History Main / TheIrredeemableException

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKingIISimbasPride'': The film's conflict centers around the war between the Pridelanders, Simba's pride, and the Outsiders, followers of [[GreaterScopeVillain the deceased Scar]], and it's resolved when [[StarcrossedLovers Kiara and Kovu]] convince both lion factions to end their feud and become one pride for peace and prosperity. But the only lion unwilling to change their ways is the [[BigBad Zira]], leader of the Outsiders and Kovu's mother. Fanatically loyal to Scar, Zira threatens to [[OffingTheOffspring kill her children]] for refusing to fight ([[EvenEvilHasStandards which prompts the rest of the Outsiders to turn against her]]) and then immediately attacks Simba, only to end up hanging precariously on the edge of the gorge above a torrent river. Despite [[SaveTheVillain Kiara's attempt to save her]], Zira tries to attack her but ends up [[DisneyVillainDeath falling into a torrent river]] where she is swept away and drowned. A DeletedScene would shown that [[SpitefulSuicide Zira deliberately lets go to spite Kiara]], swearing that she will never accept the aid of a Pridelander.

* ''WesternAnimation/AtlantisTheLostEmpire'': The Expedition team to {{Atlantis}}, san [[TheProtagonist Milio Thatch]], are OnlyInItForTheMoney though many do give sympathetic reasons as to why (such as opening flower shops or helping out family). Thus it's easy for Milo to shame them for plundering a newly discovered living civilization that is ''dependent'' on the Heart of Atlantis they sought after (and thus will die if it is taken from them), and nearly all the named members undergo a HeelFaceTurn. The only exceptions are [[BigBad Commander Lyle Rourke]] and [[TheDragon Lieutenant Helga Sinclair]] who, along with their army of FacelessGoons, take the Heart of Atlantis regardless, resulting in a big climatic battle over the fate of Atlantis. And of those two, Rourke proves to be the worst as Helga actually does have second thoughts of her actions while Rourke casually sacrifices Helga to save himself and get more of the profit margin. By the film, [[DeathEqualsRedemption Helga uses her last breath to stop Rourke for his betrayal]], while Rourke dies as a crystallized, mindless monster.

Except ''THIS'' character. No matter what the hero says, no matter if there's no chance of winning, no matter if so many other characters who've done worse things have managed to come to the light, this {{Jerkass}} will never turn to good for as long as they live. As such, this trope often overlaps with RedemptionRejection. Expect EvenTheLovingHeroHasHatedOnes to apply to this character. If they are bad enough, they will likely be a CompleteMonster as well. Always the despicable party of a SympatheticVillainDespicableVillain duo.

* ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda4'': [[BigBad The Chameleon]] brings forth the spirits of the villains and foes that Po has vanquished in the past to steal their kung fu, defeat Po, and take over China. The revived villains, particularly Tai Lung, quickly [[EvenEvilHasStandards despise the Chameleon]] for drawing them out from the Spirit Realm and stealing their kung fu abilities. After hearing Po's speech about the importance of change, and then seeing him go through the trouble of restoring their kung fu abilities in spite of their enmity, the [[VillainRespect villains all bow to Po as the true Dragon Warrior]] and willingly return back to the Spirit Realm as better people, save for the defeated Chameleon, [[DraggedOffToHell whom the villains take as their prisoner]].

* In ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'', almost all of the Akumatized villains show themselves to be nice (or [[{{Jerkass}} not nice]], but not in the "[[PutThemAllOutOfMyMisery set Paris ablaze]]" way) people who were pushed over the edge and subsequently BrainwashedAndCrazy... the sole exceptions being [[Characters/MiraculousLadybugLilaRossi Lila Rossi]] and [[Characters/MiraculousLadybugChloeBourgeois Chloé Bourgeois]] ([[UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom who's also often the cause of said akumatizations in the first place]]), who expose themselves as [[JerkWithAHeartOfJerk Jerks with a Heart of Jerk]] by ''willingly'' accepting being akumatized. The chief difference between them is that [[spoiler:Lila is revealed to be just one of many identities of someone who was already a supervillain prior to ever being akumatized, whereas Chloé is a regular person who just [[RedemptionRejection stubbornly refuses to change her ways]]]].

* ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda4'': [[BigBad The Chameleon]] brings forth the spirits of the villains and foes that Po has vanquished in the past to steal their kung fu, defeat Po, and take over China. The revived villains, particularly Tai Lung, quickly [[EvenEvilHasStandards despise the Chameleon]] for drawing them out from the Spirit Realm and stealing their kung fu abilities. After hearing Po's speech about the importance of change, and then seeing go through the trouble of restoring their kung fu abilities, the [[VillainRespect villains all bow to Po as the true Dragon Warrior]] and willingly return back to the Spirit Realm as better people, save for the defeated Chameleon, [[DraggedOffToHell who is dragged with them against her will]].

* ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'': While Luz and the others managed to bring out the inner goodness in others, [[BigBad Emperor Belos]] refuses to see the error of his ways as he descends further and further into genocidal madness to fulfill his heroic delusions. Defying Luz's example about "treating others with Kindness and Forgiveness" by trying to shoot The Collector in the Back after a following Luz's advice. At this point, the heroes realize that Belos can't be talked down from his delusions, and has to be killed so that he can't hurt anyone else.

* ''VideoGame/KirbySuperStar'': Out of all the {{final boss}}es in each sub-game, [[spoiler:Marx from ''Milky Way Wishes'']] is the only character who's actually evil. King Dedede is [[TheRival Kirby's rival]], Dyna Blade is [[MonsterIsAMommy trying to feed her babies]], Wham Bam Rock and Wham Bam Jewel are just bosses without characterization, Meta Knight is [[WellIntentionedExtremist trying to make Dream Land a better place]], and even [[spoiler:Galacta Knight]] is only AmbiguouslyEvil [[spoiler:and turns out in ''VideoGame/SuperKirbyClash'' to have been a legendary hero before he was sealed away]]. By contrast, this character is [[spoiler:a gleefully mischievous {{Jerkass}} who manipulates the sun and moon into fighting so he can [[TreacherousQuestGiver trick Kirby]] into summoning Nova, who can grant his wish to [[TakeOverTheWorld take over Planet Popstar]] and wreak as much havoc as he pleases]]. When he reappears in ''VideoGame/KirbyStarAllies'', he is a TokenEvilTeammate, and only aligns himself with Kirby because the BigBad happens to be [[EvilVersusOblivion even worse than he is]].

* ''Franchise/ToyStory'': Most of the antagonists in this franchise have positive qualities and end up either turning over a new leaf, or were just [[HarmlessVillain never particularly threatening to start with.]] Sid is now a harmless and fairly well-adjusted garbage collector, Zurg and the other Buzz form a good father-son relationship, both Stinky Pete and Gabby Gabby found kids who were willing to own them and love them, Ken, Big Baby, and all the other Sunnyside toys all change their ways, the Cleric is last seen silently reconsidering his prior beliefs, and even Al gets off lightly for his misdemeanor, staying in business but as a Dollar Store now. Lotso Huggin' Bear, meanwhile, refuses to repent and rejects the chance at redemption and finding a new home with Woody and the other toys when it's offered to him, instead leaving them to burn in the incinerator. Because of this, he's hit hard with karma for his actions in the form of an ironic FateWorseThanDeath.

* WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse: While Luz and the others managed to bring out the inner goodness in others, [[BigBad Emperor Belos]] refuses to see the error of his ways as he descends further and further into genocidal madness to fulfill his heroic delusions. Defying Luz's example about "treating others with Kindness and Forgiveness" by trying to shoot The Collector in the Back after a following Luz's advice. At this point, the heroes realize that Belos can't be talked down from his delusions, and has to be killed so that he can't hurt anyone else.

Since this trope concerns the final fates of villains, including those that involve death, '''spoilers be warned.'''

* ''Manga/EdensZero'' has its fair share of villains all over the morality scale, and major arc villains will generally be unrepentant monsters that the heroes need to overcome...in normal timelines. When the protagonists get the opportunity to jump to a much kinder ultimate universe, most of the villains (even the warlord Draken Joe and the megalomaniac Shura) get the chance to be much better than they were in previous timelines. The lone exception to this is Doctor Muller, a MadDoctor who gleefully experimented on two children for his own selfish interest and is outright willing to endanger robotkind.

* ''Manga/PokemonAdventures'': Of all the members of the [[AdaptationalVillainy Kanto Elite Four]], [[EvilOldFolks Agatha]] is the only one who doesn't perform a HeelFaceTurn, and instead simply just escapes [[KarmaHoudini and gets away with her crimes.]]
* Manga/RaveMaster: The series emphasizes on having their antagonists having understandable motivations, tragic backgrounds, and redemptions. Shakuma [[spoiler: Raregroove]] on the other hand is one of the series most vile villains whose actions are part of the reason for the war in the first place. Upon learning this both Haru and Ellie see him as an irredeemable monster and show no hesitation in trying to kill him.

** ''Series/KamenRiderRevice:'' Among the Deadmans trio, Olteca is the only one not given any redeeming qualities and his reason for villainy doesn't make him sympathetic. As such, while Aguilera and Julio are EasilyForgiven and allowed to become atoners, Olteca gets locked away in prison for the rest of the show, escaping in the post-show media.

* In ''Series/OnceUponATime'', the {{Big Bad}}s are almost always either [[HeelFaceTurn redeemed outright]] or go unredeemed while still having [[FreudianExcuse tragic backstories]] that make you understand them and positive traits such as [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes love for others]]. That is, ''except'' for Peter Pan, who [[spoiler: is just a selfish manchild who abandoned his child to make a DealWithTheDevil to gain eternal youth, always resented said child because he irrationally blamed him for his wife's supposed death which saddled him with the responsibility of parenthood, and is gleefully willing to manipulate, hurt or kill anyone, even his own family members, to get what he wants.]]

* ''VideoGame/BlueArchive'' has Beatrice. While most of the villains in the game are either too comedic, too tragic, are too detached from reality itself or have redeeming qualities, Beatrice is one of the vilest villains to ever come out from a waifu gacha, taking [[BreakTheCutie breaking the cuties]] to extremes by [[spoiler:turning the students of Arius into horrific, heartless killers through frequent physical ''and'' verbal abuse. At the end, she even seeks to sacrifice Atsuko to ascend to godhood]]. It tells when the other members of [[spoiler:Gematria decide to execute her when they find out she's working with the Chroma.]]

** In the ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'' duology, every leader of [[AnimalWrongsGroup Team Plasma]] and a fair amount of the {{Mooks}} genuinely want to protect Pokemon and are capable of being persuaded to abandon their criminal ways -- except for their true leader, Ghetsis Harmonia, who [[NotSoWellIntentionedExtremist just wants]] to TakeOverTheWorld and is last seen being driven into a VillainousBreakdown before being taken away by the Shadow Triad.

** [[spoiler:Iris Zeppelin herself, TheManBehindTheMan in both games, is a sadistic {{chessmaster}} who goes out of her way to personally destroy the lives of everyone around her and pits RKS and the Empire against each other, never changing her ways despite Spirita believing she could do so, and Freudia declares her BeyondRedemption in ''Freudenstachel'' before imprisoning her in an ice crystal for eternity.]]

* One of the main distinguishing features of ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'' is that it's "the friendly RPG where nobody has to die", allowing you to make peace and become friends with with every single character despite nearly all of them serving as an antagonist at some point or another. The one and only exception to this rule is the Fallen Child, as they're a PosthumousCharacter. During any route where your goal is to spread peace and make friends, their story will have ended long before the events of the game with a failed SuicideAttack against their home village (and possibly [[KillAllHumans the rest of the human race]], as they went to their grave a MisanthropeSupreme) that also took their brother down with them. Conversely, if you choose to play the game as violently as possible, the Fallen Child will be resurrected in a ''[[CameBackWrong significantly]]'' [[HumanoidAbomination worse]] [[OmnicidalManiac state]] and destroy the world so utterly that [[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou the game will no longer be playable by conventional means]]. In other words, the closest thing you can give them to a path to redemption is just not making one specific series of choices that will cause them to become ''worse''.

* ''WebAnimation/EtraChanSawIt'': The episode called [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VV0QL-KcdpM Some people change, others don't...]] features Tachibana, Akamatsu, and Hiiragi as a trio of delinquents who drink and smoke. Hiiragi convinces the other two to start shoplifting. Tachibana eventually feels guilty and gets himself a job to make an honest living and Akamatsu follows his example. Hiiragi is the only one who feels no remorse for his actions, committing a deliberate hit-and-run ten years later, while Tachibana and Akamatsu successfully turn their lives around.

* ''WesternAnimation/InfinityTrain''
** Downplayed in Season 3. The point of the train is for people to improve themselves and make up for their mistakes; they have a number on their hand representing their flaws, and as they become better, the number goes down. Reach zero, and you get to get off the train and go home. Whilst WordOfGod clarifies, the train is [[BlueAndOrangeMorality very flawed and many people die on it]] without ever improving themselves. All the protagonists we have seen in the show have made it off the train, even characters who have made ''very'' big mistakes with big numbers to match (such as Amelia, the dictator of the train in the first season, who has a number that ''goes up to her neck'') can start working on themselves any time they want, and their number will go down accordingly. That said, Simon is the first character we see fail the train. The third season, stars Simon and Grace, Simon's best friend and boss, as the {{Villain Protagonist}}s at the start of the third season. The two have been on the train for years without any sort of explanation for it, they eventually come to the conclusion that the denizens on the train are AlwaysChaoticEvil and that the point of the train is to raise your number and never leave. Grace slowly finds out they were wrong about the nature of the train, and having numbers that go up their arms is ''not'' a good thing, she makes a HeelFaceTurn and vows to dismantle the Apex, a {{cult}} she created. Simon, however, digs in his heels and [[IRejectYourReality refuses to accept that the ideology Grace was created was wrong]], even trying to murder Grace twice. By the time he meets his FamilyUnfriendlyDeath, his number covers his whole body, including his face, while the last scene of the season shows Grace's number slightly decreasing as she begins to take steps to atone for her past actions. It's made very clear that he was never inherently irredeemable and at several points, Simon shows progress and signs of doubt about the ideology he is in. However he doesn't progress due to a combination of a DetrimentalDetermination, some bad luck, and being failed by the mentor that was supposed to help him. One example of the latter being that Simon was told by his former ParentalSubstitute, not to trust Amelia, no matter what. Hence he doesn't believe Amelia when she tells him and Grace they were wrong about the train.
** [[KillerCop Reflection Police Officer Mace]] in Season 2 isn't a passenger but stands out as the only major antagonist, ''not'' to have any kind of redeeming qualities or HiddenDepths, simply being a [[PoliceBrutality vicious cop]]. Even during a ChainedHeat scenario with Mirror Tulip, the person Mace is trying to kill, Mace is consistently hostile and refuses to work with MT, even after [[SaveTheVillain she goes out of her way to keep him alive]]. In the end, [[spoiler: MT is reluctantly forced to kill Mace after he tries to kill them both in a suicidal maneuver.]]
* In ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'', almost all of the Akumatized villains show themselves to be nice (or [[{{Jerkass}} not nice]], but not in the "[[PutThemAllOutOfMyMisery set Paris ablaze]]" way) people who were pushed over the edge and subsequently BrainwashedAndCrazy...the sole exceptions being [[Characters/MiraculousLadybugLilaRossi Lila Rossi]] and [[Characters/MiraculousLadybugChloeBourgeois Chloé Bourgeois]] ([[UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom who's also often the cause of said akumatizations in the first place]]), who expose themselves as [[JerkWithAHeartOfJerk Jerks with a Heart of Jerk]] by ''willingly'' accepting being akumatized. The chief difference between them is that [[spoiler: Lila is revealed to be just one of many identities of someone who was already a supervillain prior to ever being akumatized, whereas Chloé is a regular person who just [[RedemptionRejection stubbornly refuses to change her ways.]]]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/WanderOverYonder'', Wander, being the AllLovingHero that he is, reforms pretty much every villain he comes across. Even resident BigBad Lord Hater has his redeeming moments. However, the one glaring exception is Lord Dominator, who becomes the biggest threat to the galaxy in season two. She does leave the galaxy in the end, but not before calling everyone "a bunch of dorks". She does take Wander's peace offering in a very {{Tsundere}} fashion, [[LeftHanging but that's still the last time]] [[CutShort we ever see her]] [[ScrewedByTheNetwork (as that was the last episode the show got).]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/WanderOverYonder'', Wander, being the AllLovingHero that he is, reforms pretty much every villain he comes across. Even resident BigBad Lord Hater has his redeeming moments. However, the one glaring exception is Lord Dominator, who becomes the biggest threat to the galaxy in season two. She does leave the galaxy in the end, but not before calling everyone "a bunch of dorks". She does take Wander's peace offering in a very {{Tsundere}} fashion, but that's still the last time we ever see her (as that was the last episode the show got).

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Amphibia}}'' has most of its villains see redemption in the end. [[DiskOneFinalBoss Sasha and Grime]] both end up seeing the errors of their ways and become genuinely admirable leaders to Amphibia, Marcy ends up realizing her mistake of trying to cling to the past and move on, and most of the humans that antagonized Anne and the Plantars while on Earth end up helping them when the planet is invaded. Even [[TheDragon Andrias]] learns to step out of his father's shadow, and that he does not need to be evil like him. [[Characters/AmphibiaTheCore The Core]], meanwhile, never learns. It completely refuses to acknowledge change, and still believes that the world must always be the same, no matter how much everyone argues against it.

* ''Manga/PokemonAdventures": Of all the members of the [[AdaptationalVillainy Kanto Elite Four]], [[EvilOldFolks Agatha]] is the only one who doesn't perform a HeelFaceTurn, and instead simply just escapes [[KarmaHoudini and gets away with her crimes.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/Luca'': All the inhabitants of Portorosso are convinced to stop killing sea creatures when Luca and Alberto win the race, except Ercole Visconti.

* ''VideoGame/KirbySuperStar'': Out of all the {{final boss}}es in each sub-game, [[spoiler:Marx from ''Milky Way Wishes'']] is the only character who's actually evil. King Dedede is [[TheRival Kirby's rival]], Dyna Blade is [[MonsterIsAMommy trying to feed her babies]], Wham Bam Rock and Wham Bam Jewel are just bosses without characterization, Meta Knight is [[WellIntentionedExtremist trying to make Dream Land a better place]], and even [[spoiler:Galacta Knight]] is only AmbiguouslyEvil [[spoiler:and turns out in ''VideoGame/SuperKirbyClash'' to have been a legendary hero before he was sealed away]]. By contrast, this character is [[spoiler:a gleefully mischievous {{Jerkass}} who manipulates the sun and moon into fighting so he can [[TreacherousQuestGiver trick Kirby]] into summoning Nova, who can grant his wish to [[TakeOverTheWorld take over Planet Popstar]] and wreak as much havoc as he pleases]]. Even when he reappears in ''VideoGame/KirbyStarAllies'', he is a TokenEvilTeammate who only aligns himself with Kirby because the villains are trying to [[EvilVersusOblivion destroy the universe]].

* ''WebAnimation/EtraChanSawIt'': The episode called [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VV0QL-KcdpM Some people change, others don't...]] features Tachibana, Akamatsu, and Hiiragi as a trio of delinquents who drink and smoke. Hiiragi convinces the other two to start shoplifting. Tachibana eventually feels guilty and gets himself a job to make an honest living and Akamatsu follows his example. Hiiragi is the only one who feels no remorse for his actions ending up committing a deliberate hit-and-run ten years later, while Tachibana and Akamatsu successfully turn their lives around.

* ''WebAnimation/EtraChanSawIt'': The episode called [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VV0QL-KcdpM Some people change, others don't...]] features Tachibana, Akamatsu, and Hiiragi as a trio of delinquents who drink and smoke. Hiiragi convinces the other two to start shoplifting. Tachibana eventually feels guilty and gets himself a job to make an honest living and Akamatsu follows his example. Hiiragi is the only one who feels no remorse for his actions and grows up to be a criminal while Tachibana and Akamatsu successfully turn their lives around.

* One of the main distinguishing features of ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'' is that it's "the friendly RPG where nobody has to die", allowing you to make peace and become friends with with every single character despite nearly all of them serving as an antagonist at some point or another. The one and only exception to this rule is the Fallen Child, as they're a PosthumousCharacter. During any route where your goal is to spread peace and make friends, their story will have ended long before the events of the game with a failed SuicideAttack against their home village (and possibly [[KillAllHumans the rest of the human race]], as they went to their grave a MisanthropeSupreme) that also took their brother down with them. Conversely, if you choose to play the game as violently as possible, the Fallen Child will be resurrected in a ''[[CameBackWrong significantly]]'' [[EldritchAbomination worse]] [[OmnicidalManiac state]] and destroy the world so utterly that [[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou the game will no longer be playable by conventional means]]. In other words, the closest thing you can give them to a path to redemption is just not making one specific series of choices that will cause them to become ''worse''.