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3%% This page has been alphabetized. Please add new examples in the correct order. Thank you!
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6[[quoteright:349:[[Manga/DragonBall https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/969be44f5185ebbdcd25825e18af3e45.PNG]]]]
7[[caption-width-right:349:He's just become the [[ToBeAMaster strongest man on Earth]], defeated the [[SatanicArchetype King of Demons]] (twice), turned down a GodJob and [[HappilyEverAfter gotten married]]. And it's got [[Anime/DragonBallZ two]] [[Anime/DragonBallSuper more]] acts to follow!]]
8
9->''The final spacecraft developed in this project, signifying its end. No new R-Fighters will be created henceforth. The developers, Team R-Type, disbanded after its development.''
10
11->''At least, that was supposed to have been the case...''
12-->-- Description for R-101 Grand Finale, from ''[[VideoGame/RType R-Type Final 2]]''
13
14A Series Fauxnale is an installment of a work that was originally planned to serve as its conclusion, but ultimately becomes known as just another (if particularly impressive) episode.
15
16Perhaps the creators were uncertain of the future, so they produce something that can [[WrapItUp quickly tie up the big loose ends]] in the event they aren't able to continue, but then they were told they could. Perhaps they actually did complete the MythArc and this was the GrandFinale they always planned, but the work's immense popularity has [[ExecutiveMeddling the powers that be]] demand for them [[UnCanceled to continue onward]]. Whatever the reason, a series finale of some kind was created, but the series went on after that, making that previous series finale a "fake" one.
17
18It is likely to have all the attributes of StockSeriesFinales. The natural result of a PostScriptSeason, though some shows last for many, many years thereafter. If the following years of the work are considered lackluster, there'll be more than a couple of fans that claim FanonDiscontinuity on it, and say that this was when it ''really'' ended.
19
20Can overlap with StatusQuoIsGod, HappyEndingOverride, or (if done repeatedly) YoYoPlotPoint if the new season, book, or film downplays, reverses, or just plain attempts to ignore anything done in the Series Fauxnale that would prevent the characters from engaging in their usual hijinxs.
21
22It's a highlight of the LayoutOfASeason, the kinda StrictlyFormula structuring of a show's seasons.
23
24!!As this is an {{Ending Trope|s}}, [[Administrivia/SpoilersOff unmarked spoilers abound]]. [[Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned Beware]].
25----
26!Examples:
27[[index]]
28* SeriesFauxnale/AnimeAndManga
29* SeriesFauxnale/LiveActionFilms
30* SeriesFauxnale/LiveActionTV
31* SeriesFauxnale/VideoGames
32* SeriesFauxnale/WesternAnimation
33[[/index]]
34----
35[[foldercontrol]]
36
37[[folder:Comic Books]]
38* ''ComicBook/AstroCity'': "The Voice of the Turtle" ends with Steeljack believing that he's stopped the Kiefer Square murders by [[MistakenIdentity driving off the Chessmen and saving the Mock Turtle.]] The issue even closes with the [[OncePerEpisode "You Are Now Leaving Astro City" street sign,]] signaling the end of the "Tarnished Angel" story arc. The next issue opens with [[spoiler:the death of the Mock Turtle]], indicating the case is far from over.
39* ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'':
40** Deliberately invoked during ''ComicBook/TheDeathOfSuperman'' storyline. The last issue of the second arc, "Funeral for a Friend," ends with Superman's body being returned to its final resting place, [[Characters/SupermanLoisLane Lois]] accepting that her fiancee is gone now, [[Characters/SupermanLexLuthor Luthor]] getting past being unable to be the one to kill Superman himself, and Jonathan Kent apparently succumbing to a grief-induced heart attack as the last page shows him flatlining. The title of the story was even called "The End," and both the title and issue credits came at the end of the comic, and the issue was filled with tons of ContinuityPorn flashing back to key events from Superman comics since the Post-Crisis reboot began. After that all the main Superman books went on hiatus for a couple months, with only a few specials and one-shots getting published during that period, before the books finally came back and began the "Reign of the Supermen" arc. In reality, DC was never intending to end Superman for good, and only put the books on hold to help build up the hype for Superman's eventual return.
41** Also invoked years earlier with ''ComicBook/WhateverHappenedToTheManOfTomorrow'', a story intended as a finale for the character of Superman before he was to be [[ContinuityReboot rebooted]] in the miniseries ''ComicBook/TheManOfSteel''.
42** ''ComicBook/Supergirl2005'' has two false conclusions. Knowing he was being kicked out of the book, Sterling Gates used his final story arc ''ComicBook/DayOfTheDollmaker'' to tie up most of his run's last ongoing subplots. By the end, Characters/{{Supergirl|TheCharacter}} is an experienced super-hero who has greatly matured since her career's beginnings, has defeated most of her enemies and is presently happy with her life. You would be forgiven to think it was Post-Crisis Supergirl's final story, but her book went on for eight issues more. ''This is not my Life'', the book's final arc, ends with Kara making several life-changing choices, and subtly asking the readers to not forget about her before the ''ComicBook/Supergirl2011'' reboot.
43** ''ComicBook/ReignOfDoomsday'' worked as a grand finale by the Post-Crisis Superman before the 2011 reboot. By the end of the story, the Superman family is alive and well, Earth has been saved, and most of Superman's enemies are dead, banished to the Phantom Zone or similarly disabled.
44* ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}'': After Bruce Wayne's apparent death in 2009, the character of Batman received his own finale with ''ComicBook/WhateverHappenedToTheCapedCrusader'' – once again it was a two-part out-of-continuity story, with one part in the ''Batman'' comic and the other in ''ComicBook/DetectiveComics''. Both series then went on hiatus, replaced by the three-part miniseries ''Battle For the Cowl''. Afterwards, both series then picked up right they'd left off, with [[Characters/NightwingDickGrayson Dick Grayson]] as the new Batman.
45** Despite the BrokenBase his run on ''Batman'' has attracted, some believe Tom King's stories have come the closest to chronicling the end of the Batman saga. In King's run, Bruce and Selina Kyle's relationship is well and truly solidified as a lifelong commitment despite several ups and downs, Alfred Pennyworth is brutishly murdered by Bane, who takes over Gotham City, leading to a final confrontation between his forces and the Bat/Cat pairing that also sees Bruce overcome the Flashpoint Batman variation of his own father. It all culminates in King's ''Batman/Catwoman'' series where Bruce and Selina finally tie the knot. Glimpses of their future throughout the run show [[spoiler: Bruce ultimately dies peacefully in bed surrounded by his extended family, his wife, and his daughter, while a grieving Selina goes on to murder the Joker before ultimately being shot and killed in crime alley years later]]
46* ''ComicBook/MisterMiracle2017'' is an interesting case in that while it [[BroadStrokes ostensibly fits in with canon]] of the DCU and especially the ''ComicBook/NewGods'' mythos, it is a very self-contained story designed with finality in mind, [[NothingIsTheSameAnymore shattering the status quo entirely by the end]] -- [[TheHero Orion]], [[BigGood Highfather]], and [[BigBad Darkseid]] are all dead, the war on New Genesis and Apokolips begins to wane, Scott Free and Barda stay HappilyMarried and with children, etc.. However, the narrative itself makes it clear that whatever reality Scott and the series takes place in isn't real, implicitly because of some kind of LotusEaterMachine, [[RiddleForTheAges but leaving specifcs up in the air]], allowing the possibility for future writers of the character to pull him out and return him to the "real" DCU. The book itself is also seemingly aware of this, as evinced by Scott's final conversation with Oberon:
47-->'''Oberon''': Scott, listen, that world, that ''other'' world Metron showed you. All those crises and continuities that never really make sense. That world full of superheroes who always end up hunky-dory? You think that's more "real" than that wife of yours? [...] Kid, all this, [[BittersweetEnding it'll break your heart. Can't escape that.]] But if you're good, if you stay good, you'll know... [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall there's someone out there who'll help you put it back together.]]
48* A ''company-wide'' version of this happened just before the ''ComicBook/New52'', with all the characters with running series "signing off" InUniverse at the end.
49* The intended finale of Milligan's ''ComicBook/ShadeTheChangingMan'' was supposed to be a DownerEnding, at the end of the "A Season In Hell" arc. ExecutiveMeddling forced the creator's hand, and what followed may have made a better story under a different title (as Milligan probably intended.)
50* ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics'' Issue 50, aptly titled "Endgame", certainly has that final issue feel to it -- Dr. Robotnik was dead, Sally (who was thought to be dead) was alive, Sonic and Sally had the BigDamnKiss and RelationshipUpgrade, everyone was safe from Robotnik's tyranny and, if the series stopped there, things wouldn't have felt off. Of course, from the writers' perspective it likely ''was'' going to be the final issue since the [[WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehog two]] [[WesternAnimation/SonicTheHedgehogSatAM cartoon series]] the comic was based on were recently canceled and the general feeling was the comic was sure to follow, so why not end things with a bang? Of course, the sky-high sales of the last several issues thanks to said cancellations by fans wanting more ''Sonic'' meant Creator/ArchieComics wasn't going to put the golden goose on the chopping block just yet. In fact, it's the only reason Sally actually survived rather than being KilledOffForReal.
51* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'': On one hand, it could be argued that the controversial ''ComicBook/OneMoreDay'' served as the 'finale' to the original uninterrupted 1962-2007 continuity for the 616 variation of the wall-crawler, but many other fans argue the conclusion of Nick Spencer's run on the ''Amazing Spider-Man'' title is more fitting, as it addresses and resolves an entire AudienceAlienatingEra of stories from the last decade, including the equally divisive ''Sins Past'', Peter not only reconciles with the love of his life Mary Jane, but he also lets the Black Cat back into his confidence, his arch rival Norman Osborn is also cured of his sins and his true origins are revealed. The run ends with the tease that Peter and MJ's daughter will be the one to defeat the demon Mephisto, who had been responsible for the events of the last decade of (mis)adventures.
52** Several of the popular alternative universe Spider-Man titles, such as [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/ComicBook/SpiderGirl ''Spider-Girl'']], [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/ComicBook/TheAmazingSpiderManRenewYourVows ''Renew Your Vows'']] and the [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/ComicStrip/SpiderMan ''Amazing Spider-Man Newspaper Strip'']] can be considered final endings for the character as he is able to live a content life with his wife Mary Jane Watson, while dealing with the pressures of more adult responsibilities such as raising children. The 2009 remake of the nefarious [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/ComicBook/TheCloneSaga Clone Saga]], ''The Real Clone Saga'' also works as an open-ended finale with almost everyone that was killed in the original saga surviving and Peter becoming a father.
53** The mini-series ''The Lost Hunt'', by J.M Dematteis, set in the time of the Clone Saga, where Peter is powerless following the events of ''The Final Adventure'' and Mary Jane is pregnant, is considered a potential candidate for a finale as Dematties admitted to a fan comment on his personal blog that he was treating the story like it were separate from the events that follow in 616 continuity, and that as far as he was concerned, Peter and MJ (and presumably Ben Reilly also) all get their happy endings
54** ''Sinister 60th'', by Dan Slott, appears to be this for his own take on the wall-crawler, set in a distant future where Peter is still web swinging well into his golden years and appears to have grown old with Mary Jane, who he's once again married to.
55** ''End of the Spider-Verse'', also by Slott, is one for the Spider-Verse saga. Here every single Spider in the multiverse find themselves under threat from the insect totem queen Shathra, forcing them to ally with their greatest nemesis Morlun, they all succeed in overcoming her in a gargantuan battle across New York City. The [=MC2=] version of Spider-Girl is finally reunited with her father. Peter, cut off from the web of life and destiny, finds himself in a world where he may be crippled, but Uncle Ben is alive, he works for a sane Norman Osborn, he dates Liz Allan, and is Cindy Moon's tech-savy sidekick. Despite possessing no powers, plain ordinary Peter is ultimately the one to vanquish Shathra (with the aid of his equipment). Once the StatusQuoIsGod ending kicks in, Peter finds he is no longer the chosen one of the Spider-Verse, Cindy is. He decides to accept only the responsibility of protecting his own world.
56* ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'':
57** ''ComicBook/TheTransformersMarvel'' may have ended with Issue 75, which functioned as a GrandFinale: The Autobots and Decepticons unite to save Cybertron from Unicron, resulting in a large battle in which several people are killed (including commanders Optimus Prime and Scorponok) but the Transformers emerge triumphant. The title ran for another five issues, during which Optimus Prime was resurrected.
58** The title was originally planned as a four-part miniseries, with Issue 4 (actually entitled "The Last Stand") ending with all the Decepticons collapsing after their fuel is poisoned. Two endings were prepared: One had Optimus Prime making a speech declaring the end of the war but the one used had new BigBad Shockwave suddenly appearing and gunning down the remaining Autobots.
59* ''ComicBook/TheTransformersIDW'' had a deliberate example. Issue 31 of the ongoing series is purposely written so that it can be used as the final issue for the entire IDW continuity. As such, exactly what's happened between the previous issues and Issue 31 is unclear. It takes place hundreds of years in the future, Ironhide and Alpha Trion are some of the few remaining members of the original Autobots, the Transformers live on Gorlam Prime instead of Cybertron, and Megatron and Optimus Prime have disappeared. This has since been Jossed; ''ComicBook/TheTransformersDarkCybertron'' saw Gorlam Prime destroyed and left Ironhide concerned and suffered with depression that the happy ending he saw will not come to pass.
60** ''ComicBook/TheTransformersMoreThanMeetsTheEye'': Just in case editorial had the series cut short, the author James Roberts scripted a finale to conclude the series, but since he was given the go ahead for Season 2, this all got released during the season's second arc. It has all the signs of "finality" in it, as the mysteries set up in the very first issue of Season 1 (Brainstorm's briefcase, how the Sparkeater got into the ship, who sent the foreboding message from the future) are answered in a time travel plot that also details the start of the war (notably Megatron's birth), and we even learn how the ship the series takes place on, the Lost Light, was created. It also closes out the trilogy of Flashback arcs that were sporadically told throughout Roberts's and Costa's runs.
61[[/folder]]
62
63[[folder:Fan Works]]
64* The ''Fanfic/HalloweenUnspectacular'' series was supposed to end with the conclusion of its MythArc in its fifth volume in 2014, due to the author getting tired of coming up with new entries each year. This seemed to hold up as 2015 came and went with no sixth volume, only for said sixth volume to come out in 2016, kickstarting a new MythArc and effectively serving as a ContinuityReboot, all thanks to the author getting back into the swing of things.
65* WebVideo/ImAMarvelAndImADC: After ten years of Marvel and DC butting heads and comparing their movies, the failure of ''Film/JusticeLeague2017'' and the hype behind ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'' has pretty much made the DC heroes disillusioned as hell about their franchise and the vitriol their arguments set off. Fed up with how [[Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse their cinematic universe]] has been mocked to hell and back, the DC heroes concede that Marvel has won the debate. Both sides shake hands and head out to see ''Infinity War'' as friends, with Spider-Man telling a customer [[Series/{{Cheers}} that Stan's Bar is closed]]... Then Deadpool appears and reveals he's hatching a plan with Rorschach to get the heroes to complain about each other again.
66* ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'' fanfiction ''Fanfic/LincolnsMemories'': Someone in the comments of "[[https://theloudhouse.fandom.com/wiki/User_blog:Discofurby/Lincoln%27s_Memories,_Part_22-_Nothing_But_the_Tooth Nothing But the Tooth]]" thought it was going to be the last chapter, when really the last one was the next in line.
67* Notably {{averted|Trope}} by ''Fanfic/ThePokemonSquad''. The series was originally meant to end with Season 7 due to a lack of new episode ideas, so three episodes were written to send it off: "Sailor Pikachu Gets Put on a Bus", "The Exiting", and "The End". The series managed to survive, so the three episodes were scrapped (two other episodes, "We Lied!" and "Sailor 'Chu R" were written after the series was UnCanceled, but since the endings were scrapped, so were these).
68* ''WebVideo/UltraFastPony'''s Season 1 finale, "The Longest Episode", plays out like an ending for the entire series. It ends with an oddly sincere FriendshipMoment between the main cast, and is followed by a text WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue. Then the end credits are extended, with the series creator Wacarb thanking everyone who's helped or inspired him. However, in his notes on the video, Wacarb states that he fully intends to continue with a season two. Sure enough, the second season followed, a few months later.
69[[/folder]]
70
71[[folder:Films — Animation]]
72* Although ''WesternAnimation/HildaAndTheMountainKing'' adapts the GrandFinale of [[ComicBook/{{Hilda}} the graphic novel series]] and features an appropriate sense of conclusiveness for ''WesternAnimation/{{Hilda}}'' by [[spoiler:ending with humans and trolls finally reconciling with one another]], author and showrunner Luke Pearson stated a year before its release that he was interested in continuing the animated series past it. Sure enough, just a month before the film premiered, Silvergate Media confirmed that a third and final season was in production.
73* ''WesternAnimation/PoohsGrandAdventure'' could have served as the finale to not only ''WesternAnimation/TheNewAdventuresOfWinnieThePooh'' but all Winnie the Pooh media altogether as it deals with Christopher Robin leaving the Hundred Acre Wood. However, since its release there have been numerous sequels and additional TV shows.
74* ''WesternAnimation/ShrekForeverAfter'' was supposed to be the final ''Franchise/{{Shrek}}'' film, but then it was followed by the SpinOff movie ''WesternAnimation/PussInBoots''. There's since been talk of a ContinuityReboot for the franchise and ''WesternAnimation/PussInBootsTheLastWish'' [[spoiler:ends on a SequelHook that heavily teases a return to Far Far Away]], though as of 2024 it appears to be stuck in DevelopmentHell.
75* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'': The first film, ''WesternAnimation/TheSpongeBobSquarePantsMovie'', was indeed supposed to be the finale due to the creator's uncertainty concerning the continued popularity of the show. Nickelodeon insisted on producing more episodes as soon as production wrapped on the movie however, and the series has continued to run ever since, even spawning additional movies and spin-offs.
76* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'':
77** ''WesternAnimation/SouthParkBiggerLongerAndUncut'' was originally produced as the last hurrah, since [[Creator/TreyParkerAndMattStone Trey Parker]] doubted the franchise had much steam left in it and didn't think the movie would do well. This is why the ending plays out very much like a ''series'' finale, with nearly ''every single character'' who'd appeared in the series up to that point making a cameo in the crowd scene (and being featured on the poster).
78** ''WesternAnimation/SouthParkPostCovidTheReturnOfCovid'' could be interpreted as a GrandFinale for ''South Park'' given that the kids are all grown up in the end with Stan, Kyle, Kenny, and even Butters getting a happy ending, while Cartman finally gets karma for all the bad stuff he's done. Except that ''South Park'' was renewed to 2027, with 12 more movies expected to come out on Paramount Plus and Season 25 premiering in February 2022.
79* ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory3'' was clearly meant to be the series finale. It takes place a full ten years after the first two films, is full of [[CallBack Call-Backs]] to the first two, ends with the grown-up Andy [[AndTheAdventureContinues passing his toys on to another child]], and [[BookEnds has a shot of a cloud-filled sky as its final image, recreating the shot of Andy's sky-and-cloud wallpaper that opened the first film]]. But then came the announcement that ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory4'' was in the works. Lampshaded by Ducky and Bunny in the teaser reaction video. Then, after it seemed like ''4'' would be the final film, ''Toy Story 5'' was announced in early 2023.
80[[/folder]]
81
82[[folder:Literature]]
83* The ''Literature/AlexRider'' series ended pretty conclusively in ''Scorpia Rising'', with Alex [[spoiler:losing Jack, the closest thing he had to a living parental figure]] and moving to America, seemingly done with adventuring for good. To drive the point home, the next book was a prequel. Then Horowitz decided to continue the series anyway. By the end of ''Never Say Die'', [[spoiler:Jack has turned out to be alive after all]] and Alex is back in England, [[ResetButton the status quo restored]].
84* ''Literature/ChroniclesOfAncientDarkness'' was a six-book series with the last one published in 2009, ending with the main characters heading [[OffIntoTheDistanceEnding into the unknown]]. Ten years later, Creator/MichellePaver decided to write three more sequels, with the first, ''Viper's Daughter'', released in 2020.
85* The third book in the ''Literature/DiaryOfAWimpyKid'' series finished off all the content from the web comics, with a big "THE END" at the end of the book, but because the series became more popular in book form, the books continued for more installments.
86* The ''Literature/HarryPotter'' series was supposed to end definitively with ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows Deathly Hallows]]''. Then came a sequel, not in book form, but in theater: ''Theatre/HarryPotterAndTheCursedChild'', a SpinOffspring that deals with the aftermath of the "happy ending" of the last book, which turns out to be [[HappyEndingOverride not that happy]]. And of course, there is no shortage of post-series supplementary materials churned out regularly by [[Creator/JKRowling the author]], many of which were released before ''Cursed Child'' was even a thing.
87* After five books, Creator/LFrankBaum grew tired of writing ''Literature/LandOfOz'' novels despite their popularity. He issued ''Literature/TheEmeraldCityOfOz'' in 1910 as a finale to the series, going so far as to state in the final chapter that with Oz now magically cut off from the rest of the world, there would be no further installments, as Dorothy could no longer communicate with him. Three years later, the financially struggling Baum found that his non-Oz books weren't selling and resumed the series with ''Literature/ThePatchworkGirlOfOz'', offering the in-universe explanation that the "wireless telegraph" enabled further communication between him and Dorothy. Thereafter Baum published seven more Oz volumes before his death, and the official series, under various writers, continued until 1963.
88* An in-universe example in ''Literature/{{Misery}}'', where Annie forces Paul to write a sequel to ''Misery's Child'', even though he had intended it to be the last of the series, and had gleefully killed off the main character.
89* ''Literature/{{Mog}}'': "Goodbye, Mog" was initially meant to be the last book in the series and Mog appeared to be dead, but then "Mog's Christmas Calamity" got written and she was alive and well again. When asked about this, Judith Kerr simply said she never thought of the books as being written in chronological order.
90* ''Literature/TheMortalInstruments'' was supposed to end with the third book, ''City of Glass''. Compared to later series finales, it doesn't have as many hanging plot threads, and could have served as a satisfiable finale. The second half of the series was originally conceived as a standalone spin-off centered on Simon Lewis. This is why the fourth book, ''City of Fallen Angels'', puts so much focus on him, but the following two books don't.
91* Sara Shepard's ''Literature/PrettyLittleLiars'' series was originally intended to end after the eighth book, "Wanted", and the earliest editions advertise it as the final installment. It fully repairs the girls' friendship and wraps up their character arcs, albeit with a TheEndOrIsIt ending. Then the series continues, and "Wanted" ends up only being the halfway point; we also get a prequel, an interquel, and eight more books, wherein there's some HappyEndingOverride and AesopAmnesia for the series to continue. "Vicious", the 16th main-line book, is the true finale, and likewise ends on a TheEndOrIsIt note.
92%%* Many ''Literature/RainbowMagic'' books were written this way. It's still ongoing.
93* ''Literature/RamonaQuimby'': ''Ramona Forever'' definitely reads as if it were meant to be the last book of the series, ending with [[NothingIsTheSameAnymore the birth of a new Quimby sister]] and with Ramona reflecting on all the past misadventures of her young life, with subtle [[ShoutOut Shout-Outs]] to events from the previous books. But fifteen years later, Creator/BeverlyCleary followed it up with the true series finale, ''Ramona's World.''
94* Most famously, "The Final Problem" for ''Literature/SherlockHolmes'', in which Creator/ArthurConanDoyle killed Holmes off in a struggle with Professor Moriarty. Because of public outcry, he eventually retconned the death and resumed the series.
95* ''Literature/WarriorCats'': ''The Last Hope'' was intended to be the finale of the series as a whole, with there being a large climatic battle sequence, cameos and appearances from many characters, and a new era of sorts for the Clans. While new books did get released, the next few were mostly prequels. However, the releases of ''Dovewing's Silence'', ''Bramblestar's Storm'', and then further arcs and side books quickly proved that the series wasn't going to end soon.
96[[/folder]]
97
98[[folder:Music]]
99* Music/{{ABBA}}'s ''Music/TheVisitors'' was written in the midst of fierce inter-member conflicts and was written with the intent of making it their last bow, with the group disbanding not too long after its release. While it remained their finale album for 40 years, the band eventually regrouped and released a more proper GrandFinale album, ''Voyage'', in 2021.
100* Music/{{AJR}} invokes this with ''Neotheater'', especially with the final track "Finale (Can't Wait To See What You Do Next)". Feeling that they've gone harder than they ever had, the brothers consider ending their careers on a high note and acknowledge the possibility that they have nothing left to offer for their listeners. However, a chorus of presumably fans, friends, and family urge them to not go and continue doing what they do, promising to support them in their future endeavors. Within the context of the song however, the band is still on the fence about following it up due to fears of ToughActToFollow. ''Neotheater'' was indeed not their final album and ''OK Orchestra'' was announced for 2021.
101* Music/{{Bathory}} intended for their final album to be 1991's Twilight of the Gods. Perhaps an example of where this shines best is the final listed track Hammerheart, which reads out like a man's final speech on his deathbed, using the more solemn, calm tune of Thaxted with an orchestra, rather than the more metal-oriented sound of the rest of the album, and the only instance of a guitar is in the ending line. It also hints at Quorthon's (the sole member for most of the band's history) heart condition. After some years, though, in 1994, they would release their next album, Requiem.
102** Sadly inverted, as while working on the third of four planned albums in his Nordland saga, Quorthon died of this same heart condition in 2004 at the age of 38.
103* ''Music/TheBeatles'': In 2023, the two surviving Beatles, Music/PaulMcCartney and Music/RingoStarr, worked with Creator/PeterJackson to produce "Now And Then", a Music/JohnLennon demo the then-three-surviving Beatles had originally worked on during the sessions for ''Music/TheBeatlesAnthology'', promoting it as "The last Beatles song". However, a week later, thanks to the positive reception to the song, [[https://www.avclub.com/beatles-could-have-another-final-song-peter-jackson-1850998484 Jackson said that there may be more Beatles songs to produce with the unused material they have]].
104* For around a decade, Music/DavidBowie's ''Music/{{Reality}}'' was treated as his de-facto finale thanks to his heart attack-induced retirement and the finality of that record's closing track, "Bring Me the Disco King". After two years of recording in secret, Bowie returned to releasing music with 2013's ''Music/TheNextDay'' before making his ''actual'' GrandFinale in the form of 2016's ''Music/BlackstarAlbum'', which released just two days before his death from cancer.
105* In 2010, Music/JudasPriest decided that it was time to retire and announced their farewell ''Epitaph World Tour''. However, they stated both in press conferences and online that they will release at least one more studio album afterwards. And then, they decided not to retire after all and would continue touring.
106* Music/{{Queen|Band}}'s 1989 album ''Music/TheMiracle'' was made after Music/FreddieMercury's HIV/AIDS diagnosis, which he disclosed only to his family and bandmates. Since viable antiviral medications for HIV weren't available at the time, the virus was a functional death sentence, leading Freddie to record the album under the impression that it'd be his last with Queen. However, he was miraculously able to live long enough to record 1991's ''Music/{{Innuendo}}'', though only managed to record vocals for three songs on ''Music/MadeInHeaven'' before his passing in November 1991 (the rest were cobbled together from whatever the band had on-hand).
107* After escalating CreativeDifferences, Music/YellowMagicOrchestra intended to wrap up their careers with their fifth album, ''Music/{{Technodelic}}'', with the closing track "Epilogue" in particular being intended as their GrandFinale. However, due to {{contractual obligation|Project}}s, they were only able to go on a hiatus at most, and put out two more albums-- ''Music/NaughtyBoys'' and ''Music/{{Service}}''-- before being allowed to split up in 1984. Even that didn't last, with them eventually reuniting to make ''Music/{{Technodon}}'' in 1993 and a few non-album singles in the 2000s, continuing as an on-and-off live act until Music/YukihiroTakahashi and Music/RyuichiSakamoto's deaths in 2023.
108* Music/{{Eminem}}:
109** Eminem intended ''Encore'' to be his final album thanks to a mix of burnout and drug addiction, featuring lyrics about settling scores, apologizing for his past bad behavior, and passing the torch to his protégés. The next year, he furthered this intention with ''Curtain Call: The Hits'', a GreatestHitsAlbum whose new material took a TorchTheFranchiseAndRun approach. However, after surviving a near-fatal overdose, he cleaned up, which allowed him to return to making music.
110** Eminem's unreleased album ''King Mathers'' was intended to serve as an official retirement announcement. It is full of depressing songs about his fame and emotional torment following the murder of his best friend Proof. The penultimate track "It's Been Real" has him singing a simple tune about how he can't rap any more due to the stress, before shouting out the members of his team who helped him. He scrapped the album after his drug overdose and recovery gave him a new lease of life.
111** ''The Marshall Mathers LP 2'' gives this impression -- the intro track pays off on [[TheBusCameBack a conflict set up in his songwriting masterpiece]], and contains a verse about him being too old and stuck in a social milieu where he is outdated, and refers to the album as "the final chapter in the saga". The final track has him reiterating that he's a relic and comparing his situation to Ma$e's retirement. The gap between ''[=MMLP2=]'' and the release of Eminem's 2017 album ''Revival'' was longer than the time he took off to deal with his drug addiction, and appeared to have been motivated by Eminem's disgust at [[UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump the political situation]].
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114[[folder:Pro Wrestling]]
115* The purchase of [[Wrestling/{{WCW}} World Championship Wrestling]] by the then-[[Wrestling/{{WWE}} World Wrestling Federation]] (now WWE) coincided with the cancelation of WCW Monday Nitro on TNT, so a great deal of rivalries and loose ends were tied up. Booker T reclaimed the WCW World Championship from Scott Steiner, Ric Flair and Sting, who squared off on the first ever edition back in 1995, book-ended the show with a main event match, and in a special simulcast, Shane Mcmahon appeared on Nitro to give the promotion a Ray Of Hope ending by announcing he had purchased the organization from underneath his father's nose. WCW would continue to be promoted on editions of WWF Monday Night RAW and Smackdown as part of the ill-fated 'Invasion' angle, before being granted a FullyAbsorbedFinale at the November 2001 edition of ''Survivor Series'', where in a DownerEnding, it was dissolved in a winner take all elimination match by the World Wrestling Federation, ending the storied rivalry between the organizations once and for all.
116* The 2015 revival of Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling could have ended after a year with ''Wrestling/{{FMW}} For Whom the Glory is Final ~ FMW Disbands Immediately If it Doesn't Become a Full House Special''. The turnout was apparently adequate, though, as it kept going.
117* As it wasn't clear if ''Wrestling/LuchaUnderground'' would get picked up for a second season, the first season ended with FemmeFatale [[Wrestling/KarleePerez Catrina]], WrestlingMonster Mil Muertes, and TerribleTrio the Disciples of Death capturing most of the championships and taking control of the Temple, while CorruptCorporateExecutive Dario Cueto had to go on the run.
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119
120[[folder:Puppet Shows]]
121* According to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Er1KOtJvjg this Defunctland podcast]], the final episode of ''Series/BearInTheBigBlueHouse'' was going to be "And To All A Good Night", which had several signs of it being a finale, with the most notable being the scene where every character who ever appeared on the show sang the Goodbye Song together and having different closing credits than any other episode of the series. This was because the cast was not sure if the show would be renewed for a third season.
122* A ShowWithinAShow example in ''Series/BetweenTheLions''; the author of the ''Cliff Hanger'' books decides to end his series with Cliff finally getting off the cliff and washing onto a beach because he has run out of ideas for his books. However, due to the lions helping him remember how to get ideas ([[ItMakesSenseInContext as well as the fact that the helicopter singers from the books were bothering everyone]]), he soon starts the series back up with Cliff being washed off the beach and getting blasted back onto the cliff by a whale (presumably the same one that helped him get off).
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125[[folder:Toys]]
126* Franchise/{{LEGO}} WesternAnimation/{{Ninjago}} was originally intended to end in the first half of 2013, with the sets' boxes even being labeled as "The Final Battle", not to mention that the storyline in the TV series was also wrapped up with a series finale depicting the events of said FinalBattle. And then? [[http://images.wikia.com/lego/images/3/37/Imagezane.jpg LEGO releases this teaser image]], signaling the toy series' comeback and the announcement of a season 3 for the TV series.
127* Toys/{{Bionicle}} was supposedly originally planned to only last for three years, hence why 2003 ended with the BigBad Makuta seemingly defeated by Takanuva. In spite of this sense of finality, there's still TheReveal of Metru Nui and behind the scenes concept art that show that the twist of [[spoiler:the Matoran Universe actually being within Mata Nui who is a giant robot]] was planned from the very beginning.
128** This eventually expanded even to the actual GrandFinale of the toyline, as the storyline continued in the form of online serials... that were ultimately LeftHanging.
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130
131[[folder:Visual Novels]]
132* Though the localizers realized the game wasn't gonna end with him ''too late'', the ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' series originally had the phocus, sorry, FOCUS, on Phoenix Wright. By the time the third instalment was brought to America for the Nintendo DS, however, a sequel was already in development. So however Phoenix's (and several supporting characters') story arcs came to a close, a bunch of them got a HappyEndingOverride with ''VisualNovel/ApolloJusticeAceAttorney''. Since then the HappyEndingOverride ''itself'' got a [[SubvertedTrope an override]], with two more sequels, a crossover, ''and'' two prequels set in ye olden Victorian times.
133* Week 7 of ''VisualNovel/{{Melody}}'' was supposed to be the final week of the story. However, as the story grew, it became the halfway point instead. However, some of the early elements for this planned finale were kept.
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135
136[[folder:Web Animation]]
137* ''WebAnimation/DeathBattle'''s hosts had to release a video soon after the Season 1 finale battle between Goku and Superman ended [[spoiler:with the Earth being destroyed]], letting fans know that there's going to be more ''Death Battle'' -- this was just a Season Finale, not the ''Series'' Finale.
138* ''WebAnimation/EddsWorld''[='s=] final Legacy episode "The End" was originally intended to be the series finale, as it was the last full-length eddisode produced with [[Creator/TomSka Thomas Ridgewell]] as showrunner. However, shortly after the release of "The End (Part 1)", Edd's mother Sue Gould revealed on twitter that she would be taking over as showrunner, which was later confirmed by Edd's sister Vicky Gould.
139* ''WebAnimation/HappyTreeFriends'': The season 1 finale "[[Recap/HTFHappyTrailsPartOne Happy Trails: Part 1]]" was going to be the final episode of the series, but once Mondo Media requested additional episodes, this became the first part of a season-bridging two-parter that was concluded nearly a year later. The show went on to have four additional internet seasons and a TV series.
140* The end of each story arc of ''WebAnimation/RedVsBlue'', especially Episode 100, which actually served as a GrandFinale when it was released. Notably, it had multiple endings thanks to the magic of the internet, and wrapped up the five seasons of the Blood Gulch Chronicles and could easily have ended the series. The endings of Season 8, 10 and 13 are all deliberately poignant and could serve as series finales.
141* ''WebAnimation/SonicForHire'' originally ended in 2013 after seven seasons. The series eventually got revived for an eighth season in 2019 after the rights to the show were given to Creator/RoosterTeeth following the abrupt shutdown of Creator/{{Machinima}}, where the series was originally uploaded at. And then around 2020, Creator/LowbrowStudios, the actual creators of ''Sonic for Hire'', got the rights to the show back and confirmed production of a ninth season.
142* All three arcs in the ''[[WebAnimation/SuperMarioGlitchy4sSuperMario64Bloopers SMG4]]'' Cosmology Lore saga could debatably qualify as this.
143** The [=YouTube=] Arc contains countless references to past videos, has series BigBad [=SMG3=] serve as the ArcVillain, reveals why [=SMG3=] hates [=SMG4=] and [[spoiler:ends off with [=SMG3=] seemingly [[ItMakesSenseInContext getting mauled to death by an Ugandan Knuckles]]]]. Not only would this not be the finale (as [=SMG3=] is quickly revealed to still be alive), but it’d merely be the start of a three part saga.
144** The Genesis Arc explains [=SMG4=]’s backstory, introduces the show’s GreaterScopeVillain, contains references to multiple past videos throughout, [[spoiler:and ultimately ends off with the very first major character death from the main cast, with Axol. The ending also has Zero seemingly killed and the Guardian Pods being hidden by [=SMG1=] and [=SMG2=] to avoid any more evil finding them and using them for their goals. And to top everything off, two episodes in the arc (The Beginning of the End (which admittedly was renamed to The Day HE Arrived) and The Final Piece) would both work for a GrandFinale]]. The arc however would end up not being the end, and barely even a month after, the story continued.
145** The Revelations Arc ties up all the loose ends left behind by the Genesis Arc, [[spoiler:explaining [=SMG0=]’s backstory, revealing where the Internet Graveyard came from, introducing more concepts built off of the Genesis Arc, and ultimately concluding with Niles dead, the God Box destroyed and Melony having finally mastered her Deity powers. On top of this, the finale for the arc is a 50 minute BigDamnMovie, which would perfectly work for a GrandFinale]]. However, the show would keep going, with another arc coming the exact same year.
146* ''WebAnimation/TranslationsGoneWrong'': The translation-gone-wrong for [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic "I'll Fly"]] has a montage of previous translations and the words "The end", because Nevel the creator wouldn't have enough time on his hands to make more videos for a while... but when that while ended, he started making more translations.
147* ''WebAnimation/{{Evaporate}}'': The 16th episode ends with Jacob waking up and the text saying “The End”, but only a few months later….
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149
150[[folder:Webcomics]]
151* Back when the ''Franchise/MegaMan'' SpriteComic was just a series of FillerStrips, ''Webcomic/BobAndGeorge'' ended the sprite comic in September 2000 by having Dr. Wily kidnap the Author and kill him, paving the way for the intended real comic (a hand-drawn one) to be launched the following month. After more than a week of the hand-drawn comic, the Author felt it wasn't working out, so he abruptly brought the sprite comic back for good and had the storyline be about the title characters stuck the ''Mega Man'' universe.
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154[[folder:Web Videos]]
155* Originally, LetsPlay/{{Dream}}'s [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgdSJdeGF_0 "Minecraft Speedrunner VS 3 Hunters FINALE"]] and the rematch was going to be the final episode of the 1v3 Minecraft Manhunts. Two weeks after the rematch, however, due to popular demand, Dream released a ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tylNqtyj0gs grand finale]]'' that would be the end to all 1v3 Minecraft Manhunts.
156* ''WebVideo/DreamSMP'': The Disc War Finale and thus the end of the Disunion Era saw [[BigBad Dream]] stripped of his power, turned on by just about everyone on the server (except George and the Anarchists), and imprisoned in [[TheAlcatraz Pandora's Vault]]. The server celebrated the end of a tyrant, and everyone believed it was the end of the conflict (Tommy's stream was even titled the finale of the SMP). However, there are still several unresolved issues (the Anarchists and the [[AlienKudzu Crimson Egg]], among others), several unanswered questions (such as [[OurGodsAreDifferent DreamXD]] and the End Portal), and that's not mentioning that Dream might not be down for good (as Wilbur's spirit warns Tommy that Dream is too dangerous to be left alive, not to mention that Dream still has his favor from Technoblade). It's fitting for what seems to be the Season 2 finale, but there's clearly still more to come.
157* ''WebVideo/EpicRapBattlesOfHistory'': "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mbGUld2w-s Nice Peter vs EpicLLOYD 2]]" had so much RealitySubtext and so many personal potshots between the two that fans became genuinely concerned that the two had grown disillusioned with their baby and were calling it quits with this season finale, not helped by the ending directly implying that working on the series was causing rifts in their friendship and the realization of that convinces them to take a break. Thankfully, the hiatus seems to be just that and ''ERB'' came back swinging about two years later.
158* WebVideo/{{Phelous}}'s ''Film/JacobsLadder'' review, which sets up what seems to be Phelous's final death. His living room, usually covered in his toy collection slowly empties, and upon realizing he's pretty much gotten everyone he possibly can to cameo on his show already, he resorts to having his RealLife self cameo instead. By the end of the review, Phelous realizes that he's been dead since the ''Film/MacAndMe'' review and exits his house, saying goodbye to his audience. Come the next review, Phelous comes back to life and continues to review things. Though, considering he no longer dies in his videos, the ''Jacob's Ladder'' review ''did'' serve as a finale of sorts.
159* WebVideo/TheSpoonyExperiment nearly ended with the ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'' series. Noah was having camera issues, and was about to move out of his parents' house, and didn't know whether or not he'd be able to pick up where he left off so he killed off :"The Spoony One" leaving in a SequelHook by a [[WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall Linkara]] [[TheCameo cameo]].
160* ''WebVideo/ToBoldlyFlee'' was intended to be the end of ''WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic'', as Creator/DougWalker felt he had exhausted any new ideas for the character. However, in "The Review Must Go On", it was announced that the Critic would be coming back due to Doug coming up with more ideas to do with the character. The show also underwent a slight ReTool to aid in relieving production stress; reviews were scaled back from weekly to bi-weekly, with editorials from the Critic filling the gaps. [[note]]Although Doug revealed in commentary and streams that Critic ''had'' to come back due to debt, and he's still working himself sick.[[/note]]
161* ''Video Game Legends'' by Brainfreezerrr Studios was supposed to end in January 2014 with its 14th episode. There was even an in-episode montage of the series up to that point. Cue 'Reunion' not even five months later.
162* Zigzagged with Episode 60 of ''WebVideo/DragonBallZAbridged''. While it did seem like a finale, a teaser was present at the end for Season 4. However, the prospective fourth season wound up being cancelled due to creative fatigue and the belief that Episode 60 made an excellent GrandFinale. ''However'', then came the spin-off show ''WebAnimation/{{HFIL}}'', an original plot that follows right after Episode 60, starring the now-dead Perfect Cell suffering punishment in Hell with the series' other villains.
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