Line #28 Main/BelatedHappyEnding


1	A story has an AmbiguousEnding. Did Bob win? Did Alice survive? Did the world find out what really happened? Either we just don't know, or WordOfGod says it's all [[ShrugOfGod open to interpretation]].
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3	Years pass. Then the author decides to return to the story, and a sequel or semi-sequel is released. It turns out Bob did win, Alice did make it out alive, the world found out about the truth, and everyone got their happy ending. This isn't just WordOfGod -- the sequel itself shows us what happened after the end of the first story. The downplayed version happens if the sequel ends on a {{bittersweet\|ending}} note.
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5	Compare IKnewIt, which is about fan theories being proved right, whereas a Belated Happy Ending is specifically about the characters (regardless of fan theories). See also MaybeEverAfter, an ending which this trope can resolve. The inversion is HappyEndingOverride where the heroes' victory and happy ending [[ShootTheShaggyDog is turned into dust and ruins.]]
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7	'''Since this is an ending trope, needless to say there will be unmarked spoilers ahead.'''
8	----
9	!!Examples
10	[[foldercontrol]]
11	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
12	* The ending of ''Anime/DigimonTamers'' was fairly ambiguous, but then the sixth movie came out, showing that everyone did, indeed, reunite with their Digimon. [[spoiler:Unfortunately, multiple Drama [=CDs=] [[NoExportForYou not released outside of Japan]] ultimately declare ''Runaway Locomon'' non-canon with the Tamers only reuniting temporarily with their Digimon in 2018, and even then Takato has gone missing and they have to use a digital clone.]]
13	* ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'' ended with a ton of unanswered questions and offscreen happenings, namely who Negi liked and how the [[BigBad Lifemaker]] was defeated respectively. The StealthSequel ''Manga/UQHolder'' has answered most of the lingering plot threads and gave definitive answers to who Negi was attracted to and showed how the Lifemaker was ultimately taken care of.
14	* ''Franchise/{{Patlabor}}'': In the OVA continuity, officers Noa Izumi and Asuma Shinohara [[StrictlyProfessionalRelationship were partners]], though the chemistry between them and several episodes implied [[ImpliedLoveInterest it might've gone deeper than that.]] But [[NoHuggingNoKissing the lack of any outward signs]] of affection and the series' ending left the official status of their relationship [[MaybeEverAfter in question.]] ''Film/TheNextGenerationPatlabor'' is set 15 years after the OVA and serves as its DistantFinale. During which, it's revealed that [[RelationshipUpgrade Noa eventually married Asuma]] sometime after the OVA's conclusion.
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17	[[folder:Comic Books]]
18	* In ''ComicBook/AdventureTime'', the defeat of the EldritchAbomination LegionOfDoom in the "Dungeon Masters" arc releases Gata, Finn's and Jake's [[BackstoryInvader erased adopted sister]] from an earlier arc, from her status as a doomed ApocalypseMaiden and allows her to fully exist without causing horrible consequences, although it doesn't appear that the other characters recover their memories of their previous times with her.
19	* In ''ComicBook/ElfQuest'', the original authors eventually got back to writing the comics, and saved several characters who were LeftHanging in old plotlines: Ahdri gets rescued from the caves in which she was trapped for centuries, Strongbow and Moonshade are granted another daughter, and The Broken One finally gets healed.
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22	[[folder:Comic Strips]]
23	* ''ComicStrip/LittleOrphanAnnie'' ended with Annie in the hands of a notorious assassin, who while he wouldn't kill her [[WouldNotHurtAChild because she was a kid,]] still refused to let her go because she might report him to the authorities, so she was stuck with him. Daddy Warbucks, meanwhile, had assumed her to be dead, and gave up hope of ever seeing her again. A crossover with ''ComicStrip/DickTracy'' a few years later finally reunited the two in a FullyAbsorbedFinale.
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26	[[folder:Fan Works]]
27	* Back in 2006, [[http://en.touhouwiki.net/wiki/Asatsuki_Dou Asatsuki Dou]] released a horribly depressing ''Franchise/TouhouProject'' doujin called "Happiness". Not quite two years later they released "Happy End", which exists entirely to give "Happiness" a happy ending.
28	* ''Fanfic/ACrownOfStars'':
29	** In 2009 a fan wrote a real depressing and dark story called [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5158315/1/A-Throne-of-Bayonets "A Throne Of Bayonets."]] Five years later another fan read the story, thought the main characters deserved a happier ending than being two broken wreckes, and wrote an authorized sequel where they get slowly over their worst traumas and fix their strained relationship.
30	** In a short scene the main characters of [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/2748982/1/The-Way-Out-is-Through "The Way Out Is Through,"]] a fic written in 2008, also appear and are given a chance to have a happy ending.
31	* For ''Manga/MyHeroAcademiaVigilantes'' in ''Fanfic/CrimsonAndEmerald'' Kouichi married Tensei and joined him as a sidekick in Idaten. Pop☆Step is poached from Idaten as sidekick for Hawks, which means she's on her way to fame as she's his top sidekick.
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34	[[folder:Film -- Animated]]
35	* At the end of ''Anime/FinalFantasyVIIAdventChildren'' (one of the sequels to ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII''), [[spoiler: Aerith and Zack]] are finally shown to be reunited in the afterlife. And it isn't until the end of the film that Cloud shed the emotional hangups that kept him from being with Tifa and embracing a more proactive role in healing the world.
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38	[[folder:Film -- Live-Action]]
39	* The film adaptation of ''Film/TheGiver'' confirms that there was life beyond the dystopia featured in the book and Jonas joined them. It also gives the people of the dystopia back their memories, providing a happy ending for them as well. See the literature folder for a different take on the series.
40	* The fifth installment of ''Film/{{Scream\|2022}}'' reveals that not only Sidney Prescott has recovered from the events of ''Film/Scream4'' by moving out of Woodsboro for good, but she has started a family with Detective Mark Kincaid (who was her ImpliedLoveInterest in ''Film/Scream3'', until [[ChuckCunninghamSyndrome he disappeared]] in ''4'') and had at least two children with him.
41	* The ''Film/SpiderManTrilogy'' gets one courtesy of ''Film/SpiderManNoWayHome'' where an incident through TheMultiverse reveals that the Peter Parker of that universe has worked through his issues and is quite settled in life, even resolving his issues with Mary-Jane and apparently still being with her. Also, while the exact mechanics are unclear, the film may also have resulted in a CosmicRetcon in which three of his villains are now redeemed and not dead anymore.
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44	[[folder:Literature]]
45	* ''Literature/{{Blindness}}'': One person regained her sight in the end of the novel, but the sequel takes place years after forgetting the whole incident.
46	* In Creator/WilliamGoldman's ''Brothers'', [[spoiler:Scylla]] (a character who was thought to have died in ''Film/MarathonMan'') is brought back, and finally gets a chance to reunite with ''Marathon Man'''s main character, Babe. [[spoiler: Then the world ends.]]
47	* Another Creator/WilliamGoldman example: In ''Buttercup's Baby'', the short story sequel to ''Literature/ThePrincessBride'', we find out that the characters did escape from being chased by Humperdinck in the original novel's open ending. Buttercup and Westley have a baby (as the title says). Interestingly, the story also wraps up some plot elements from Goldman's unrelated novel ''Control'', although it's a bit of a GainaxEnding.
48	* ''Literature/TheClubDumas'' by Arturo Perez-Reverte has a group of bibliophiles competing over the collection of rare manuscripts. One of them is a treatise on sword fighting. Its author is Don Astarloa, the main character from his previous book ''The Fencing Master'', who'd spent most of the story trying to write a treatise on fencing. Apparently he finally finished it.
49	* A [[TrilogyCreep sequel]] to ''Literature/TheDarkswordTrilogy'' was written a few years after the series was completed, in which [[spoiler: Simkin]] turns out to be alive, the war is finally settled, and Joram gets to finish all of his unfinished business.
50	* The ''Literature/{{Divergent}}'' trilogy's [[TheHeroDies infamous ending]] is somewhat mitigated by ''We Can Be Mended'', a short story Veronica Roth published four years after ''Allegiant'', in which Four and Christina, [[LonelyTogether driven by their shared loss]], end up falling for each other.
51	* In Goethe's ''Faust'', Mephisto takes Faust with him at the end, while Gretchen dies. In the sequel, Faust gets saved by... supernatural means.
52	* The ending of Creator/LoisLowry's ''Literature/TheGiver'' is extremely ambiguous and heavily implies that [[spoiler:Jonas and Gabriel die]]. In the last two books of the quartet, ''Literature/{{Messenger}}'' and ''Literature/{{Son}}'', we learn that [[spoiler:they both survive, and that Jonas manages to become leader of his community before setting it aside to start a family with Kira, and Gabe reunites with his birthmother]].
53	* ''Literature/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy.'' To start, Creator/DouglasAdams had expressed the desire to continue after ''Literature/MostlyHarmless''' DownerEnding, but he DiedDuringProduction. One of his acquaintances, Creator/EoinColfer, was then given the rights to finish it by Adams' widow, and the book, ''Literature/AndAnotherThing'', ends on a fairly happy ending compared to the previous one.
54	* Marie Lu's ''Literature/LegendSeries'' ends with a MaybeEverAfter where June and Day (now known by his real name Daniel) separate for a decade because of the latter's LaserGuidedAmnesia, before they end up reuniting by chance. Years after the third book was published, Lu wrote two novellas which explain a bit about the days following their reunion, but it wasn't until the fourth full-length novel, ''Rebel'' was published that the two finally [[RelationshipUpgrade tie the knot]].
55	* ''Literature/TheTaleOfPeterRabbit'' ends with the title character sick and in trouble with his mother for losing his clothes. Its sequel, ''Literature/TheTaleOfBenjaminBunny'', shows that Peter was traumatised by the events of the first book, but his mother forgives him when he recovers his clothes. He grows up to be OlderAndWiser in later books, and has a happy life as a successful cabbage farmer and CoolUncle to Benjamin's children.
56	* ''Literature/DoctorWhoMissingAdventures'' book ''Who Killed Kennedy'' has a very grim ending, in which Dodo Chaplet dies at the hands of the Master's patsy, and her widower is doomed to travel to 1969 to shoot JFK. Years after original publication, the author penned an extra final chapter for the reprint, in which said widower successfully contacts the Twelfth Doctor, allowing him to travel back, stop the mind-controlled goon and save Dodo. He is well aware he is destroying his own timeline, but saving her is all that matters to him, so he allows himself to burn in the Vortex to give his past self the happy life he would have otherwise had.
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59	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
60	* The Doctor and River Song's relationship in ''Series/DoctorWho'' ultimately has a BittersweetEnding -- the first time he meets her as Ten is the last time she meets him; their relationship hasn't happened yet on his end. He manages to upload her into the Library after her death, and from there his Eleventh self learns how she came to exist, fall in love with him, and so forth. But by the time his televised tenure is over, there is one key event not revealed -- the circumstances of his ''second-to-last'' meeting with her, a dinner date at the Singing Towers of Darillium. It was suggested that this happened offscreen, but two-plus years after the last story to feature her ("The Name of the Doctor", the Series 7 finale) came the ChristmasEpisode "The Husbands of River Song" (which aired post-Series 9). This episode reveals that Eleven kept putting off the date; rather, the '''Twelfth''' Doctor fulfills that meeting...in fact, he engineers it (and the circumstances of her being uploaded) based on the knowledge he's had since "Silence in the Library" when a starliner they happen to be on crashes on Darillium. And a night on Darillium lasts '''24 years''', so River Song finally has a full measure of happiness with her "sweetie" at last, fulfilling this trope -- in fact, the episode ends on the text "And they lived HappilyEverAfter...", though by way of acknowledging the fundamental bittersweetness of it all, the words dissolve first to "And they lived happily", and then to just "happily".
61	* In ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'', Marshall's boss Arthur Hobbs lost his beloved dog Tugboat to his wife when they got a divorce, which he didn't take very well in season 6. We find out that by the time that [[spoiler: Robin and Barney were engaged]], he had gotten back custody of Tugboat.
62	* In the ChristmasSpecial of ''Series/TheOfficeUK'' (which was filmed after the main series was completed), Tim and Dawn finally get together.
63	* Anthony in ''Series/TheRoyleFamily'' spends his teen years being ignored, lightly bullied by his father and unemployed. When he does married and get a good job, his wife cheats on him and leaves him. Then he meets Saskia, a beautiful nurse, falls in love and has another kid.
64	* After the MaybeEverAfter that closes ''Series/{{Spaced}}'', the "Skip to the End" documentary demonstrates that Tim and Daisy eventually had a little girl together and are still living in the same flat.
65	* ''Series/That70sShow'': The finale was [[MaybeEverAfter ambiguous as to whether Eric and Donna would ever get back together again]]. The SequelSeries, ''Series/That90sShow'', would establish that they had gotten back together again, having a teenage daughter by 1995.
66	* Zigzagged in ''Series/TwinPeaks'', with Cooper escaping his imprisonment from the Black Lodge ([[EmptyShell though it takes a while to work fully]]) and BOB being destroyed for good in the penultimate episode after [[KarmaHoudiniWarranty causing trouble for the last 25 years since the series originally ended]]. The final episode, however, has Cooper seemingly [[AlwaysSaveTheGirl rewriting history to save Laura Palmer]] from her murder that set off the entire story of the series, which causes a [[NiceJobBreakingItHero whole slew of unintended consequences]] that erases a whole lot more from the timeline and leaving the series off once again on an ambiguous GainaxEnding.
67	* The cancellation of ''Series/VeronicaMars'' after its third season didn't leave much room for any resolution, let alone a happy one. Six years later, nearly [[TimeSkip nine years have passed]] in-universe when Veronica returns home in ''[[BittersweetEnding an]]'' ending. She gives up her normal life of soon becoming a New York corporate lawyer (quitting with job offers from prestigious firms and an impending Bar exam in the near future) to start her [[CallToAdventure life of a private investigator]] anew. Even though her father is less than thrilled and she has left behind a life of privilege and a semi-stable relationship, and is now addled with student loans, the tie-in book sequels make it clear that this homecoming is the closest she has come to peace. And even though his military life separates Logan from her twice in the span of a year, this is the closest any of them have ever come to a happy ending in [[CrapsackWorld Neptune, CA]].
68	* ''Series/WordOfHonor'': Many thought that Episode 36 was the series' finale, making the show end with the main characters' deaths. However, the bonus episode, which is taken as Episode 37 or epilogue, turns out to be the true ending for the series[[note]]supported by the fact that the thanks to the author is in it, and not Episode 36. It does not help that this episode was not announced, nor is it available on Netflix.[[/note]] and shows the protagonists have become immortal and are living HappilyEverAfter.
69	* The episode of ''Series/TheYoungIndianaJonesChronicles'' documenting the [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarI Battle of the Somme]] (after which the surviving Allied soldiers are all taken prisoner by the Germans), it is heavily implied that Indy's Belgian friend Remy is shot dead amidst the chaos; Indy doesn't meet up with him in the prison camp in the next episode. Soon afterward the series was cancelled...only to be (sort of) revived a few years later as a series of made-for-TV movies. In one of them, the war ends and Indy and Remy are happily reunited.
70	[[/folder]]
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72	[[folder:Music]]
73	* In Jimmy Dean's famous country song "Big Bad John", a heroic miner [[LoadBearingHero holds up the roof of a collapsing mine]] for long enough to everyone else to get out alive, but [[HeroicSacrifice is killed himself]]. In the less well-known SequelSong, "The Cajun Queen", his wife arrives, digs down to the bottom of the mine, and rescues him, bringing him back to life with TrueLovesKiss.
74	* "My R" by Music/{{Vocaloid}} producer [=KurageP=] ends with the protagonist deciding to commit suicide after she can no longer convince herself to keep living. "Diary of Underage Observation", released three years later, ends with its protagonist noticing the girl about to jump and intervening in the nick of time.
75	* In ''Music/PuffTheMagicDragon'', the final stanza before the final chorus states that the titular dragon's close human friend Jackie Paper eventually grows up and stops visiting and playing with Puff, leaving the dragon heartbroken and without the ability to feel brave anymore as he sadly slips away into his cave to be alone in his sorrow. The children's book adaptation released in 2007 (and made with [[ApprovalOfGod direct input from the song's original author]]), however, ends (as shown via illustrations on the pages for the final chorus) with an adult Jackie Paper bringing his young daughter to Puff and introducing her to him as a brand new friend for him before the little girl and the now once again happy Puff go off to play and have fun together.
76	[[/folder]]
77
78	[[folder:Video Games]]
79	* In ''VideoGame/BaldursGateIIThroneOfBhaal'' (the expansion pack to the second game), Sarevok, the villain from the first game, can finally find redemption.
80	* ''Franchise/DragonAge'':
81	** ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'''s DLC ''Trespasser'' gives one to counter the DownerEnding that ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' ends with: [[spoiler:Varric inadvertently ends up becoming Viscount of Kirkwall when his complaints about one of his schemes being stymied by there being no official Viscount in the town and the complaint being misinterpreted as a volunteering for the post, and, depending on the state of things with the other [=DA2=] companions, his auspices give them a chance of a good life.]]
82	** Cullen gets one spanning the original trilogy; ''Origins'' puts him through a TraumaCongaLine, ''2'' has him become more stable but also becomes an anti-mage hardliner. His appearance in ''Inquisition'' has him finally learn to let go of his prejudices (for the most part) and retire in peace, potentially with the Inquisitor as his wife. [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential Unless you hated his guts since the first game and specifically choose to make it end badly for him.]]
83	* ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'' does this in regards to what was previously a definitive DownerEnding for [[spoiler: [[EvilMentor Lucien Lachance]] from [[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion the previous installment]], who after his horrific demise following being framed as a traitor is revealed to live on as the Spectral Assassin.]]
84	* The True Ending of the first route in ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'' ends with [[StarCrossedLovers Saber and Shirou separated]]. Saber dies in the past and Shirou resolves to follow his dream, which is heavily deconstructed in the other routes with the implication that he'll ultimately end up following a similar path to Archer. The ''[[UpdatedReRelease Realta Nua]]'' version has an OmegaEnding where the two are reunited in Avalon, which also reveals Shirou didn't go down the same path as Archer because he had the goal to finally reunite with her.
85	* The ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' games feature many examples.
86	** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX2'': The first game ended on a bittersweet note [[spoiler:with Tidus disappearing]]. The sequel sets to rectify this and, while the conflict the protagonists face is pretty big, it doesn't reach the heights of the previous game -- the BigBad is a dangerously powerful machine as opposed to an EldritchAbomination that can't be killed. There are multiple endings for the player to get and most of them (bar one bad ending you get if you lose the FinalBattle) are happy. The player can choose [[spoiler: whether or not Yuna can reunite with Tidus]] and if she doesn't, the ending is still uplifting because she has moved on.
87	** In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyV'', Gilgamesh was lost to the Void. Three games later, in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'', he returned, and has appeared in every ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' game since, even retroactively including the ones before V by means of remakes. ''[[VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy Dissidia 012 Duodecim]]'' explicitly confirms that he is indeed the same character from V in all appearances, having been wandering dimensions at the mercy of the Rift since his original disappearance but still determined to get back home.
88	** The ending of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' was vague as to the outcome of the cast and human beings in general. A post-credits scene which showed exactly ''one'' of the party members (A slow aging lion-type creature) still alive five hundred years later did little to answer questions as to the fate of the cast either. Cue the eventual Compilation releases ''eight'' years later, which finally set the record straight.
89	** In ''VideoGame/VagrantStory'' (which takes place centuries after ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics''), various item descriptions mention the Zodiac Brave Story from the first game, naming Agrias, Orlandu and several others as well-known heroes. That means the Durai report from ''Tactics'', containing a true account of what happened during the war, was eventually accepted as historical canon.
90	** Related to the above, we only found out Ramza and Alma survived the events of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics'' '''15 years''' after the game's initial release, courtesy of [[https://twitter.com/YasumiMatsuno/status/169572953686683648 a Twitter post]] [[WordOfGod Yasumi Matsuno made]] on Valentine's Day 2012.
91	* ''VideoGame/Left4Dead'' has a Survival-only campaign, ''The Last Stand'', where FailureIsTheOnlyOption as the Survivors try to last as long as they can against a never-ending horde of zombies. When the campaign was remade for ''VideoGame/Left4Dead2'', it added a normal co-op campaign to it as well where the Survivors end up getting rescued in the end.
92	* ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' is a very literal case, as virulently hostile fan reaction to the original ambiguous-to-depressing potential range of endings led to the release of postscript DLC that improved it. A short turnaround time later and most of the endings are clarified to being some form of everything is eventually rebuilt and life goes on in peace, with the exception of one flat-out DownerEnding if you're dumb enough to refuse the final choice altogether, and another where the Reapers are destroyed but the cast is killed. The latter, notably, can only be achieved with the [[EarnYourBadEnding very specific circumstances]] of having the bare-minimum cumulative War Assets.
93	* The good ending to the sequel to ''{{VideoGame/Myst}}'', ''{{VideoGame/Riven}}'' is somewhat somber. While the player character has managed to reunite Atrus and Catherine, Catherine has ensured the Rivenese people have escaped into Tay, and Gehn will no longer be able to hurt anyone else, the player has no choice but to jump into the same Star Fissure into which Atrus once fell before using the Myst book, hoping that it will safely return them to their home just as it once dropped the Myst book into their hands. It's very unlikely that their paths will ever cross again, and unclear what sort of life Atrus and Catherine will be able to rebuild after years apart and so much loss at the hands of their sons. But the further novel and game sequels make it clear that, actually, things worked out pretty well. Without the looming specter of Gehn, Atrus and Catherine were able to gather up other D'ni descendends and even surviving refugees, write up a new home for them, and start rebuilding their civilization, but without the tragic hubris that led to the fall of the original D'ni. They have another child, Yeesha, who, while she has her ups and downs, ultimately proves to be a positive force in the world. And the player character even manages to find Atrus and Catherine once again, remaining a family friend for the rest of their life and into at least two more adventures.
94	* Alex manages to contain the vengeful spirits at the end of ''VideoGame/{{Oxenfree}}'', but at the cost of her and her friends becoming stuck in time themselves, apparently for all eternity. Or in any case until ''Videogame/Oxenfree2'', where they manage to break out of their endless time loop and trap the other ghosts even more securely. Keeping with the bittersweet theme, this does require them to sacrifice one other person, chosen by the protagonist of the sequel.
95	* ''VideoGame/PokemonSuperMysteryDungeon'' has Armaldo, who was last seen in ''VideoGame/PokemonMysteryDungeonExplorers'' being arrested as an outlaw and forced to give up teaching Igglybuff exploring, now living a free and honest life as an explorer and befriended another Igglybuff as shown in his rescue mission.
96	* ''VideoGame/RadiantSilvergun'' ends with the [[BigBad Stone-Like]], having already wiped out all life on Earth save for a few survivors who fled Earth for a year, wiping out two of those remaining survivors, forcing the two {{Player Character}}s and their robot companion to flee into the past, where they too get killed by the Stone-Like and the robot creates clones of the protagonists to repopulate the Earth, knowing full well that the cycle will repeat again. In ''VideoGame/{{Ikaruga}}'', it ends with a BittersweetEnding. Its protagonists commit a HeroicSacrifice to finally destroy the Stone-Like and put an end to the cycle.
97	* ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'':
98	** VideoGame/Persona3: In the original game, Junpei's love interest Chidori ends up sacrificing herself to save him & awaken his evolved Persona. In the expanded "FES" rerelease, it was possible to ensure that she eventually revives (albeit with memory loss about Junpei) but the [[PlayableEpilogue "The Answer"]] made it ambiguous as to whether or not it actually was canon. In "Persona 4 Arena Ultimax" however, the alternate ending where she survives appears to be the canon one; Junpei is wearing a necklace given as a gift to him from her (confirmed via fan mail responses from the devs), his daydream involves proposing to her in the present, and he still has his ultimate Persona (which is a fusion of his and Chidori's Personas). Additionally, one of his victory lines has him dedicate his win to her. While she may have forgotten most of the events of Persona 3, being free of a Persona detrimental to her health means she is still capable of pursuing a norrmal life, with or without Junpei.
99	** ''VideoGame/Persona4'': While the original game concluded rather bittersweetly, with the protagonist [[spoiler:[[ButNowIMustGo leaving Inaba, possibly forever]], with the reassurance that neither he nor the friends he made would ever forget their happy times together]], subsequent releases, from ''Arena'' to ''The Golden'' have all-but reversed that initial conclusion by allowing the Protagonist to repeatedly visit Inaba and generally keep in touch with everyone even years later, confirming his lifelong friendships with all involved.
100	** ''VideoGame/DevilSurvivor'': The ''Overclocked'' re-release does this for Yuzu's, Naoya's, and Amane's endings. Yuzu's ending in the original was an outright DownerEnding, while Naoya's and Amane's endings [[BitterSweetEnding still had the heroes save the day, but left humanity worse off than it was originally]]. The re-release, however, [[UpdatedRerelease adds Eighth days]] to all three routes. Yuzu's Eighth day has the heroes [[EarnYourHappyEnding make the best out of a bad situation]] while Naoya's and Amane's Eighth days actively give their routes ''happy'' endings.
101	* The final Advertising/SegataSanshiro commercial had him sacrifice his life to prevent a missile from destroying the Sega headquarters. Fourteen years later, however, ''[[VideoGame/SegaSuperstars Sonic & All Stars Racing Transformed]]'' revealed that, against all odds, he survived -- his vehicle in that game is ''the missile''. Likewise, ''VideoGame/ProjectXZone 2'' further confirms his survival (and he's even managed to ditch the missile somewhere).
102	* Happens a lot in ''Franchise/SilentHill'' games. They all have MultipleEndings, but occasionally a sequel to an older game will confirm one of those endings directly or indirectly -- usually for the better. Examples include:
103	** ''VideoGame/SilentHill3'' confirmed the Good (or Good+) ending of ''VideoGame/SilentHill1'' by showing [[spoiler: Harry and Alessa/Cheryl/Heather had survived]] four years after the original game was released. Similarly, ''VideoGame/SilentHillHomecoming'' confirmed the Normal endings for both ''Silent Hill 3'' ([[spoiler:mentioning Douglas' work had brought The Order's downfall, indicating his -- and therefore Heather's -- survival]]) and ''VideoGame/SilentHillOrigins'' ([[spoiler:protagonist Travis Grady shows up visibly aged, though alive and well, for a cameo]]).
104	** [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] with ''VideoGame/SilentHill4'', though, which further confirms the worst possible ending available for ''VideoGame/SilentHill2'' - that [[spoiler:James is missing, having probably committed suicide]]. ''[[AmbiguousSituation Maybe.]]'' The only thing that ''Silent Hill 4'' makes clear is that James never returned to his old life; [=SH2=]'s creative director has gone on record that there is [[ShrugOfGod no official canon ending to James' story]], and players were meant to choose whichever ending that offers the best closure for themselves, so whether [[spoiler:James drowned himself in Toluca Lake, remained in the town to try and revive Mary, or left with Maria or Laura to start over again]] depends on what one personally feels he ''should'' have done.
105	* ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006'' ends with Sonic erasing the events of the game from history... Except for Silver, who remains living in the CrapSackWorld [[BadFuture of his time]], and with his best friend Blaze now living in another dimension. Come ''VideoGame/SonicGenerations'' in 2011, Silver is reunited with Sonic & Blaze, and instead of returning to his own time at the end of the game, winds up living in the present with the BadFuture he comes from no longer a possibility. And he was also RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap, too.
106	* The remake of ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRPG'' plays with this, due to being a remake instead of a proper sequel. In the original game, Punchinello is a boss that Mario and co. fight in the Moleville mines. Sometime after the fight, you can find his wish on Star Hill, which says that [[GlorySeeker he wanted to be famous]], and it was initially unclear [[UncertainDoom whether or not he survived his own King Bomb falling on top of and exploding on him]]. Fast-forward 27 years, and not only is he alive and kicking in the EndgamePlus, but he has an [[OptionalBoss optional rematch]] which ends with him upgrading Bowser's Chain Chomp into the Wonder Chomp. Upon doing so, Bowser offers him the chance to help rebuild his castle, with Punchinello ecstatic at the thought since it'll boost his popularity. In the alternate ending after all of the optional bosses are defeated, Punchinello is seen helping rebuild as promised, effectively becoming a member of Bowser's army.
107	* Akiha's True Ending in ''VisualNovel/{{Tsukihime}}'' is rather bittersweet at best and very ambiguous on whether or not Shiki is even alive. The sequel/sidestory ''Kagetsu Tohya'' then had the short story "A Story for the Evening" which follows said ending. It reveals that he is alive.
108	* ''VideoGame/TheWitcher3WildHunt'' has potentially this scenario if Geralt romanced Yennefer or Triss, but got the DownerEnding in the base game. Completing the ''Blood and Wine'' DLC expansion has whichever Geralt romanced show up at his vineyard at Corvo Bianco. Yennefer even moves in with him.
109	* ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles3FutureRedeemed'': For ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles3''[='=]s own BittersweetEnding. TheStinger explicitly shows the two worlds merging after Origin was restored, thus confirming that Ouroboros and everyone from the two worlds won't be separated for long and that the people of the City will be reborn on the new world, overriding the in-universe fears of many characters in ''3'' and the ambiguity of the ending.
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113	* ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'': At the end of "Jake the Dog", the ExpendableAlternateUniverse was in dire straits -- Farmworld Finn [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity completely lost it thanks to the influence of the crown]] and the Lich managed to rebirth himself into the world by detonating the nuclear bomb. In "Crossover", Finn and Jake fix the timeline by destroying the Lich and getting rid of the Ice Crown, returning Farmworld Finn to normal and stopping the third ice age.
114	* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'': While TheReveal in [[FullyAbsorbedFinale "Epilogue"]] caused a bit of a BrokenBase, the episode finally gave resolution to [[OfficialCouple Terry and Dana]]'s relationship, which made them and their shippers very happy.
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Context Main / BelatedHappyEnding