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1->''"So the main plot is that there's this evil cult that's kidnapping everybody on the island, including the king's daughter. Just another day in Fantasy Land. So since you're a historical badass, they've resurrected you to go and get her back, and to lay the hurt down on anyone that gets in your way."''
2-->-- ''WebVideo/RosssGameDungeon'' on ''VideoGame/{{Revenant}}''
3
4[[DeadToBeginWith A dead person]] who is brought BackFromTheDead because their skills are needed to accomplish some grand mission (perhaps because it's too difficult for any living hero, or because someone officially dead is required for it, etc.).
5
6May involve a trip to the afterlife, in which case this can overlap with DevilsJobOffer.
7
8This trope is '''not''' about heroes being resurrected after getting killed mid-series. See DisneyDeath for that. This trope is for when [[FirstEpisodeResurrection resurrection is used]] [[BeginningTropes in a premise of the story]].
9
10See also ComicBookDeath and WeCanRebuildHim.
11
12This is a '''{{Death Trope|s}}''', at least in the case of sequels. Spoilers ahoy!
13----
14!!Examples:
15
16[[foldercontrol]]
17
18[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
19* The Impure World Resurrection from ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' is a jutsu used to bring back dead ninja who were especially skilled or powerful.
20* ''Manga/InuYasha'':
21** Urasue tries to resurrect Kikyo and command her. It doesn't work out so well.
22** Naraku later resurrects the Band of Seven and Saint Hakushin to keep Inuyasha's crew distracted while he upgrades himself in Mount Hakurei.
23* ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' features a lot of {{Disney Death}}s, but the straightest example of this trope is probably the second time Goku is revived. They tried to revive him after he was killed by Cell, but since [[DoomMagnet he realized he -- and by extension, his friends and the world -- would eventually be targeted by new threats]] he refused to be resurrected. Seven years later, Gohan is the only warrior who hasn't been killed or [[YouWillBeAssimilated absorbed]] by Majin Buu, and he can't beat him, so Goku has to be revived to help him.
24** Then it gets played with a bit: the powers that be in the afterlife get desperate and decide to offer Vegeta, who previously [[SenselessSacrifice sacrificed himself in a vain attempt to destroy Buu]], another chance to take on the demon. He accepts, and they send him back to the world of the living... but they don't actually ''resurrect'' him. He's still dead, he just has a physical body so he can fight again. And if he dies while already dead, he'll be rendered DeaderThanDead...
25** ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'': The ability to bring a dead person back to the physical world for a single day was used again for the Tournament of Power, when the heroes were in desperate need of a strong fighter for their team, they choose [[spoiler:Frieza]], who is in Earth's hell after his death on the planet.
26** This comes into play twofold for the Namek saga. Piccolo's death in the Saiyan saga meant the Earth Dragonballs died with him and they needed the Namekian set instead. Once they manage to get the balls together to make wishes, Piccolo insists he come back first in order to restore the Earth Dragonballs. This ends up being a crucial decision as the Grand Elder of Namek passes away from stress, [[CriticalExistenceFailure which immediately dissolves the immortal dragon Porunga before he's granted all his wishes.]] With Piccolo alive again, King Kai is able to [[BatmanGambit pull together a plan]] to revive the Namekians including the Grand Elder using Earth's immortal dragon Shenron, thus reviving Porunga exactly as he was and then use his final wish to evacuate everyone off of the dying planet.
27* {{Downplayed}} in case of Motoko Kusanagi from ''Anime/GhostInTheShellStandAloneComplex''. She was resurrected as a cyborg after a plane crash that nearly claimed her life and is now working as a law enforcer/cyber commando, but that accident happened when she was 10-years old or so. Having to live in a cyborg body (only her brain is organic) led her to mastering it, and thus her current job.
28* This is the premise of ''Literature/HighSchoolDxD'' in which Issei is murdered, but resurrected by the high-class devil Rias to be her servant. She also resurrects Asia to serve as the team's healer after she's killed, and seems to have employed this method to recruit the rest of her team as well, seeking out those who are on the verge of death but could be put to good use.
29[[/folder]]
30
31[[folder:Comic Books]]
32* ComicBook/BlackestNight's Black Hand and his lanterns.
33* ''Comicbook/TheCrow'' resurrects those who have been murdered along with those they loved in order to "set the wrong things right" by taking down their murderers.
34* At the beginning of their original series, Dr. Magnus would rebuild the ComicBook/MetalMen anytime a monster of the week would show up.
35* ''ComicBook/DeadXMen:'' The titular team are all X-Men killed in the previous year's Hellfire Gala, revived to try and SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong.
36* ''Comicbook/DoomPatrol'''s Robotman is a borderline case, being resuscitated as a robot after a crash, in order to join the Doom Patrol.
37* Franchise/MarvelUniverse's original Deathlok arguably qualifies.
38* Featured in the backstory of Comicbook/{{Spawn}}: he is resurrected to increase the armies of Hell.
39* ComicBook/{{Darkseid}} has the ability to resurrect his lieutenants for a job, usually after he's killed them.
40* ComicBook/NormanOsborn brings back ComicBook/{{Hawkeye}}'s brother [[CainAndAbel Barney Barton]], also known as [[EvilCounterpart Trickshot]], from a morgue, [[FridgeLogic despite being dead for several years]] both in RealLife and ComicBookTime, [[DeathIsCheap just to show how Comic Book Death works]], in order to join up with a new team of ComicBook/DarkAvengers.
41* Every member of the ''ComicBook/DeathVigil'' gets this treatment, as Death needs people to fight things that should not be.
42* Downplayed in Dynamite's ''ComicBook/TheShadow''. The Shadow can't bring people fully back to life, but he can keep them from crossing over for a short while, usually long enough to get information or, in one case, land a plane.
43* ComicBook/DraxTheDestroyer's origin is that he was resurrected after he and his family were murdered by {{ComicBook/Thanos}} and tasked with killing the Mad Titan back. (Of course, Thanos oscillates between 5 and 7 on the JustForFun/SuperWeight scale regularly and is frequently [[CompleteImmortality completely immortal]]. Drax's main power is that he's a StoneWall who refuses to stop ''trying'' to kill Thanos. The idea was that he'd have to succeed eventually. Even InUniverse, this logic has been called into question.)
44* ComicBook/MoonKnight actually has this as his only consistent super–power. [[MindScrew Maybe.]] Because he knows his god will pull him back as often as is necessary, his fighting style can only be described as "suicidal" - Taskmaster, who can mimic other's abilities just by watching them, won't even ''look'' at Moon Knight for fear of having a fighting style he's described as "painful to look at" imprinted on his mind.
45* ''ComicBook/TheWarlordDC'': Chakal was resurrected by the sorcerer Deimos for his hatred of Morgan, and became one of Deimos' servants.
46* ''ComicBook/XMen2019'': [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity Vulcan]] inexplicably returns from [[EldritchLocation the Fault]] he was trapped in back in ''ComicBook/WarOfKings'', seemingly alive, unharmed, and with his sanity restored. [[spoiler:Then the truth starts to be revealed; Vulcan really ''did'' die back in his final duel with Black Bolt, but his soul was grabbed by a group of inter-dimensional alien invaders who repaired his body and mind before dumping him back into reality so he can serve as their ManchurianAgent.]]
47[[/folder]]
48
49[[folder:Fan Works]]
50* The plot of ''Fanfic/HopeForTheHeartless'' is set after ''WesternAnimation/TheBlackCauldron'', and it begins with [[VillainProtagonist the Horned King]] being resurrected for a period of 18 months by [[CosmicEntities the Fates]] and half-forced on a seemingly [[ImpossibleTask impossible]] {{redemption quest}}: earning a human's love. Nothing else is revealed about the reasons for this other than the Fates are [[GodsHandsAreTied obliged to it]] for unclear reasons. The Horned King is promised a full freedom from [[SoulJar the Black Cauldron]] for successful completion of the quest and [[AndIMustScream permanent imprisonment]] into it for failure.
51* More or less the whole plot of 'Fanfic/AHollowInEquestria''. Discord has brought Ulquiorra Cifer back to life in Equestria, because he needs him to deal with whatever threats due to a CosmicFlaw throwing Equestria's reality right off its axis.
52* Rainbow Dash dies saving Luna at the start of ''Fanfic/WhereLoyaltiesLie: Honor Guard'', but Celestia brings her back as an Honor Guard to find the assassin and the antidote to the poison that's now slowly killing Luna. While Celestia had intended to return Rainbow's soul to the afterlife afterwards, this being Rainbow, she vehemently refuses.
53
54[[/folder]]
55
56[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
57* ''Film/UniversalSoldier'': After being killed, soldiers are brought back to life via cyborgization and used on missions too dangerous for regular soldiers.
58* Similarly, Franchise/{{Robocop}} has a murdered cop [[WeCanRebuildHim rebuilt]] as a cyborg by OCP.
59%%* Billy Butcherson from ''Film/HocusPocus''.
60* ''Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean''
61** Captain Barbossa, who died in ''[[Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanTheCurseOfTheBlackPearl The Curse of the Black Pearl]]'', was revealed to be brought back to life by Tia Dalma in ''[[Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanDeadMansChest Dead Man's Chest]]'', so that he can sail to Davy Jones Locker and get Jack out.
62** This also goes for Jack himself in ''[[Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanAtWorldsEnd At World's End]]''. He even pokes fun at this trope:
63--> '''Jack:''' Did anybody want me back ''just'' because they missed me?
64--> *two or three of the crew raise their hands*
65--> '''Jack:''' Ah, I think I'll stand over there with them.
66* Brittany Murphy's character in ''Film/TheProphecyII'' is resurrected because [[ArchangelGabriel Gabriel]] needs a human familiar with modern technology to help him search for the mother of a [[HalfHumanHybrid Nephilim]] and prevent its birth.
67* Freddy Krueger brings Jason Voorhees back to life in ''Film/FreddyVsJason'', as a part of his plan to renew his reign of night terror.
68* Occurs several times in the ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}'' films.
69** ''Film/GodzillaVsKingGhidorah'' has the Japanese attempt to nuke a Godzillasaurus in order to mutate it into Godzilla and stop King Ghidorah. The problem is that [[spoiler:Godzilla was already mutated by the nuclear subs at the bottom of the Bering Sea (where he was transported pre-mutation) so nuking him again only made him bigger and more powerful.]]
70*** Later, King Ghidorah is resurrected as Mecha-King Ghidorah to stop Godzilla from destroying Tokyo.
71** ''Film/GodzillaMothraKingGhidorahGiantMonstersAllOutAttack'' features three gods (Baragon, Mothra, and Ghidorah) being resurrected/awakened from their eternal slumber in order to save Japan from Godzilla.
72*** Likewise, Godzilla himself is resurrected by the vengeful souls of the forgotten soldiers who died in WWII to punish the Japanese for forgetting them.
73* In ''Film/{{Justice|League 2017}} [[Film/ZackSnydersJusticeLeague League]]'', the eponymous nascent League (Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Flash and Cyborg) resurrects Franchise/{{Superman}} using the Mother Box in order to ensure the chances of defeating Steppenwolf.
74[[/folder]]
75
76[[folder:Literature]]
77* 'Pham Nguyen' is brought back from some 'deaders' in ''A Fire Upon the Deep'' and becomes a true hero.
78* Happens to [[http://magiccards.info/rav/en/190.html Agrus Kos]] in the ''Literature/MagicTheGathering'' novel ''Dissension'' after his death in ''Guildpact''.
79* In Michael Moorcock's ''Eternal Champion'' series, the protagonist is a hero who is magically resurrected, as different people, on different worlds to wage war. He is VERY good at it.
80* In ''Literature/TheHeroesOfOlympus'', the Doors Of Death have opened, meaning that no one stays dead for long. While this can be good (as when Gwen gets speared during a combat exercise) it also means that Gaea can resurrect deadly monsters and giants to help her defeat the Olympians.
81** Hazel was apparently brought back to help in the fight against the giants.
82* Kevin Landwaster is brought back in ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfThomasCovenant'' to fight Lord Foul. It turns out to be a really, really bad idea.
83* ''Literature/TheSagaOfDarrenShan'' has the Little People, all of whom were resurrected for a purpose by Mr. Des Tiny, with no memories of who they'd been when they were alive. Harkat Mulds is the only one who can talk, and he becomes Darren's close friend. It turns out he was [[spoiler: Darren's one-time friend Kurda Smahlt, who was executed for betraying the vampires, and his appearance as Harkat before his death was due to time travel;]] and his mission was [[spoiler: to protect Darren, Mr. Tiny's secret son, who is destined to [[ApocalypseMaiden take over the world and destroy humanity]]. Harkat did indeed save Darren's life many times.]]
84* Not precisely "resurrected" (since he exists only as a computer personality construct), but the first phase of the plot in ''Literature/{{Neuromancer}}'' is bringing back the Dixie Flatline for OneLastJob.
85* The Zin-carla spell from Literature/TheDarkElfTrilogy. Used to bring back a person with their full skills and abilities, but under the control of the caster. Only used every few centuries, and requiring hundreds of people praying every day for months, but usually worth it. Assuming the caster manages to maintain control, of course...
86* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'' novel ''Literature/GhostStory'' plays with this trope. The person in question would have died (having been shot through the heart). However, the person is kept from death due to a DealWithTheDevil made in an earlier novel, solely to perform the job agreed to in the deal. Also, the other party knew the person would try to back out of the deal.
87* In Creator/RobertReed's short story, ''The Hoplite'', the characters were all long-dead, but their bones were dug up, used to clone a new body, and their memories retrieved using a device called the quantum-dilutor. All of the characters come from empires known for either their brutality or their cunning - Nazi Germany, Mongol Empire, Aztec Empire, Roman Empire, etc. The characters are then given a suit of PoweredArmor and are used to subjugate rebellious regions.
88* It is mentioned in the Literature/{{Earthsea}} series that one wizard used to summon souls of ancient kings and wizards for royal council. It ended up with him being exiled, since, apparently, the advices of the dead are of little use to the living.
89* In the Polish novel ''Siewca Wiatru'' (''Wind Sower'', from "who sows the wind, will reap the whirlwind"), a part of the Literature/ZastepyAnielskie series by Maja Lidia Kossakowska, the angel Abaddon is resurrected by God immediately after being executed at the beginning of the story. It leaves him sort of dead, a perfect vessel for the destructive forces he needs to channel as part of his job.
90* Przemko Łabędź is killed with a thunder and immediately resurrected by god Swarożyc to kill king Mieszko II at the beginning of Polish novel ''Kiedy Bog Zasypia'' (''When the God Falls Asleep'') by Rafal Debski.
91* A related concept appears in Creator/CharlesSheffield's short story "Out of Copyright" -- past geniuses are cloned and recruited as research scientists. Under the "copyright" rules referenced in the title, only people dead for seventy-five years may be cloned and only one clone per person may be created, leading to a corporation competing for their services in a manner resembling a sports draft.
92* Kay Dutch in Creator/SergeyLukyanenko's ''Literature/LineOfDelirium'' is killed at the beginning of the novel by a teenager as revenge for accidentally killing the boy's sister. While DeathIsCheap (as long as you can afford the price) in this 'verse, Kay has not yet paid for his resurrection (must always be done up-front). He is amazed to find himself alive and finds out that it's because of this trope. The owner of the [=aTan=] Corporation (who has the monopoly on resurrection) brings Kay back to life in order to escort his son and heir to a remote planet on a secret assignment. The guy was specifically looking for a professional bodyguard who dies without paying for a resurrection. Kay later finds out that he's far from the first person hired for the job, likely in a similar manner.
93* Gandalf dies in the first book of ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' when he defeats the Balrog. Both he and it are corporeally bound Maiar, who are equivalent of lesser angels, so he's not exactly ''mortal'', but his body is killed in the process. The beings above him toss him back onto Middle-earth in a slightly upgraded form to finish the task of defeating Sauron.
94* Literature/TakeshiKovacs is pulled out of dead storage eighty years after getting killed in a police raid that left his [[HeartDrive cortical stack]] intact and resleeved to solve a gerontocrat's murder in ''Altered Carbon''. In ''Broken Angels'' his team recruits some new members by buying a bunch of stacks on the black market and loading them into a virtual reality for interviews.
95[[/folder]]
96
97[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
98* ''Series/DoctorWho'':
99** When TheMaster first shows up in the revived series, he explains that the Time Lords tried this with him, thinking his underhanded deviousness would make him a great soldier for fighting the Time War. However, they forgot his [[DirtyCoward natural tendency towards self-preservation]] and when he was confronted with the horror of the Time War, he immediately decided to [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere leg it]].
100** Also WordOfGod for why the Lord President in "The End of Time" is called 'Rassilon' -- the same thing was done with him, and that didn't work out any better.
101** And the same thing happened with the dying Eighth Doctor, who was given a potion by the Sisterhood of Karn to regenerate into The War Doctor to fight the Time War. They did give him a choice, though, and he chose the Warrior potion.
102* Dean is brought back to life so that he can help avert the apocalypse in ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' after he was sent to Hell. [[spoiler:Which turns out to be a lie on the part of the angels who saved him. They want to ''start'' the apocalypse and use Dean as the earthly vessel for the ArchangelMichael in his battle against Lucifer.]]
103* Rimmer in ''Series/{{Red Dwarf}}'' was woken up to keep Lister sane. He was deemed fitter for this one purpose than anyone else -- even the captain -- because Lister got such a kick out of winding him up. He succeeds in this mission spectacularly.
104* The lawyers of Wolfram & Hart in ''Series/{{Angel}}'' are often still seen working in some capacity for the firm after their deaths, although this is less being resurrected for the job and more death never stopping the job to begin with. In a more straightforward example, Wolfram & Hart resurrected Darla for the purpose of screwing with and/or controlling Angel.
105* Takeshi Kovacs of ''Series/AlteredCarbon'' is killed during arrest but his [[BodyBackupDrive cortical stack]] with his memories is recovered and stored for 250 years, then is re-sleeved in a new body by one of Earth's near-immortal oligarchs to solve a murder.
106* ''Series/EarthFinalConflict'': In Season 5, two supposedly dead characters are brought back to life by [[TheDragon Sandoval]] in order to destroy LaResistance. First, he brings back William Boone, the protagonist of Season 1, who was thought to have been vaporized by Zo'or (as it turns out, he was merely kept in the buffer). Then Sandoval brings back Zo'or himself, before turning ''her'' into an Atavus (unlike their Taelon descendants, the Atavus have two sexes). In the GrandFinale, it's the good guys who do this, with Ra'jel bringing back Liam Kincaid, the protagonist of seasons 2-4, whose [[NeverFoundTheBody body was never found]] after the end of Season 4.
107* Melisandre believes that Jon Snow is "the prince that was promised" in ''Series/GameOfThrones'', so she is able to resurrect him after his assassination.
108* Bizarrely implied for a throwaway gag in ''Series/ThirtyRock''. When Jack is angry at Tracey for naming a movie villain after him, this is his response.
109-->'''Jack:''' After all I've done for you, I brought you back from the dead. *{{beat}}* [[BaitAndSwitch And revived your career!]]
110* ''Series/KaizokuSentaiGokaiger'': [[AllThereInTheManual According to supplementary material]], ThePowersThatBe resurrected previously fallen Rangers [[note]][[Series/ChoujinSentaiJetman Black Condor]], [[Series/KyoryuSentaiZyuranger [=DragonRanger=]]], [[Series/MiraiSentaiTimeranger Time Fire]], [[Series/NinpuuSentaiHurricaneger Shurikenger]][[/note]], even those that were previously already temporarily resurrected and normally could not be brought back again[[note]][[Series/BakuryuuSentaiAbaranger [=AbareKiller=]]], [[Series/JukenSentaiGekiranger Rio and Mele]] [[/note]]. This doesn't count for fallen Rangers whose powers were passed on.[[note]]Though it doesn't count for the many Extra Heroes that died in battle, as well as the one-off [[Series/TensouSentaiGoseiger Gosei Green]], who somehow wasn't resurrected despite never passing on his powers[[/note]] Strangely, unlike their living comrades, their deceased status allows them to retain their otherwise-sacrificed powers, meaning, should they be allowed to venture into the world of the living, as is the case for Black Condor during Jetman's tribute episode, they can use their powers even though the Gokaigers may have their Ranger Key, the crystalization of each Ranger's power.
111* ''Series/TheGreatestAmericanHero:'' The supersuit-bestowing aliens revive a murdered soldier as a white-faced zombie/ghost to pass a warning along to Ralph and Bill concerning a rogue general's plot to start World War III.
112[[/folder]]
113
114[[folder:TabletopGames]]
115* ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'':
116** In the ''Literature/RavnicaCycle'', Agrus Kos's partner is murdered, then brought back from the dead [[WhodunnitToMe to help solve his own homicide]].
117** In the sequel, ''Dissension'', Kos himself is resurrected by an Azorius contract, much to his chagrin--the job he's been brought back for is incredibly dull and consists mainly of standing around on guard duty.
118** In ''Literature/{{Scourge}}'', Kamahl recruits Ixidor from the dead to help defeat Karona.
119* This is often the case for the Arisen in ''TabletopGame/MummyTheCurse''. If they haven't woken because some asshole has plundered their tomb or because [[WhenThePlanetsAlign the world has entered a Sothic Turn]], then either their cult or their Judge (the divine authority they pledged their soul to) has need of them.
120[[/folder]]
121
122[[folder:Video Games]]
123* At the very start of ''Videogame/MassEffect2'', [[PlayerCharacter Commander Shepard]] is killed but brought back to life by [[NGOSuperpower Cerberus]] to continue the fight against [[EldritchAbomination the Reapers]]. In the process, they spent ''billions'' of credits and invented several technologies unknown to man until then.
124** To drive the point home, the [[http://static.giantbomb.com/uploads/original/0/3661/1674878-normandy2.jpg Normandy SR-2, the successor frigate]] that Cerberus built just for you, with all the experimental tech included? ''You were more expensive to revive''. The intro mission in [=ME2=] is essentially trying to deal with someone who is pissed that you're getting all that money dumped on you.
125* Locke D'Averam from ''VideoGame/{{Revenant}}'' is a general from the ancient times who has been resurrected by the kingdom to wage war on the Children of Change and rescue the king's missing daughter from them.
126* ''Videogame/AgeOfWonders: The Wizards Throne'' does this later in the story. [[spoiler: It turns out that Merlin had been killed, and resurrected by Gabriel, to combat the rebellious wizards.]]
127* In ''VideoGame/AlteredBeast1988'', you play as a human warrior who was resurrected (and given superpowers) by Zeus in order to rescue his daughter.
128--> '''[[Myth/ClassicalMythology Zeus]]:''' ''"[[ElmuhFuddSyndwome Wise fwom youw gwave!]]"''
129* Caleb from ''VideoGame/{{Blood}}''. Opening line? ''"I live... again!"'' The first game is him out to find and avenge his wife and best friend after their god has forsaken them.
130* All of the player characters (called "Guardians") in ''VideoGame/{{Destiny}}''
131* The protagonist Adam Jensen from ''VideoGame/DeusExHumanRevolution'' was brought back from near-death and [[HollywoodCyborg augmented with all kind of cool gadgets]] to continue working in Sarif Industries. [[RageAgainstTheReflection He's not entirely glad about it]].
132* In ''VideoGame/{{Rift}}'', this is [[PlayerCharacter your]] situation.
133* In ''VideoGame/EldenRing'' your player character is a Tarnished, a member of a group of people who were once rejected by the [[WorldTree Erdtree's]] grace and driven away from The Lands Between. Later the apocalyptic event known as the Shattering would take place, where the destruction of the CosmicKeystone known as the Elden Ring, caused The Lands Between to be engulfed in an eternal war between the demigods. After the Shattering, the Tarnished were resurrected by the same grace that had once spurned them, and told these words: "Stand before the Elden Ring, and become the Elden Lord".
134* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'':
135** In the backstory, the legendary Nordic hero/king Wulfharth was brought BackFromTheDead several times. First, he was resurrected by [[TopGod Shor]] to serve as the general of the Nordic forces during their 1st Era invasion of Morrowind. He was again brought back in the 2nd Era by Jorunn Skald-King, who summoned him from [[WarriorHeaven Sovngarde]] with a [[RealityWarper shout]] that [[OldMaster Greybeards]] taught him to aid in the fight against the Kamal invaders from [[{{Wutai}} Akavir]]. (Others say it was [[PhysicalGod Almalexia]] [[EnemyMine of all]] [[{{Archenemy}} people]] who summoned him back for this reason.) This time, [[MultipleChoicePast according to tales considered heresy by the Empire]], he stuck around in his "Underking" guise long enough to aid [[TheConqueror Tiber Septim]] in his late 2nd Era conquests to establish the Third Tamriellic Empire. He would continue to aid Septim in his conquests, until Septim agreed to the [[VoluntaryVassal peaceful vassalization]] of Morrowind. The Underking considered this a betrayal that legitimized the [[DeityOfHumanOrigin Dunmeri Tribunal]], so he left Septim. As part of the Armistice with Morrowind, Septim acquired the [[OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame Dwemer]]-constructed [[HumongousMecha Numidium]]. Requiring an immensely powerful power source, Septim's [[CourtMage Imperial Battlemage]], Zurin Arctus, lured the Underking into a trap. Arctus was able to [[YourSoulIsMine soul-trap]] the Underking, but not before the Underking killed him and all of his men. Septim used the immensely powerful filled soul gem, known as the [[SoulJar Mantella]], to power the Numidium and complete his conquest of Tamriel. According to these same "apocryphal" tales, following the "[[TimeCrash Warp in the West]]" after the events of ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIDaggerfall Daggerfall]]'' which saw the Mantella returned to the Underking, Septim [[MergerOfSouls fused]] with Wulfharth/the Underking to [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence ascend]] as the Ninth Divine, Talos.
136** [[BeastOfTheApocalypse Alduin]] in ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'' spends much of the game flying around resurrecting [[OurDragonsAreDifferent dragons]] to help him bring about TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt.
137* ''Videogame/MaximoGhostsToGlory'' begins with the titular character being killed by the EvilSorceror Achille, but is allowed back into the land of the living when the GrimReaper offers him an EnemyMine agreement; Grim doesn't like Achille's experiments interfering with the souls of the dead, and Maximo wants revenge.
138* When Anastasya in ''[[Videogame/HeroesOfMightAndMagic Might & Magic: Heroes VI]]'' is killed after being blamed for the assassination of her father, her necromancer aunt Sveltana resurrects her as an undead being so she can assist with the investigation of the ''real'' culprit.
139* In ''Videogame/StarCraft'', after being betrayed and killed, the body of Alexei Stukov is given a "burial at space" by jettisoning his casket from aboard a battlecruiser. During the secret campaigns of ''[=StarCraft=] 64'', however, it is revealed that his body was recovered by the Zerg and [[CameBackStrong he was resurrected as a powerful infested Terran]] by the cerebrate Kaloth for the express purpose of seeing whether he would prove to be an effective leader of the swarm.
140* Played with in the case of ''VideoGame/FatalFrameMaskOfTheLunarEclipse''. [[spoiler:Choushiro Kirishima is DeadAllAlong, but the spirit of Sayaka contacts him to aid Ruka when she returns to the island. He's still dead, but it breaks the loop his spirit was trapped in, and later he can join the others in heading to the afterlife.]]
141* [[HeroicMime Nanashi]] is killed by demons ten minutes into ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIVApocalypse'', and the god Dagda offers to resurrect him in exchange for his servitude. Dagda is generally hands-off except at a few critical points, so his goal of [[spoiler:recreating the universe and killing everyone in it in the process]] remains a secret.
142* Done twice over in ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsIII''. The First Flame is fading ([[ViciousCycle again]]), and there are no new Lords of Cinder left to Link it. So, they resurrected five previous Lords of Cinder to Link it a second time. However, all but one of them pretty much said "Screw you, we're not going through ''that'' again." and abandoned their duty. Therefore, they proceeded to resurrect the Unkindled -- worthless Undead who once ''tried'' to Link the First Flame but were unworthy fuel for it and were immediately consumed and turned to ash -- whose job is to ''force'' the Lords of Cinder to do what they were brought back to do. [[LoserProtagonist That's what you are]]. Each of the other Unkindled you meet in-game have some connection to one of the four missing Lords of Cinder: Hawkwood was a deserter from the Abyss Watchers, Siegward was a good friend of Yhorm, and Anri of Astora was one of only two children who escaped the clutches of Saint Aldrich. What connection, if any, the PlayerCharacter has to Prince Lothric is unclear.
143* In ''VideoGame/MegaManX3'', Dr. Doppler resurrects Vile to bring X to him, alive if possible. Vile makes a point of [[ResurrectionRevenge bringing him back dead no matter what]].
144* ''VideoGame/MegaManX6'':
145** Though it's somewhat hard to decipher from the game's [[{{Macekre}} hack-job translation]], all of the eight Nightmare Investigators were "[[NeverSayDie retired]]" for various reasons and resurrected by their creator [[BigBad Gate]] as part of his scheme to trick reploids into following said investigators into Nightmare Virus hot zones to be infected and become his slaves.
146** Metal Shark Player's had this as his special ability, being able to resurrect dead reploids under his control to perform jobs or fight battles for him. Since this is illegal, he was "retired" as punishment for doing it. During the battle he's able to temporarily resurrect [[VideoGame/MegaManX Sting Chameleon]], [[VideoGame/MegaManX2 Magna Centipede]], and [[VideoGame/MegaManX3 Blast Hornet]] from the trash in the room to assist him in the battle.
147* ''VideoGame/ClockTower3'' has the Subordinates, the spirits of people who were executed and resurrected to hunt and kill Rooders. The more notorious of killers they were in life determines their strength as a Subordinate, measured by how many years they would have been sentenced to prison had they not simply been put to death.
148* ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles3'': The ''Future Redeemed'' DLC reveals that this was the true purpose for [[spoiler:Consul N]]'s recruitment by Moebius. The leader of Moebius, Z, needed someone able to fight [[PhysicalGod Alpha]] on his behalf and [[spoiler:the deceased Noah with his Sword of the End]] made for the perfect candidate, so Z offered to resurrect [[spoiler:Noah (and [[TheLostLenore his wife Mio]])]] as Moebius in return.
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152* ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'': This is basically what the Kernelsprites are for. Kernelsprites, when properly prototyped, will be capable of functioning as guides to the player, as well as a CrutchCharacter. Prototyping is done by chucking objects into the Kernel, and by an unspoken rule at least one of these items ''should'' be the remains of a dearly departed. The resulting Sprite takes on characteristics of everything that was thrown in, but failing to include something capable of speech, or at least something sentient, will result in a largely ineffectual guide, as well as a missed opportunity to reunite with a loved one.
153* ''Webcomic/CaseyAndAndy'': Happens to Casey's fantasy world counterpart, the court wizard, who was killed while trying to take over the world. The queen decided he was a shoo-in for the job as Evil Vizier (which mandates scheming, backstabbing and attempts at usurpation).
154* ''Webcomic/{{Darken}}'' begins with Gort defeating his ArchEnemy with help from a {{Deal|WithTheDevil}} with the [[DemonLordsAndArchdevils Archdevil]] Mephistopheles, then promptly getting killed by a devil to call in his debt. Once he's in {{Hell}}, Mephistopheles appoints him his champion and resurrects him to collect a trio of [[ArtifactOfDoom Artifacts of Doom]] on his behalf.
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157[[folder:Web Original]]
158* ''Roleplay/RollToDodgePrincessCelestia'' has Teddy Roosevelt do this.
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162* ''WebVideo/CriticalRoleCampaignOne'': When Vax is rendered DeaderThanDead, he makes a [[BargainWithHeaven deal]] with [[GodOfTheDead the Raven Queen]] to resurrect him with PurposeDrivenImmortality to defeat the BigBad. Once that happens, he has just one day to spend with his friends before he is taken into the Queen's realm.
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166* Optimus Prime at the end of the [[Franchise/TransformersGeneration1 original series]] of ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}''. This was not the first time he'd been brought back to life either, nor would it be the last.
167-->[[BadassBoast "And this time, no force in the Universe can STOP ME!"]]
168* ''WesternAnimation/MortalKombatDefendersOfTheRealm'' has Shao Kahn resurrect Shang Tsung because of a magical orb that increases in power depending on how evil the user is.
169-->Shao Kahn: "Few have ever existed more malevolent than you, Shang Tsung"
170** He also gave Shang Tsung a good punch in the face for losing Earthrealm in the first place. Actually, it was the very first thing he did.
171* In ''WesternAnimation/DarkwingDuck'', F.O.W.L. resurrects Taurus Bulba as a cyborg so he can work for them. Taurus doesn't actually appreciate being brought back as a cyborg forced to live off of motor oil for the rest of his "life" and refuses to work for them.
172* ''WesternAnimation/{{Ninjago}}:'' Kabuki Mask, the mystery villain of season 15, turns out to be [[spoiler:Harumi, having been revived shortly after her death by the Overlord to build him an army to conquer Ninjago.]]
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