Line #37 Main/InUniverseCatharsis


1	->''[[AC:Do you know what? Given the soul-crushing amount of arbitrary deaths decent people die for no reason in this galaxy, it is surprisingly refreshing to see it happen firsthand to someone who absolutely deserves it.]]''
2	-->-- '''The Man-Emperor of Mankind''', ''WebAnimation/IfTheEmperorHadATextToSpeechDevice''
3
4	In RealLife a big part of why we love {{Media}} is that it is [[CatharsisFactor cathartic]]. It is fun to blow off steam shooting up {{Mooks}}, crying over a TearJerker, enjoying a SadistShow, etc.
5
6	There is also a more serious form of catharsis where psychological ills are healed through ceremony or painful experiences. Basically, usually as a major plot point, a character either seeks or inadvertently goes through an experience that normally only a NightmareFetishist might seek, and it helps them deal with a medical, psychological, etc. condition. [[CatharsisFactor When a story does this for a reader in the real world]], it's YMMV. When it occurs InUniverse, it's less subjective. May take the form of PercussiveTherapy, PowerFantasy, an EscapistCharacter, or a CatharticScream.
7
8	Compare with RevengeIsSweet, a likely reason for the catharsis.
9
10	----
11	!!Examples:
12
13	[[foldercontrol]]
14
15	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
16	* In ''Manga/{{Karin}}'', gloomy Fumio becomes an energetic optimist after being bitten by [[EmotionEater Karin]]. Everyone gets a boost from a bite from her or her brother but with Fumio, it's the most noticeable.
17	* In ''Manga/TrashSkillGacha'', Crest Bahurst, the main character has two of these on screen, from what's been translated so far. 1.) He tells his {{Yandere}} ''former'' fiancé to go screw herself, slapping away the very foot she's shoved in his face as he's chained to the floor, and which she told him to lick, as proof he'd become her SexSlave in exchange for his life. Sure, he got sent to the [Lower World] the next day, but it was WorthIt to tell off that bitch who ruined his academic prospects and made his abusive childhood worse in her attempts to claim him for herself. 2.) Albert, the most abusive of his elder brothers. Crest may have been dragged off the guy as he was trying to straight up kill him, but Crest still found it '''very''' gratifying to watch the guy dragged off by goblins to be used as breeding stock against his will, when he foolishly ignored Crest's mercy and attacked from behind with an illegal slave collar.
18	[[/folder]]
19
20	[[folder:Comic Books]]
21	* ''ComicBook/MsMarvel1977:'' At one point Carol punches out her father. It's to stop him charging back to fight a supervillain who had him at gunpoint, and he's refusing to listen to her pointing out this is pure suicide because she's a woman and he hates the idea a woman has saved him, but she also admits that it still feels ''real good''.
22	* In ''ComicBook/TheTaleOfOneBadRat'', quiet, introverted Helen finally breaks down and screams out her pent-up anguish and frustration about her sexually-abusive father and hateful, uncaring mother to the world, literally shattering the panel in the process.
23	* In the ''ComicBook/{{Runaways}}'' arc "Dead End Kids", after spending weeks second-guessing herself in the wake of Gert's death and the loss of the La Brea Hostel, Nico decides that she'd feel better if she were punished, and thus submits herself to TrainingFromHell from a brutal ancestor. When she comes out of it, she's much more confident and has gained a boost in power.
24	[[/folder]]
25
26	[[folder:Fan Works]]
27	* In ''Fanfic/AshesOfThePast'', after watching Ash [[spoiler: beat Tobias and win the Sinnoh League]] Ivysaur admits that even after [[spoiler: all the other Leagues Ash has won up till now and all their world-saving achievements in between]], this one still feels different. [[spoiler: Suicune]] identifies it as settling unfinished business.
28	* In ''Fanfic/CatarinaClaesMustDie'', Henrietta Garland recalls her past life of how she enjoyed the ending of ''[[FictionalVideoGame Fortune Lover]]'', particularly the bad ends when [[AlphaBitch Catarina Claes]] is killed gruesomely by either Keith or Geordo, due to [[BullyMagnet being bullied in school]]. The problem is that, after she [[MediaTransmigration transmigrated]] to the world of ''Fortune Lover'', she wants to see the same thing happen to the present-day Catarina, who has become a kindhearted and cheerful girl after regaining her own PastLifeMemories.
29	* ''WebVideo/DragonBallZAbridged'':
30	** In the Namek saga, Gohan gets the chance to pummel his absent and neglectful father when Captain Ginyu takes over his body.
31	** In the epilogue, Future Android 17 quips that this is bad for one's health while his sister [[DisproportionateRetribution destroys a city block after one of their victims calls her a "hoe-bot"]].
32	* In ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'', both Sirius and Harry identify facing their worst nightmares (Azkaban and Pettigrew, in the main on Sirius' part, and [[spoiler: Yelena Belova]] for Harry) and being able to actually fight back as this.
33	* In ''Fanfic/HeroChat'', Gabriel is Akumatized into the Collector again by Nathalie during the Winter Gala. The moment the rest of Team Miraculous assemble, they all take turns attacking him for being an AbusiveDad and ControlFreak to Adrien. Given that Ladybug's Lucky Charm gave her a hockey stick, it even looks like the Kwami like [[NotSoAboveItAll Tikki]] are in on it.
34	* In ''Fanfic/HopeOnADistantMountain'', Makoto goes back into the Hope's Peak Academy as seen in a sandbox version of the D-7 simulation, a virtual reality program designed to push students past their emotional limits to test their mettle via {{Deadly Game}}s[=.=] He does this in order to better understand the events that happened to him and their effects on his psyche, and fortunately, there are AIs there to explain things to him. [[spoiler: Or unfortunately, given they still want to help Makoto "grow".]]
35	* ''Fanfic/SonOfTheSannin'': During the Fourth Ninja War, [[spoiler:Rin Nohara]] gets the chance to deliver some payback on two of the Iwa ninjas who kidnapped her years ago, as they were brought back via Edo Tensei. She even comments how great it felt to do so.
36	* ''Fanfic/ThisBites'': Chopper lampshades this after he and Usopp shoot down a mutant stag that was about to attack Nami [[spoiler:and Perona]], noting that he felt some enjoyment from it since the stag looked like his birth father, who kicked him out of his herd after eating the Human-Human Fruit.
37	* ''Fanfic/MastermindRiseOfAnarchy'' deconstructs this with Bakugou: [[spoiler:after losing his best friend, Kirishima, and becoming a social pariah, he decides to become a {{vigilante\|man}} as a form of stress relief, beating up random criminals he runs across in increasingly violent ways. This culminates in him attacking a group of robbers stealing from an [=ATM=] and [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome accidentally killing one of them]], partially mistaking him for Kirishima.]]
38	* In the ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsRebels'' story ''Fanfic/ASwordToPass'', given what Vizsla did to [[spoiler:Sabine]], Tristan is rather pissed off at him. When he and his father run into a saboteur who is posing as a member of House Vizsla, Tristan is looking forward to the fight as it will give him something to unleash is anger on.
39	[[/folder]]
40
41	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
42	* ''Film/TheHorseWhisperer'' ends up helping both the horse and its owner this way.
43	* In ''Film/AnalyzeThis'', Robert De Niro shooting the couch probably counts, as it was likely extremely cathartic for his character.
44	* Defied in ''Film/AmericanPsycho''. The film closes with Bateman, in the middle of a MotiveRant to himself, realizing that even admitting he is a CardCarryingVillain to himself does not give him any catharsis.
45	* ''Music/TheWall'': When Pink trashes his hotel room, it's probably the first time he's genuinely expressed or even [[TheStoic felt]] an emotion after years of stuffing it all down.
46	* ''Film/OfficeSpace'' features the three leads ''brutalizing'' a printer that has plagued them with idiotic, Kafkaesque problems and symbolized ''everything wrong with corporate America'' thus far.
47	* ''Film/ThorRagnarok'': Thor and Hulk are fighting in an arena with Loki looking on. During a quiet moment, Thor attempts one of Black Widow's "lullaby"s on Hulk, only to get [[MetronomicManMashing yanked off his feet and smashed into the ground repeatedly]] in the exact same manner Loki was in ''Film/{{The Avengers\|2012}}''. Loki's reaction?
48	-->"YES! THAT'S HOW IT FEELS!"
49	[[/folder]]
50
51	[[folder:Literature]]
52	* Creator/AaronAllston's ''Literature/XWingSeries'' novels are full of this. Most notably, [[TheWoobie Myn Donos']] arc in ''Wraith Squadron'' contains at least two, first when [[spoiler:he kills Admiral Trigit, who ordered the ambush that destroyed his previous squadron]], and later when the good guys [[spoiler:receive undeniable evidence that Lara Notsil, Myn's LoveInterest and formerly TheMole before her cover was blown, has genuinely become TheMole on their side.]]
53	* In ''[[Literature/KushielsLegacy Kushiel's Dart]]'', Phedre goes to the temple of Kushiel to atone for her role in the death of her master and the things she had to do when a captive of the Skaldi. Kushiel himself is said to be the patron of very harsh mercy, attended by masked priests and priestesses who inflict painful rituals on those who come seeking atonement.
54	* In Creator/MichaelFlynn's Literature/SpiralArm novel ''Up Jim River'', Donovan is given a drug that a native culture uses for vision quests. When he recovers, he is not cured of his multiple personalities but is definitely more integrated.
55	* In ''Literature/MirrorDance'', ex-{{Tykebomb}} Mark Vorkosigan starts the story a confused, self-sabotaging mess of a man. After being captured and tortured by [[ArcVillain Baron Ryoval]], his mind shatters -- with the result that his multiple personalities, finally aware of each other, can [[SplitPersonalityTeam start working together]], using PowerBornOfMadness to defeat Ryoval and rebuild his life.
56	* ''[[Literature/TheDresdenFiles Harry Dresden]]'' gets this every so often, but it's ''never'' [[DeconstructedTrope without consequence.]]
57	** In ''Grave Peril'', after being pushed to the breaking point by a sadistic vampire queen that has ''finally'' engineered a situation that Harry can't actually talk or clever his way out of, and after [[spoiler: kidnapping his girlfriend and partially turning her into a vampire]], Harry decides that enough is enough.
58	--->'''Harry''': ''Fuego''! '''Pyrofuego!''' Burn, you bat-faced greasy ''fucks'', '''''BURN!'''''
59	*** Which then ignites a war between the wizards and the vampires that lasts for ''nine books''.
60	** In ''Death Masks'', after an enemy surrenders and then gloats about the fact that the Knights of the Cross can't touch him anymore, even though they know the enemy is surrendering falsely and intends to continue doing evil, Harry turns a baseball bat on him.
61	*** Which comes back to bite him in ''Dead Beat'', when said enemy [[spoiler: captures and tortures Harry for the beating (among other reasons)]].
62	** In ''White Night'', Harry flashes back to a training camp he was running for new Wardens. When two of the kid-Wardens end up kidnapped, tortured, and ''eaten'' by ghouls, Harry is not satisfied with killing the ghouls, and instead makes them ''suffer'', for a ''long time'', to the point ghouls encountered later in the series are ''terrified'' of Harry's mere presence.
63	*** But the problem is that a) Harry doesn't feel any better about it after the fact, and b) ''everyone else'' is also terrified of Harry, worrying that he's just a single bad day away from becoming a monster. ''Including Harry''.
64	* One that can count as genuine CatharsisFactor in ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheHalfBloodPrince'', when Dumbledore explains the situation about the Defense Against the Dark Arts position being vacant to Horace Slughorn, namely about [[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix what happened last year]], Slughorn isn't the least surprised, having no sympathy to what happened to [[TyrantTakesTheHelm Umbridge]]. Harry (and the audience) can't help but agree wholeheartedly.
65	[[/folder]]
66
67	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
68	* Veronica once shot a pillow in her office (using a silenced gun) on ''Series/BetterOffTed''.
69	* The ''Franchise/StarTrek'' franchise has touched on overcoming psychological issues through cathartic experiences on multiple occasions.
70	** ''Film/StarTrekVTheFinalFrontier'': Sybok uses his unique ability to share with and help conquer a person's greatest emotional trauma to gain the trust of most of the crew.
71	* ''Series/BabylonFive'':
72	** In one episode, a mentally disturbed Earth - Minbari war veteran reenacts Arthurian legend with Delenn as a means of finding peace. Earlier in the same episode, the same veteran gets in a fight with some Downbelow thugs, and gets helped out by G'Kar, who recounts how it felt shortly afterwards:
73	---> "By G'Quan, I can't recall the last time I was in a fight like that! No [[GreyAndGrayMorality moral ambiguity]], no [[EldritchAbomination hopeless battle against ancient and overwhelming forces]]! [[BlackAndWhiteMorality They were the bad guys, as you say, and we were the good guys.]] And they made a very satisfying thump when they hit the floor."'
74	*** [[RewatchBonus The same scene takes on new significance for Delenn as well]], once we find out about her part in the war. [[spoiler: Namely, that she cast the deciding vote in favor of going to war against humanity [[ATragedyOfImpulsiveness in her moment of grief]], and has tried to make up for it ever since.]]
75	** In another episode, Marcus Cole has just finished [[OneManArmy beating a room full of thugs senseless]] in a brawl.
76	---> '''Marcus Cole:''' Well, they said I was carrying around a lot of repressed anger.\
77	'''Lennier:''' And?\
78	'''Marcus Cole:''' I'm not repressed anymore!
79	* ''Series/TheBoys2019'': After titular the boys' mission to Russia, Mother's Milk watches the recordings of Russian scientists experimenting on the supe Soldier Boy. Given that Soldier Boy murdered M.M.'s grandfather, he doesn't even blink watching the horrific pain Soldier Boy is put through.
80	* The Dark Truth on ''Series/EliStone'' can be used for this. However, it's usually used for other things.
81	* The Ninth Doctor's regeneration in ''Series/DoctorWho'' is the first truly ''happy'' regeneration of the entire series.
82	* In ''Series/TheFlash2014'', after Barry defeats Tony Woodward/Girder, [[SchoolyardBullyAllGrownUp his old tormentor back in school]], he locks him up in the particle accelerator and gives him a good TheReasonYouSuckSpeech. Once he's out of sight, Barry pumps his fists in triumph.
83	-->'''Cisco''': Duuuude, that had to feel great!
84	-->'''Barry''': You have ''no'' idea.
85	* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' episode "The Ensigns of Command". Thanks to a treaty with the Federation, an alien race called the Sheliak has the legal right to wipe a human colony off of one of their planets. Picard spends a lot of time and effort trying to get the Sheliak to give them three weeks to evacuate the colony, but the aliens won't budge. Finally, Picard finds a loophole in the treaty and invokes his right to a six-month delay. As the Sheliak start to agree to the three weeks instead, Picard cuts the transmission. The Sheliak immediately call back, but Picard calmly "lets the phone ring" for a while before answering.
86	-->'''Riker''': You enjoyed that.
87	-->'''Picard''': You're damned right.
88	* Played with on ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' with a FantasticRacist Vulcan who had tormented Sisko with his self-proclaimed superiority since their academy days. The crew was determined to put him in his place once and for all by beating him at a baseball game, which is Sisko's favourite pastime. [[CurbstompBattle It didn't work because Vulcans are three times as strong as humans on average]], but after managing to score a single run, they started celebrating as if they had won the entire game. It turns out, the best way to get under a petty Vulcan's skin is to be happy for no logical reason.
89	* ''Series/BattlestarGalactica2003'': In "Flight of the Phoenix", [[FaceHeelTurn Sharon Valerii]] turns a virus back on the Cylons that leaves a squadron [[SittingDuck floating helplessly in space]]. The Colonial ''Viper'' pilots seize on the opportunity to get some revenge after months of being pursued by the Cylons by opening fire on the disabled ships.
90	-->'''Apollo:''' This is payback!
91	* ''Series/CobraKai'': In the Season 5 finale, when Demetri gets to kick Kyler's ass (thus becoming the latest of his bullying victims to do so), he can't help but revel in how good it feels:
92	-->'''Demetri:''' Man, that felt ''good''! ''(to Kyler on the ground)'' [[ThisIsForEmphasisBitch Bitch]]!
93	[[/folder]]
94
95	[[folder:Music]]
96	* A frequent lyrical trope for Music/{{Eminem}} is to point out how writing and performing songs about horrible, disgusting shit is therapeutic for him -- and for the audience. He also frequently references how listening to hip-hop let him escape his miserable, abusive childhood and develop confidence.
97	** In "Kill You", a song about killing and raping his mother (PlayedForLaughs), he briefly steps out of character to point out that writing songs like this is cheaper than getting the therapy he needs.
98	** "Sing For The Moment" imagines a young man living in a broken home who escapes by listening to Eminem's music, and telling his critics that [[TakeThatCritics his child fans look up to him as a hero]].
99	** In "Believe", Eminem tries to assure the audience (and himself) of who he is:
100	--->I was there consolin' you when no one knew it\
101	When your situation showed no improvement\
102	I was that door, you walked over to it\
103	I'm the light at the end of the tunnel\
104	So people are always lookin' to me as they're goin' through it
105	[[/folder]]
106
107	[[folder:Theatre]]
108	* Discussed in ''Theatre/BeMoreChill'', in the classical sense of an audience getting catharsis via empathizing with and identifying fictional characters, using the character's feelings as a means to explore their own. Jake, not one for art, tells Christine he loved her performance as [[Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet Juliet Capulet]] and felt genuine distress and sadness when Juliet died at the end, but in a way that was weirdly good. Christine herself feels more connected to her emotions when she's performing a character than when she's simply being herself. Both are teens with messy internal lives and secret insecurities, and Jake in particular is implied to have a pretty dismal home life, so theatre provided them both with a safe place to deal with that at a distance.
109	[[/folder]]
110
111	[[folder:Video Games]]
112	* ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'':
113	** [[BreakTheCutie Jack]] is '''not''' what you would call a well-adjusted individual, owing in no small part to the [[PlayingWithSyringes horrific experiments]] performed on her. Her LoyaltyMission has you guiding her through the abandoned facility where these experiments were performed and dealing with some of the remnants of her past, before setting a BigBulkyBomb in her old cell and [[DestroyTheAbusiveHome blowing the lab to smithereens]]. Afterwards, she becomes... well, slightly less AxCrazy. The achievement you get for completing the mission is even called "Catharsis."
114	** After taking down the Shadow Broker and saving Feron, Liara is much more like the person she was in the first game.
115	** The majority of the loyalty missions in the game revolve around this (depending on player choices): Kasumi finally deals with the loss of her former partner and lover and can move on. Garrus finds some peace after the betrayal and death of his team. Grunt finally finds a place to belong after questioning his existence. Samara ends the centuries-long hunt for Morinth. Zaeed gets revenge on the man who stole everything from him. Tali moves past the loss of her father (and/or possible exile) knowing that Shepard will be there for her.
116	*** [[VideoGame/MassEffect2 The third game]] adds some more (again, depending on player choices). The quarians and the geth can finally end their war. Mordin has the opportunity to deal with the guilt he's felt due to his involvement with the krogan genophage. Miranda finally confronts her father and ensures he won't get his hands on her sister. Shepard gets satisfying vengeance on Kai Lang, and at the end [[spoiler: willingly sacrifices his/her life knowing that doing so will end the war that's left them psychologically broken]].
117	* Shaundi's LoyaltyMission in ''VideoGame/SaintsRowIV'' culminates in this: after taking up the suggestion to [[EverybodyMustGetStoned get stoned]] from [[spoiler:her LiteralSplitPersonality, the "Classic" Shaundi]], the two of them discover that the drug gave them superpowers. [[spoiler:The "New"]] Shaundi also discovers that [[spoiler:her old self]] ''can'' have great ideas, while the latter acknowledges that the former is not as stuck-up as she thought, and the two of them finally reconcile. Cue a cathartic superpowered race between the two (and the Boss) and a playful rooftop duel. And ''then'', after the battle against Veteran Child, she defuses a SadisticChoice situation where [[spoiler:VC takes both of her selves hostage and forces the Boss to choose between them--by each of her selves killing his copy holding the ''other'' Shaundi: not only does this show their acceptance of each other, but also finally breaks Shaundi's fears of being a permanent DamselInDistress for life]]. Really, the whole mission is just one long catharsis for her.
118	* Max's monologue in the normal ending of ''VideoGame/MaxPayne 2'' (concluding with "I had a dream of my wife. She was dead. But it was all right.") suggested that Max underwent a catharsis after [[spoiler:the death of pretty much anyone he ever cared about, including Vlad and Mona]], finally breaking away from the self-destructive path that Michelle and Alex's deaths put him onto. [[SequelReset Part three makes it clear that while he's forgiven himself for their deaths, he still can't actually live with it.]]
119	* At the beginning of ''VideoGame/AceCombat5TheUnsungWar'', Nagase is saved from a very embarrassing defeat by [[VeteranInstructor Captain Bartlett]] TakingTheBullet for her. The guilt over this accident follows her throughout the game until the mission "Ice Cage" when she finally completes her almost two months-long crash (while looking for POW Bartlett, no less). She is significantly less troubled after she is rescued, even though Bartlett isn't found [[spoiler:until ten missions later]].
120	* At the beginning of ''VideoGame/GearsOfWar'', the COG is desperate for qualified soldiers, and so pardons everyone at soon to be abandoned penal facility, including [[PlayerCharacter Marcus Fenix]] on the condition that he return to active duty. Fenix is not happy to find himself shanghaied back into the military and under the command of Colonel Hoffman. However, when his squad comes under fire during a field briefing, he expresses after the ensuing firefight that he found the visceral experience of it to be very satisfying after being cooped up so long.
121	* In ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'', [[CompleteImmortality immortal]] [[WhoWantsToLiveForever Fujiwara no Mokou]] constantly kills and is killed by her also immortal [[TheRival rival]]; [[LivingForeverIsAwesome Princess]] [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tale_of_the_Bamboo_Cutter Kaguya]]. She appreciates the brutal and endless stalemate.
122	* In ''VideoGame/DivinityOriginalSinII'', Lohse the SpoonyBard will sing for the second time in the entire game when you defeat the demon possessing her (but only if she is a NonPlayerCompanion, not the main PlayerCharacter). The first time she tries to in Act I, said demon cuts it short by making her break her lute. She never so much as tries to sing again for the rest of the game until the demon is dead, because she is so traumatized by the event, so being able to finally sing the song to completion is incredibly cathartic for her.
123	* In ''VideoGame/CrusaderKings III'', characters suffer stress and may develop coping mechanisms to deal with it, ideally before they hit a mental breaking point. These coping mechanisms, aside from passively making stress easier to manage, may also be actively indulged from time to time, such as a particularly vigorous self-flagellation session or a particularly large shopping spree to burn off a lump sum of stress.
124	* In ''VisualNovel/TheGreatAceAttorney'', the first times Gina Lestrade is testifying in court are when [[spoiler:she's committing perjury under the threat of Magnus [=McGilded=] and as the defendant for a murder]]. When she's vindicated of all charges and made as an inspector under Tobias Gregson, the next time she's testifying in court is as a mere witness for a different case. She comments on how much of a relief it is for her to take the stand with low stakes for once. [[spoiler:Unfortunately, the next case has Tobias Gregson as the victim, and under suspicion of being part of the Reaper conspiracy (he is), making Gina's testimony in this case personal for her again]].
125	* In ''VideoGame/TheExcavationOfHobsBarrow'', Thomasina, the PlayerCharacter, encounters the long suffering servant, Ms. Thompkins, who has worked at the local Lord's manor under the cruel housekeeper, Ms. Fenwyck, for years. Poor Ms. Thompkins is clearly a NervousWreck, and when Thomasina interrogates her a bit, she openly admits that Ms. Fenwyck is so extremely difficult to even remotely please that sometimes, her only options is picking the one that will make her slightly less cross. When, thanks to some help from Thomasina, Ms. Thompkins is reunited with her boyfriend, Eddie, and the couple can put their plans to run away together into action, Ms. Thompkins immediately takes revenge by casually picking Ms. Fenwyck's beloved Hippeastrum flowers right in front of her face. When Ms. Fenwyck protests, Ms. Thompkins proceeds to gleefully call her an "old sow" as she tells her to stick her complaints up where the sun don't shine, before she and Eddie happily walk away together.
126	[[/folder]]
127
128	[[folder:Web Animation]]
129	* ''WebAnimation/RedVsBlue'': When the Reds and Blues finally get to beat the tar out of [[spoiler:ManipulativeBastard Felix]], it is ridiculously satisfying, for them and the audience.
130	* ''WebAnimation/IfTheEmperorHadATextToSpeechDevice'': The Emperor's comment on a Drukhari/Dark Eldar being utterly curbstomped by one of the Primarchs:
131	-->''[[AC:Do you know what? Given the soul-crushing amount of arbitrary deaths decent people die for no reason [[TabletopGame/Warhammer40000 in this galaxy]], it is surprisingly refreshing to see it happen firsthand to someone who absolutely deserves it.]]''
132	[[/folder]]
133
134	[[folder:Web Comics]]
135	* ''Webcomic/GrrlPower'': Sydney makes a [[LamePunReaction lame pun]] and Seneca [[https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/comic/grrl-power-952-puns-are-the-dangerest-form-of-humor/ chucks her off a building.]] No one is injured and everyone feels better for it.
136	* It's something of a running gag in ''Webcomic/LsEmpire'' that characters find inflicting pain on Geminiman to be cathartic. The AltText suggests that it might be the paint that he uses on his armor.
137	* In ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' Roy finds teammate Elan a real pain in the ass sometimes, so when he finds himself at odds with Elan's [[EvilTwin evil identical twin]] (yes), he relishes the chance to beat the tar out of someone who looks like Elan.
138	[[/folder]]
139
140	[[folder:Western Animation]]
141	* The main conflict of the ''WesternAnimation/DinosaurTrain'' episode "Great Big Stomping Dinosaur Feet!" is that Tiny lost Shiny's favourite shell, and stomps in frustration on the beach. Daphne hears this and teaches her that she can turn her stomping into dancing to relieve stress.
142	* ''WesternAnimation/InfinityTrain'': [[spoiler:This is the intended purpose of the train. It appears to isolated individuals who are at the height of their emotional trauma and spirits them away to an alternate dimension where they must travel through various different worlds until they realize they have said emotional issues and work to resolve or come to terms with them. A number counts down to how close they are to having that one, final cathartic epiphany about their trauma, at which point a portal opens that returns them to Earth. Well, [[DeathWorld assuming they last that long]].]]
143	* ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'':
144	** [[spoiler:"For the Future" sees [[Characters/TheOwlHouseLuzNoceda Luz]] undergo a '''massive''' case of this with Camila telling her how much she loves, appreciates and understands her, while also affirming to Luz that it's okay to stumble and fail citing how she thought that moving to Gravesfield would increase Luz's father Manny's chances of survival, but especially how she failed Luz by encouraging her not to be true to herself out of fear that Luz would have to endure all of the same hardships that Camila did. Camila reaffirming to her daughter that it's okay to be weird and nerdy and not to fear failure prompts TearsOfJoy from her just before she finally realizes what she always wanted. To be understood by the mother she loves so very much. This then causes a second example of this with Luz's Palisman awakening to her clear joy and delight]].
145	** [[spoiler: The GrandFinale, 'Watching and Dreaming', sees [[BigBad Belos]] reduced to a puddle of sludge and stomped to death by Eda, King and Raine. Given that he was a genocidal FalseProphet tyrant and these three characters were ''deeply'' affected by his actions, Raine (who Belos had possessed for a good portion of this episode and the last, leaving them with [[PossessionBurnout permanent scars]]) lampshades it.]]
146	---> '''[[spoiler: Raine:]]''' That was...''extremely'' satisfying.
147	[[/folder]]
148
149	[[folder:Real Life]]
150	* The dictionary definition is [[http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=catharsis here]] and [[http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/catharsis here]].
151	* Website/TheOtherWiki defines it [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catharsis here]], mentioning that some modern psychiatrists call this ''closure''.
152	* A number of ancient societies had some form of ceremony that was intended for this purpose. In UsefulNotes/AncientGreece, there were rituals to propitiate the gods and discharge the ritual pollution that had led to your problems -- such as insanity. If it failed, you needed to try another god; this was not the offended one. If it succeeded, you had achieved ''catharsis'' or cleansing.
153	[[/folder]]

Context Main / InUniverseCatharsis