History Main / CantStayNormal

* Happens to Kyon in ''HaruhiSuzumiya'', when he is warped into an AlternateUniverse that is completely normal. Though extremely terrified by being transferred into an AlternateUniverse (who wouldn't be), he does asks himself if this could actually be good. At the end, he questions himself in a monologue directly if he enjoys the "crazy world". He does. However, one might interpret that it's more about the persons (who are a bit different, ''especially'' Nagato), that he wants back.

* In Ben10 alien force, after losing control of his powers and becoming a mutant, Kevin manages to become human, but willingly takes them back to save his friends

* In Ben10 alien force, after loosing control of his powers and becoming a mutant, Kevin manages to become human, but willingly takes them back to save his friends

* The season four finale of ''{{Charmed}}'' had the sisters do this, as well, and learn that they'd much rather be saving the innocent and having to deal with the BigBad than being normal. The fact that there seemed to be fewer innocents and [[LighterAndFluffier more magical fairies]] as the seasons wore on ruins this somewhat.

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* The main characters of ''SailorMoon'' actually get two cracks at this, both times because they died in the past. Queen Serenity revives them as completely different people in the future with no memories of their past lives, and the power of the Silver Crystal that also killed Usagi brings back her friends and lover along with herself right after killing Super Beryl. Once again, they have no memories of their past lives or even their time spent as friends. Luna and Artemis even take a crack at killing a monster in the first episode of ''SailorMoonR'' just so Usagi and the others won't have to be forced to fight and lose their lives again. After Usagi gets her powers back, she attempts to kill another monster on her own for the same reason. Obviously, everybody has to get their powers back or there wouldn't be a show, but Usagi approaches HeroicBSOD before the end of the first story arc as this trope weighs down on her.

* In ''{{Gantz}}'', leaving the "game" (and losing all you memories of it) is one of the choices in the 100 points menu. Two people who had chosen this had this happen to them. First Izumi Shion, who did it before the series' start, gets back in after recruiting ([[DeathIsCheap killing]]) a bunch of people and getting [[TheHero Kurono Kei]] to kill him. Kurono also went though this (and forgot about his girlfriend who was unrelated to the game but got while he was in it), he figured it out after a reporter who saw him on TV because the they lost the InvisibleToNormals property last mission. Then he was killed by [[OurVampiresAreDifferent vampires]], he was revived (for 100 points and back in the game) after the next mission.

-->-- '''[[spoiler:Ichigo Kurosaki]]''' experiencing the first version, ''{{Bleach}}''

* ''RedDwarf'' episode ''DNA'' featured a DNA modifier that made Kryten human. However, his difficulty in dealing with his new form, plus the feeling of wretchedness from being rude to his spare heads prompts him to change back.
* Tommy from PowerRangers doesn't so much [[GotTheCallOnSpeedDial have the call on speed dial]] as ''it'' has ''him'' on speed dial. He has tried to retire several times now and got dragged back to the spandex every time. Even in the seven years in-between suits he got dragged out of the normal zone at least once, as his first job after getting his doctorate in paleontology was ''mad scientist building dinosaur cyborgs''.

* Something similar happens in the ''Series/DungeonsAndDragons'' cartoon: The party finally manages to escape the D&D world into the "normal" world - only to have the villain follow them. Problem is, their magical items are no longer working in the human world, while the villain's powers work as usual.

* There's an ''{{xkcd}}'' about a person coping after all the magical adventures they've had. [[http://xkcd.com/693/ Here it is]].

* SpiderMan has a rep for deciding IJustWantToBeNormal and hanging up the tights. [[NeverLiveItDown He only did it twice]], once in a classic Bronze Age story (which was homaged in the below-mentioned ''Spiderman 2'') and once at the end of the much-maligned Clone Saga (And that was with the double rationales of [[RetCon not being the "real" Peter Parker]] and having a pregnant wife).

* The second ''{{Superman}}'' movie. Superpowered criminals proceed to take over the world ''right'' after Clark gives up his own superpowers.

* The fourth ''{{Animorphs}}'' Megamorphs book does this. The leader of the titular group makes a Deal With [[strike:The Devil]] Crayak and it results in everyone not knowing about the Yeerk invasion, etc. Returns to the Status Quo near the end (No really?) when Cassie almost literally breaks reality, thus everyone realizing it was a fake life they were living.

* In ''{{Angel}}'', a first-season episode with Buffy guesting where a demon's blood has the side-effect of turning him human. Unfortunately, he still tries to fight demons, and loses, badly - just after hearing a rather straightforward prophecy that if he stops fighting demons, Buffy will end up dead because of it.

* Of course, also seen in some form in a 6th season ''[[BuffyTheVampireSlayer Buffy]]'' episode where our heroine is poisoned by a demon. This makes her have flashes about being in a mental institution with no powers. Completely "normal". She has to choose between the Buffyverse where more and more problems are coming along and the normalverse... [[spoiler: which she, of course, has to kill friends and family to live in.]]

* After Dave in {{Narbonic}} quit his job at Narbonics lab after [[spoiler: Helen broke up with him]], he got a job at a nice normal office [[http://www.webcomicsnation.com/shaenongarrity/narbonic/series.php?view=archive&chapter=10339 it didn't work out too well for him.]]

* ''{{Supernatural}}'', "What Is And What Should Never Be": Dean gets a chance at a normal life where his mother is alive and he and Sam aren't hunters. [[spoiler: Unfortunately, the whole thing is a LotusEaterMachine; Dean kills the creature that created it and returns to the real world, though not without regrets.]]

* Something similar happens in the ''Series/DungeonsAndDragons'' cartoon: The party finally manages to escape the D&D world into the "normal" world - only to have the villain follow them. Problem is, their magical items are no longer working in the human world, while the villain's powers to as usual.

* This can apply to real life as far as military life goes. Many soldiers can attest that the discipline and stress that the military puts them through forces them into a state of mind where civilian life is no where near as exciting as combat and the tradition found in command or they simply can't psychologically adapt themselves back into a civilian lifestyle. This can often end in tragedy but for some the military lifestyle can be fulfilling.

* [[TheFlash Wally West]]'s ex-girlfriend, who had magnetic powers, wanted to be normal and decided not to use her powers ever again. Cue a bomb being activated and her powers being the only that could save everyone. Unfortunately, since using her powers also causes her to revert to a [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity psychotically evil]] [[SuperpoweredEvilSide mentality]] (which, come to think of it, explains wanting to be normal), this was also a case of ChronicVillainy.

** In the current series the RedHulk depowered the Hulk by absorbing all his gamma radiation, saying that Bruce Banner would never become the Hulk again. Banner was GenreSavvy enough to know that eventually he'd [=reHulkify=] and spent his time preparing for that day.

* [[TheHulk Bruce Banner]] has been "permanantly cured of being the Hulk" on several occasions, only to have to [=reHulkify=] himself to solve some crisis. Why they don't use the same [=deHulkifier=] on him again after the crisis is resolved is rarely if ever explained.

* After being [[LaserGuidedAmnesia "flashed"]] and dropped back into his old life at the end of ''MenInBlack'', Agent K is reactivated at the start of the sequel. His reaction showed a remarkable lack of [[WhatTheHellHero "WTF, guys!"]]

** His civilian life didn't turn out so great; he'd been placed with his high school sweethart, but she eventually left him.

** He is later rendered a normal human again, [[spoiler: and manages to stay that way for a whole year, during which he tries very hard to convince himself that he's satisfied with it, before getting an entirely new superpower separate from his shinigami and hollow powers.]]

* Subverted somewhat in ''ForeverKnight'', where it is Nick's former love interest Janette who gets ''his'' dream of becoming human again, and he has to [[EmergencyTransformation make her back into a vampire to save her]].

[[redirect:{{ptitle08dbvkfo}}]]

Are you special? Did you willingly accept TheCall? Only now, you find your life full of monsters, aliens, or magic? Is it all too much to handle? Maybe TheCallKnowsWhereYouLive, and you wish you had [[RefusalOfTheCall refused the Call]]? [[IJustWantToBeNormal Do you just want to be normal again?]]

Well, thanks to a once-in-a-lifetime chance, you can be! HumanityEnsues! You're a [[PinocchioSyndrome normal human]] again! Frequently, LaserGuidedAmnesia is included, ''absolutely free!''

Now, you ''know'' this can't last.

'''From this point, there are two variations:'''
* Once you are human (or may [[AlternateUniverse have always been]]), you realize this bland, boring life isn't as exciting as the horrible, yet amazing, life you once led. The action, intensity, romance, it's gone. [[SoWhatDoWeDoNow And now you want it back]]. (Frequently, in looking for the old aspects of your life, you upset the balance of everything else.)
* Alternately, you love being human, that normalcy you missed is so relieving, but then something happens. Drama ensues. And, dangit! Those powers, skills, or magical abilities you had before are ''exactly'' what is needed to fix what's going wrong. ItSeemedLikeAGoodIdeaAtTheTime! And so, you are forced to reverse the change, and become that which, ultimately, you are [[BecauseDestinySaysSo destined to be]].

Thus, you CantStayNormal. Often a one-shot episode which makes use of a ResetButton to get things back to status quo. Sometimes {{Anvilicious}} in making a character accept their strengths and limitations.

Compare: SendMeBack, [[ImNotAHeroIm I'm Not A Hero; I'm ____]], and WhatHaveIBecome. If you realize you need your powers ''now'' before actually becoming normal, and miss the chance to do so as a result, it's a FriendOrIdolDecision instead. Contrast UndeathAlwaysEnds.
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!!Examples:

[[AC:{{Anime}} and {{Manga}}]]
* This happens to Berserker Orson in the ''RecordOfLodossWar'' TV series. Naturally, he has to become a berserker again in order to save his partner Sheris.
* [[spoiler: Asuna]] of ''MahouSenseiNegima'' has an odd case of this. Long story short, she's a princess from a magical world who became a normal schoolgirl at great effort, and is in the process of losing that normality because she hadn't factored in her own behavior post LaserGuidedAmnesia, and is therefore running headlong into what she ran from ten years before.
** [[MetaGuy Chisame]] is a more reluctant example, having been metaphorically dragged down to paranormal kicking and screaming before leaping out to gasp for air, [[{{Metaphorgotten}} only to discover that air is now too easy and boring]], and therefore ending up in a combination of being dragged down ''again'' and saying "the hell with it".
* The main characters of ''SailorMoon'' actually get two cracks at this, both times because they died in the past. Queen Serenity revives them as completely different people in the future with no memories of their past lives, and the power of the Silver Crystal that also killed Usagi brings back her friends and lover along with herself right after killing Super Beryl. Once again, they have no memories of their past lives or even their time spent as friends. Luna and Artemis even take a crack at killing a monster in the first episode of ''SailorMoonR'' just so Usagi and the others won't have to be forced to fight and lose their lives again. After Usagi gets her powers back, she attempts to kill another monster on her own for the same reason. Obviously, everybody has to get their powers back or there wouldn't be a show, but Usagi approaches HeroicBSOD before the end of the first story arc as this trope weighs down on her.
** Later in the series, this also affect Hotaru, who had been reverted to a powerless infant at the end of ''Sailor Moon S'' so she and her father could have a second chance at life (or just herself in the manga, since [[SchrodingersCat her dad died at the end of the plot in the manga]]). Both the anime and the manga show circumstances requiring her to age up and regain her powers as Saturn. Unlike Usagi, she doesn't seem particularly bothered by it.
* Happens to Kyon in ''SuzumiyaHaruhi'', when he is warped into an AlternateUniverse that is completely normal. Though extremely terrified by being transferred into an AlternateUniverse (who wouldn't be), he does asks himself if this could actually be good. At the end, he questions himself in a monologue directly if he enjoys the "crazy world". He does. However, one might interpret that it's more about the persons (who are a bit different, ''especially'' Nagato), that he wants back.
* At the start of the second season of ''CodeGeass'', Lelouch has lost his memories of his mother and sister, and of having been the terrorist leader Zero ([[spoiler:all thanks to the Emperor's memory-altering Geass]]) and is back at Ashford, acting much like he did at the start of the series. Even though the choice is pretty much taken out of his hands by C.C. restoring his memories, it's shown that he's still dissatisfied with the current state of affairs and apparently only lacked the motivation to return to his old life.
** C.C. goes through one of these, as she [[spoiler:temporarily loses her immortality and memories (she bleeds, right?)]] as part of her {{Angst}} against the world. [[IGotBetter She gets better]].
* In ''{{Gantz}}'', leaving the "game" (and losing all you memories of it) is one of the choices in the 100 points menu. Two people who had chosen this had this happen to them. First Izumi Shion, who did it before the series' start, gets back in after recruiting ([[DeathIsCheap killing]]) a bunch of people and getting [[TheHero Kurono Kei]] to kill him. Kurono also went though this (and forgot about his girlfriend who was unrelated to the game but got while he was in it), he figured it out after a reporter who saw him on TV because the they lost the InvisibleToNormals property last mission. Then he was killed by [[OurVampiresAreDifferent vampires]], he was revived (for 100 points and back in the game) after the next mission.
* Ichigo from ''{{Bleach}}'' is the posterboy for this. After being rendered powerless and almost dead by Byakuya and Renji, he starts a rough training to get ''his'' Shinigami powers back (with an additional twist). If this isn't enough, after the end of that, he continues being a Subtitute Shinigami and "de-normalises" yet again, TookALevelInBadass with Hollow powers, making him a "freak" even in front of the Shinigami. [[spoiler: His 2nd hollowfication may make him even a freak for the Vizards.]]

[[AC:ComicBooks]]
* [[TheFlash Wally West]]'s ex-girlfriend, who had magnetic powers, wanted to be normal and decided not to use her powers ever again. Cue a bomb being activated and her powers being the only that could save everyone. Unfortunately, since using her powers also causes her to revert to a [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity psychotically evil]] [[SuperpoweredEvilSide mentality]] (which, come to think of it, explains wanting to be normal), this was also a case of ChronicVillainy.
* This is basically the [[FantasticFour Thing]]'s gig all over, as he tends to only revert to being human at the absolutely worst times, forcing him each time to go back to being 'a monster', though by the current point in continuity, his being a monster isn't bad, since he's the ever-loving, blue-eyed idol o' millions.
** It happens in the movie, too.
* In the last big PreCrisis StoryArc for ''GreenLantern'', Hal Jordan decided that being GL had ruined his life, and resigned. For about a year, John Stewart wore the ring, but Hal's journey to Find Himself got as much panel time as John's costumed adventures. Ultimately, Hal realized that [[strike: he was a directionless, unmotivated loser without the twin crutches of the Ring and the Corps]] being GreenLantern was his [[BecauseDestinySaysSo one, true destiny]].
* SpiderMan has a rep for deciding IJustWantToBeNormal and hanging up the tights. [[NeverLiveItDown He only did it twice]], once in a classic Bronze Age story (which was homaged in the below-mentioned ''Spiderman 2'') and once at the end of the much-maligned Clone Saga (And that was with the double rationales of [[RetCon not being the "real" Peter Parker]] and having a pregnant wife).

[[AC:{{Film}}]]
* The second ''{{Superman}}'' movie. Superpowered criminals proceed to take over the world ''right'' after Clark gives up his own superpowers.
* ''MonstersVsAliens'': Ginormica is {{brought down to normal}} when Gallaxar extracts the Quantonium from her body, shrinking her down to plain old Susan. Which is what she wanted from the very beginning, except that 1) she had gotten used to her new-found power, and 2) now Gallaxar is going to use the Quantonium to conquer the Earth. So she [[TookALevelInBadass takes a level in badass]] and manages to fight him to a standstill. But with the ship about to [[SelfDestructMechanism self destruct]] and her {{Nakama}} in mortal danger, there is only one thing for her to do: get doused with Quantonium and become Ginormica again.
* After being [[LaserGuidedAmnesia "flashed"]] and dropped back into his old life at the end of ''MenInBlack'', Agent K is reactivated at the start of the sequel. His reaction showed a remarkable lack of [[WhatTheHellHero "WTF, guys!"]]

[[AC:{{Literature}}]]
* The fourth ''{{Animorphs}}'' Megamorphs book does this. The leader of the titular group makes a Deal With [[strike:The Devil]] Crayak and it results in everyone not knowing about the Yeerk invasion, etc. Returns to the Status Quo near the end (No really?) when Cassie almost literally breaks reality, thus everyone realizing it was a fake life they were living.
* Richard, at the end of ''{{Neverwhere}}'', [[spoiler:has found his way back to London Above...only to realize how dull and empty his life there now seems. He quickly returns to London Below.]]

[[AC:LiveActionTV]]
* In ''{{Angel}}'', a first-season episode with Buffy guesting where a demon's blood has the side-effect of turning him human. Unfortunately, he still tries to fight demons, and loses, badly - just after hearing a rather straightforward prophecy that if he stops fighting demons, Buffy will end up dead because of it.
** Angel's son ends up fitting this trope snugly. To make a very long story slightly shorter, Connor was prophesied to slay a demon, so the demon altered the prophesy to help him dispatch Connor as infant, which led to Connor being raised in a hell-dimension as a {{Tykebomb}}, which eventually drives him insane, and leads Angel to make a DealWithTheDevil to brainwash Connor so he could have a happy life. But the demon had gone undefeated, and his nemesis Cyvus Vail was also the sorcerer who gave Connor his new memories, so Connor was blackmailed into coming out of retirement to finally [[SelfFulfillingProphecy slay the demon]]. Vail got Angel to agree by threatening to give Connor his old memories back by shattering the Orlon Window. Wesley, who suspected Angel of involvement in Fred's death, shattered the window and restored Connor's memories.
* There's also the episode of ''StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' where Picard, through the meddling of Q, never got stabbed as a cadet, and thus never became aware of his own mortality, and so experienced a re-write of his life on the Enterprise, except as a lowly blue shirt. Attempts to re-assert his old life of command wind up getting him gently rebuffed due to his "lack of initiative" and not "attempting to stand out".
* On {{Smallville}}, when Clark gets his powers [[PowersAsPrograms transferred to]] a would-be hero, he thinks it's great. Until the "super boy" [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity lets it go to his head]] and acts irresponsibly, Clark has to reluctantly get his powers back [[BecauseDestinySaysSo just as we all knew he would]].
** Clark gives up his powers in another episode to be with Lana, but has to get them back to stop a nuclear missile from hitting the town.
* Subverted somewhat in ''ForeverKnight'', where it is Nick's former love interest Janette who gets ''his'' dream of becoming human again, and he has to [[EmergencyTransformation make her back into a vampire to save her]].
* Happened to the Hulk in the TV series. And in the comics a few (Dozen? Hundred?) times. [[spoiler:And the new movie.]] And the 90's cartoon. Twice.
** The comic eventually established that every time Bruce gets cured, the Hulk personality remains in his subconscious, prodding him to find some excuse to restore his powers/curse so it can re-emerge. So Bruce always ends up sabotaging himself.
** A fairly {{Anvilicious}} example in the 1980s cartoon: Bruce cures himself and then a computer tells him that the Hulk is the ''only thing'' that could ''possibly'' deal with the MonsterOfTheWeek. And of course, [[NoPlansNoPrototypeNoBackup he can't cure himself again afterwards]].
* [[spoiler:The ending]] in ''{{Neverwhere}}''.
* The season four finale of ''{{Charmed}}'' had the sisters do this, as well, and learn that they'd much rather be saving the innocent and having to deal with the BigBad than being normal. The fact that there seemed to be fewer innocents and [[LighterAndFluffier more magical fairies]] as the seasons wore on ruins this somewhat.
* In ''DoctorWho'' The Doctor becomes human in "Human Nature/The Family of Blood", with predictable (if heartbreaking) results.
* ''{{Supernatural}}'', "What Is And What Should Never Be": Dean gets a chance at a normal life where his mother is alive and he and Sam aren't hunters. [[spoiler: Unfortunately, the whole thing is a LotusEaterMachine; Dean kills the creature that created it and returns to the real world, though not without regrets.]]
** Happens again in an [[spoiler:Angel]]-related arc. The two wake up as regular Joes, working for a normal company, which gives the fist impression that something wiped their memories just to kill them slowly. It is discovered that [[spoiler:the culprit is a plain ghost, and behind their forgetting was an Angel.]] This is used to prove that, even if they seem normal, They Can't Beat Fate, but it is subverted as a mind game, because they have kept subconscious knowledge of what they used to do, and most likely act on it. [[TooDumbToLive They don't realize that though]] and almost succumb to a HannibalLecture.
* The second season finale of ''{{Chuck}}'' fits the second variation. [[spoiler: Chuck got the Intersect out of his head, he quit the Buy More so he could move on with his life, and he was planning to pursue a relationship with Sarah. Then, for various plot-twisty reasons, he ends up having to destroy the last remaining version of the Intersect. It's too valuable to lose, so he downloads it again.]]
* Of course, also seen in some form in a 6th season [[BuffyTheVampireSlayer Buffy]] episode where our heroine is poisoned by a demon. This makes her have flashes about being in a mental institution with no powers. Completely "normal". She has to choose between the Buffyverse where more and more problems are coming along and the normalverse... [[spoiler: which she, of course, has to kill friends and family to live in.]]
** Back in season 3's ''Helpless'' she's ''GenreSavvy'' enough to realise that, much as she'd like a normal life, there's be serious downsides to it:
--> Buffy: I've seen too much. I know what goes bump in the night. Not being able to fight it... What if I just hide under my bed, all scared and helpless? Or what if I just become pathetic? Hanging out at the old Slayer's home, talking people's ears off about my glory days, showing them Mr. Pointy, the stake I had bronzed.
* In HerculesTheLegendaryJourneys, Hercules gives up his demi-godhood so he'll be allowed to marry Serena the Golden Hind. She also loses her Hind powers and becomes a mortal woman. When Strife kills Serena and frames Hercules for the murder, the deal starts to look more than a little sour. Zeus gives Hercules his powers back so he can kick Strife's ass.
* ''RedDwarf'' episode ''DNA'' featured a DNA modifier that made Kryten human. However, his difficulty in dealing with his new form, plus the feeling of wretchedness from being rude to his spare heads prompts him to change back.

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]
* In [[CanonDisContinuity (eugh)]] ''{{Gargoyles}}: the Goliath Chronicles'', Goliath gets thrust into an alternate reality where he's human and married to Elisa. The rest of the gargoyles never knew him, and basically everything falls apart in the human life as he tries to connect to his old one.
* Something similar happens in the DungeonsAndDragons cartoon: The party finally manages to escape the D&D world into the "normal" world - only to have the villain follow them. Problem is, their magical items are no longer working in the human world, while the villain's powers to as usual.
* Danny manages to turn himself back to normal in ''DannyPhantom'' during the GrandFinale, choosing to do so to protect his loved ones (and because another team of Ghost Hunters are doing his job better then he is). However Danny misses his old superhero life and realizes he doesn't like the normal route. Fortunately he gets his powers back and saves the day.

[[AC:{{Webcomics}}]]
* There's an {{xkcd}} about a person coping after all the magical adventures they've had. [[http://xkcd.com/693/ Here it is]].

[[AC:WebOriginal]]
* This is precisely how ''SailorNothing'' starts. Himei's status as Sailor Salvation has been officially revoked, but it doesn't eliminate any of the powers of her or her AnimalGuardian Dusty. The only change is, she refuses to be Sailor Salvation any longer, so she isn't. And she's still fully aware of when [[TheHeartless a Yamiko]] is created, so it's not like she can live in blissful ignorance...

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Compare: SendMeBack, [[ImNotAHeroIm I'm Not A Hero;I'm ____]], and WhatHaveIBecome. If you realize you need your powers ''now'' before actually becoming normal, and miss the chance to do so as a result, it's a FriendOrIdolDecision instead. Contrast UndeathAlwaysEnds.

Compare: SendMeBack, [[ImNotAHeroIm I'm Not A Hero. I'm ____]], and WhatHaveIBecome. If you realize you need your powers ''now'' before actually becoming normal, and miss the chance to do so as a result, it's a FriendOrIdolDecision instead. Contrast UndeathAlwaysEnds.

Compare: SendMeBack and WhatHaveIBecome. If you realize you need your powers ''now'' before actually becoming normal, and miss the chance to do so as a result, it's a FriendOrIdolDecision instead. Contrast UndeathAlwaysEnds.

*There's an {{xkcd}} about a person coping after all the magical adventures they've had.

There's an {{xkcd}} about a person coping after all the magical adventures they've had.