History Main / RedemptionQuest

A SubTrope of [[TheHerosJourney The Hero's Journey]] and MustMakeAmends. Usually follows a HeelRealization, NiceJobBreakingItHero or someone saying WhatTheHellHero. Naturally, a staple of TheAtoner. An alternative to RedemptionEqualsDeath. Often a result of GoAndSinNoMore. Contrast RedemptionFailure. Related to JerkToNiceGuyPlot.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{ParaNorman}}'' looks like a typical zombie invasion triggered by a witch's curse [[spoiler:until it's revealed that the zombies recognize that they've done something horrible and are putting themselves through a great deal of pain in order to find someone who can help the "witch" they killed (really an innocent 11 year old girl) to move on]].

* In ''ComicBook/BrodysGhost'', Brody is roped into helping the titular ghost Talia into performing a "life task," a very good deed, so that she can be allowed to enter heaven (which she was locked out of for reasons she doesn't divulge.) [[spoiler:It turns out this entire story is bunk, however, as she's only interested in getting revenge on her killer.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/{{ParaNorman}}'' looks like a typical zombie invasion triggered by a witch's curse [[spoiler: until it's revealed that the zombies recognize that they've done something horrible and are putting themselves through a great deal of pain in order to find someone who can help the "witch" they killed (really an innocent 11 year old girl) to move on]].

** Similarly, Theon Greyjoy spends most of book 5 trying to rescue Arya Stark [[spoiler: (actually Jeyne Poole)]] from the Boltons in order to atone for [[spoiler: betraying Robb Stark and causing the Red Wedding.]]

* An important aspect of [[http://www.restorativejustice.org/intro restorative justice]] is about an offender making restitution to his victims. Unlike [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retributive_justice 'ordinary punishment']], restorative justice is about making redemption voluntary and (hopefully!) genuine.

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
* ''Manga/DragonBall'': [[Characters/DragonBallPiccolo Piccolo]] and [[Characters/DragonBallVegeta Vegeta]] are both initially introduced as villains, before later joining forces with the heroes after each go through their own redemption arc.
* ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'':
** Edward Elric ''"I'm sorry, Al. This is all my fault. So I promise that no matter what, I'll get you your body back."''
** Hohenheim, in a much longer timescale.
** Mustang, Hawkeye and Doctor Marcoh are doing it as well. Though from their point of view, they are past the point of redemption and can only make sure the next generation will not repeat their mistakes.
* In ''Literature/MoribitoGuardianOfTheSpirit'', Balsa works as a bodyguard to save eight lives to repay for [[spoiler:the eight men her mentor had to kill to keep her alive]]. On top of that she has added the additional caveat [[MartialPacifist not to kill anyone]] in the course of her quest, after her lifelong friend Tanda pointed out that killing people to save people is an oxymoron.
* ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'': This is the goal of the Flame Hero, Enji "Endeavor" Todoroki. After subjecting his family to horrific [[DomesticAbuser mental and physical abuse]] in his attempts at being the top hero, he has a HeelRealization and seeks to atone for his past mistakes. Its PlayedForDrama as said family are...mixed to the say the least; His wife acknowledges his efforts to move forward but she still can't quite tolerate being around him, his second youngest son wants nothing to do with him, his daughter is accepting, and his youngest son is somewhere in-between where while he can't quite bring himself to forgive his father, he is at least willing to see his actions as a hero and a father.
* ''Manga/TheNightmareBeforeChristmasZerosJourney'' has Lock, Shock, and Barrel offer to find Zero to make up for their betrayal to Jack in [[WesternAnimation/TheNightmareBeforeChristmas the original movie]]. Jack is naturally suspicious, but takes their offer so he can see to his duties as the Pumpkin King.
-->'''Jack:''' You'll go straight to Zero and not get distracted by anything else?!\\
'''LSB:''' [[LyingFingerCross We promise!!!]]
** [[spoiler:They keep it. Sort of.]]
* Being a deconstruction of the FightingSeries PlayedForLaughs, ''Manga/RamenFighterMiki'' deconstructs this trope with Nishiyama Kankuro, who has come back from a local university to Hanami City to [[BrokenAesop “stand up for himself”]] against Miki, his former bully who now is twenty and a SchoolyardBullyAllGrownUp ManChild. Problem is, Kankuro is an IdiotHero, [[DefeatMeansFriendship and really wants to get Miki's respect]], but Miki is incapable of respecting anyone weaker than her, and she is stronger than Kankuro: to beat her is truly an ImpossibleTask. Kankuro is trapped in a CycleOfRevenge. Here he explains why while we see a PhotoMontage in a computer… complete with a ''delete trash can'' image:
-->''[[FreudianExcuse Being made a fool by a girl younger than me, and the tormenting memory of being treated as a slave…]] If I don’t erase those images I’ll never be to [[CharacterDevelopment leave this town and put it behind me]], [[VerbalTic Nya]].''
* ''Manga/RurouniKenshin'': Kenshin's quest to protect people and fight for justice without killing is his redemption for all the lives he previously took as an assassin. Both in the anime and manga (but particularly in the anime, especially filler episodes or arcs whose stories were changed), he encourages other warriors to try to make amends and work towards making a better world rather than commit {{Seppuku}} when they fall into similar situations.
* In the eponymous VRMMO of ''Anime/SwordArtOnline'', players earn an orange color cursor due to assaulting (or worse still, killing) other players, which, in turn, prevents them from entering the safe zones in towns. They can restore their moral standing in the game by undertaking a specific quest, the difficulty of which depends on the severity and number of their crimes.
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[[folder:Fan Works]]
* The Game of Thrones fanfic ''Fanfic/ABalladOfTheDragonAndSheWolf gives one to Lord Glover. He is one of the first to volunteer on a mission to fight the Dead, which he does in penance for his past refusal to aid Jon and Sansa against the Boltons. [[spoiler: Glover's mere participation redeems him in Jon's eyes, but when they get overwhelmed by wights Glover volunteers to [[HeroicSacrifice stay back and fight them off so the rest of the party can escape safely]].]]
* Very common in ''WesternAnimation/{{Frozen|2013}}'' fanfiction like ''Fanfic/FrozenHearts'' and ''Fanfic/AMarriageOfConvenience'', where [[spoiler: Prince Hans]] goes to great lengths to seek forgiveness from Anna and Elsa for his actions in the film. This was brought about by rumors of this happening in the actual sequel.
* ''Fanfic/HopeForTheHeartless'' is about [[WesternAnimation/TheBlackCauldron the Horned King]] being [[ResurrectedForAJob released]] from [[AndIMustScream the Black Cauldron]] by [[CosmicEntities the Fates]] for a period of 18 months so that he can earn his one and only chance to be free from the Cauldron by [[ImpossibleTask earning a human's love in spite of all his sins]].
* ''Fanfic/AKnightsTaleAsInquisitor'' takes place after the events of ''LightNovel/FateZero'', where Arturia failed to obtain the Holy Grail that would allow her to save Camelot from its doom. Now [[TrappedInAnotherWorld finding herself on Thedas]], she sees her current adventure as a new lease on life and chance to succeed where she has failed her kingdom previously.
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[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* Caroline's idea to save $250,000 to launch the cupcake business, the driving arc of ''Series/TwoBrokeGirls''.
* Brilliantly subverted on ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD''. In the first season, Ward turns out to be a deep cover agent for HYDRA, turning on the team, killing Victoria Hand and Eric Koenig and dropping Fitz and Simmons into the ocean (the former suffering brain damage from it). When he's arrested, season two seems to indicate Ward is on a trip to regain the team's trust...only for them to make it abundantly clear they are ''never'' going to forgive Ward for what he's done and only see him as the enemy.
** It's first shown when a captive Ward is giving up info to Coulson and talking as if he's still part of the team.
--->'''Coulson''': My team? Y-you... You are not, nor will you ever be, on my team. You dropped Fitzsimmons out of a plane. You murdered Victoria Hand and Eric Koenig. You betrayed every one of us, you deluded son of a bitch!
** Breaking Skye out of of a jail, Ward gives her a gun, assuming they'll be fighting their way out together "like old times." As soon as his back is turned, Skye shoots Ward and runs out on her own.
** Later, the team is forced to work with Ward to take on a mutual foe, Ward doing a talk on how he knows it'll be a long path to winning their trust back but he's willing to do it. The glares they give are pure death before asking if Skye can shoot him again, this time in the head.
** Fitz is stunned that Ward truly believes that all it takes is an "I'm sorry" and all is forgiven. Instead, he tears into the hell Ward has put him through and when Ward protests that he still considers them friends, Fitz snaps back that he now realizes Ward was ''never'' their friend but playing a role and coldly dismisses him.
** It takes being shot by Skye ''again'' for Ward to ''finally'' grasp there's no redemption for him and thus embraces being full-on HYDRA.
** The writers have acknowledged that much of Ward's actions in season three are a deliberate TakeThatAudience to how there were ''still'' fans who believed in him (complete with a "Stand With Ward" hashtag). They thus had to push Ward with stuff from ordering bombings to [[spoiler: personally killing Coulson's girlfriend]] to get the audience to realize Ward's journey was never one of redemption but falling into darkness.
* ''Series/{{Brimstone}}'': This is the entire premise of the show, where FallenHero Ezekiel Stone gets a second shot at life and a way out of Hell if he returns 113 souls that managed to escape.
* ''Series/DoctorWho'': It's suggested from his debut story [[Recap/DoctorWhoS34E1DeepBreath "Deep Breath"]] onward that the Twelfth Doctor is trying to find ways to atone for the mistakes of his past incarnations. At the top of Series 9 (his second season) this trope is exaggerated when a new tragic mistake, a moment of weakness (though understandable), of his has cataclysmic consequences: [[spoiler:When he realizes a trapped boy in a war zone is the future creator of the Daleks, the worst villains in the universe, he abandons him mid-rescue — possibly triggering the boy's descent into evil to begin with.]] When's he's called to face the person originally affected by this, the Doctor is ready to do so by way of facing the consequences and perhaps atoning for it, fully aware that it will probably be a case of RedemptionEqualsDeath.
* ''Series/TheEqualizer'': A retired secret agent becomes a private investigator to help people who really need it. His past is never revealed, it's only hinted that he did a lot of amoral things.
* ''Series/GameOfThrones'':
** After returning to King's Landing, Jaime is making more of an effort to live up to his vows and duties as a Knight, telling people who consider him a failure and has-been that he still has time left. More specifically, while Catelyn didn't intend for it to be his redemption quest, seeing him as beyond redemption, after losing his hand and growing close with Brienne, Jaime shows a sincere desire to want to return Catelyn's daughters back to her. After Catelyn's death, he sends Brienne to keep them protected from Cersei and anyone who might hurt them.
** To some extent, Jorah's loyalty and commitment to Daenerys is driven by his need to atone for souring his honor in Westeros and initially spying on Daenerys.
--->'''Jorah:''' Better men than me have learned that what a man sells for gold, he can never buy back. He must earn it, by fire and blood.
* ''Series/LittleHouseOnThePrairie'': What happens with the Olesons' two natural children – Nellie and Willie – in the later years of the series.
* ''Series/{{Lost}}'''s Michael has a redemption arc in season 4 after [[spoiler:killing Ana and Libby]] in season 2. He manages to [[spoiler:save Desmond, Aaron, Sun, and [[strike:maybe]] Jin before [[RedemptionEqualsDeath dying]] in the season finale.]]
* Basically the premise of ''Series/MyNameIsEarl'': Earl did bad things, has a list of them, and is trying to make up for them.
* This sums up the character arc of (former) Commander Michael Burnham in season 1 of ''Series/StarTrekDiscovery''. In the first episode, she commits mutiny against her captain in a desperate attempt to head off a war with the Klingons; despite her efforts, the war starts, her captain is killed and her ship wrecked in the ensuing battle, and she is court-martialed and imprisoned. Six months later, Captain Gabriel Lorca arranges for her to end up on his ship, USS ''Discovery'', and enlists her to help bring an end to the war. Through a long and convoluted series of events (which include her [[spoiler: exposing Lorca as an imposter from the MirrorUniverse]]), she succeeds in stopping the war before Earth is attacked, for which she is pardoned and reinstated.
* In the first season of ''Series/StrangerThings'', Chief Hopper's increasingly determined obsession to find and rescue the missing Will Byers, even if he has to beat up state troopers, break into secret government facilities, grapple with a sinister GovernmentConspiracy and [[spoiler: enter a toxic upside-down alternate dimension filled with ruins, poisonous spores and bloodthirsty plant-demon-things]] in order to do so is all but outright stated to be an attempt at seeking closure and redemption over his inability to stop his young daughter from dying of a terminal illness, and his falling over the DespairEventHorizon as a result.
* Sam Winchester from ''Series/{{Supernatural}}''. After breaking the final seal which unleashed the apocalypse on Earth, Sam spends all of Season 5 by trying to fix the mess he created. Season 5 is often viewed as Sam's redemption by many viewers.
* Stefan Salvatore from ''Series/TheVampireDiaries''. After becoming a blood-addicted Ripper who was controlled by Klaus for the first half of the third season, Stefan spends the other half of the third season trying to gain his free will back and turn on his humanity again. He tries to redeem himself for all of the immoral acts he committed during his Ripper phase by joining the fight in destroying Klaus.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* In ''VideoGame/AmnesiaTheDarkDescent'': [[spoiler:The plot of the game is about Daniel trying to kill Alexander to [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone redeem himself for having killed lots of innocent people]] to keep himself safe from the shadow that haunts him.]]
* In ''VideoGame/BioshockInfinite'', Elizabeth is an absolute darling; a kind, intelligent, perseverant young woman who sticks by Booker through thick and thin in their mission to take down Comstock and leave Columbia -- by the end of episode one of ''BioshockInfinite/BurialAtSea, however, she's become [[spoiler: ruthless, manipulative, and [[RevengeBeforeReason so obsessed with revenge]] against every iteration of Comstock across the multiverse that she 1. murders a repentant version of Comstock who had been living with amnesia about his former identity for years and sincerely apologizes to her once he gets his memories back 2. uses a little girl, Sally, as bait to lure the aforementioned Comstock to his grave (she was his adopted daughter who he'd been searching for after she'd been kidnapped and turned into a Little Sister) and 3. abandons the timeline and leaves Sally to die a painful death once she's outlived her usefulness. Come episode two, we see that Elizabeth's been telling herself that she did nothing wrong in an attempt to alleviate her guilt, but she eventually recognizes the actrociousness of her actions -- she has the Luteces bring her back to Rapture in the immediate aftermath of that moment, and the episode is spent with her trying to rescue Sally and make it right.]]
* Strongly implied with the various heroes in ''VideoGame/DarkestDungeon''. Their motivations are implied by their backstories, with some of them explicitly seeking redemption. The achievement gotten from completing the final quest with the first two heroes you get also strongly implies that Reynauld and Dismas sought redemption for something.
-->On the old road, we found our redemption.
* The DLC expansion duology for ''VideoGame/{{Dishonored}}'', ''Knife of Dunwall'' and ''The Brigmore Witches'', focuses on Daud, the ProfessionalKiller who kicks off the plot of the main game by assassinating Empress Jessamine. Soon after the assassination, Daud realizes that while he killed all kinds of nobles for money before, regicide was the final straw that pushed Dunwall and the Empire over the edge, and gets a chance to atone for it by saving his last victim's daughter from a GrandTheftMe. However, his real redemption comes from turning his back on his murderous ways and, in gameplay terms, going for a [[KarmaMeter Low, rather than High Chaos]] playthrough, as doing so will [[RedemptionEarnsLife prevent]] his PlotlineDeath at Corvo's hands after the last mission in ''TBW''.
* In ''The Enthralling Realms 2: An Alchemist's Journey'' Coral, after accidentally killing her sister Iris during an attempt to make a potion of eternal life, vows to bring her back somehow.
* Although Cecil from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV'' has his HeelRealization early on and, thus, has the "repair my past mistakes" part all throughout the first half of the game, it isn't until [[DarkestHour he's separated from all the allies he has made and ends up in]] [[MyGreatestFailure the town he pillaged to start this whole war off]] that the "impossible task" aspect comes into play and he breaks out of [[EvilVersusEvil Dark Powers Versus Evil]].
* It initially appeared that this sort of redemption was what Athena and the other gods had in mind for Kratos from ''VideoGame/GodOfWar'', but it turns out that wasn't quite the case. They do forgive him. However, it was not forgiveness Kratos wanted, but to forget all the terrible things he had done. Gods do not grant him that. And that is why [[KillEmAll there are no more Greek myths]].
* Tarnum from the ''VideoGame/HeroesOfMightAndMagic'' series spends his entire story arc trying to atone for the terrible deeds in his first life that barred him from entering the Barbarian afterlife. He was cursed with immortality and spent a thousand years fighting evil. Tarnum finally achieves redemption in ''Heroes of Might and Magic IV'' by guiding the young Waerjak as he unites the remaining barbarian tribes without repeating Tarnum's mistakes. However, when he is offered admittance into the afterlife he desired, Tarnum chooses to stay with his people, having found a new reason to live.
** The first of the redemption tasks involves helping the soul of the man who killed him, the first Gryphonheart king. While Tarnum has reservations about this, he proceeds with the task, especially when he learns that the man's daughter, the current queen of Erathia, is Tarnum's own niece (yes, the entire Gryphonheart line is descended from Barbarians[[note]]Of course, so is everyone else. The planet used to be high-technological and connected to an interstellar culture just a few centuries earlier.[[/note]]).
** Several of Tarnum's quests force him to confront the fallout of his own past tyranny, such as a Barbarian cult that worshipped a distorted image of Tarnum himself as the Barbarian Tyrant and freeing the people whom he enslaved in the past (setting them up as a SlaveRace to others). The last entry of the ''Chronicles'' series has his past as the Barbarian Tyrant haunt him once more in the form of one of the rivals seeking the Sword of Frost: Kija, the wife of the new AxCrazy Barbarian King Kilgor whom Tarnum considered to be the final fruition of the example he set for his people as the Barbarian Tyrant. Kija ultimately claims the Sword of Frost for Kilgor, with world ending consequences.
* ''VideoGame/HotlineMiami'': Although it isn't revealed until the second game, almost the entire first game is one of these for Jacket. [[spoiler:It is revealed in the second game that Beard (the friendly clerk who Jacket visits at the end of almost every mission) was Jacket's close friend, and they fought together in the war. At one point in the war, Jacket was severely wounded by an exploding elevator. Bleeding out, he was carried to safety by Beard, who urgently radioed for help, effectively saving Jacket's life. Several months after the war ended, Beard was killed in an atomic blast created by a Russian nuclear weapon which was dropped on San Francisco. It is implied that Jacket decided to become a hitman for 50 Blessings because of his repressed regret over not spending more time with Beard while he was still alive, and/or possibly even because he felt that he never got to repay Beard for saving him. The first game ends with Jacket removing his mask and tossing a polaroid photograph of him and Beard (which Beard gave to him to "remind him of who saved his life") into the wind, likely feeling that he has finally fulfilled his favour and reached the end of the line.]]
%% * The Light Side path of ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'', after TheReveal.
%% ** The Light Side path of the entirety of [[VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublicIITheSithLords the sequel]].
* ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'':
** Thane Krios has spent the last few years killing despicable, evil people in penance for the years he spent as an assassin for first the hanar and then private individuals and organisations. He is also dying of an incurable disease. When he learns of Shepard's mission to take down the Collectors, he signs up immediately, seeing as the best thing to do with what's left of his life. This also ties into his loyalty mission, which revolves around him and Shepard preventing Thane's son from following in his father's footsteps as an assassin.
** [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] in Tali's loyalty mission. The Admiralty Board gives her (and Shepard, naturally) the task of reclaiming a quarian ship that has been overrun by geth. If she is killed, the Board promises to drop the charges against her. If she survives and succeeds, she still has to deal with the charges but the act will lend credence to her side. The subversion comes in where the admirals prematurely pronounce her as [=KIA=] and [[JerkAss one of them suggests exiling her posthumously, anyway]]. This being a RolePlayingGame, the final decision is left up to Shepard's diplomatic skills.
** {{Downplayed}} with Mordin Solus, who has worked with the salarian government to ensure the Genophage -- the [[SterilityPlague population-control bioweapon]] they developed and used on the krogan -- was still working as intended. [[IDidWhatIHadToDo He defends the Genophage]] as a means to keep the galaxy safe from the warlike krogan without committing outright genocide, but the effects the Genophage had on the krogan, turning them into a race of pessimistic mercenaries with a grim outlook on their own future, has weighed heavy on his conscious. Come ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', he gains an opportunity to make amends by curing the Genophage, reasoning that the krogan have suffered long enough (and their help against the Reapers wouldn't hurt), which, this being a RolePlayingGame, Shepard can help or hinder.
* ''VideoGame/{{Pinstripe}}'': It's revealed that the whole story is one for [[spoiler:Ted, the player character. His journey forces him to confront the fact that his alcoholism led to the car crash that killed him and his daughter, and allows him to atone for his mistakes, rescue his daughter, and enter Heaven with her]].
* In ''VideoGame/PrinceOfPersiaTheSandsOfTime'', the Prince strives to redeem himself by undoing the damage he inflicted upon the time-space continuum by releasing the Sands in the beginning of the game.
* ''VideoGame/RandalsMonday'': Despite how mean spirited the game can be, Randal's story is ultimately about him redeeming himself for his terrible choices and becoming a better person.
* ''[[VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption Red Dead]]'' '''''[[VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption Redemption]]'''''. John Marston, former outlaw, is sent by Federal agents to hunt down and kill members of his former gang. It seems like a subversion at first because the Federal agents are actually forcing Martson to leave his [[CallToAgriculture peaceful retirement on a small farm]] by kidnapping his wife and son and threatening to jail or kill Marston for his life of crime, but through the game Martson talks about his desire to atone for all the violence he's committed and how much he hates having to ''keep'' killing people.
** And then ultimately subverted at the end when [[spoiler:despite having completed the impossible mission, killed some eviler-than-thou baddies and earned his family's freedom, the Federal agents come to kill him anyway and the PlayableEpilogue shows that [[DownerEnding Marston was remembered in the same breath as the villains he killed, as just another violent outlaw that the West is better without]].]]
* ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption2'' also has this come up, particularly when players pursue a high [[KarmaMeter Honor rating]]. Arthur Morgan, a member of the same gang John Marston ran with, is a complex man who led a life of crime, but when he contracts tuberculosis, he begins to reconsider his acts and taking steps to make amends. [[spoiler:This comes to a head in the climax where, if the player so chooses, Arthur chooses to help John escape from the Pinkertons, forsaking a large sum of money in so doing, but completing his redemption.]]
* Deconstructed in ''VideoGame/SpecOpsTheLine'', one of the reasons Walker keep pushing to find Konrad and save the people of Dubai is he subconsciously views his mission as one of these, desperate to make up for [[spoiler:the white phosphorus incident. However, his drive to be a hero just ends up making things so much worse. By the end, it's entirely possible that everyone in Dubai, including Walker himself, is dead because of his need to prove to himself that he's a hero]].
* ''VideoGame/TalesOfDestiny2'': [[spoiler:Judas]] is on one of these for [[spoiler:having betrayed his friends and family in the previous game to save someone he cared about.]]
* [[TheLoad Ben]] from ''VideoGame/TheWalkingDeadSeasonOne'' tries to set out on a RedemptionQuest at the end of Episode 4 after [[spoiler:his efforts to protect the group from bandits in secret led to Duck being bit, which caused Katja to kill herself. He's absolutely consumed with guilt, and is confused if you don't let him die in Crawford. Despite how awful he feels about what happened, he stands up to Kenny in defiance of the repeated abuse he's been given for what honestly was a misguided attempt at protection, and after Kenny realizes how much of a dick he's been, it looks like Ben's going to be able to turn things around, but come episode five, he's unfortunately injured in a way that pretty much signs his death warrant, and Kenny, to make up for what he's done to the poor kid, [[MercyKill shoots him in the head before the walkers can get to him,]] [[BetterToDieThanBeKilled since he had expressed that being eaten alive was his worst fear, and he would rather take any other way out.]]]]
[[/folder]]

* ''Manga/RurouniKenshin'': Kenshin's quest to protect people and fight for justice without killing is his redemption for all the lives he previously took as an assassin. Both in the anime and manga (but particularly in the anime, especially filler episodes or arcs whose stories were changed), he encourages other warriors to try to make amends and work towards making a better world rather than commit {{Seppuku}} when they fall into similar situations.

* Being a deconstruction of the FightingSeries PlayedForLaughs, ''Manga/RamenFighterMiki'' deconstructs this trope with Nishiyama Kankuro, who has come back from a local university to Hanami City to [[BrokenAesop “stand up for himself”]] against Miki, his former bully who now is twenty and a SchoolyardBullyAllGrownUp ManChild. Problem is, Kankuro is an IdiotHero, [[DefeatMeansFriendship and really wants to get Miki's respect]], but Miki is incapable of respecting anyone weaker than her, and she is stronger than Kankuro: to beat her is truly an ImpossibleTask. Kankuro is trapped in a CycleOfRevenge. Here he explains why while we see a PhotoMontage in a computer… complete with a ''delete trash can'' image:
--> ''[[FreudianExcuse Being made a fool by a girl younger than me, and the tormenting memory of being treated as a slave…]] If I don’t erase those images I’ll never be to [[CharacterDevelopment leave this town and put it behind me]], [[VerbalTic Nya]].''

--> '''Jack:''' You'll go straight to Zero and not get distracted by anything else?!
--> '''LSB:''' [[LyingFingerCross We promise!!!]]
** [[spoiler: They keep it. Sort of.]]

* Manga/MyHeroAcademia: This is the goal of the Flame Hero, Enji "Endeavor" Todoroki. After subjecting his family to horrific [[DomesticAbuser mental and physical abuse]] in his attempts at being the top hero, he has a HeelRealization and seeks to atone for his past mistakes. Its PlayedForDrama as said family are...mixed to the say the least; His wife acknowledges his efforts to move forward but she still can't quite tolerate being around him, his second youngest son wants nothing to do with him, his daughter is accepting, and his youngest son is somewhere in-between where while he can't quite bring himself to forgive his father, he is at least willing to see his actions as a hero and a father.

* ''ComicBook/{{Incorruptible}}'', the companion story of ''ComicBook/{{Irredeemable}}'', has former supervillain Max Damage trying to be a superhero after The Plutonium, the Superman analogue, becomes a FallenHero.
* This is what the 3rd Loki was aiming for in ''ComicBook/LokiAgentOfAsgard'', and because with Loki nothing is ever simple things got complicated. From misunderstanding how redemption works (no, just erasing the past without facing it won't do it), to fighting themselves (literally!).
* In ''ComicBook/BrodysGhost'', Brody is roped into helping the titular ghost Talia into performing a "life task," a very good deed, so that she can be allowed to enter heaven (which she was locked out of for reasons she doesn't divulge.) [[spoiler:It turns out this entire story is bunk, however, as she's only interested in getting revenge on her killer.]]

* Very common in ''WesternAnimation/{{Frozen|2013}}'' fanfiction like ''Fanfic/FrozenHearts'' and ''Fanfic/AMarriageOfConvenience'', where [[spoiler: Prince Hans]] goes to great lengths to seek forgiveness from Anna and Elsa for his actions in the film. This was brought about by rumors of this happening in the actual sequel.

* ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddysBigPictureShow'' serves as this for Eddy; first, he is forced to confront and admit the fact that his selfish and jerkass tendencies are unhealthy and at risk of costing him the only two friends he has, and then he admits to ''everyone'' in the Cul-de-sac that the only reason he acts like a jerk is because his brother did; he thought that his brother was "respected" and "liked" by the other kids (when in actuality they were afraid of him), and that if he acted like his brother, then [[IJustWantToHaveFriends the other kids would like him.]] Once the illusion falls off, he's finally accepted and forgiven by the other kids.

* A frequent theme in the ''Franchise/{{Rocky}}'' movies. Apollo pursues a rematch with Rocky in the [[Film/RockyII second movie]] so he can regain any respect he's lost from nearly losing to a bum, Rocky goes for a rematch with Clubber in ''Film/RockyIII'' to erase the self doubts caused by the dramatic beating he got in their first fight, etc.
* ''Film/TheReplacements2000'' a Keanu Reeves comedy football movie, has this happening to Reeves' character Shane Falco. Falco had notoriously choked in the final game of his college career, and performed miserably in his little time as a pro, so this last chance at the game represents a chance for him to erase that image. At the same time, the film makes it clear that none of the replacement players, including Falco, became permanent professional players and went back to their original jobs (in one case, back to prison). This is despite the fact that they've accomplished what the original highly-paid "superstars" couldn't.
* Played with [[spoiler:but {{Deconstructed}} in the end]] in ''Film/TheWrestler'', where what would normally be the subject of Randy "The Ram" Robinson's RedemptionQuest in most other sports movies (namely, his big reunion bout with his old sparring nemesis "The Ayatollah") in fact ''isn't''; his real Quest is to redeem himself in the eyes of his estranged daughter and to make a connection with the stripper with whom he has fallen in love. [[spoiler: He ultimately fails at both, and his decision to go ahead with the bout even if his heart problems mean it'll kill him is ultimately a symbol of his failure in this; he wins the bout, but it's heavily implied that he dies in the process.]]

* The film ''Film/TheVerdict'' starring Creator/PaulNewman as a middle aged, alcoholic lawyer taking a big malpractice case against a rich hospital.

* In ''Film/ByTheSword'', Suba is trying to make right what he did wrong at the fencing school he used to go to, what with him [[spoiler: killing his maestro in a duel to the death.]]

-->'''Zee:''' L.T., those Africans are my people too. For all the years that we were told to stand down and to stand by, you're doing the right thing.
-->'''L.T.:''' For our sins.
-->'''Both:''' Hooyah.
* ''Film/TheColorOfMoney'' is essentially about [[BrokenAce Eddie Felson's]] journey to redeem himself after the events of ''Film/TheHustler1961'' and rediscover the unbridled joy of playing pool.
* In ''Film/TheMission'', mercenary and slaver Rodrigo Mendoza goes on one of these after he kills his own brother.

* Follows Lale's HeelRealization in ''Literature/TheAssassinsOfTamurin''.
* [[spoiler:Severus Snape]] spends most of the ''Literature/HarryPotter'' series atoning for [[spoiler:causing Lily's death]] by protecting Harry from harm and working as a double agent for both the Death Eaters and the Order.
%%* Elizabeth Bathory toward the end of ''Literature/CountAndCountess''.
* Su Wukong (Monkey King) and the other bodyguards/traveling companions go along with the monk Tripitaka in ''Literature/JourneyToTheWest'' to earn redemption for past misdeeds.

* ''Literature/TheLicaniusTrilogy'' [[DeconstructedTrope deconstructs]] this with Caeden. While he tries his best to make up for his past atrocities, many characters (himself included) consider him beyond forgiveness, for the most part.
* In ''Literature/TheCrush'', this is Kelly and Amber's entire drive. They lost half their team to the rogue James [=McTavish=] a year ago, and have been languishing in defeat since then. When they find out the latter is in their city, they jump at the chance to make it up to their fallen comrades. Both of them see it as a [[HonorBeforeReason matter of honour]] to make good on their promise to protect their friends.
* In ''Literature/ShadowOfTheConqueror,'' [[RetiredMonster Daylen]] sets out on this after [[EmpoweredBadassNormal getting his powers]], with the setting's SkyPirates and [[HumanTraffickers Sex Slavers]] being at the top of his list of targets.

* It initially appeared that this sort of redemption was what Athena and the other gods had in mind for Kratos from ''VideoGame/GodOfWar'', but it turns out that wasn't quite the case. They do forgive him. However, it was not forgiveness Kratos wanted, but to forget all the terrible things he had done. Gods do not grant him that. And that is why [[KillEmAll there are no more Greek myths.]]

* In ''VideoGame/PrinceOfPersiaTheSandsOfTime'', the Prince strives to redeem himself by undoing the damage he inflicted upon the time-space continuum by releasing the Sands in the beginning of the game.
* In ''VideoGame/AmnesiaTheDarkDescent'': [[spoiler:the plot of the game is about Daniel trying to kill Alexander to [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone redeem himself for having killed lots of innocent people]] to keep himself safe from the shadow that haunts him.]]

* Although Cecil from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV'' has his HeelRealization early on and, thus, has the "repair my past mistakes" part all throughout the first half of the game, it isn't until [[DarkestHour he's separated from all the allies he has made and ends up in]] [[MyGreatestFailure the town he pillaged to start this whole war off]] that the "impossible task" aspect comes into play and he breaks out of [[EvilVersusEvil Dark Powers Versus Evil]].

* In ''VideoGame/BioshockInfinite'', Elizabeth is an absolute darling; a kind, intelligent, perseverant young woman who sticks by Booker through thick and thin in their mission to take down Comstock and leave Columbia -- by the end of episode one of ''BioshockInfinite/BurialAtSea, however, she's become [[spoiler: ruthless, manipulative, and [[RevengeBeforeReason so obsessed with revenge]] against every iteration of Comstock across the multiverse that she 1. murders a repentant version of Comstock who had been living with amnesia about his former identity for years and sincerely apologizes to her once he gets his memories back 2. uses a little girl, Sally, as bait to lure the aforementioned Comstock to his grave (she was his adopted daughter who he'd been searching for after she'd been kidnapped and turned into a Little Sister) and 3. abandons the timeline and leaves Sally to die a painful death once she's outlived her usefulness. Come episode two, we see that Elizabeth's been telling herself that she did nothing wrong in an attempt to alleviate her guilt, but she eventually recognizes the actrociousness of her actions -- she has the Luteces bring her back to Rapture in the immediate aftermath of that moment, and the episode is spent with her trying to rescue Sally and make it right.]]
* Tarnum from the ''VideoGame/HeroesOfMightAndMagic'' series spends his entire story arc trying to atone for the terrible deeds in his first life that barred him from entering the Barbarian afterlife. He was cursed with immortality and spent a thousand years fighting evil. Tarnum finally achieves redemption in ''Heroes of Might and Magic IV'' by guiding the young Waerjak as he unites the remaining barbarian tribes without repeating Tarnum's mistakes. However, when he is offered admittance into the afterlife he desired, Tarnum chooses to stay with his people, having found a new reason to live.
** The first of the redemption tasks involves helping the soul of the man who killed him, the first Gryphonheart king. While Tarnum has reservations about this, he proceeds with the task, especially when he learns that the man's daughter, the current queen of Erathia, is Tarnum's own niece (yes, the entire Gryphonheart line is descended from Barbarians[[note]]Of course, so is everyone else. The planet used to be high-technological and connected to an interstellar culture just a few centuries earlier.[[/note]]).
** Several of Tarnum's quests force him to confront the fallout of his own past tyranny, such as a Barbarian cult that worshipped a distorted image of Tarnum himself as the Barbarian Tyrant and freeing the people whom he enslaved in the past (setting them up as a SlaveRace to others). The last entry of the ''Chronicles'' series has his past as the Barbarian Tyrant haunt him once more in the form of one of the rivals seeking the Sword of Frost: Kija, the wife of the new AxCrazy Barbarian King Kilgor whom Tarnum considered to be the final fruition of the example he set for his people as the Barbarian Tyrant. Kija ultimately claims the Sword of Frost for Kilgor, with world ending consequences.
* [[TheLoad Ben]] from ''VideoGame/TheWalkingDeadSeasonOne'' tries to set out on a RedemptionQuest at the end of Episode 4 after [[spoiler: his efforts to protect the group from bandits in secret led to Duck being bit, which caused Katja to kill herself. He's absolutely consumed with guilt, and is confused if you don't let him die in Crawford. Despite how awful he feels about what happened, he stands up to Kenny in defiance of the repeated abuse he's been given for what honestly was a misguided attempt at protection, and after Kenny realizes how much of a dick he's been, it looks like Ben's going to be able to turn things around, but come episode five, he's unfortunately injured in a way that pretty much signs his death warrant, and Kenny, to make up for what he's done to the poor kid, [[MercyKill shoots him in the head before the walkers can get to him,]] [[BetterToDieThanBeKilled since he had expressed that being eaten alive was his worst fear, and he would rather take any other way out.]]]]
* ''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry'' This is pretty much what [[spoiler:Kinzo's]] life turned into after [[spoiler:him raping his [[ParentalIncest daughter]], her [[ChildByRape giving birth]] to Yasu and Yasu being thrown off the cliff by Natsuhi. He desperately wants to be able to say he's sorry and give Yasu his/her grandmother's gold. In an example of RedemptionEqualsDeath, the moment Yasu manages to solve the riddle and Kinzo can say he's sorry, he dies.]]
-->''Genji:'' ...After some sad incidents, [[spoiler:Master's]] life... was completely reduced to atonement.

* The DLC expansion duology for ''VideoGame/{{Dishonored}}'', ''Knife of Dunwall'' and ''The Brigmore Witches'', focuses on Daud, the ProfessionalKiller who kicks off the plot of the main game by assassinating Empress Jessamine. Soon after the assassination, Daud realizes that while he killed all kinds of nobles for money before, regicide was the final straw that pushed Dunwall and the Empire over the edge, and gets a chance to atone for it by saving his last victim's daughter from a GrandTheftMe. However, his real redemption comes from turning his back on his murderous ways and, in gameplay terms, going for a [[KarmaMeter Low, rather than High Chaos]] playthrough, as doing so will [[RedemptionEarnsLife prevent]] his PlotlineDeath at Corvo's hands after the last mission in ''TBW''.
* ''VideoGame/RandalsMonday'': Despite how mean spirited the game can be, Randal's story is ultimately about him redeeming himself for his terrible choices and becoming a better person.
* ''VideoGame/{{Pinstripe}}'': It's revealed that the whole story is one for [[spoiler:Ted, the player character. His journey forces him to confront the fact that his alcoholism led to the car crash that killed him and his daughter, and allows him to atone for his mistakes, rescue his daughter, and enter Heaven with her.]]
* In ''The Enthralling Realms 2: An Alchemist's Journey'' Coral, after accidentally killing her sister Iris during an attempt to make a potion of eternal life, vows to bring her back somehow.
* Strongly implied with the various heroes in ''VideoGame/DarkestDungeon''. Their motivations are implied by their backstories, with some of them explicitly seeking redemption. The achievement gotten from completing the final quest with the first two heroes you get also strongly implies that Reynauld and Dismas sought redemption for something.
-->On the old road, we found our redemption
* ''VideoGame/HotlineMiami'': Although it isn't revealed until the second game, almost the entire first game is one of these for Jacket. [[spoiler: It is revealed in the second game that Beard (the friendly clerk who Jacket visits at the end of almost every mission) was Jacket's close friend, and they fought together in the war. At one point in the war, Jacket was severely wounded by an exploding elevator. Bleeding out, he was carried to safety by Beard, who urgently radioed for help, effectively saving Jacket's life. Several months after the war ended, Beard was killed in an atomic blast created by a Russian nuclear weapon which was dropped on San Francisco. It is implied that Jacket decided to become a hitman for 50 Blessings because of his repressed regret over not spending more time with Beard while he was still alive, and/or possibly even because he felt that he never got to repay Beard for saving him. The first game ends with Jacket removing his mask and tossing a polaroid photograph of him and Beard (which Beard gave to him to "remind him of who saved his life") into the wind, likely feeling that he has finally fulfilled his favour and reached the end of the line.]]

* Subverted by Miko in ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick''. [[spoiler:After she falls from paladinhood because she killed Shojo]] she thinks that she can be redeemed by doing what the gods want of her. The problem, as it is explained by Soon's ghost [[spoiler:before she dies]], that [[NeverMyFault she never actually atoned for her wrongdoings]] or [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone considered that she'd done the wrong thing]].

* ''WesternAnimation/CarmenSandiego'': Carmen Sandiego, started her life raised by V.I.L.E. faculty, but upon her revelation that stealing isn't a game and people are hurt by thievery, she turns against the only family she has known. [[spoiler:Unbeknownst to Carmen, one of her teachers, Shadowsan, is the one who found her and brought her to the island after the death of her father when her father tried to leave V.I.L.E. Shadowsan was there to kill him, but other forces were pursuing him and shot him. Shadowsan secretly never wanted her to join as he could see the inner goodness in Carmen and to respect her father's desire to keep her away from V.I.L.E. When Carmen escapes the island, it became the impetus for Shadowsan's own redemption quest. He first tries to join Carmen in her escape, but his pretense to run after her boat with sword drawn scares her to not trusting him. By the start of Season 2, Shadowsan joins Carmen officially and uses his intimate knowledge of V.I.L.E. to help Carmen destroy the criminal empire. Along the way, Shadowsan reveals more of his own past and further sins he seeks to atone for regarding his own family]].

* ''WesternAnimation/SmilingFriends'': The second episode involves Charlie and Pim trying to rebuild the image and career of Mr. Frog, who was fired from his own show after trying to eat a TMZ reporter alive. All their attempts at redeeming the former star fail, resulting in a fan being strangled, a woman losing her hands and racist remarks being made on live television. Mr. Frog finally redeems himself by apologizing on live television...[[spoiler: and then eating his former producer.]]

* ''Film/TheColorOfMoney'' is essentially about [[BrokenAce Eddie Felson's]] journey to redeem himself after the events of ''Film/TheHustler'' and rediscover the unbridled joy of playing pool.

* In ''VideoGame/BioshockInfinite'', Elizabeth is an absolute darling; a kind, intelligent, perseverant young woman who sticks by Booker through thick and thin in their mission to take down Comstock and leave Columbia -- by the end of episode one of ''BioshockInfinite/BurialAtSea, however, she's become [[spoiler: ruthless, manipulative, and [[RevengeBeforeReason so obsessed with revenge]] against every iteration of Comstock across the multiverse that she 1. murders a rependant version of Comstock who had been living with amnesia about his former identity for years and sincerely apologizes to her once he gets his memories back 2. uses a little girl, Sally, as bait to lure the aforementioned Comstock to his grave (she was his adopted daughter who he'd been searching for after she'd been kidnapped and turned into a Little Sister) and 3. abandons the timeline and leaves Sally to die a painful death once she's outlived her usefulness. Come episode two, we see that Elizabeth's been telling herself that she did nothing wrong in an attempt to alleviate her guilt, but she eventually recognizes the actrociousness of her actions -- she has the Luteces bring her back to Rapture in the immediate aftermath of that moment, and the episode is spent with her trying to rescue Sally and make it right.]]

** {{Downplayed}} with Mordin Solus, who has worked with the salarian government to ensure the Genophage -- the [[SterilityPlague population-control bioweapon]] they developed and used on the krogan -- was still working as intended. [[IDidWhatIHadTo He defends the Genophage]] as a means to keep the galaxy safe from the warlike krogan without committing outright genocide, but the effects the Genophage had on the krogan, turning them into a race of pessimistic mercenaries with a grim outlook on their own future, has weighed heavy on his conscious. Come ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', he gains an opportunity to make amends by curing the Genophage, reasoning that the krogan have suffered long enough (and their help against the Reapers wouldn't hurt), which, this being a RolePlayingGame, Shepard can help or hinder.

* In ''{{WesternAnimation/Aladdin}}'', Iago was the loud-mouthed henchman for [[BigBad Jafar]] who went along with his plans to conquer Agrabah. In the sequel, ''WesternAnimation/AladdinTheReturnOfJafar'', Iago leaves his master's side and fakes a HeelFaceTurn to gain Aladdin's trust. Howeever, Iago [[BecomingTheMask grew to like Aladdin and his friends]] since they didn't mistreat him they way Jafar did, enough that he reforms and helps them defeat Jafar for good. He remains with the group as their TokenEvilTeammate for the rest of the ''Aladdin'' franchise.

** Initially inverted when Prince Zuko's EvilOverlord [[AbusiveParents father]] banished him for not being evil enough, with a hopeless Redemption Quest to capture the Avatar being Zuko's only means of ending that banishment. Zuko's true redemption quest then comes when he realizes how worthless the redemption his father offered is and instead pulls a HeelFaceTurn in season 3, and sets out to train the Avatar to help him overthrow his father.

* [[TheLoad Ben]] from ''VideoGame/TheWalkingDeadSeasonOne'' tries to set out on a RedemptionQuest at the end of Episode 4 after [[spoiler: his efforts to protect the group from bandits in secret led to Duck being bit, which caused Katja to kill herself. He's absolutely consumed with guilt, and is confused if you don't let him die in Crawford. Despite how awful he feels about what happened, he stands up to Kenny in defiance of the repeated abuse he's been given for what honestly was a misguided attempt at protection, and after Kenny realizes how much of a dick he's been, it looks like Ben's going to be able to turn things around, but come episode five, he's unfortunately injured in a way that pretty much signs his death warrant, and Kenny, to make up for what he's done to the poor kid, [[MercyKill shoots him in the head before the walkers can get to him,]] [[BetterToDieThanBeKilled since he had expressed that being eaten alive was his worst fear, and he would rather take any other way out.]]

* [[TheLoad Ben]] from ''VideoGame/TheWalkingDeadSeasonOne'' tries to set out on a RedemptionQuest at the end of Episode 4 after [[spoiler: his efforts to protect the group from bandits in secret led to Duck being bit, which caused Katja to kill herself. He's absolutely consumed with guilt, and is confused if you don't let him die in Crawford. Despite how awful he feels about what happened, he stands up to Kenny in defiance of the repeated abuse he's been given for what honestly was a misguided attempt at protection, and after Kenny realizes how much of a dick he's been, it looks like Ben's going to be able to turn things around, but [[spoiler: come episode five, he's unfortunately injured in a way that pretty much signs his death warrant, and Kenny, to make up for what he's done to the poor kid, [[MercyKill shoots him in the head before the walkers can get to him,]] [[BetterToDieThanBeKilled since he had expressed that being eaten alive was his worst fear, and he would rather take any other way out.]]

* [[TheLoad Ben]] from ''VideoGame/TheWalkingDeadSeasonOne'' tries to set out on a RedemptionQuest at the end of Episode 4 after [[spoiler: his efforts to protect the group from bandits in secret led to Duck being bit, which caused Katja to kill herself. He's absolutely consumed with guilt, and is confused if you don't let him die in Crawford. Despite how awful he feels about what happened, he stands up to Kenny in defiance of the repeated abuse he's been given for what honestly was a misguided attempt at protection, and after Kenny realizes how much of a dick he's been, it looks like Ben's going to be able to turn things around, but [[spoiler: come episode five, he's unfortunately injured in a way that pretty much signs his death warrant, and Kenny, to make up for what he's done to the poor kid, [[MercyKill shoots him in the head before the walkers can get to him,]] [[BetterToDieThanBeKilled since he had expressed that being eaten alive was his worst fear, and he would rather take any other way out.]]]]

* [[TheLoad Ben]] from ''VideoGame/TheWalkingDead'' tries to set out on a RedemptionQuest at the end of Episode 4 after [[spoiler: his efforts to protect the group from bandits in secret led to Duck being bit, which caused Katja to kill herself. He's absolutely consumed with guilt, and is confused if you don't let him die in Crawford. Despite how awful he feels about what happened, he stands up to Kenny in defiance of the repeated abuse he's been given for what honestly was a misguided attempt at protection, and after Kenny realizes how much of a dick he's been, it looks like Ben's going to be able to turn things around, but [[spoiler: come episode five, he's unfortunately injured in a way that pretty much signs his death warrant, and Kenny, to make up for what he's done to the poor kid, [[MercyKill shoots him in the head before the walkers can get to him,]] [[BetterToDieThanBeKilled since he had expressed that being eaten alive was his worst fear, and he would rather take any other way out.]]]]

* [[TheLoad Ben]] from ''VideoGame/TheWalkingDead'' begins to set out on a RedemptionQuest at the end of Episode 4 after his [[NiceJobBreakingItHero repeated screw-ups]] put the group in danger. [[spoiler: But then he goes and falls off a balcony while attempting to escape walkers with the group, and is mercy-killed by Kenny. [[SubvertedTrope He never gets the chance to]]]].

* Being a deconstruction of the FightingSeries PlayedForLaughs, ''Manga/MutekiKanbanMusume'' deconstructs this trope with Nishiyama Kankuro, who has come back from a local university to Hanami City to [[BrokenAesop “stand up for himself”]] against Miki, his former bully who now is twenty and a SchoolyardBullyAllGrownUp ManChild. Problem is, Kankuro is an IdiotHero, [[DefeatMeansFriendship and really wants to get Miki's respect]], but Miki is incapable of respecting anyone weaker than her, and she is stronger than Kankuro: to beat her is truly an ImpossibleTask. Kankuro is trapped in a CycleOfRevenge. Here he explains why while we see a PhotoMontage in a computer… complete with a ''delete trash can'' image:

* Very common in ''WesternAnimation/{{Frozen|2013}}'' fanfiction like ''FanFic/FrozenHearts'' and ''FanFic/AMarriageOfConvenience'', where [[spoiler: Prince Hans]] goes to great lengths to seek forgiveness from Anna and Elsa for his actions in the film. This was brought about by rumors of this happening in the actual sequel.

* In ''VideoGame/AmnesiaTheDarkDescent'': [[spoiler:the plot of the game is about Daniel trying to kill Alexander to [[{{MyGodWhatHaveIDone}} redeem himself for having killed lots of innocent people]] to keep himself safe from the shadow that haunts him.]]

-->''Genji'': "...After some sad incidents, [[spoiler:Master's]] life... was completely reduced to atonement."

%% * This forms the second half of the plot of ''ThePowerpuffGirls Movie''.
* ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddysBigPictureShow'' serves as this for Eddy; first, he is forced to confront and admit the fact that his selfish and jerkass tendencies are unhealthy and at risk of costing him the only two friends he has, and then he admits to ''everyone'' in the Cul-de-sac that the only reason he acts like a jerk is because his brother did; he thought that his brother was "respected" and "liked" by the other kids (when in actuality they were afraid of him), and that if he acted like his brother, then [[IJustWantToHaveFriends the other kids would like him.]] Once the illusion falls off, he's finally accepted and forgiven by the other kids.

* Villainous and thus {{inverted}} example: the driving force behind all Dimension of Pain stories in ''WebComic/SluggyFreelance'' is Lord Horribus seeking redemption for letting Torg escape, by hauling Torg's soul back to the demons' dimension for eternal torment. The "redemption" theme is mentioned explicitly in "That Which Redeems", which also features another similarly inverted example bordering on [[DeconstructedTrope deconstruction]] in the form of a story (which presented as an analogy to Horribus) of a man who came to a HeelRealization about his terrible deeds, turned to a local notion of {{God}} to seek redemption, and went on a crusade in God's name to commit even more terrible deeds. "That which redeems consumes."
* Similar to the Avatar example, in ''Webcomic/TwoKinds'', Keith is sent into exile for [[SelfMadeOrphan killing his father]] (though this was more to keep the father's good name intact by avoiding a trial) and the only way he could return was to bring back the human Grand Templar with him (which was '''supposed''' to be an ImpossibleTask). He succeeds, though mostly by accident (he'd long since befriended Trace when the group discovered he was [[LaserGuidedAmnesia the missing Grand Templar]])