History DysfunctionJunction / AnimeAndManga

** Maria Akeboshi: A broken [[GoodParents good mother]] turned to KnightTemplarParent who planned two years of revenge [[ATasteOfTheirOwnMedicine to give the brats a taste of their own medicine]] and [[KarmicDeath kill them for ripping her son away from her life]], [[TheUnfettered having to take unwanted, but needed actions that could help her reach her goal]], even if she feels very guilty.
** Nozomu Okaya and his GangOfBullies: [[TeensAreMonsters Middle schoolers]] who [[BullyBrutality torture their victim in sadistic ways]], led by TheSociopath who ultimately blackmails him to jump off a cliff and gets disappointed when he dies.

** [[spoiler:Akihiro Yuda: A former victim of the GangOfBullies before being saved by his best friend, traumatized by the horrific abuse that he stopped coming to school. [[ItsAllMyFault Deeply remorseful for not being further help when said friend died]], he [[BungledSuicide once tried to commit suicide]], [[TragicDropout resigned from school]], and [[{{Hikikomori}} stayed in his house for a long time]] until he saw that [[ButForMeItWasTuesday his tormentors moved on happily as if they didn't took an innocent life]]. [[ThisIsUnforgivable Enraged]], he trained himself to be a [[ColdBloodedTorture torturer]], but couldn't bear to do it on the first target because of his trauma. Then, he witnessed that someone has the same objective as his and [[LikeAGodToMe viewed her as a god]]. When he talks with her for the first time, he asks her to use him as she wishes as his redemption for his late friend.]]

** Homura is the ''queen'' of dysfunction. She [[spoiler: watched her only friends die ''multiple times'' while desperately trying and failing to save them through her GroundhogDayLoop powers, which eventually became so traumatizing that she abandoned all emotions and went from being a sweet little Moe with glasses and braids to a cold, hard Badass who fights with an armory of guns and bombs she stole from the ''Yakuza''. Every time the time loop resets, she has to watch Madoka, whom she's relived a single hellish month over and over to save, as well as the rest of the cast, shy away from her in fear and treat her like she's an intimidating stranger. Once she proves herself to them once again, they die or transform into witches. Eventually, with her help, the circle is broken and her best friend becomes a goddess that no one but Homura remembers, and leaves her WalkingTheWorld alone with the promise to come for her when she is about to die. [[IronWoobie Even then, she perseveres and soldiers on]] - and then the Incubators try to prevent their reunion and use her as a bait to strip Madoka of her powers. This is when she breaks and takes said powers for herself instead in order to punish the Incubators and grant everyone else a normal happy life - and keeps hating herself throughout for this act of betrayal, deeming herself an irredeemable GodOfEvil.]]

* Everyone in ''Manga/DeathNote'' has problems. Light is a KnightTemplar with [[AGodAmI a god complex]], Matsuda watches all his ideals and beliefs crumble around him, Soichiro is chasing after a criminal [[DevilInPlainSight who happens to be his son]], Misa is a CrazyJealousGirl whose cuteness beliese her inner trauma, L is probably autistic and definitely a WellIntentionedExtremist, Mello is a HotBlooded teenage crime boss with a severe inferiority complex, and Near just... doesn't care about anything. Honestly, it's easier to list who isn't messed up.

* Everyone in ''Manga/DeathNote'' has problems. Light is a KnightTemplar with [[AGodAmI a god complex]], Matsuda watches all his ideals and beliefs crumble around him, Soichiro is chasing after a criminal [[DevilInPlainSight who happens to be his son]] -- and don't get ''started'' on the kids at Wammy's House.

* It's downplayed, given the idealistic nature of the setting, but up until ''[[Manga/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaVivid ViVid]]'', the only major character in ''Franchise/MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha'' who hadn't suffered some sort of horrible trauma in their backstory (which normally involved the loss of a family member) was, ironically, Nanoha herself. [[spoiler: And depending on your definition of backstory, she had her injury in-between ''A's'' and ''[=StrikerS=]''.]] Of course, part of the reason why it's downplayed is that there are therapists; [[WarriorTherapist the kind that rain pink lasers of death upon their patients]].

** Not even the otherwise LighterAndSofter Build spinoffs are safe from this, as shown in ''Anime/GundamBuildDiversReRise''. In contrast to the original main casts from ''Anime/GundamBuildDivers'', Hiroto is [[TheStoic a stoic]] BrokenAce who struggles to forgive himself and move on from a traumatic event he had in the past, Parviz suffers from having low self-confidence and crippling fear of heights after he accidentally piloted his glider into a thunderstorm and the ensuing crash left him permanently paraplegic, Kazami grew up as a [[MinorLivingAlone orphan]] after losing his father and suffers from severe InferioritySuperiorityComplex, and May has serious social awkwardness problem [[spoiler:due to being born as an AI lifeform]] and wander around GBN taking requests from various people to [[DesperatelyLookingforaPurposeinLife by find what her "mission" in life should be.]]

** Not even the otherwise LighterAndSofter Build spinoffs are safe from this, as shown in ''Anime/GundamBuildDiversReRise''. In contrast to the original main casts from ''Anime/GundamBuildDivers'', Hiroto Hiroto is [[TheStoic a stoic]] BrokenAce who struggles to forgive himself and move on from a traumatic event he had in the past, Parviz suffers from having low self-confidence and crippling fear of heights after he accidentally piloted his glider into a thunderstorm and the ensuing crash left him permanently paraplegic, Kazami grew up as a [[MinorLivingAlone orphan]] after losing his father and suffers from severe InferioritySuperiorityComplex, and May has serious social awkwardness problem [[spoiler:due to being born as an AI lifeform]] and wander around GBN taking requests from various people to [[DesperatelyLookingforaPurposeinLife by find what her "mission" in life should be.]]

** Not even the otherwise LighterAndSofter Build spinoffs are safe from this, as shown in ''Anime/GundamBuildDiversReRise''. In contrast to the original main casts from ''Anime/GundamBuildDivers'', Hiroto Hiroto is [[TheStoic a stoic]] BrokenAce who struggles to forgive himself and move on from a traumatic event he had in the past, Parviz suffers from having low self-confidence and crippling fear of heights after he accidentally piloted his glider into a thunderstorm and the ensuing crash left him permanently paraplegic, Kazami grew up as a [[MinorLivingAlong orphan]] after losing his father and suffers from severe InferioritySuperiorityComplex, and May has serious social awkwardness problem [[spoiler:due to being born as an AI lifeform and wander around GBN taking requests from various people to [[Desperately Looking for a Purpose in Life by find what her "mission" in life]] should be.

** Not even the otherwise LighterAndSofter Build spinoffs are safe from this, as shown in ''Anime/GundamBuildDiversReRise''. In contrast to the original main casts from ''Anime/GundamBuildDivers'', Hiroto Hiroto is [[TheStoic a stoic]] BrokenAce who struggles to forgive himself and move on from a traumatic event he had in the past, Parviz suffers from having low self-confidence and crippling fear of heights after he accidentally piloted his glider into a thunderstorm and the ensuing crash left him permanently paraplegic, Kazami grew up as a [[MinorLivingAlong orphan]] after losing his father and suffers from severe InferioritySuperiorityComplex, and May has serious social awkwardness problem [[spoiler:due to being born as an AI lifeform and wander around GBN taking requests from various people to [[Desperately Looking for a Purpose in Life by find what her "mission" in life should be.]]]]

** Not even the otherwise LighterAndSofter Build spinoffs are safe from this, as shown in ''Anime/GundamBuildDiversReRise''. In contrast to the original main casts from ''Anime/GundamBuildDivers'', Hiroto Hiroto is [[TheStoic a stoic]] BrokenAce who struggles to forgive himself and move on from a traumatic event he had in the past, Parviz suffers from having low self-confidence and crippling fear of heights after he accidentally piloted his glider into a thunderstorm and the ensuing crash left him permanently paraplegic, Kazami grew up as a [[MinorLivingAlong]] after losing his father and suffers from severe InferioritySuperiorityComplex, and May has serious social awkwardness problem [[spoiler:due to being born as an AI lifeform and wander around GBN taking requests from various people to [[Desperately Looking for a Purpose in Life by find what her "mission" in life should be.]] ]]

** Not even the otherwise LighterAndSofter Build spinoffs are safe from this, as shown in ''Anime/GundamBuildDiversReRise''. In contrast to the original main casts from ''Anime/GundamBuildDivers'', Hiroto Hiroto is [[TheStoic a stoic]] BrokenAce who struggles to forgive himself and move on from a traumatic event he had in the past, Parviz suffers from having low self-confidence and crippling fear of heights after he accidentally piloted his glider into a thunderstorm and the ensuing crash left him permanently paraplegic, Kazami grew up as a [[MinorLivingAlong]] after losing his father and suffers from severe InferioritySuperiorityComplex, and May has serious social awkwardness problem due to being born as an AI lifeform, and was Desperately Looking for a Purpose in Life by wandering around GBN taking requests from various people to find what her "mission" in life should be.

* ''Anime/WeissKreuz'' all main characters have serious issues. Either there is a dead lover, a little sister in a coma, a backstabbing friend, or a whole family of psychothic people; rest assured that these {{bishonen}} are scarred for life.
* Everyone in ''Anime/WelcomeToTheNHK'' has either a tragic past or a tragic present. In detail: Satou is psychotic and scared of strangers; Yamazaki found out just before the series started that his parents had planned his entire life out for him; Hitomi is also psychotic with a particular bent toward conspiracy theories and seems to also be depressed; and Misaki, leading the pack, well... [[spoiler:her father is dead, her stepfather was abusive, her mother may or may not have committed suicide, and she herself tries to commit suicide due to delusions of inadequacy caused by said abusive stepfather. On top of that, she also has borderline personality disorder.]] Misaki is even worse in the manga, where [[spoiler:That entire history is made up to garner sympathy and attention. She even did the cigarette burns herself!]]

* The ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' [[Anime/FullmetalAlchemist universe]] seems to have psychological trauma as one of the qualifying factors for a commission in the Amestrian military. Notable cases are the Elric brothers, who were [[ParentalAbandonment abandoned by their father]], and sparked the plot by trying to use forbidden alchemy to resurrect their dead mother. Other characters partying in TraumaCongaLine include Roy Mustang, Riza Hawkeye, Winry Rockbell, Van Hoenheim, Izumi Curtis, Tim Marcoh, and Scar. Plus, Alex Armstrong and King Bradley make the list unexpectedly. And then the plot happens. Almost every single major character (and definitely every single major character who already had past issues) gets badly traumatized at least once by the end of the series. Those that survive will surely have issues for years to come. [[spoiler:EarnYourHappyEnding indeed]]. TruthInTelevision for an army that just finished committing genocide. Under the circumstances, anyone without severe Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is almost certainly a sociopath - like Kimblee. Also not aided by ThereAreNoTherapists, because the series is set in an alternate 1914.

** The original ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam'' started it for the franchise with the White Base crew. The main character Amuro's parents are separated due to his father's decision to emigrate to space. Now he's a ChildSoldier with a rapidly developing case of PTSD on top of his pre-existing issues with social contact and his father is missing while his mother refuses to accept that he's a soldier now. Frau Bow's family was killed in front of her in the first episode. Mirai has an ArrangedMarriage she wants no part of, along with more deceased parents. Sayla Mass's parents are dead and she's actually living under a false name because of her father's politics. Hayato has a massive inferiority complex from being constantly overshadowed by Amuro. Captain Bright's a cadet who only winds up in charge because everyone else is dead.

* While not nearly as angsty or drama-milking as other series, there's barely a character in ''LightNovel/{{Baccano}}'' that isn't maladjusted, severely traumatized, or (most commonly) [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} just]] [[TalkativeLoon plain]] [[AxCrazy nuts]]. You know your cast belongs on the wrong side of the crazy train when even the OnlySaneMan is an orphaned, Mafia-raised teenager with the GhostMemory of a centuries-old MadScientist.

* The large majority of the characters in ''LightNovel/DenpaTekiNaKanojo'' have issues. The [[{{Chuunibyou}} Chuuni]] main heroine who won't hesitate to use [[ViolentlyProtectiveGirlfriend violence to protect Juu]] and is probably stalking him considering her uncanny ability to appear when he need her is one of the less severe cases. The worst cases are {{Yandere}}s , or just plain murderous AxCrazy. Even If someone seem perfectly well adjusted, chances are that they're just really good at [[BitchInSheepsClothing keeping up appearances]]. And of course, ThereAreNoTherapists.

* ''LightNovel/{{Durarara}}'':
** Being a SpiritualSequel to ''LightNovel/{{Baccano}}'', -- you know you've got a messed up cast when ''every leg of your LoveTriangle'' is a {{Yandere}} [[StalkerWithACrush stalker]]. [[spoiler:And the fourth leg is ''[[ALoveToDismember a freaking head]]''.]]

* ''LightNovel/{{Haganai}}'', besides being a slice-of-life school comedy, also details the lives of seven socially-inept members of the Neighbors Club, particularly its principal trio (which also serves as a LoveTriangle of the sorts) -- Kodaka is an otherwise [[OnlySaneMan well-adjusted boy]] whose social life suffers due to being frequently mistaken for a {{delinquent}}; Yozora is an [[{{Jerkass}} abrasive loner]] with almost NoSocialSkills; Sena is a notorious RichBitch, her [[MsFanservice shapely figure]] notwithstanding; Yukimura is a girl who pretends to be a boy with [[GullibleLemmings a severe lack of self-confidence]]; Rika is a TeenGenius with an [[LovableSexManiac incredibly perverted streak]]; Kodaka's little sister Kobato is under a [[MrImagination constant self-delusion]] of being a vampiric ElegantGothicLolita; and Maria is their [[SenseiChan ten-year-old advisor]] with severe [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} reality-testing issues]]. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

* ''LightNovel/KyouranKazokuNikki'' has every character coming from a [[DarkAndTroubledPast dark past]]. Yuka and Chika suffered abuse at the hands of their family, Teika is a survivor of the near-genocide of his people, Hyouka is a killing machine suffering from [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman humanity issues]], Ouka has no recollection of his past...
* Considering that the series takes place in a CrapsackWorld where nearly everyone has a DarkAndTroubledPast and/or goes through BreakTheCutie moments, the cast of LightNovel/TheLegendOfTheLegendaryHeroes is inevitably this.

* ''LightNovel/StudentCouncilsDiscretion'': Zany antics and laughter aside, everyone in the council aside from Kurimu has some deep seated personal trauma, be it bullying (Chizuru), a broken family (Minatsu and Mafuyu) or a broken heart (Ken).

** Chiri Kutsu, a psychotic {{Yandere}} afflicted with SuperOCD who will kill people over wearing odd pairs of socks;

* ''Anime/HeatGuyJ''. Let's see, there's a TokenMiniMoe "raised" (and I use that term ''very'' loosely) by an [[TheAlcoholic alcoholic]] mom and a DisappearedDad. There's an AxCrazy Mafia leader who became AxCrazy [[spoiler: and killed his father]] after years of [[AbusiveParents abuse from his dad]]. TheHero's [[MissingMom mom walked out]], and [[spoiler: his dad was assassinated shortly thereafter by the aforementioned Mafia leader's father]], causing his brother to go into an AngstComa and [[spoiler: eventually try to take over the city]], there's the son of a blues singer who became TheUnfavorite after his dad left the family for the woman he was cheating on his wife with. A [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent a werewolf]] that's constantly searching for a little sister [[spoiler: [[ItMakesSenseInContext that isn't even ''his'' little sister.]]]] And a scientist whose dad was always working (and died of unknown causes when she was young). In fact, the ''only'' character without a dark past or troubled family is [[TheChick Kyoko.]]

* ''Manga/ChronoCrusade'' isn't ''quite'' as bad as some of the other examples, but that may be in part because the original manga is [[SlidingScaleLongName fairly idealistic]]. Chrono was found by Rosette and Joshua Christopher sleeping in a tomb--which is later revealed to have been the final resting place of [[spoiler: Mary Magdalene]], a woman he was in love with, that he accidentally killed during a fight with Aion. Rosette and Joshua's parents are dead, and when Joshua gets Chrono's horns from Aion and puts them on his head [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity he goes insane]]. Most of the people Azmaria has ever cared about have been killed or have abandoned her because of her powers. Satella's family was killed in front of her by a demon without horns, and she has spent her entire life searching for him so she can enact her revenge. Fiore is an EmotionlessGirl that is later revealed to be [[spoiler: [[LukeIAmYourFather Satella's dead sister]], turned into a "mindless doll" by Aion to further his goals]]. Remington in the anime is [[spoiler:some sort of fallen angel]] and in the manga [[spoiler:was turned into a half-demon half-human thing by the Elder at his own request. Oh, and he may have been in love with Mary Magdalene too]]. In the manga, the ''bad guys'' don't even get away without tragic backstories--the Sinners are a BreakfastClub.

* ''LightNovel/EndoAndKobayashiLiveTheLatestOnTsundereVillainessLieselotte'': At first, it looks like only a handful of the ''[[FictionalVideoGame Magikoi]]''[==]'s cast have problems. But eventually, after Kobayashi off-handedly mentions the {{Dark and Troubled Past}}s of one more character (Lyon and his BastardAngst in the novels, Bruno and his unfulfilled BigBrotherInstinct in the manga), Endo is sure this trope must be in force in the world of ''Magikoi''.
-->'''Endo Aoto''': Why is everyone's backstory so dark?! What the heck, ''Magikoi''?

* ''Anime/HeatGuyJ''. Let's see, there's a TokenMiniMoe "raised" (and I use that term ''very'' loosely) by an [[TheAlcoholic alcoholic]] mom and a DisappearedDad. There's an AxCrazy Mafia leader who became AxCrazy [[spoiler: and killed his father]] after years of [[AbusiveParents abuse from his dad]]. TheHero's [[MissingMom mom walked out]], and [[spoiler: his dad was assassinated shortly thereafter by the aforementioned Mafia leader's father]], causing his brother to go into an AngstComa and [[spoiler: eventually try to take over the city]], there's the son of a blues singer who became TheUnfavorite after his dad left the family for the woman he was cheating on his wife with. A [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent a werewolf]] that's constantly searching for a little sister [[spoiler: [[ItMakesSenseInContext that isn't even ''his'' little sister.]]]] And a HotScientist whose dad was always working (and died of unknown causes when she was young). In fact, the ''only'' character without a dark past or troubled family is [[TheChick Kyoko.]]

* ''Anime/KenichiTheMightiestDisciple'': YOMI (the disciples of YAMI) are all pretty messed up teenagers. Among them are a guy who was bought from a child slavery ring and put through TrainingFromHell that rivals Kenichi's, a prince who was LonelyAtTheTop his whole life and developed into a royal SmugSnake {{Jerkass}} as a result, a military nut obsessed with following orders to the point of suicide (possibly a ChildSoldier as well), and [[spoiler:Odin, whose sole motivation for becoming a vicious fighter was losing a childhood squabble with Kenichi over a badge]]. This is all ''before'' YAMI molded them into killing machines. Half the reason Kenichi is able to eventually triumph against all of them is because unlike them, [[SanityHasAdvantages Kenichi is not ''batshit insane'']]. Due to their issues, the YOMI members tend to have a VillainousBreakdown ''in the middle of the fight'' when confronted with Kenichi's conviction and/or his unexpected strength, allowing Kenichi to beat the crap out of his otherwise superior opponents.

* ''VisualNovel/KyouranKazokuNikki'' has every character coming from a [[DarkAndTroubledPast dark past]]. Yuka and Chika suffered abuse at the hands of their family, Teika is a survivor of the near-genocide of his people, Hyouka is a killing machine suffering from [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman humanity issues]], Ouka has no recollection of his past...

** [[{{Yandere}} The rest]] [[StepfordSmiler of the]] [[UnresolvedSexualTension cast is]] [[FreudianExcuse little better]] and in some cases [[OmnicidalManiac much worse.]] If the character has a name and story importance they are broken in some fashion to the point where no two audience members agree on who is the worst of the bunch.

* ''Manga/InsideMari'' has the main character Isao, who is a scraggly {{hikikomori}} living off his parents' money and [[StalkerWithACrush obsessed with]] a high school girl who he [[FreakyFridayFlip ends up in the body of]]. He befriends a [[FriendlessBackground friendless]], bullied girl named Yori who is in love with Mari. [[spoiler:Mari herself is in on the action. It's first implied she has an AmbiguousDisorder when her mother acts dismissive of Isao-in-Mari saying he isn't Mari and gives her some pills. It's later shown her mother was [[AbusiveParents emotionally abusive]] in the past and there are heavy implications that ''was never a bodyswap'' in the first place.]]

** Abiru Kobushi, a [[CollectorOfTheStrange tail fetishist]] who shows many symptoms of [[AmbiguousDisorder some kind of autism]] (deadpan, dislikes human company, somewhat shy and reserved);

* Subverted and played straight in ''Manga/OnePiece''. Subverted in that every member of the Straw Hat Pirates has a depressing backstory, but [[AngstWhatAngst very rarely]] does it ever seem to get them down in present time. An exception however is Brook during [[spoiler: his 50 years alone on a corpse-filled ship]], as he almost went insane from the grief and loneliness. However at present day he seems quite well-adjusted.

** This seems to be the case with many villains: Doflamingo became extremely cruel and sadistic after being hunted down and tortured in childhood (though it could be argued he was born with that nature). [spoiler: Arlong and his followers]] presumably went through some hard times, as [[spoiler: mermen and fishmen were always treated horribly by humans]].

* In ''Manga/SakuraGari'' between Souma's childhood, [[spoiler: being raped and tortured DAILY, silently and lonely while everyone pretends it doesn't happen]], Matasaka's childhood [[spoiler: and rape and torture at the hands of Katsuragi]], the situation with [[spoiler: Youya, and Souma's stepmother]], Katsuragi and [[{{Yandere}} Sakurako]] and you have UpToEleven extremes that just keep on climbing.

* The original ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam'' started it for the franchise with the White Base crew. The main character Amuro's parents are separated due to his father's decision to emigrate to space. Now he's a ChildSoldier with a rapidly developing case of PTSD on top of his pre-existing issues with social contact and his father is missing while his mother refuses to accept that he's a soldier now. Frau Bow's family was killed in front of her in the first episode. Mirai has an ArrangedMarriage she wants no part of, along with more deceased parents. Sayla Mass's parents are dead and she's actually living under a false name because of her father's politics. Hayato has a massive inferiority complex from being constantly overshadowed by Amuro. Captain Bright's a cadet who only winds up in charge because everyone else is dead.
* ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing'' is full of them too. Heero is orphaned very young. He's used as an assassin and trained as a [[ChildSoldiers child soldier]]. Duo [[StreetUrchin live on the streets]] with other kids and steal to stay alive. He ends up in a orphanage and all his friends are adopted except for him. OZ and the Alliance then massacre everyone leaving him the sole survivor. Trowa is trained as a [[ChildSoldiers mercenary]] with no memory of his lost family. Quatre has a low esteem of himself and thinks his father doesn't love him because he was born as a test tube baby (in reality he was conceived naturally and doesn't know it). Wufei lost [[ArrangedMarriage his wife]] during an OZ attack on his colony. Zechs lost his parents during an Alliance invasion and had his pacifist homeland conquered. Even Relena swings between this and WideEyedIdealist. And then one has to wonder how Lady Une ended up with a SplitPersonality. Thankfully, two of the secondary characters (Sally Po and Lucrezia Noin) manage to stay level-headed and tend to steady the others whenever they cross paths. There's also, if you think about it, Treize; his status as a MagnificentBastard actually has a stabilizing influence because he carries an imperturbable air about him that makes men rally around him.

* ''Manga/CountCain'' has hardly a well-adjusted character in the whole bunch, mostly driven by Cain's BigScrewedUpFamily (Cain himself regularly beaten and told he was inherently evil due to his name, his half-brother [[RaisedAsTheOppositeGender hidden in girls' clothes]] to keep him from a similar fate-- unsuccessfully, as he was later subject to similar abuse, tricked into [[FamilialCannibalismSurprise eating his pet]], and considers other animals infinitely superior to humans-- his father and mother being [[IncestIsRelative siblings]]), but also present in the unrelated and side characters. [[TheJeeves Riff]] seems to have some identity problems [[spoiler: which come to a head in the climax where [[TomatoInTheMirror it turns out]] he's an ''entirely invented'' SplitPersonality of a cruel man working for Cain's father]], Oscar developed a bizarre fixation on Cain because he resembles his dead fiancée-- a fixation he then transfers to [[WifeHusbandry Cain's ten-year-old half-sister]], and one-shot characters include a little boy who gets violently protective of the elder sister he claims to hate, a girl who was crippled by her mother [[MyBelovedSmother so she could never leave home]] and who learned to [[LivingDollCollector kill people and preserve them]] so they'd never leave her. And that barely scratches the surface. At least little Merriweather seems to be okay....