History Main / GenocideSurvivor

* ''ComicBook/{{Maus}}'': Art's parents, Vladek and Anja, are Holocaust survivors. The book recounts their experiences during the Holocaust, as well as how it affected them afterward. His stepmother Mala is also a survivor, though the book doesn't go into as much detail about her story.

* ''VideoGame/StarWarsJediFallenOrder'': Cal Kestis is a survivor of "Order 66", the newly-crowned Emperor's purge of the Jedi Order. He was a young padawan when he was forced to escape from Clone Troopers who suddenly turned on him, and watched as his mentor was shot and fatally wounded protecting him, leaving him psychologically scarred and his connection to the Force damaged.

** Rhea, along with [[spoiler:Seteth and Flayn]], are a few of the last remaining survivors of [[spoiler:the massacre of the Nabateans, a race of [[DragonsAreDivine divine]], pointy-eared {{weredragon}}s that have inhabited Fódlan since ancient times. Even though Rhea personally executed the main perpetrator, the psychological scars from the incident have stuck with her for over a millennium]].

* ''Series/{{CSINY}}'': In season 5's "Yahrzeit," Mac is shown a video of a woman recounting her days in a concentration camp, during which her niece's entire family had been executed. Later, he is sent a video of a man telling the story of his rescue by Mac's father from the camp in which he had been imprisoned. The episode ends with Mac visiting the woman to return a broach of her niece's that had been evidence in the Case of the Week.

** In ''Film/ANewHope'', the Empire uses the Death Star to blow up the planet of Alderaan, with Princess Leia being ForcedToWatch as her home is instantaneously destroyed. The [[StarWarsExpandedUniverse Expanded Universe]] goes into more detail about how this affected her. The comic ''ComicBook/StarWarsPrincessLeia'' goes over Leia's attempts to track down and protect any other surviving Alderaanians.

** In addition, it is later revealed that [[spoiler:Mordain, a benevolent Asura got exiled and UnPerson[=ed=] from Epheotus for opposing the genocide of the Djinn and later taught Rinia the art of divination, created a safe haven in the Beast Glades for the surviving Djinn and their descendants known as the Hearth. Arthur gets to visit the Hearth later on, where he gets to meet other descendants of the Djinn who survived the genocide]].
** Speaking of [[spoiler:the Indrath Clan and their genocidal tendencies, they end up committing another genocide, albeit an inadvertent one, when they obliterate the elven kingdom of Elenoir with a FantasticNuke in a futile bid to kill off the Legacy. While the elves are almost driven to extinction because of that act, there are a few survivors, and they grow to hate the Asuras for that atrocity]].

* One of the major reveals in ''Literature/TheBeginningAfterTheEnd'' is that [[spoiler:the [[DragonsAreDivine Indrath Clan]], the rulers of the Asuras, orchestrated the genocide of the [[{{Precursors}} Djinn]] out of petty jealousy for their ability to control [[ElementNumberFive aether]]. As it turns out, they did not succeed in exterminating all of them. Namely, the few survivors had descendants, among which are the protagonist Arthur and his family. Arthur only learns the truth about his heritage when he acquires an ancient suit of Djinn PoweredArmor [[OnlyTheChosenMayWield which only they and their descendants can wear]] (which makes his vendetta against the Indrath even more personal as he realizes that the people they committed genocide upon were his ancestors). In addition, it is later revealed that Mordain, an Asura who opposed the genocide in the first place and got exiled and UnPerson[=ed=] from Epheotus for it, created a safe haven in the Beast Glades for the surviving Djinn and their descendants known as the Hearth. Arthur gets to visit the Hearth later on, where he gets to meet other descendants of the Djinn who survived the genocide]].

This is distinct from SoleSurvivor and LastOfHisKind because a genocide survivor does not have to be the only living one of their background to still "count" as a genocide survivor. It is possible for numerous people to survive the same genocide. Some stories will involve multiple survivors dealing with their trauma and/or rebuilding their lives together, possibly with elements of CommonalityConnection, all of which is of course TruthInTelevision.

This is distinct from SoleSurvivor and LastOfHisKind because a genocide survivor does not have to be the only living one of their background to still "count" as a genocide survivor. It is possible for numerous people to survive the same genocide. Some stories will involve multiple survivors dealing with their trauma and/or rebuilding their lives together, possibly with elements of CommonalityConnection, which is of course TruthInTelevision.

If the survivor eventually goes after the perpetrators, the result is GenocideBackfire. It may also be used as a setup for NiceJobBreakingItHerod. If the survivors have descendants, those descendants may become a RacialRemnant. Compare WarRefugees and WarIsHell, which can overlap. Perpetrators of GenocideFromTheInside do not qualify as this trope, although any other survivors of their crimes certainly do.

If the survivor eventually goes after the perpetrators, the result is GenocideBackfire. It may also be used as a setup for NiceJobBreakingItHerod. If the survivors have descendants, those descendants may become a RacialRemnant. Compare WarRefugees, which can overlap. Those guilty of GenocideFromTheInside do not qualify as this trope.

This is distinct from SoleSurvivor and LastOfHisKind because a genocide survivor does not have to be only one from their background alive to still count. It is possible for numerous people to survive the same genocide. Some stories even involve multiple survivors dealing with their trauma together.

* The people of Elatra in ''Literature/AnOutcastInAnotherWorld'' assume that Rob is a Human that somehow survived The Scouring and The Cataclysm. They’re rightfully confused when he tells them that he’s from another world.

* Real-life [[UsefulNotes/TheHolocaust Holocaust]] survivor Elie Wiesel wrote a trilogy of books -- ''Literature/{{Night}}'', ''Dawn'', and ''Day'' -- describing his experiences during and after UsefulNotes/TheHolocaust, using different {{Author Avatar}}s in each one to reflect on his thoughts on the subject[[note]]Wiesel described ''Night'' as his "deposition," but exactly how much of it is a memoir is still debated by scholars[[/note]].

* In ''Literature/BriarRose'', Gemma was a Holocaust survivor who could only describe her experiences through FairyTaleMotifs.

* In ''LightNovel/No6'' [[spoiler: Nezumi]] is the last of the Mao. [[{{FalseUtopia}} No.6]] massacred the Forest People, burned their settlement, and stole their land.

* ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'': The Ishvalans are an ethno-religious group native to Ishval. After Ishval was annexed by Amestris, the Ishvalans were at odds with the rest of the population and it resulted in the Ishval Civil War. The Führer of Amestris ordered the State Alchemists to eradicate the Ishvalans. The survivors live as refugees scattered throughout the country. The most prominent among them is a man known only as Scar, who seeks revenge against the State Alchemists for the massacre.

* ''Series/{{Andor}}'': It becomes increasingly clear that the only reason Cassian survived to adulthood is because Maarva abducted him in order to save him from the destruction of his people as a child. He may be the ''only'' survivor from Kenari between the Republic's retaliation against them as a Separatist world and the supposed mining disaster during Imperial rule that is said to have killed everyone on the planet.

* ''Series/{{Chernobyl}}'': The fourth episode opens with a USSR soldier trying to force an elderly Ukrainian woman to evacuate due to the radiation. She states that because she has never been safe before, she sees no reason to leave her home now. She lists the Holodomor, [[TheFamine a man-made famine]] in which millions of Ukrainians were starved to death by the Soviet government, among the horrors she has endured in her life. This reflects how little the Soviet government cares about the wellbeing of its average citizens, which is one of the show's major themes.

** [[spoiler:Beatrix. She despises the teachers of Alfea for destroying her hometown, Aster Dell, when she was a baby and killing her entire family]].

* ''{{Toys/BIONICLE}}'': The entity known as Annona feeds by eating the dreams of others. One notable event was the Dreaming Plague where she fed on the dreams of the Iron Tribe, resulting in the tribe's descent into madness and eventually death. The plague caused neighboring tribes to shun any survivors in fear they may be carriers. One member, Telluris, suggested changing their armor colors in an attempt to disguise themselves and integrate with other tribes, but to no avail. When too few of the infected Iron Tribe members remained to pose a threat, the survivors emerged from hiding and separated in the hopes of finding a new life.

** Later in the series it is found out that [[spoiler: Lapis Lazuli and Bismuth also remained uncorrupted, but only because they were poofed and placed inside objects prior to the attack (a mirror and Lion respectively) that acted as shields]].

* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'': Rose Quartz, Garnet, and Pearl were the only gems to witness and survive [[spoiler: the Diamonds last attack on Earth in the Gem War, meant to wipe out all the Crystal Gems]].

** Later in the series it is found out that [[spoiler: Lapis Lazuli and Bismuth also survived, but only because they were poofed and placed inside objects (a mirror and Lion respectively) that acted as shields prior to the attack]].

** Later in the series it is found out that [[spoiler: Lapis Lazuli and Bismuth also survived, but only because they were poofed and placed inside objects (a mirror and Lion respectively) that acted as shields]].