History Main / DeathAmnesia

Any case where a character who comes BackFromTheDead remembers nothing about the afterlife. Usually done to [[OffscreenAfterlife preserve ambiguity]] about what the universe's afterlife is actually like, but sometimes we actually see the character in the afterlife before they come back with no memory of it. FridgeBrilliance dictates that this makes sense. Even if [[OurSoulsAreDifferent the soul]] exists, there's no reason for memory brain cells to record anything if the GhostInTheMachine is elsewhere while experiencing things; it would be less explainable if they did remember. See GhostMemory In some cases, it turns out they don't remember because [[TheNothingAfterDeath there was nothing there]], or [[CessationOfExistence there wasn't one at all]].

Any case where a character who comes BackFromTheDead remembers nothing about the afterlife. Usually done to [[OffscreenAfterlife preserve ambiguity]] about what the universe's afterlife is actually like, but sometimes we actually see the character in the afterlife before they come back with no memory of it. FridgeBrilliance dictates that this makes sense. Even if [[OurSoulsAreDifferent the soul]] exists, there's no reason for memory brain cells to record anything if the GhostInTheMachine is elsewhere while experiencing things; it would be less explainable if they did remember. In some cases, it turns out they don't remember because [[TheNothingAfterDeath there was nothing there]], or [[CessationOfExistence there wasn't one at all]].

* ''{{Torchwood}}'' has most of those brought back by the resurrection glove unable to remember anything, especially since they are panicking and only have 20 more seconds to live. In the end, it turns out from the one character that can remember it that there is no afterlife except for [[TheNothingAfterDeath total darkness and ominous footprints]], and that's why the others couldn't remember it.

* Darla, from ''[[AngelTheSeries Angel]]'', claims to remember nothing between her death as a vampire and resurrection as a human, even though various hells clearly exist within the series, most likely because she [[OurSoulsAreDifferent lacks a soul]]. Her later ghostly appearance to Connor may suggest some more hopeful alternative, however.
* John Locke from ''{{Lost}}'' claims to remember nothing after his death. Subverted by the fact that it's not really him.

-->--''StarTrekIVTheVoyageHome''

Any case where a character who comes BackFromTheDead remembers nothing about the afterlife. Usually done to [[OffscreenAfterlife preserve ambiguity]] about what the universe's afterlife is actually like, but sometimes we actually see the character in the afterlife before they come back with no memory of it. FridgeBrilliance dictates that this makes sense. Even if [[OurSoulsAreDifferent the soul]] exists, there's no reason for memory brain cells to record anything if the GhostInTheMachine is elsewhere while experiencing things; it would be less explainable if they did remember. In some cases, it turns out they don't remember because [[TheNothingAfterDeath there was nothing there]], or [[CessationofExistence there wasn't one at all.]]

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* When Eric comes back in TheCrow, he remembers very little of his former life except for Shelly, the names and faces of the people who murdered the two of them and an insatiable drive for revenge. The movie version wasn't able to portray this aspect of the story as well because Brandon Lee's accidental death occurred before some of the expository scenes were to be filmed.
* [[GreenArrow Green Arrow's]] return to life in the Quiver arc was marked not only by him not remembering his death, but he also didn't remember several years of life before his death.

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* Happens to [[StargateSG1 Daniel Jackson]] when he comes {{BackFromTheDead}} - he can't remember what it's like to be [[AscendToAHigherPlaneofExistence ascended]]. Initially he can't remember details of his life before ascension either, but gets those back.

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* ''{{Supernatural}}'': Variation - Dean wakes up from a coma with no memory of his NearDeathClairvoyance sequence. Playing the trope straight, Sam remembers nothing about the afterlife when Dean brings him BackFromTheDead, and Dean remembers nothing after he's yanked out of Hell by Castiel. But it's also indicated that he has brief flashes of memory to what hell was like.

* In GreekMythology, the dead were made to drink from the River of Lethe, which caused forgetfulness, making this OlderThanDirt.

* ''OrderOfTheStick'' probably adheres to this trope, viz. Roy's father having died six times and not done anything about his afterlife accommodations, but that may have as much to do with his own character than anything else.

Any case where a character who comes BackFromTheDead remembers nothing about the afterlife. Usually done to [[OffscreenAfterlife preserve ambiguity]] about what the universe's afterlife is actually like, but sometimes we actually see the character in the afterlife before they come back with no memory of it. FridgeBrilliance dictates that this makes sense. Even if [[OurSoulsAreDifferent the soul]] exists, there's no reason for memory brain cells to record anything if the GhostInTheMachine isn't home while experiencing things; it would be less explainable if they did remember. In some cases, it turns out they don't remember because [[TheNothingAfterDeath there was nothing there]], or [[CessationofExistence there wasn't one at all.]]

** In CelticMythology, the dead can't speak, so they can't reveal anything about the afterlife.

-->'''[=McCoy=]''': You really have gone where no man's gone before. Can't you tell me what it felt like?\\

'''[=McCoy=]''': You mean I have to die to discuss your insights on death?\\
-- ''StarTrekIVTheVoyageHome''

* Curiously done in Mass Effect 2 where no one seems to have the slightest bit of interest in if Shepard saw anything while dead...
** Shepard was OnlyMostlyDead and [[WeCanRebuildHim fixable]]: people might simply have assumed that s/he was still technically alive.

* ''OrderOfTheStick'' probably adheres to this trope, viz. Roy's father having died six times and not done anything about his afterlife accommodations, but there is no definite verdict yet.
** Now that Roy has been properly resurrected, it's been confirmed that it's indeed this trope. All Roy apparently remembers of Celestia is a happy, wonderful blur.
*** However, he has perfect recollection of his time spent as a ghost on the mortal planes, as well as his time on the cloud (the Celestial "waiting room").

* Strongly averted in TheSpoonyExperiment when Spoony and his clone were talking about what the Original Spoony went through after his death. He said that he was one with the earth, the trees, and all things living. It was kind of gay to him.

*** However, he has perfect recollection of his time spent as a ghost on the mortal planes, as well as his time on the cloud (the Celectial "waiting room").

* Curiously done in Mass Effect 2 where no one seems to have the slightest bit of interest in if Shepard saw anything while dead..

** A source of major angst for Neelix in ''StarTrekVoyager'', after he's brought back by Borg technology. Neelix expected to meet his family and friends beneath the Great Tree in the Forest of Forever, but doesn't remember any afterlife at all.
** And in ''StarTrekTheNextGeneration'', when the Klingon mythological hero Kahless returns, Worf asks him about the afterlife, and Kahless claims he is unable to remember, since he is a traveller between worlds and is only able to retain knowledge of the world he currently inhabits. It turns out that he's actually a clone.

** Later revealed that Dean remembered every moment of it and had been faking the amnesia, so a subversion.

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* In {{Warbreaker}} by BrandonSanderson, people who die a particularly heroic death are sometimes sent back to the living with a purpose. Only, they don't remember the afterlife, they don't remember the purpose, and for an extra twist they don't remember their previous life or death either.

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* Strongly averted in TheSpoonyExperiment when Spoony and his clone were talking about what the Original Spoony went through after his death. He said that he was one with the earth, the trees, and all things living. It was kind of gay to him.
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* In ''DragonballEvolution'', Master Roshi says after being resurrected by Shen Long that he was "in a wonderful place that he doesn't remember." [[WallBanger He then proceeds to describe what happened there, in detail.]] [[SoBadItsHorrible This is the least of the movie's problems.]]

*** However, he has perfect recollection of his time spent as a ghost on the mortal planes.

* On ''StarTrekVoyager'', Neelix once had an existential crisis over this.

* In ''Warbreaker'' by BrandonSanderson, people who die a particularly heroic death are sometimes sent back to the living with a purpose. Only, they don't remember the afterlife, they don't remember the purpose, and for an extra twist they don't remember their previous life or death either.

Any case where a character who comes BackFromTheDead remembers nothing about the afterlife. Usually done to [[OffscreenAfterlife preserve ambiguity]] about what the universe's afterlife is actually like, but sometimes we actually see the character in the afterlife before they come back with no memory of it. FridgeBrilliance dictates that this makes sense. Even if [[OurSoulsAreDifferent the soul]] exists, there's no reason for memory brain cells to record anything if the GhostInTheMachine isn't home while experiencing things; it would be less explainable if they did remember. In some cases, it turns out they don't remember because [[TheNothingAfterDeath there was nothing there.]] In even more extreme example, a CessationOfExistence would leave the dead with nothing to remember with, and thus no ability to recall what death was like.

** The Planescape setting and various other materials like Planar Handbook or Manual of the Planes add a pseudo-science explanation for the above: when you die your soul passes through the Astral and leaves a "memory core" behind. When you're called back, your soul passes back through the astral and grabs its core again. Once in a while, though, you might grab the wrong one...

* ''OrderOfTheStick'' probably adheres to this trope, viz. Roy's father having died six times, but there is no definite verdict yet.