of the invasion force arriving in a massive mothership. The sequel, ''Second Nightmare'', was a DarkerAndEdgier reboot that didn't acknowledge this ending at all, and the two games after that were spinoffs with no connection to any other game in the series.
51	* ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaDawnOfSorrow'', the chronologically last ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'' game, ended with [[MultipleEndings two possible endings]], one of which had Soma lead a normal life, and one which saw him take up Dracula's mantle. The franchise produced only prequels after that, before being completely rebooted with ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaLordsOfShadow''.
52	* ''VideoGame/{{Darksiders}}'' has not progressed past the end of the first game, initially released in 2010. The first, second, and third games all take place at [[SimultaneousArcs around the same time]], while the fourth is a {{prequel}}, leaving fans waiting for a heavily implied confrontation with Lucifer.
53	* ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'': [[VideoGame/DevilMayCry2 The second game]] ended with the protagonist, Dante, [[BolivianArmyEnding going through an apparent one-way motorcycle trip to the Demon World]]. The [[TheStinger epilogue cutscene]] implies the plot twist of him returning as [[spoiler:Lucia hears a motorcycle engine outside the Devil May Cry shop]], but he's never shown on-screen to confirm it. The following game, ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry3DantesAwakening'', was a prequel to the series. The next game after that, ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry4'', also used to be a cliffhanger wall, taking place between ''[[VideoGame/DevilMayCry1 DMC1]]'' and ''[=DMC2=]''. For more than a decade, the series did not follow up on that ending, and it's only until the ''Before the Nightmare'' prequel novel of ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry5'' where a HandWave was given to explain how Dante made it out of the Demon World -- a portal "hole" just appeared in front of him, allowing him to return. In order to make the continuity more consistent with that ending, ''[=DMC4=]'' was also {{retcon}}ned into being a sequel to ''[=DMC2=]'' instead.
54	* ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion'' (2006) closed out the 3rd Era in the Tamerilic calendar with the death of the last of the Septim emperors. ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'' (2011) jumped a couple centuries ahead to Year 201 of the 4th era, and hinted at a major war between the remnants of the Empire and the Aldmeri Dominion brewing, which was not resolved by any of ''Skyrim''[='s=] DownloadableContent. ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsOnline'' (2014) was a spin-off {{prequel}}, set in Year 582 of the 2nd era. Then came another spinoff ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsLegends'' (2016) set during the Great War 25 years before ''Skyrim''. Then ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsBlades'' (2020) set 21 years before ''Skyrim'' in 4E 180. Creator/{{Bethesda}} is presumably reserving any updates to the timeline for ''The Elder Scrolls VI'', which as of 2022, has a single short teaser trailer and no announced release date.
55	* ''VideoGame/DirgeOfCerberus'', chronologically the last game of the ''Franchise/CompilationOfFinalFantasyVII'', ends with Genesis Rapsodos flying away with Weiss' body, saying "We still have much work to do." This has yet to be followed up. The Japan-excluive mobile game ''Dirge of Cerberus Lost Episode -Final Fantasy VII-'' takes place during the events of ''Dirge of Cerberus''. Then came ''VideoGame/CrisisCore'', a prequel to the original ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'', and while it does heavily features Genesis, it never adressess any of the plot points from ''Dirge of Cerberus''. Ditto with tie-in novels ''[[Literature/FinalFantasyVIIOnTheWayToASmile On the Way to a Smile]]'' and ''The Kids Are Alright: A Turks Side Story'' both taking place between ''VII'' and the film ''[[Anime/FinalFantasyVIIAdventChildren Advent Children]]''. Eventually, the entire continuity was rebooted with ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIIRemake'' (with Creator/TetsuyaNomura stating pre-release that the entire ''Compilation'' was now a case of BroadStrokes), [[spoiler:but ''Remake'' is implied to be a StealthSequel to the original continuity wherein Sephiroth is attempting to rewrite the past (or perhaps has already succeeded). Still, the wereabouts of Genesis and Weiss are sill unknown.]] Granted, this is likely because ''Dirge of Cerberus'' is a contentious game.
56	* TheStinger of ''VideoGame/GodOfWarIII'' (2007) implied that [[spoiler: Kratos survived his apparent HeroicSacrifice]] yet the next two games ''[[VideoGame/GodOfWarGhostOfSparta Ghost of Sparta]]'' (2010) and ''[[VideoGame/GodOfWarAscension Ascension]]'' (2013) were both prequels that failed to address what would happen next. It wasn't until 2018 that Kratos' story would continue with ''VideoGame/GodOfWarPS4''.
57	* ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'' is legendary for having its "Episode 2" expansion (2007) end on one of the most well-known cliffhanger endings in gaming, with developer Creator/{{Valve}} promising that an "Episode 3" would be coming soon. It didn't. It would be followed-up after 12 years with the interquel ''VideoGame/HalfLifeAlyx'', which only ''partially'' resolved the cliffhanger with a [[spoiler:CosmicRetcon of Eli Vance's death via Alyx's deal with G-Man]] that essentially moved past the cliffhanger by mere minutes to end on ''yet another'' cliffhanger; this one once again promising that ''Half-Life 3'', the whole deal about Aperture Science's Borealis ship, the impending Combine reprisal against Earth, and now [[spoiler:rescuing Alyx from the G-Man]] will get addressed. Eventually.
58	* The 14 years between ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'' (2005) and ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII'' (2019) were filled with prequels, remakes and spin-offs on multiple platforms. To wit: The epilogue of ''II'' showed Sora, Riku and Kairu reading a mysterious letter from Mickey. After a remake of ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsChainOfMemories Chain of Memories]]'' on the [=PlayStation=] 2, the subsequent mobile game ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsCoded coded]]'' primarily takes place before the epilogue and the content of the letter is eventually revealed but nothing more happens. Then we got the {{Interquel}} ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHearts358DaysOver2 358/2 Days]]'' on the Nintendo DS, the OriginsEpisode ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep Birth By Sleep]]'' on the [=PlayStation=] Portable (with only a brief flashforward of Sora, Riku and Kairi [[OffscreenInertia who still haven't left their island]] in the ending) ''and'' a port of ''coded'' on the Nintendo DS (with only the addition of a conversation between Mickey and Yen Sid). Finally, ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance [Dream Drop Distance] ]]'', a proper sequel to ''II'' and the "prologue" of ''III'' came out on the Nintendo 3DS in 2012... but it was then followed by ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsX'', an episodic PrequelInTheLostAge and ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHearts02BirthBySleepAFragmentaryPassage 0.2: Birth by Sleep -A fragmentary passage]]'' which instead follows Aqua's journey after ''Birth by Sleep''. Thankfully, the ending of that game directly leads to the long awaited ''Kingdom Hearts III''.
59	* ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2SonsOfLiberty'' ended in a big TwistEnding concerning [[GreaterScopeVillain the overarching villains]], the Patriots. Instead of explaining right away, [[Creator/HideoKojima Kojima]] decided to make the next game, ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater'', a prequel, itself followed by another prequel by another production team. ''[=MGS3=]'' did not explain the ending of ''2'' in any way, and in fact seemed to contradict it, until ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots'' came out and revealed [[spoiler:the TwistEnding was a total lie]].
60	* ''VideoGame/MetroidFusion'' ends with Samus [[spoiler:causing the destruction of the B.S.L. station and the planet SR-388 in order to stop both the Federation's secret cloning research on Metroids and the spread of the deadly X Parasites]], leaving her future relationship with the Federation unknown beyond an in-universe acknowledgement that she will most likely [[ArrestedForHeroism have to face trial for her actions]]. ''Fusion'' would remain the last chronological entry in the ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'' series for almost two decades (2002-2021), with the time between it and ''VideoGame/MetroidDread'' being filled with a bevy of interquels (five ''[[VideoGame/MetroidPrimeTrilogy Metroid Prime]]'' games and ''VideoGame/MetroidOtherM''), remakes (''VideoGame/MetroidZeroMission'', ''VideoGame/MetroidSamusReturns''), and even [[VideoGame/MetroidPrimePinball a pinball game]]. ''Dread'', while serving as a GrandFinale to [[StoryArc the story]] started in [[VideoGame/Metroid1 the first game]] regarding Samus's history with the Metroids, left the plot thread of the Federation's possible antagonism to Samus untouched upon.
61	* The ''VideoGame/OgreBattle'' series kept hinting that there was going to be a confrontation with TheManBehindTheMan, who was behind the troubles of all the games. Actually, two of them -- the Sage Rashidi and the country of Lodis. And... they don't. Further aggravating this was that the ''first'' game in the series [[AnachronicOrder was Episode]] '''[[AnachronicOrder 5]]'''. Only Five, Six, and Seven have been released... along with a few {{Gaiden Game}}s.
62	* The third game in the ''VideoGame/ProfessorLayton'' series, ''VideoGame/ProfessorLaytonAndTheUnwoundFuture'', ended on a ToBeContinued sequel hook about mysterious happenings at Luke's home, but the next three games ended up being a prequel trilogy. In an odd turn of events, the timeline ''does'' move forward after this, with ''VideoGame/LaytonsMysteryJourneyKatrielleAndTheMillionairesConspiracy'', but said game is a DistantSequel starring Layton's daughter whose story doesn't address that plot point at all. The plot point wouldn't be followed up on until ''Professor Layton and The New World of Steam'', over thirteen years later.
63	* The last canonical game in the ''VideoGame/{{Quake}}'' series is ''VideoGame/QuakeIV'' (2004), which ends with the sergeant telling Kane [[AndTheAdventureContinues "Kane, you have new orders."]] The next game in the series[[note]]not counting ''[[VideoGame/QuakeIIIArena Quake Live]]''[[/note]] would be ''VideoGame/EnemyTerritoryQuakeWars'' (2006), a prequel GaidenGame based on the ''Enemy Territory'' series, which was eventually followed by ''VideoGame/QuakeChampions'' (2017), a MassiveMultiplayerCrossover HeroShooter with Arena FPS features. A proper sequel to ''IV'' has yet to be developed.
64	* ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'': Between ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilCodeVeronica'' and ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4'', there was ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilZero'' (a prequel to [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil1 the first game]]), as well as [[VideoGame/ResidentEvilRemake a remake of the first game]] and several spin-offs like ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvilGunSurvivor Gun Survivor]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvilOutbreak Outbreak]]''.
65	* With the exception of [[VideoGame3DLeap the 3D titles]] (one of them being the DistantFinale) and ''VI'' (a non-canon DreamMatchGame), all the ''VideoGame/SamuraiShodown'' games are set before the events of ''SSII'', making [[Timeline/SamuraiShodown the timeline]] somewhat difficult to follow.
66	* Canon-wise, the last ''VideoGame/SeriousSam'' game in the timeline is 2005's ''VideoGame/SeriousSamII''. Since then, there have been spin-offs, [[CapcomSequelStagnation lots of ports and remakes]], and two mainline prequels in 2011's ''VideoGame/SeriousSam3BFE'' and 2020's ''VideoGame/SeriousSam4'', but an actual sequel to ''II''[[note]]or, considering ''II''[='=]s poor reception and Croteam [[CanonDiscontinuity disowning it]], a proper sequel to 2003's ''VideoGame/SeriousSamTheSecondEncounter''[[/note]] has yet to materialize.
67	* ''VideoGame/StarOceanTillTheEndOfTime'', the third game in the ''VideoGame/StarOcean'' series, takes place 400 years after the events of [[VideoGame/StarOcean1 the first]] [[VideoGame/StarOceanTheSecondStory two games]]. It gained notoriety for having a rather infamous plot twist that breaks the immersion of the hi-tech SpaceOpera setting the entire franchise had built up, and also has a highly confusing ending that is lampshaded by the characters themselves. The general negative response of the game's events resulted in the fourth game, ''VideoGame/StarOceanTheLastHope'', being a prequel to the entire franchise. Likewise, the fifth game, ''VideoGame/StarOceanIntegrityAndFaithlessness'', is an interquel that takes place 200 years after the second game, and the sixth game, ''VideoGame/StarOceanTheDivineForce'', is set 46 years after the fifth. This still leaves plenty of room in the timeline to develop future installments before the developers have to address the plot twist of the third game.
68	* ''Franchise/StreetFighter'':
69	** For a long while, the ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIII'' series (1997-1999) was considered the last chapter of the ''SF'' story. ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIV'' (2008) and ''VideoGame/StreetFighterV'' (2016) both occur after the events of ''VideoGame/StreetFighterII'' but before ''III'', even though the very tight time frame of events between games led many to consider them more as a retconning of the events of ''III''. It wouldn't be until 2023's ''VideoGame/StreetFighter6'' that the story finally continued past the events of ''III''.
70	** To a lesser extent, ''VideoGame/StreetFighterII'' itself was this, as following this release (1991), [[CapcomSequelStagnation Capcom would only put out updated versions of the game]], which was then followed by 1995's ''VideoGame/StreetFighterAlpha'', an interquel between the original ''VideoGame/StreetFighterI'' and [[SequelDisplacement its much more recognizable sequel]].
71	** The ''Alpha'' series is something of an inversion, though heavily downplayed. With the ''III'' series launching in 1997, the ''Alpha'' games' own buildup to the events of ''II'' was briefly put on hold. The final installment, ''Alpha 3'', would release in 1998, sandwiched between ''New Generation/2nd Impact'' (1997) and ''3rd Strike'' (1999).
72	* No games go past ''VideoGame/SuikodenIII'' in the ''VideoGame/{{Suikoden}}'' series; despite its loose ends, all subsequent games are prequels or AlternateUniverse works.
73	* ''VideoGame/ValkyriaChroniclesII'' indicated that there was going to be a second war with the East European Imperial Alliance, the villains of the first game. The [[VideoGame/ValkyriaChroniclesIII next]] [[VideoGame/ValkyriaChronicles4 two]] numbered entries [[SimultaneousArcs took place at the same time as the first game]], while ''VideoGame/ValkyriaRevolution'' was an AlternateUniverse GaidenGame.
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76	[[folder:Webcomics]]
77	* ''Webcomic/{{Sakana}}'': Chapter 24 ends with a major plot twist that Chie's boss is actually one of the henchmen for the Yakuza Genji owes money to. This was followed up with several months of lighthearted flashbacks, prequel stories, and behind-the-scenes material before going on an extended hiatus [[ScheduleSlip that went on far longer than anticipated]], resulting in the story stopping dead in its tracks for more than three years.
78	* ''Webcomic/SuicideBoy'': Volumen 2 ends with [[spoiler: Hooni meeting again with Yang Heemin, a person of his past with who he has a mysterious relationship]]. Instead of continuing directly with that, the series continued with a Volumen 2.5 which was an 29-chapters long {{Interquel}} focused on two secondary characters: Sana and Harim and after that it went into SeriesHiatus where it has remained since then.
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81	[[folder:Western Animation]]
82	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Archer}}'': The seventh season ends with [[spoiler:Archer being shot and put into a coma. Seasons eight, nine, and ten follow Archer in noir, jungle, and space-themed comatose dreams. Subverted in season eleven which has him finally awaking from the coma.]]
83	* ''WesternAnimation/InfinityTrain'': Towards the end of Book 3, after learning that she's actually [[spoiler:a denizen of the train rather than a passenger, created by Amelia in an attempt to recreate her lost love Alrick]], and feeling betrayed by Grace, Hazel agrees to leave with Amelia and exits the plot. Book 4 goes on to serve as a prequel taking place in the 1980s, with its only narrative connection to previous installments being [[MeaningfulBackgroundEvent Amelia taking over the train in the background]]. The show was cancelled after this, but even if it had continued, Book 5 was [[WhatCouldHaveBeen planned to be another prequel]] (focusing on the aforementioned takeover), leaving both Hazel and Amelia's statuses unknown.
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Context Main / CliffhangerWall