| 1 | !!! [[center:'''This is a page for the trope ''The End''. For pages with similar names, see also:'''\ |
| 2 | The Marvel Comic series ''[[ComicBook/TheEndMarvelComics The End]]'' | The 1978 movie ''[[Film/TheEnd1978 The End]]'' | 2 Video Games called ''[[VideoGame/TheEnd The End]]'' | The 2010 webcomic ''[[Webcomic/TheEnd2010 The End]]'']] |
| 3 | |
| 4 | %% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1516402766021154900 |
| 5 | %% Please do not replace or remove without starting a new thread. |
| 6 | %% |
| 7 | [[quoteright:350:[[Film/YoungFrankenstein https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/young_frankenstein_end.jpg]]]] |
| 8 | |
| 9 | ->''"The end of THE END can be found at the end of THE END."'' |
| 10 | -->-- '''Lemony Snicket''', explaining where to find the last pages of the book fittingly entitled ''[[Literature/ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents The End.]]'' |
| 11 | |
| 12 | The story's over. Time to put up an intertitle card saying "THE END". If you really want to be sophisticated, write it in cursive. The words "You Have Been Watching" followed by the ending credits was popular in LiveActionTelevision for a while, particularly but not exclusively in {{Sitcom}}s. |
| 13 | |
| 14 | Most movies in past years have used this as the standard end to the story, but now it is used off and on, at the whim of the writers. When films only had opening credits, this was a way to indicate the end of the film. Now that opening credits are shortened (or absent) and the full credits come at the end of the film, this isn't as useful. |
| 15 | |
| 16 | In some cases the show will end on a sad note, [[MoodWhiplash but the next moment is a flowery card stating "The End"]], accompanied by a bright {{fanfare}}. It is common to [[PlayedForLaughs play this for laughs]]. |
| 17 | |
| 18 | The French translation, "FIN", is often used with LeFilmArtistique or if the filmmakers want an aquatic pun. For frustrating endings, there's always the Italian translation "FINE". |
| 19 | |
| 20 | The video game variant, seen in quite a few FightingGame examples, is to show the usual "GameOver" screen after the ending and credits. This time it's not because you failed, it's just because... well, the game is over. Sometimes the phrase "Thank you for playing" is added. If you're unlucky, [[AWinnerIsYou that will be the entire ending]]. |
| 21 | |
| 22 | Compare ThatsAllFolks, and contrast ToBeContinued. See also InterruptedByTheEnd. |
| 23 | |
| 24 | There are two video games called ''The End'': the one from 2012 can be found [[VideoGame/TheEnd2012 here]], while the one from 2015 can be found [[VideoGame/TheEnd2015 here]]. Similarly, the webcomic by that name can be found [[Webcomic/TheEnd here]]. |
| 25 | ---- |
| 26 | !!Interesting variations of this trope: |
| 27 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 28 | |
| 29 | [[folder:Anime & Manga]] |
| 30 | * Subverted in ''Manga/CromartieHighSchool''. One sketch ends with the caption "The End... of the introduction" and the episode keeps on going. |
| 31 | * The final episode of ''Anime/DragonBallGT'' had "The End" at the end of it. |
| 32 | * The last episode of ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' has a card with runes on it that has the japanese word "Oshimai" which could either translate to "Fin" or "Concludes." Notably it also says "Puella Magi Madoka Magica" under that but "Magica" is spelled with a "k" instead of a "c." |
| 33 | * ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'''s conclusive theatrical film was actually titled, ''The End of Evangelion''. And it proved to be so, up until a [[Anime/RebuildOfEvangelion full-blown restart of the series ten years later.]] |
| 34 | * At the end of the credits of the final episode of ''Manga/SailorMoon'', Usagi says "Oshimai...", with the rest of the Inner Guardians finishing with "...dayo!" (meaning, "It's the end!") as said text appeared onscreen. The Viz dub has Usagi/Sailor Moon say "The end!", followed by the Inner Guardians saying "See ya!" |
| 35 | * ''[[Manga/JojosBizarreAdventure JoJo's Bizarre Adventure]]'' uses this when concluding each part. Most parts use "完," the Japanese kanji equivalent of this trope, but ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureGoldenWind Golden Wind]]'', which takes place in Italy, uses "fine," the Italian word for "end." [[/folder]] |
| 36 | |
| 37 | [[folder:Comic Books]] |
| 38 | * The last panel of ''Recap/TintinTheCastafioreEmerald'' has the parrot Iago (no, not ''[[WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}} that]]'' Iago) saying, "Blistering barnacles, that's the end!" |
| 39 | [[/folder]] |
| 40 | |
| 41 | [[folder:Fan Works]] |
| 42 | * The ''WebAnimation/TurnaboutStorm'' novelization ends with the word "Finis", French for "finished". |
| 43 | * The last panel of a ''Fanfic/MyLittlePonyRockIsMagic'' comic always says, "This is the end, my only friend, the end." |
| 44 | [[/folder]] |
| 45 | |
| 46 | [[folder:Eastern Animation]] |
| 47 | * Very common in Soviet and Eastern European animated shorts; the Russian word is ''Koniets'', in Polish ''Koniec'' and so on. Latvian examples have been seen on internet sites teaching the language using interactive Flash animations; the word here is ''Beigas''. |
| 48 | [[/folder]] |
| 49 | |
| 50 | [[folder:Films -- Animation]] |
| 51 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheThiefAndTheCobbler'': the Thief steals the letters from the end title. |
| 52 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheAristocats'': "Hey Napoleon, that sounds like The End." "''[[RunningGag I'm]]'' [[RunningGag the leader]]. ''I'll'' say when it's The End." (lettering reading "The End" bumps into his head) "It's The End." |
| 53 | ** Over a quarter-century earlier, ''WesternAnimation/TheThreeCaballeros'' ended with an elaborate fireworks display which has "The End" [[BilingualBonus in three languages]] in the colors of the flags of the countries being represented: "Fin" (in Spanish and in the colors of Mexico's flag), "Fim" (in Portuguese and in the colors of Brazil's flag), and finally, "The End" (in English and in the colors of the flag of the United States). |
| 54 | ** In fact, just about every single animated Disney movie starting with ''WesternAnimation/{{Pinocchio}}'' and ending with ''WesternAnimation/TheFoxAndTheHound'' actually all ended this way (''WesternAnimation/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs'' did not have a "The End" card at the end of the film, instead the film ends with a picture of the RKO Radio Pictures logo (but during the RKO Radio era and on the Diamond Edition, Signature Edition, and Creator/DisneyPlus prints of ''Snow White''). Some prints of the film from the Buena Vista era (including the 1994 VHS release and the Platinum Edition release) have a "The End" card; the RKO Radio logo was reinstated starting with the Diamond Edition print of the film. The first film since ''Snow White'' not to have a "The End" card was 1985's ''WesternAnimation/TheBlackCauldron'', which was also the first animated Disney movie to have closing credits since ''WesternAnimation/AliceInWonderland''). |
| 55 | *** Occasionally a Disney feature released since then may have "The End" appear before the credits roll, usually as a stylish touch, such as ''WesternAnimation/TheGreatMouseDetective'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}'', ''WesternAnimation/{{The Hunchback of Notre Dame|Disney}}'', and ''WesternAnimation/TheEmperorsNewGroove''. |
| 56 | * Only four Creator/{{Pixar}} films use a proper "The End" card at the ending of the film: ''WesternAnimation/ABugsLife'', ''WesternAnimation/FindingNemo'', ''WesternAnimation/FindingDory'' and ''WesternAnimation/{{Coco}}''. ''WesternAnimation/{{Ratatouille}}'', meanwhile, has a variation: it ends with the word "Fin", which is French for "end." ''WesternAnimation/{{Luca}}'' has it in Italian and English: "FINE (The End)" |
| 57 | * ''Anime/PonyoOnTheCliffByTheSea'' begins with "the beginning" and ends with "the end". |
| 58 | * Only five Creator/SonyPicturesAnimation films use a proper "The End" card at the ending of the film: ''WesternAnimation/OpenSeason'', ''WesternAnimation/CloudyWithAChanceOfMeatballs'', ''WesternAnimation/HotelTransylvania'', ''WesternAnimation/HotelTransylvania2'' and ''WesternAnimation/HotelTransylvania3SummerVacation''. |
| 59 | * In ''Anime/RobotCarnival'', a [[TheStinger post-credit scene]] shows a man's house exploding, replaced with '''END''' built of steel beams. |
| 60 | [[/folder]] |
| 61 | |
| 62 | [[folder:Films -- Live-Action]] |
| 63 | * This can lead to CrossCulturalKerfluffle in old Swedish films. The Swedish for "The End" is "Slut". ''Film/ThePhantomCarriage'' and ''Film/{{Haxan}}'' are two examples of deadly serious dramas that end on a moment of unintentional hilarity (for English-speakers). |
| 64 | * All of the ''Film/AirBuddies'' films end with this caption. |
| 65 | * ''Film/AntoniasLine'': One of the overarching themes of the movie, which follows life in one Dutch village over fifty years, is the circle of life and how nothing really dies. So the final chyron of the movie, right before the credits roll, says "And as this long chronicle reaches its conclusion, nothing has come to an end." |
| 66 | * The end of the 1956 Best Picture winner ''[[Film/AroundTheWorldInEightyDays1956 Around the World in 80 Days]]'': "This IS the end." (As opposed to, "This ''are'' the end?") |
| 67 | * ''Film/BackToTheFuturePartIII'' does "The End" in the style of the [[LogoJoke Back To The Future logo]] (like "To Be Continued" and "To Be Concluded" in the previous two films). |
| 68 | * ''Film/TheBostonStrangler'': The closing credits, after noting that Albert [=DeSalvo=] was never tried for the stranglings, say "THIS FILM HAS ENDED, BUT THE RESPONSIBILTY OF SOCIETY FOR THE EARLY RECOGNITION AND TREATMENT OF THE VIOLENT AMONG US HAS YET TO BEGIN." |
| 69 | * The 1947 Russian version of ''Film/{{Cinderella|1947}}'' ends with the goofy king finally carrying through on his constant threats to abdicate. He gives his wig and crown to his page boy, then talks for a little bit about how kind and generous the page boy/new king is, and about the page boy's tender feelings. Then he says "I love these wonderful feelings, which will never come to an—", and then he looks straight at the camera and says "—end." This is followed immediately by the closing "The End" title card (Russian конец, "konets"). |
| 70 | * ''Film/TheDevilStrikesAtNight'' is about a SerialKiller case. The movie ends with a telegram reporting that Bruno, the serial killer, was executed. His case file is closed, a "CASE CLOSED" stamp appears on the folder, and the film ends. |
| 71 | * ''Film/TheDove'', a parody of Creator/IngmarBergman movies, is filled with AsLongAsItSoundsForeign faux-Swedish dialogue that mostly consists of putting "-ska" at the ends of words. It ends with "ENDSK" (not "Slut"!). |
| 72 | * The closing credits of ''Film/FastTimesAtRidgemontHigh'' end on a shot of the "The End" screen from ''VideoGame/MissileCommand'' (see below). |
| 73 | * ''Film/AFishCalledWanda'' ends with the word [[{{Pun}} FIN.]] |
| 74 | * ''Film/FuneralParadeOfRoses'': One of the craziest parts of the movie comes at the end, after Eddie has stabbed his eyes out and is staggering down the staircase. Completely out of nowhere, a cheerful man in a suit pops up onscreen. Smiling, he notes how shocking and horrible ''Funeral Parade of Roses'' was. Then he says "Let's look forward to the next film! Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye!" |
| 75 | * The ''Series/GetSmart'' movie ''The Nude Bomb'' featured the three main characters rendered nude in the final shot; as they ran away from the camera, ''three'' "THE END" cards appear [[SceneryCensor over their naked behinds]] as a VisualPun. |
| 76 | * {{Defied|Trope}} in ''Film/HangmenAlsoDie''. The film ends with the following text: |
| 77 | --> NOT\ |
| 78 | The End |
| 79 | * ''Film/HerculesReturns''. As the Italian sword-and-sandal movie comes to an end, TheNarrator announces that everything is just dandy. On being told that's "a bit mincey", he decides everything is just... |
| 80 | --->''TitleCard saying'' FINE [[note]](Italian for "End")[[/note]] |
| 81 | * {{Inverted|Trope}} in ''Film/Hill24DoesntAnswer'', which ends with text reading "THE BEGINNING". |
| 82 | * Inverted in 1929 Creator/DouglasFairbanks film ''Film/TheIronMask''. It was Fairbanks's farewell to both silent films and the action movie genre that he'd basically invented but was aging out of. It has a BittersweetEnding in which the RightfulKingReturns but all of Literature/TheThreeMusketeers are killed, followed by D'Artagnan himself (Fairbanks) getting killed by a stab wound InTheBack. In the last scene D'Artagnan's soul jumps up to the skies to join his departed buddies. The four of them then run off into the heavens to seek "greater adventure beyond". Then the film ends with the following title card: |
| 83 | --> "The Beginning." |
| 84 | ** Same with the Soviet film ''Nachalo'' - but it also features no opening credits whatsoever. Justified, as the film deals with the beginning of the career of a future movie star - and of course, ''nachalo'' '''is''' "the beginning" in Russian. |
| 85 | * The second ''Film/KillBill'' movie used this as an affectionate sort of {{Homage}}. |
| 86 | * Every film directed by Creator/StanleyKubrick ended this way. Creator/WarnerBros insisted on following his "The End" card with their logo for ''Film/FullMetalJacket'' and ''Film/EyesWideShut'', but for all of his earlier films it is the very last card in the closing credits (where there ''are'' closing credits). |
| 87 | * ''Film/LiliesOfTheField'': It's a film about a laborer and would-be architect building a chapel for a group of nuns. The laborer (Creator/SidneyPoitier) often leads the nuns in singing the old gospel song "Amen". As the film ends, "Amen" comes up onto the screen instead of "The End". |
| 88 | * In ''Film/Love2015'' the ending card flashes on screen right after the protagonist says or thinks to… someone "I will [[TitleDrop love]] you until the end"; the significance of this juxtaposition is left up to the viewer to decide. |
| 89 | * ''Film/MeAndMyGal'': The film ends with Pat Riley stepping in front of the camera, looking at the lens, and saying "Well, it's all over, come on, let's have another drink." He had previously [[BreakingTheFourthWall broken the fourth wall]] to look at the camera and invite the audience for a drink during his daughter's wedding reception. |
| 90 | * The FIN pun is also used at the end of ''Film/TheMeg'', whose title character is a megalodon shark with obligatory SharkFinOfDoom. |
| 91 | * ''Film/MickeyBlueEyes'', where the characters talk about superfluous definite articles in names like "The La Trattoria" and "The La Brea Tar Pits," ends with a "The The End" card. |
| 92 | * In ''Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail'' there are no end credits or titles. Arthur and what's left of the knights are piled into the back of a police van, a cop places his hand over the camera lens and everything goes black. Cue really catchy tune (the extended version of the ''intermission'' music). That's all you get for the next five minutes: black screen + catchy tune. |
| 93 | ** ''Film/AndNowForSomethingCompletelyDifferent'' starts with the "How Not To Be Seen" sketch, the opening titles and then a sudden "The End." |
| 94 | * ''Film/MoulinRouge'' has a variation--at the end of the credits there is a stylistic rendering of the movie (and its ShowWithinAShow)'s main theme, complete with flourishing font and a big heart: "This is a story about beauty, freedom, truth, and above all things, love." |
| 95 | * ''Film/MuppetsMostWanted'' literally starts with the "The End" of [[Film/TheMuppets2011 the previous Muppet movie.]] |
| 96 | * Experimental LeaveTheCameraRunning documentary interview ''Film/PortraitOfJason'', ends, after concluding the interview with Jason Holliday, with director Shirley Clarke offscreen saying "The end. The end. That's it, it's over. The end." |
| 97 | * ''Film/PromiseHerAnything'' has the credits rolling over a neon sign advertising "NON-STOP" flights to Italy. At the end the "NON" part burns out leaving only "STOP", and the film stops. |
| 98 | * In ''Film/RoadToBali'', Creator/BobHope is unsatisfied with the ending, so he keeps trying to shove the "The End" card off the screen, until it becomes "Positively The End." |
| 99 | * ''Film/ScreamersTheHunting'' ends with a shot of the [[spoiler:FetusTerrible sprouting a killing blade]] and a title card saying THE BEGINNING, implying that the events shown on Sirius 6B [[KillAllHumans will now take place on Earth]]. |
| 100 | * At the end of the 1933 version of ''Film/StateFair'', the RomanticRain and wind cause the "State Fair" TitleDrop billboard to peel away. The peeled-away sections reveal another poster underneath that says "The End". |
| 101 | * ''Film/TheSteelHelmet'': Set in UsefulNotes/TheKoreanWar. At the end, most of TheSquad has died defending the observation post, but Zack, Tanaka, Thompson, and the bald guy survive. They are relieved by another squad and it's implied they go on fighting the war. The title card at the end says: |
| 102 | --> "There is no end to this picture." |
| 103 | * Surrealistic short film ''Film/StopLookAndListen'' involves two drivers on the side roads of Los Angeles, one safe and the other very unsafe. The short ends with a shot of a street sign that says "END". |
| 104 | * Every episode of ''Film/TheThreeStooges'' had a The End card with Greek Comedy/Tragedy masks. |
| 105 | * ''Film/TheTroubleWithHarry'' offers a variation ending with "The Trouble With Harry... Is Over". |
| 106 | * Inverted in the British [=WW2=] propaganda movie ''Film/TheWayAhead'' (1944) which concludes with the soldiers advancing into the attack with the words THE BEGINNING. One assumes the producers wanted the audience to believe our heroes were [[AndTheAdventureContinues just getting started in defeating the Nazis]], as opposed to marching off to their END. |
| 107 | * ''Film/VolgaVolga'': A Russian musical film that ends, after a big closing number, with the cast members flipping up big golden cardboard letters that spell конец ("end"). |
| 108 | * As part of its classic horror movie throwback, ''Film/WerewolfByNight2022'' ends with a black and white "The End" imposed on the shot. |
| 109 | * ''Film/Westfront1918'': A 1930 German anti-war film that, after a terrifying sequence of soldiers dying horrible deaths in the trenches, ends with a title card saying "ENDE?!". Director G.W. Pabst was of course correct in guessing that the war to end all wars really wasn't the end. |
| 110 | * ''Film/BeachParty'' has "The End Almost" before the credits. |
| 111 | * The last shot of ''Film/BlueIguana2018'' shows Eddie's favorite comic book, open to the last page, which shows the words "THE END." |
| 112 | * In ''Film/IThinkIDo1997'', the words "The End" appear and are then knocked off the screen by "The Beginning." |
| 113 | * In ''Film/SherlockHolmesAGameOfShadows'' Watson ends his chronicle of his adventures with this on his typewriter, before [[spoiler:Holmes in his urban disguise]] adds a question mark when Watson leaves the room, which transitions to the end credits. |
| 114 | * In ''Film/TheGhostGoesGear'', Spencer holds a clapperboard with "The End" written on it. He bats a piece of equipment out of the shot, then says, "Let's face it, folks, it had to end somewhere. 1282, take 1, the end," and claps it shut. |
| 115 | [[/folder]] |
| 116 | |
| 117 | [[folder:Literature]] |
| 118 | * The last book in ''Literature/ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents'' is actually called ''The End'', but this is [[NoEnding deeply]] [[SubvertedTrope subverted]] by the book itself. |
| 119 | ** At the end of every book there's a letter to the editor, telling him where to find the next manuscript. The last chapter of ''The End'' is treated as though it was a separate book contained in the same volume, with a different dedication page, publishing page, etc. Thus, in his letter to the editor: |
| 120 | --->The End of The End can be found at The End of The End. |
| 121 | * The last entry in the ''New Redhouse Turkish-English Dictionary'' is "'''züzuniyet''': final word, conclusion." That this is a made-up word is {{lampshaded}} in the errata, which correctly points out that "the last entry in the dictionary is unaccountably left without a derivation." |
| 122 | * The first book of Tamora Pierce's ''Literature/SongOfTheLioness'' quartet ends with "The Beginning". |
| 123 | * ''Literature/UnseenAcademicals'' has an interesting variant based on a real-life bit of sports announcement. It says "You think it's all over?" twice, before cutting to [[TheStinger short epilogue scenes]] and then, finally, "Now it's over." |
| 124 | [[/folder]] |
| 125 | |
| 126 | [[folder:Live-Action TV]] |
| 127 | * The finale of season 3 of ''Series/CanadasWorstDriver'' has "The End" appear just after an IrisOut, followed by the closing credits. |
| 128 | * ''Series/HikoninSentaiAkibaranger'': [[spoiler: The ''words'' "The End" are the final enemy, which prompts the Akibarangers to team up with the villains to destroy it in a futile attempt to prevent the series from ending.]] |
| 129 | * Parodied on ''Series/TheKidsInTheHall''. One of the sketches was written by a writer who kept making typos. When it's over, a title card comes up reading "THE AND." |
| 130 | * ''Series/{{Lost}}'' cuts to black and displays the show's title in white. The season 5 finale ended with [[spoiler:the apparent detonation of a hydrogen bomb]], so instead it flashed to white and displayed the title in black. This also seems to herald that the status quo has been changed in a major way by the events of the finale. |
| 131 | ** And the final episode is called 'The End'. |
| 132 | * ''Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus'': |
| 133 | -->'''Announcer (John Cleese):''' "Um, I'm sorry about the ... the, er, pause, only I'm afraid the show is a couple of minutes short this week. You know, sometimes the shows aren't really quite as er, long as they ought to be. (pause, he looks round at the sea) Beautiful, isn't it. (he walks out of shot; long pause; he walks back) Look there's not really a great deal of point in your, sort of hanging on at your end, because I'm afraid there aren't any more jokes or anything." |
| 134 | ** In the Michael Ellis episode, "The End" and the closing credits ''immediately'' follow the opening titles. |
| 135 | ** In the "How to Recognize Different Parts of the Body" episode, Inspector Zatapathique bows after his performance of "Bing Tiddle Tiddle Bong." An arrow appears pointing at his rear end, and the voiceover says, "Number 31: The End." |
| 136 | ** "''Nobody'' expects the Sp--" '''THE END''' "Oh, bugger!" |
| 137 | ** In one sketch, a presenter demonstrates a gesture he wants to use to show he's finished talking. As he does so, the series' "THE END" card appears, and he has to shoo it away. |
| 138 | ** "[[Recap/MontyPythonsFlyingCircusS1E4 Owl-Stretching Time]]" ends with the Colonel, who's had it with all this nonsense, coming onscreen and saying "Right! No, I warned you, no, I warned you about the slogan, right. That's the end. Stop the programme! Stop it." And the credits roll. |
| 139 | ** One episode had Eric Idle in several sketches as a store customer. Not satisfied with the ending of the episode, he goes back to the store to buy a better one, and the counterman makes several suggestions. "Romantic ending?" "No." "Fade to black?" "Nah." "How about a sudden ending?" Smash cut to the closing production-company logo. |
| 140 | * The ''last'' episode of ''Series/RedDwarf'' ends with "THE END" on a black background, held in silence for several seconds... [[spoiler:until the words "THE SMEG IT IS!" appear, to a cheering audience.]] There would not be any continuation, however, for a decade. |
| 141 | ** Also, the first episode of ''Series/RedDwarf'' is titled "The End". At the end of the episode the screen fades to an intertitle declaring "The Beginning". |
| 142 | * The ''Series/{{Merlin|1998}}'' made-for-TV movie. "There's no more. That's The End of magic." No, really, that's how it ends! |
| 143 | * ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'''s MusicalEpisode "Once More With Feeling" ends with a big beautiful splashy "The End"...overlaid on an image of Buffy and Spike kissing. |
| 144 | * The season five finale (and could-have-been GrandFinale) of ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' ends with Chuck the prophet typing up the last chapter of his visions while pondering how hard it is to deliver a satisfying ending. We see him type the actual words "The End". "No doubt, endings are hard - but then, nothing ever really ends, does it?" He smiles and vanishes into thin air, implying [[HaveYouSeenMyGod he might have actually been God]]. |
| 145 | * ''Series/TheGoodies''. The episode "The Movies" has a string of BreakingTheFourthWall gags, culminating in the letters of THE END being used by the comedic heroes to thump each other. Then another THE END starts floating up the screen, catching on their clothes and carrying them [[RidingIntoTheSunset off into the sunset]]. |
| 146 | * Each episode of ''Series/TheDeadFiles'' ends with static statements talking about what the clients have (or haven't) done in regards to Amy's advice on how to deal with the reported haunting, along with the state of the paranormal activity. |
| 147 | * The soap opera ''Guiding Light'' ended its 57-year run on CBS with its two principals happily driving off into the horizon as "The End" slowly appears on the screen, followed by a slow fade out. |
| 148 | * The Filipino version for this is "Wakas" ("End") and is sometimes used to close the finale of a SoapOpera before the credits roll. |
| 149 | [[/folder]] |
| 150 | |
| 151 | [[folder:Music]] |
| 152 | * Music/TheBeatles song "The End" was supposed to be the actual end of ''Music/AbbeyRoad'', but "Her Majesty" got tacked onto the end as a secret track. |
| 153 | * The first track of the Music/MyChemicalRomance album ''Music/TheBlackParade'' is entitled "The End." (note the full stop), signifying the Patient's approaching death. |
| 154 | * The bonus track on the explicit version of Blue October's ''Approaching Normal'' is entitled "The End". With an EverybodyDiesEnding, to boot. |
| 155 | * Music/AFlockOfSeagulls' "The End", which precedes ''The Story Of A Young Heart'''s final track "Suicide Day". |
| 156 | * Music/TheDoors ended their first album, ''[[Music/TheDoorsAlbum The Doors]]'' with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJNsQPRSWpY The End]], a song which insinuates at first that death is not as bad as some think. That idea gets abandoned quickly as the song progresses into NightmareFuel territory, particularly in the infamous "the killer awoke before dawn" sequence. |
| 157 | * Music/JackStauber's "The End" is a nightmarish one. The only lyrics to the song espouse that "There are no happy ends; there's just The End", and the accompanying music video is filled with end cards to movies and television shows. |
| 158 | * Music/TheyMightBeGiants: "Everything Right Is Wrong Again" ends with the lyrics "And now this song is over now (x3)/This song is over now." As categorical as this is, the same lyrics occur ''midway'' through the song also. |
| 159 | [[/folder]] |
| 160 | |
| 161 | [[folder:Tabletop Games]] |
| 162 | * ''TabletopGame/{{Century}}'': Due to the games' nature as a trilogy, ''A New World'', the final installment, has "The End" printed on the side of the box. |
| 163 | [[/folder]] |
| 164 | |
| 165 | [[folder:Theatre]] |
| 166 | * Several ''Theatre/{{Tsukiuta}}'' stage plays end with this, projected, including ''ROMEO in the Darkness'' and ''Rabbits Kingdom''. It is often accompanied by swelling music. |
| 167 | [[/folder]] |
| 168 | |
| 169 | [[folder:Theme Parks]] |
| 170 | * At the end of the former ''Ride/TheFuntasticWorldOfHannaBarbera'' at Ride/UniversalStudios, a target airbag that says "END" on it appears. |
| 171 | [[/folder]] |
| 172 | |
| 173 | [[folder:Video Games]] |
| 174 | * In ''VideoGame/{{Arfenhouse}} 3'', all the joke endings use the message "The bloody friggin' end." The real ending has "TEH EDN!!!!!" and a string of "LOL"s degenerating into gibberish. |
| 175 | * The animated cutscene which ends the re-release of ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'' ends with "Fin" after the SequelHook to ''VideoGame/ChronoCross''. |
| 176 | * ''[[VideoGame/ContraIIITheAlienWars Contra Spirits]]'' has a Chinese bootleg NES version which ends with "THEND" (sic). |
| 177 | * ''VideoGame/CuteKnight'' series: Happens for both games, with buttons, but they do different things in each. |
| 178 | ** The first game, ''VideoGame/CuteKnight1'', ends its endings with a "The End" button that moves the game to the credits. |
| 179 | ** ''VideoGame/CuteKnightKingdom'', ends its endings with a "The End" button that moves the game to the StartScreen, and a "Save Story" button that has the player select a location on their computer to save the ending screen text to. |
| 180 | * ''WesternAnimation/DarkwingDuck'' on NES just has a The End screen and no credits. |
| 181 | * It happens to every ending in ''VideoGame/ADayInTheLifeOfASliceOfBread''. |
| 182 | * The final ending cutscene in ''VideoGame/DigimonStoryCyberSleuth'' shows someone InUniverse had written "owari" (Over) via the mayonnaise on Kyoko's coffee in her office, a final show of her odd drinking habits and the character the player has come to know over the course of the game, before FadeToBlack. |
| 183 | * ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry1'' tries to trick you with a fake credits during the final boss. After the FakeOutFadeOut, it says "The End?" |
| 184 | * The original ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'' would give you a large "THE END" over a backdrop of a burning city and spiked rabbit's head after completing the third (and then final) episode, which was then riddled with a burst of bullet holes for emphasis. Then the game was later re-released as ''The Ultimate Doom'' with a fourth episode tacked-on, but the game's "THE END" sequence was still only displayed after beating the third episode. Episode four just got the same generic ending style as the first two episodes. |
| 185 | * ''VideoGame/DragonQuestXI'' features both variants; the words "The end" close off its first ending, though they're followed by a ToBeContinued to let you know there's more. The true ending instead has a feather pen write "Fin". |
| 186 | * ''DX Ball'': The last board in the game has exploding bricks forming the words "THE END". |
| 187 | * In ''VideoGame/TheEndIsNigh'', The End uses the title of the game, as well as the first world's name and the ending title after the credits. |
| 188 | * A staple of the ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' series, which end with either "THE END" or "Fin" on a starry background. Noteworthy examples include: |
| 189 | ** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'', in which Selphie's best LimitBreak called The End automatically finished a battle by transporting the monsters to a floral field with butterflies flittering all over. The screen goes dark, and text comes up reading THE END. It can defeat any monster, including [[{{Superboss}} Omega Weapon]]. It also has a true "The end" screen after the credits. |
| 190 | ** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyType0'', whose original PSP release has the kanji "完" substituting for the usual "The End". The HD release has both, with the words "The End" under the kanji. |
| 191 | ** ''VideoGame/WorldOfFinalFantasy'', which has [[spoiler:a giant "END" graphic in broken letters during the game's bad ending. However, in a partial subversion, the true ending has no such equivalent]]. |
| 192 | * The TrueFinalBoss of ''VideoGame/{{Hellsinker}}'' simply ends with a "The End". |
| 193 | * ''VideoGame/AIDungeon2'': Some of its adventures end this way, like [[https://beta.aidungeon.io/stories/DQo2adZE2 this one]], drawn from a list of adventures, [[https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2020/01/we-test-ai-dungeon-2-a-text-adventure-that-creates-itself-with-your-help/3/ here, at Ars Technica]]: |
| 194 | -->Your [[spoiler:ghost]] reports [[spoiler:the cop to his supervisor]] who then calls an ambulance. The End. |
| 195 | * Staple of ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda''. |
| 196 | * ''VideoGame/MetalSlug'' games always show the "Game Over" screen after the credits, but with "PEACE FOREVER!" written over it. ''Metal Slug 2'' subverts this as it shows only the "Game Over" screen after the credits, but no "PEACE FOREVER!" written over it. ''Metal Slug 3'' onwards play this trope straighter by showing "THE END" just before the ranking screen. |
| 197 | * The End is a realm in ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'', populated by Endermen and the Enderdragon. After defeating the Enderdragon you have officially "completed" the game, though you are still free to continue playing. |
| 198 | ** Guess what the achievement for beating the game is called? |
| 199 | * The arcade game ''VideoGame/MissileCommand'' takes these two words to a disturbing level. Instead of the traditional GameOver screen when all your cities are destroyed, you get a seizure-riffic explosion with the words on them. The programmers of the game claimed to have given themselves nightmares over this screen. |
| 200 | * Double subverted in ''VideoGame/Mother3''. After the final cutscene, the player is shown a black screen with the text "End?". Moving the + Control Pad, though, finds you still in control, it's just that you're in a location with nothing but black and "End?" in it. Walking around you'll find all the characters, who you can talk to, before the credits. Adding to the fun is that it's combined with MediumAwareness - [[spoiler:it soon becomes clear you're not controlling Lucas, but ''yourself.'' Everyone will say things like, "Oh, it's Player Name! Lucas said he wanted to talk to you!" or "Hey everyone, it's Player Name! Thanks for helping out back there!"]] Then, after this and the credits roll, you get a ''real'' "The End" screen, showing [[spoiler:the game's logo purely written in wood and with the Earth (as opposed to a steel ball) standing in for the O, with the word "END" written under it]]. |
| 201 | * In keeping with its cinema motifs, ''VideoGame/PersonaQ2NewCinemaLabyrinth'' features both "THE END" closing off its first GameOver screen, and "fin" closing off the ending as well as the second GameOver screen. |
| 202 | * A staple of the ''VideoGame/{{Pikmin}}'' series. The first game goes the extra mile by stating "The HAPPY End" if you collect all ship parts. |
| 203 | * In ''VideoGame/Portal2'', after [=GLaDOS=]'s obligatory, cheerful song playing during the credits, there's a small movie sequence where [[spoiler:Wheatley and the Space Core are floating around in space, and Wheatley talks about how much he regrets what he did. He ends the scene by simply saying "The end."]] |
| 204 | * ''VideoGame/ShiningForceII'' features "Fin." after its credits. It also features an easter egg: wait on that screen long enough and a text box will pop up saying "And more...", then a secret battle will start. |
| 205 | * Eliminating last target in ''VideoGame/SniperGhostWarrior'' results in displaying "THE END" sentence followed by credits. |
| 206 | * ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'': |
| 207 | ** The ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'' [[VideoGame/SonicAdventure2 games]] and ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes'' use ''Fin'' at the end. |
| 208 | ** ''VideoGame/SonicFrontiers'': [[spoiler: The TrueFinalBoss is literally called '''THE END'''. Considering it's an EldritchAbomination that's responsible for [[CivilizationDestroyer the destruction of the Ancients and their homeworld]], not to mention being a GreaterScopeVillain for the '''''entire''''' ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' franchise, this is ''certainly'' a case of NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast.]] |
| 209 | ** UpdatedRerelease ''Sonic Origins'' uses "Fin" to close off the new animated ending for ''VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles''. |
| 210 | * ''The End'' was the name of a ''VideoGame/SpaceInvaders''-like arcade game by {{Creator/Konami}} which ended when the aliens pulled out enough blocks to spell the word "END" across the top of the screen. |
| 211 | * ''VideoGame/TheStanleyParable'' has a suitably subversive twist which fits the style of the game. Firstly, it is seen at the start of the game as the game loads as "THE END IS NEVER THE END IS NEVER" repeated over and over - fitting for a game that has many endings that drop you back at the start of the game. |
| 212 | * ''VideoGame/StarFox64'' closes its true ending credits with "THE END" after the Star Fox team flies off into the sunset. Get the bad ending, and the letters are replaced with a looming image of a laughing Andross. |
| 213 | * The ''VideoGame/StreetFighterTheMovie'' videogame adaptation (i.e. [[RecursiveAdaptation the game of the movie of the game]]) had a nice spin on the typical 'Game Over' screen, especially effective when it was after the end credits; rather than simply display the words, the game played the clip from the movie of [[HamAndCheese Raul Julia as M. Bison shouting it, with much glee]]. |
| 214 | * All of the ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' main series games from ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros2'' onwards. |
| 215 | ** Most of the 3D games accompany this with a [[BreakingTheFourthWall "Thank you so much]] [[CharacterCatchphrase for playing my game!"]] from either Mario or Luigi. |
| 216 | * ''VideoGame/ThisBookIsADungeon'': The Bad Ends of its MultipleEndings use the line: |
| 217 | --> [[AC:You've perished in one of many horrible ways. Try again and seek to change your fate!]]\ |
| 218 | [[AC:The End.]]\ |
| 219 | [[AC:[Restart]]] |
| 220 | * In ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'', "The End" is the caption for the last SavePoint in the ordinary game, and it's made quite clear that the PointOfNoReturn lies just beyond it. |
| 221 | * At the end of a campaign, ''VideoGame/WingCommander'' finished with "The End" (with fireworks if you got the good ending), and follows it by "[[TheEndorisit For now]]". |
| 222 | * ''VideoGame/ZoneOfTheEnders'' plays with the trope, featuring such a screen in the game's ''bad'" ending. If you destroy all buildings and kill all civilians in the game's SOS missions, gameplay will be brutally cut off by Thunderheart dying when you're supposed to get in contact with him. ADA chastises Leo, and by extension the player, for directly causing his death, and the game ends on a screen with giant "THE END" letters and a burning, destroyed colony city in the background. |
| 223 | [[/folder]] |
| 224 | |
| 225 | [[folder:Webcomics]] |
| 226 | * ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'': The prequel volume ''On the Origin of [=PCs=]'' says "The Beginning..." on the last page. |
| 227 | * ''Webcomic/ZombieAndMummy'': Every installment ends with a gory, blood-dripping "END". |
| 228 | * ''Webcomic/ABeginnersGuideToTheEndOfTheUniverse'''s [[http://mspfanventures.com/?adv=132&id=780 final page]] (somewhat spoilery) simply magnifies the words "The End" from the title. |
| 229 | * In ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'', the "Squirrel Diplomacy" storyline ends with Grace [[https://www.egscomics.com/comic/2003-04-10 holding up]] a sign that says "END.". |
| 230 | * ''Webcomic/MSPaintAdventures'': Both ''Webcomic/ProblemSleuth'' and ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'' end with the narrator box saying "THE END." |
| 231 | |
| 232 | [[/folder]] |
| 233 | |
| 234 | [[folder:Web Original]] |
| 235 | * ''WebVideo/KateModern'' featured an episode with the title "The End" mid-series. |
| 236 | * And of course, there's ''WebAnimation/TeenGirlSquad'' and "It's over!" Initially subverted in TGS Episode 5, which features "It's almost over!" shortly before "Now it's over!". |
| 237 | * ''WebAnimation/TheDementedCartoonMovie'' begins with a short introduction, transitioning from card to card with an appropriate rumbling fanfare, before finally reaching the title card for ''The Demented Cartoon Movie (abridged version)''. The very next slide reads, ''The end''. It goes black for a few seconds, then apologizes and starts the ''real'' introduction to the movie. This is a throwback to ''Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail''. |
| 238 | ** "HAPPY END!!!" |
| 239 | * ''WebAnimation/{{Arfenhouse}} Teh Movie Too'' shows "TEH EDN!!1111!1!!!!!1" as the heading for a few seconds of real but premature credits at an anticlimactic moment halfway through the movie. |
| 240 | * [[https://youtu.be/j-mciLO6sa0 A video meme]] shows a screen playing the last few wholesome seconds of ''WesternAnimation/FindingDory'', but this is apparently the Swedish translation, so instead of "The End" [[MoodWhiplash it says]] "[[InMyLanguageThatSoundsLike Slut]]." |
| 241 | [[/folder]] |
| 242 | |
| 243 | [[folder:Western Animation]] |
| 244 | * Another variation is just "END". Like in the ''[[WesternAnimation/KaBlam Prometheus and Bob]]'' shorts. |
| 245 | * The ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' sometimes had a "the end" at the end of a short and sometimes didn't, but almost always had "That's all, folks!" in the closing credits. |
| 246 | ** A few cartoons from the late 30s through the 40s edited as Merrie Melodies Blue Ribbon reissues in the early 50s had "The End" in Lydian typeface instead of "That's all, Folks!" |
| 247 | ** ''WesternAnimation/GuidedMuscle'' ends with [[WesternAnimation/WileECoyoteAndTheRoadRunner the Coyote]] pulling the "That's all, folks!" card across the screen. |
| 248 | ** Halfway through ''WesternAnimation/DuckAmuck'', WesternAnimation/DaffyDuck demands "Let's get this picture started!"... and it irises out to a "The End" title, which Daffy pushes away while shouting ''"NO! NO!"'' in frustrated tones. |
| 249 | *** In ''Duck Amuck'''s SpiritualSuccessor short ''WesternAnimation/RabbitRampage'', on the other hand, WesternAnimation/BugsBunny uses the end card as a last-ditch ''escape'' from the cartoon. |
| 250 | ** In ''WesternAnimation/AHamInARole'' the "That's all, folks!" card appears barely thirty seconds in. That's because it's a ShowWithinAShow and the protagonist is an AnimatedActor filming a Warner Brothers cartoon. |
| 251 | * Early Creator/CartoonNetwork shows had "The End" cards: |
| 252 | ** All the shorts in the ''[[WesternAnimation/WhatACartoonShow What a Cartoon!]]'' anthology show had this. |
| 253 | ** ''WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory'' |
| 254 | ** ''WesternAnimation/JohnnyBravo'' (first season only) |
| 255 | ** A variation with ''WesternAnimation/CowAndChicken'' where it was just "End" (and someone else yelling "END!"). Interestingly, the ''WesternAnimation/IAmWeasel'' segments never used an end card. |
| 256 | ** ''WesternAnimation/CourageTheCowardlyDog'' |
| 257 | ** SoOnceAgainTheDayIsSaved thanks to WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls! (The End) |
| 258 | ** ''WesternAnimation/CodenameKidsNextDoor'', where it types "END TRANSMISSION". |
| 259 | ** ''WesternAnimation/FostersHomeForImaginaryFriends'' (Only in 11-minute episodes and in "One False Movie," they showed a "THE END" card cutting off Bloo's dialogue.) |
| 260 | ** ''WesternAnimation/TheMarvelousMisadventuresOfFlapjack'' |
| 261 | * Cartoons with a retro theme such as those from Frederator use "The End" cards: |
| 262 | ** ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddparents'' |
| 263 | ** ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'' |
| 264 | ** ''WesternAnimation/MyLifeAsATeenageRobot'' |
| 265 | ** ''WesternAnimation/ChalkZone'' |
| 266 | ** ''WesternAnimation/TUFFPuppy'' |
| 267 | * ''WesternAnimation/IHeartArlo'': The Season 1 finale "The Uncondemning" ends with this caption. |
| 268 | * The ''[[WesternAnimation/TheInspector Inspector]]'' cartoons by Creator/DePatieFrelengEnterprises had a "Finis" title with the "I"s as two eyes. |
| 269 | * In ''WesternAnimation/WackyRaces'' "The End" appears above the Mean Machine in the end credits - and then falls onto the car and wrecks it, much to Muttley's amusement. |
| 270 | ** On rare occasions when there’s voice acting over the credits, Dastardly will mention how he’s trying to get an unfair advantage over the racers since the race starts next week- and promptly says "Drat!" when the words crush the Mean Machine. |
| 271 | * In ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', the "Worker and Parasite" cartoon ends with a card reading [[AsLongAsItSoundsForeign "Endut! Hoch Hech!"]] |
| 272 | * Groundbreaking 1894 French cartoon ''[[WesternAnimation/ReynaudFilms Autour d'une cabine]]'' is about swimmers at the beach. After the lovers swim away from the beach, a man in a row-boat comes out and unfurls a sail that says "LA REPRESENTATION EST TERMINEE". |
| 273 | * Some episodes of ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' and its [[SpinOff spin-offs]] is also known to have this. [[https://spongebob.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_end_cards The wiki even has a list of episodes that have "The End" cards.]] |
| 274 | * The ''Franchise/CuriousGeorge'' animated shorts from 1980 [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYtQ7yYjJhY&t=4m24s ended]] with George painting "The" with his hand and "End" with his foot simultaneously on a wall, accompanied by a ten-note synth flourish. |
| 275 | * ''WesternAnimation/UncleGrandpa'' plays with this: the word "Fin" appears on screen (also used as an equivalent of "The End" in some other works, such as the Sonic games above), followed by a fish with Uncle Grandpa's face. [[DontExplainTheJoke The word then points at the fish's fin and Uncle Grandpa asks if we got the joke.]] |
| 276 | * One episode of ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'' (also by Frederator) had a "The End" card, displayed on a typewriter, which fit in with the rest of the episode--the typewriter belonged to the main character of the episode. |
| 277 | * ''WesternAnimation/IsItAlwaysRightToBeRight'': Schmidt's essay concludes by describing the search for common ground as "a task that never ends." Appropriately, the cartoon ends with a closing title that says "NOT THE END." |
| 278 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Munro}}'' is a satirical cartoon about a four-year-old boy who is drafted and inducted into the U.S. Army. He is completely mystified by his drill instructor barking cadence during a march. At the end the drill instructor reappears and barks out "THE END." |
| 279 | * Both ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' and its SequelSeries ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' end their final episodes with the Chinese characters "劇終", literally meaning "The End", with the translation under them. |
| 280 | * In the final episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Amphibia}}'', once the credits stop rolling, a text appears written in [[BilingualBonus untranslated Thai]] ("จบบริบูรณ้") which means "complete"/"end". |
| 281 | [[/folder]] |
| 282 | ---- |
| 283 | [[SelfDemonstratingArticle The End]] [[spoiler:[[TheEndOrIsIt ...or is it]]?]] |
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