As a pseudo-endings trope, this page has spoilers. Consider this your only warning.
So What Do We Do Now? in Anime and Manga.
- Used in the first few episodes of Battle B-Daman. Yamato finally gets his own B-daman and his first battle is against Gray, someone who's generally considered a really tough opponent. After this, even though Yamato now has the B-daman he's been wanting all these years, he gets bored with every last thing he does. Mie lampshades this and suggests he goes out and look for Gray.
- In Bleach, after Ichigo loses his powers and his ability to see spirits, including the Soul Reapers, some of which have become his friends, he returns to his normal life... which he quickly realizes he is uninterested in, and he jumps at the opportunity to get his powers back.
- At the end of Buso Renkin, when the kakugane are collected, Tokiko feels uneasy because she was so used to having hers. Then, of course, Kazuki promises that his will be with her forever...
- Digimon Adventure both subverted and exemplified this.
- About midway through the series, Taichi and Koromon are stranded back in the Real World after defeating the current Big Bad. However, Taichi's the only one who seemingly escaped, and this fact depresses him. However, as Digimon begin appearing and causing destruction in the Real World, Taichi and Koromon realize that unless they fix things in the Digital World, they can't go home, and thus they return to the Digital World.
- Played straight at the end where the Chosen Children's success in fulfilling their destiny saves the Digital World and (seemingly) destroys the source of all evil. However, they're sent back home without their Digimon, and this time without any seeming way to return to the Digital World, leaving behind some of the best friends they ever had. Eventually averted by the sequel, which didn't end like this.
- Digimon Tamers has a similar ending although they were already in the real world (their Digimon had to return to the Digital World without them, or be destroyed by a side-effect of their method of defeating the Big Bad). There is a tiny spot of hope for them to get their partners back at the very end of the last episode, turning this into the optimistic version, but later materials crush this hope.
- Digimon Frontier does it unnecessarily - the portal is closing so the Legendary Warriors shove the kids through, not even leaving time for a real goodbye, making it almost as sudden and tragic a shock as the Tamers version. But then you realize that the Trailmon can take them back (and forth) at any time so there's really no rush. It's kind of a "imitate the past series, even if it doesn't make sense here and now" thing.
- After episode 5 of FLCL, Haruko and Canti leave Mabase, and life for Naota briefly returns to normal. Naota is rather glad to have Haruko back in episode 6, well in time for the climactic showdown and the series' explosive finale. After said finale both Haruko and Mamimi part terms with Naota on firmer, more natural grounds and he seems to be much more comfortable with the circumstances of being a normal kid.
- This is the Central Theme of Frieren: Beyond Journey's End. The title character is a 1,000+ year-old elven archmage who fought as part of the adventuring party of The Hero Himmel and defeated the Demon Lord—all of which took place as the series' Backstory. After The Fellowship Has Ended, she wanders for fifty years, and returns to Himmel shortly before he dies of old age. She spends another thirty years trying to figure out what the journey actually meant for her, eventually retracing her footsteps to the Demon Lord's castle with Fern and Stark, the apprentices of two of her former companions.
- Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet falls somewhere between this and And Then What?. The main character, Ledo, is a Child Soldier raised in the dystopian Galactic Alliance. They see their endless war with the Hideauze as the only way for humanity to survive, but since the conflict orders their entire society, continued fighting is also the only reason for humanity to survive in the first place.Bebel: But wait. What happens when the Hideauze are defeated? What would the Galactic Alliance do then? What would you do, Ledo?
Ledo: I would stand by until I received further instructions.
Bebel: And what would you do if those instructions never came?
Ledo: I would just continue to stand by.
Bebel: {laughs) Then we're not so very different after all.
Ledo: We are not different?
Bebel: Mm-hmm. Standing by. You'd have to go on living to do that, right? - Twisted in Saikoroshi-hen (Dice Killing Chapter), a bonus chapter for the Higurashi: When They Cry game that was released after the main storyline. After depressed musing over the hard work that almost came to nothing, Rika wakes up in a perfect world without any of the tragic backstories or danger from the previous worlds. It turns out that it was All Just a Dream, and rightly so — there might be no gore or crazies around, but there's also no True Companions and The Power of Friendship is replaced by bullying and apathy. See, even if you had a terrible past, don't change it!
- Happens to Gon in Hunter × Hunter shortly before the Dark Continent Expedition arc. Gon succeeded in his goal of finding his Disappeared Dad and defeated his Arch-Enemy Neferpitou at the cost of his powers. In a discussion with his father, he's told that after everything he's been through he's been given a tremendous blessing in just getting his life back, and should use this time to figure out exactly what he wants to do next. Gon then retires back home to Whale Island, while Kurapika takes over as protagonist for the time being.
- Kurau's human half in Kurau Phantom Memory has fond memories of the time she was taken over by her Rynax entity, but comes to terms with the fact that it is all over now.
- This is a major theme with the Imperial characters in Legend of the Galactic Heroes. After defeating the Alliance, they realize that they no longer have a great cause to fight for and engage in many costly battles with Worthy Opponent Yang Wenli to experience the thrill of battle again. After he dies, this trope is one of the many reasons that Reuenthal rebels and Reinhardt doesn't even consider negotiations.
- Mobile Suit Gundam Wing does this in The Movie Endless Waltz. Most of the pilots find normal lives after the war & seem to be enjoying themselves, but Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy Wu Fei can't find meaning in his life without battles and ends up joining a rebel group so he can help start a new war. Post-Movie he joins the Preventers, an organization dedicated to stopping wars from breaking out in the first place.
- Neon Genesis Evangelion ends with all the apocalypse-seeking angels defeated - however, Shinji, Asuka, Rei, and Misato are each reduced to a broken, traumatized wreck by the beginning of The End of Evangelion. It's then revealed that the entire apocalypse was planned by SEELE to play out anyways, as SEELE dispatches the JSSDF to slaughter what's left of NERV, and use the Evangelions in lieu of the angels as the trigger for Human Instrumentality. Gendo tries to one-up them and use this power to revive Yui, but is thwarted when Rei turns against her master, and hands this power to Shinji. As for what happens next... well, Bennett the Sage was best able to describe the film's second half as 30 minutes of... animation.
- A particularly heartbreaking example happens in Episode 12 of Persona 4: The Animation. Mitsuo traps Yu in a Lotus-Eater Machine where the Investigation Team have solved the murder case and all return to their normal lives. Yu then has to see all of his friends drift apart as they focus on their own lives and don't even meet up like they used to. The clincher is when Kanji begins to complain about how none of them really have anything to talk about in their meetings any more. Fortunately, that does not happen after they defeat Mitsuo and they all still insist on hanging out with each other.
- Happens briefly to Ash Ketchum in Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon. After becoming the Alola Champion, he's at a loss for what to do next (especially since the process for actually becoming a Master is a mystery to everyone). He goes to Professor Kukui and Olivia for advice but both of them basically tell him Figure It Out Yourself. Although Olivia suggests that he go out and see the world, leading to the World Tour of Pokémon Journeys: The Series.
- Pretty Cure:
- In most seasons, after the final battle, the girls have to return their devices to the fairy world/alternate dimension kingdom and usually say goodbye to their fairy partners as well. They will then have to go back to being normal girls again.
- Averted in Doki Doki! PreCure, as they get to keep both the fairies and the power to transform even after the final battle.
- At the end of Futari wa Pretty Cure MaX Heart, at the graduation ceremony, the Elder sadly says "The role of the legendary warriors is over. Now they can choose to travel whichever path they wish," which means that there is no more need for Nagisa, Honoka, and Hikari to be heroes and they can live normal lives again. However, the fairies stay with them, lucky for them.
- Haruka is actually seen having to hand over her device at the end of Go! Princess Pretty Cure and crying afterwards. At the end of HuGtto! Pretty Cure, the girls are seen giving their crystals and Pre-Hearts back to Harry who packs them in his suitcase before leaving. They cry afterwards.
- This is a major point of contention between Rurouni Kenshin and many of his antagonists. Unlike them, he's willing to settle for an ordinary life. Kenshin, for one, ends his adventure by marrying Kaoru and having a child with her.
- Saber Marionette J does this rather egregiously. After the three Japoness Saber Dolls sacrifice themselves to revive the one female (who was stuck in cryogenic suspension for centuries), the main character wistfully remembers all the good times he had with them and wishes they'd return. Lo and behold, without any explanation, they do.
- Spellbound! Magical Princess Lil'Pri the girls transformation bracelets are taken away and the mapets return to Fairyland along with Wish after they save Fairyland. They're pretty bummed about it. In the end however Wish returns to Earth saying he liked being an Idol and the final shot shows the mapets sneaking up on the girls from behind.
- Tenchi Universe, combined with How We Got Here, starts with this. It begins with Tenchi walking to school alone as he reminisces about the "carnival" of adventures he had with those crazy girls from space. But when we catch back up in the final episode, Ryoko is there waiting for him, and tells him that, although carnivals do end, they eventually return. Cut to various scenes showing that the rest of the girls are already on their way back too. And this all leads straight into The Movie...
- Happens to Simon from Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann: after finally destroying the Anti-Spirals and bringing peace to the Universe, he puts on his cape, says goodbye, and spends the rest of his days Walking the Earth. We then see him as a 40-something traveller helping a kid open a coconut with his drill key; the kid is all surprised with Simon's drilling skills, he calmly says "Of course, kid, who the hell do you think... (kid ignores him) Forget it, I'm just a nobody". Then we see the kid and Simon looking at the horizon as the Gurren Lagann is launched to outer space.
- In the ending of both the anime and manga of Tokyo Mew Mew, everyone seems to have returned to normal permanently. Their marks have disappeared, they can't talk to animals, and Ichigo stops turning into a catgirl. Then one day, depending which version you're watching, either Ichigo's cat ears reappear just as Berii looks in the window or the girls are informed that their powers have returned and there's a new enemy to fight.
- Happens to YuYu Hakusho protagonist Yusuke after his final battles with Toguro and Sensui. Kuwabara smacked him for it. When you consider that he had to fake his own death before Yusuke could find the motivation to defeat Toguro (AFTER he killed Old Master Genkai, mind), it's understandable.
