History Main / SelfImposedExile

* ''LetsPlay/EmpiresSMP Season 1'': After killing the [[CosmicKeystone Ender Dragon]] and [[ObliviouslyEvil unknowingly helping]] to release [[BigBad Xornoth]] and restore him to full power, Pix goes on a self-imposed exile in an effort to atone. He's initially turned away by neighboring villages but gets taken in after saving them from a thunderstorm, and returns to Pixandria after building a Ghast farm to get many, many Ghast Tears.
-->'''Narrator:''' Ashamed to walk in the light of the Vigil after the horror he had helped unleash, the Copper King fled from Pixandria.

* ''WebVideo/DontHugMeImScared'': In episode 3, The Tree tells the story of Micheal, a boy who was hated by everyone for being ugly and found a cave to live in.

[[folder: Western Animation]]

* In the climax of ''WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitch2StichHasAGlitch'', Stitch, [[ResistTheBeast believing his destructive side is re-emerging and he can't stop it]], chose to leave Earth and isolate himself on a desolate planet where he couldn't harm anyone, unaware that he was actually suffering from out-of-control seizures as he neared the point of permanent shutdown. To make the situation worse, he was leaving in Jumba's ship, which contained the fusion chamber needed to recharge him.

* Miho Nishizumi of ''Anime/GirlsUndPanzer'' was raised in the Nishizumi household, where the sport of sensha-do is a ''de facto'' religion. During a championship match, however, Miho chose to rescue a drowning teammate rather than command her tank crew. This lost Kuroromine the match, for which Miho's mother declared "[[IHaveNoSon I have no daughter]]." Miho fled Kuroromine to enroll at Oarai Academy, which at the time had no sensha-do team. NarrativeCausality changes that, of course, putting Miho back in the saddle again, leading a RagtagBunchOfMisfits against other powerhouse teams.

* In ''ComicBook/GreatLakesAvengers'', Mr. Immortal once spent an entire year BuriedAlive, away from his teammates, as a way of forcing himself to get sober after all the drinking and erratic behavior he engaged in after the death of Dinah Soar.

* In ''WesternAnimation/ThePrinceOfEgypt'', Moses' departure from Egypt after killing a foreman was an act of self-exile, unlike in [[Literature/TheBible the source material]] (where he fled to escape punishment) and ''Film/TheTenCommandments'' (where it ''is'' his punishment).

* ''Literature/JudgeDee'': In "The Chinese Maze Murders", the judge finds the reason for which a brilliant official voluntarily ended his own metropolitan career and buried himself in a town of the Tartar border, refusing even a request by the Emperor to resume his duties: Yoo Shou-chien discovered that where he had tried to practice exemplary virtue during his life, he had entirely failed to transmit any of those virtues to his eldest son. As said son later [[spoiler:commits several murders, including an official magistrate, and plots to create his own satellite kingdom, not to mention despoiling his father's second wife and son of any belongings,]] you kind of see his point.

-->--'''Han Solo''', ''Film/TheForceAwakens''

[[folder:Anime, Manga & Light Novels]]

* Creator/MarvelComics' archvillain ''ComicBook/DoctorDoom'' began as a foreign student at New York University, where his research into arcane transdimensional physics blew up his dorm room, for which Doom was expelled. He returned in shame to Europe, trekking to a lonely monastery, where he studied mysticism and forged his iconic armor. Doom then returned to his homeland of Latveria, deposed the ruling monarchs, and became the most dangerous man on Earth.

* In the late '80s, ComicBook/{{Superman}} executed three Kryptonian criminals in an alternate universe after they wiped out all life on the alternate Earth. The stress of going against his morals prompted him to briefly develop a split personality, taking on the identity of the street brawling vigilante Gangbuster during the night. [[WhatHaveIDone Horrified by what he had become]] and fearing that he was losing control of his powers, he chose to exile himself from Earth into deep space for a time. Ultimately he was abducted by Mongul and forced to fight in gladiatoral tornaments on Mongul's Warworld. Here, he also met an ancient alien being called the Cleric, who was present on Krypton centuries before its destruction, and shared much of Krypton's history with Superman. This helped Superman get his head straightened out and, once he took down Mongul, he returned to Earth.
* In ''ComicBook/{{Superboy}}'' #160, Superboy briefly exiles himself to the moon after being tricked into thinking he killed "Cleop Amahdi" (actually the body of Cleopatra reanimated by Professor Tingly).

[[folder:Myth and Legend]]

* Oedipus left Thebes after he discovered he murdered his father and married his mother.

So you did something bad. It could be intentional, accidental, or against your will. Whatever you did, the act was so bad that you are remorseful of it, [[MoralEventHorizon but there's nothing you can do to make up for what you've done.]] Now this leaves you with three choices - [[ShamedByAMob receiving shame]] and [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer ostracism from society]], facing severe punishment from the law, or even exiling yourself from society.

This self-imposed version of TheExile where instead of society exiling the character, the character exiles themselves. For one reason, the character departing themselves from society will realize that because of the gravity of what they've done, society has no place for them. Another reason for their self-exile is because they may want to avoid receiving punishment from the law enforcement. Either way, the self-exile will need all the luck in finding useful resources in order to survive outside of society and worse, the law enforcement will more than likely catch up with him and arrest him.

* Towards the end of ''Literature/TheMagicians'', Quentin Coldwater exiles himself to the {{Muggle}} world in the aftermath of his foolhardy journey to Fillory [[spoiler: which resulted in the death of his lover, Alice]]. It's not much of a penance considering that he quickly descends into yet another life of [[ExecutiveExcess sloth and]] [[TheHedonist self-indulgence]] in order to escape from his guilt, and his arrogance returns once he starts thinking himself more mature for abandoning magic, so it's really just an extension of his earlier [[{{Wangst}} self-pity]]. After meeting fellow exile Emily Greenstreet and witnessing the depths of denial the two of them are descending to, he gradually realizes that he isn't becoming a better person at all, and abandons exile in favor of returning to the magical lifestyle with his friends.

---> That building was finished 13 years, five months, and six days after the fart of Akbar.

* ''WesternAnimation/Frozen2013'': Elsa retreats to the mountains and builds a "kingdom of isolation" when her [[AnIcePerson ice powers]] are revealed to the people of Arendelle. When her sister Anna finds her and tries to bring her home, Elsa tells her "I know you mean well, but leave me be".
* ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994'': Simba, on the "advice" of [[EvilUncle Scar]], runs away from the Pridelands after he's convinced that he killed his father.

* Moroccan traditional tale: An unlucky man named Akbar in one version (the Morocco version has this to be the local sultan), explodes in a fart in the middle of the market place, loud enough for everyone to hear - as the place is crowded with people. The man is ashamed and goes into hiding, and lives the life of a hermit for several years (varies from ten and up to 30 years at the most), until he thinks it safe to return to his home town, because now people [[TemptingFate surely have forgotten the incident]]. Coming into town, and the market square, he spots a new building he has never seen before and asks a boy when that building was erected. The boy answers accordingly:

[[folder:Film - Animated]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/ThePrinceOfEgypt'', Moses' departure from Egypt was an act of self-exile, unlike in [[Literature/TheBible the source material]] (where he fled to escape punishment) and ''Film/TheTenCommandments'' (where it ''is'' his punishment).

[[folder:Film - Live Action]]

* At the end of ''VideoGame/PathOfExile'', the god Innocence, deeply regretting being a {{JerkassGod|s}}, intends to set off in his own [[TitleDrop path of exile]] southward to the coldest region in the world, intending to return when he feels worthy of redemption.

* ''Literature/IClaudius'': In two separate instances (about ten years apart), both Marcus Agrippa and Tiberius voluntarily ask for, and receive, permission to leave Rome to reduce tensions between rival factions supporting other potential heirs of Augustus (Marcellus in Agrippa's case, Lucius Agrippa Caesar and his brother Gaius in Tiberius's). Tiberius also wanted to get away from his wife Julia (the daughter of Augustus, whom he'd married for political reasons but whom he hated; in the [[Series/IClaudius television series]], it is presented as the

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKing'': Simba, on the "advice" of [[EvilUncle Scar]], runs away from the Pridelands after he's convinced that he killed his father.

Indexes: ThisIndexHasLeftTheBuilding, IndexOfShame, BanishmentTropes

* ''WesternAnimation/LegendsOfChima'': After Laval steals a rare piece of Chi to save his friends from a magically induced sleep he accepts exile as his punishment even though his father and the counsel were will to give him a pass.

[[/folder]]

* ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'': [[ComboPlatterPowers Doctor Manhattan]] teleports away to Mars when he believes his superpowers have [[PowerIncontinence inadvertently]] caused cancer in people close to him, both to isolate himself and because he's increasingly unable to relate to humanity. [[spoiler:This turns out to have been {{Invoked|Trope}} by the BigBad, who caused the cancer in order to provoke an emotional breakdown and [[AchillesInHisTent take Dr. Manhattan out of the action]].]]

* In ''ComicBook/GreatLakesAvengers'', Mr. Immortal once spent an entire year buried alive, away from his teammates, as a way of forcing himself to get sober after all the drinking and erratic behavior he engaged in after the death of Dinah Soar.