| This is a trope/cliche that I absolutely despise with a fiery passion. I hate it because it wreaks of laziness. It always feels like a last minute attempt to make give a shit about a character that you didn't try to develop before. It literally never works in my opinion. I have yet to see an anime that has done this cliche right. My least favorite anime of all time is Akame ga Kill and one of the main reason I hate that show is the fact that it abuses this trope making all the deaths feel completely empty. There are even shows I like that suffer from this trope. Demon Slayers does this for almost all the deaths of the demons and I hated it everytime. Now that is just my opinion on this topic what is yours? |
Adimus_primeDec 20, 2020 1:32 PM
 |
| Horrible. I didn't care about this character before, I won't care about this character after learning about their background. |
| If you're a fanboy, please don't waste my time. Watch more movies, please. Perhaps, this is hell. |
Adimus_prime said: My least favorite anime of all time is Akame ga Kill and one of the main reason I hate that show is the fact that it abuses this trope making all the deaths feel completely empty. That's exactly what I was going to post except for the "least favorite anime" part. It's like they were announcing the characters' deaths. |
| MEA·MENTVLA·INGENS·EST |
| I'm with you; LAZY AND MANIPULATIVE. Also really ruins the surprise of the death....like you see it coming A MILE away... "X is just a nice character; sure would suck if they DIED right now...." |
  |
| Abit sleazy, should've done it way before or way after. |
 just wanna feel wanted by someone other than the police 😫 |
| Well, I guess that's like a final tribute to them, otherwise they will become an unidentified corpse. |
 |
Nefelupitou said: Horrible. I didn't care about this character before, I won't care about this character after learning about their background. Pretty much the same. No character development till last minute is usually just lazy and it makes you don't care/give a dam about him/her. |
| I like being surprised when I watch an anime and I have to admit that sometimes it sucks because I just know when a character is going to die most of the time when they start showing their whole life before your eyes haha. |
 Life is a despicable endurance race |
| I knew this thread would mention Akame ga Kill. Full disclosure that for the most part I like Akame ga Kill. I think it's far from the ideal way to do things, but I'd still prefer it over no backstory whatsoever. I agree that it's terrible at concealing the surprise of a characters death. Backstory starts, aight so they're about to die. |
  |
| I think it depends on how it’s done. I mean, it does seem like a lazy way of explaining a character’s backstory but at the same time it might make me empathize more with the character. Instead of saying “Guess he’s dead” I’ll be more inclined to respond with a “Oh, I see...” Almost like it explains their motives a little better. I know most people seem to have a negative opinion of this topic but the first example I thought of was the critically-acclaimed The Promised Neverland; both Sister Krone’s backstory is told right before she’s killed (which I thought was actually quite well done) and, in a way, Isabella’s backstory as well. Now I know Isabella isn’t killed (yet?) but it revealed her backstory right when she wasn’t a real threat anymore. Honestly, her backstory kind of ruined the character imo; I get tired of sympathetic villains and I was hoping she was just evil for the sake of it, now when I rewatch it I’ll feel like her actions don’t exactly match with her inner desires. |
| It's literally an asspull, but for your emotions. If the writer doesn't give a shit about their character(s) until the last second, why should I? |
 |
| atleast u fucking know if their life was in despair or shit |
 OBAMOS |
| Every single fucking time it happens I realize i'm a super fragile human being who needs to work on being less emotional |
 |
| It's horrible. This is the main reason why I think that juuni taisen sucks |
| I like backstories (more developed better they are). It gives somewhat meaning to the story. (Atleast they are openly telling character are going to die) I have see so many so called "Smart anime" which instead of back stories they show happy future/ route tropes only to kill the character a second later. Those are real meaningless shit. Its oblivious they are using reverse psychology trick still they try to be smart thinking everyone watching is dumb. I like deaths which are upfront to me instead of beating around the bushes. I hate cheap scares used to lure audience to make the anime feel realistic |
  Click for a anime mashup! Still not gone bandwagon u, keep crying. Here u are welcome to CRINGE at my EXISTENCE |
|
| Super annoying. Especially on One Piece. Before |
| I kinda dislike the opposite - showing backstories of main characters before introducing a new character. You realise that this backstory is absolutely unnecessary and out of place and you guess that it only exist to introduce a new guy later on. This predictability is annoying. Examples: Kakashi's backstory to introduce Obito and Luffy's backstory to introduce Sabo. |
 |
| I think something like this: now that was a filler - hot cash for the writers and total waste of time for me. |
Adimus_prime said: There are even shows I like that suffer from this trope. Demon Slayers does this for almost all the deaths of the demons and I hated it everytime. Same. It just feels empty. I'd prefer this to always be avoided if possible. |
| Annoying because it's a sure spoiler on what would happen -- "Oh we're on the middle of an intense life-and-death fight? Better show this character's sad backstory." Me: Yep, this dude is dead alright. If I really like the character:  |
  |
| Often don't like that, a waste of valuable air time. Time that could have been invested in something else that will probably be more important and will result in a better impact overall. |
| Kingdom Come Deliverance II GOTY 2025 Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is another worthy GOTY contender I tip my fedora to Sandfall Interactive, excellent debut gentlemen! If digital buying isn't owning, then piracy isn't stealing |
| Ok so I love Akame ga kill for some reason, but Akame ga kill loves this trope. I mean I don't have any issues with it but its not gonna make me like the characters anymore. It's pretty bad both ways. If I am interested in the character and wanna see them develop, its gonna make me mad that the show killed them off, but if I never cared about the character it won't change my opinion on them. |
| I gave up on character of the week since it takes too much thinking. I'll just change my forum pfp to whoever I want every week lol. |
| It's just used as a lazy excuse to justify their actions, and to make us the viewers to sympathize with them, Demon Slayer suffers from this A LOT. I don't give a shit about Demon extra #69's generic "sad" backstory that I'll forget in a day. Edit: I read the manga and it gets worse, the backstories are just copy-pasted, with few minor changes. |
* |
| It really kills the immersion since instead we hear the miserable scream of death.. we just listen to their sad thoughts which kills the immersion imo. And yes, Demon Slayer suffered from this, and all they should have to do was to give a small expressive monologue about their own misery. |
 "You don't get it, a million sorry's is not equal to one thank you." — Emilia |
| I was actually okay with it for the first maybe two times in one piece. then it got goddamn tiring, and when made in abyss pulled it I was furious. especially because it would've been really easy to throw those snippets in either as the starting sequence, or as dreams throughout. instead you get a damn slice of life episode right before the bossfight can conclude. I loved that movie but I couldn't give it a 10/10 because of this bullshit. |
| 馬鹿げた倫理 全部ガラクタで |
| It's trash, lazy, gimmicky... Instead of integrating the backstory into the narrative, it throws a wrench, a cheap twist to make you reflect on the event more than it's worth. Maybe it's okay at a key moment in a movie, but when authors do this for every villain they introduce, we see exactly what they're going for and it's played out. The backstories are never that mind blowing to begin with, I mean how many times can you replay the same tensions? He got bullied, someone close to him got bullied, someone close to him died, he felt hopeless -- it's practically the same story every time. The point of a backstory is to get people to feel more involved, so you'd want people to feel more involved before the plot goes down. After the plot, if people are not involved, they couldn't care less about how pathetic the character was. It's too late. |
| My subjective reviews: katsureview.wordpress.com THE CHAT CLUB. |
| Cringe. Maybe I'm just used to Western media but I mostly find death scenes in anime overly dramatic. |
| Simply bad. KnY is the last series I remember watching that bothered me with it. You may as well not have the backstory if it's just before they die. You already missed the chance to make me care lol |
 |
| I'm not the biggest fan of it either. I would feel more emotion if the backstory was way beforehand |
 ManWild |
| I especially hate that in Demon slayer.Like who gives a shit for the backstory of every demon Tanjiro has killed?They do not affect the story in anyway. I guess the Japanese really like the backstories. |
 Scordolo's Recent Reviews To your eternity Vanitas no Karte |
| I don't like it. It reminds me of how variety shows try to manipulate you into rooting for someone, often accompanied by sad music and sappy slow-mo visuals. It doesn't make the character more human; it makes it feel less human when they try so hard to prove their humanity. Not every death has to have an individual emotional impact. Sometimes the biggest impact comes from the reality of death itself and the ugly face of conflict where life or death is just a consequence. A better way to go about it is by layering these emotions you're trying to evoke by a last-minute backstory onto an established character. |
RedVelvet930 said: Sister Krone's death was probably the best attempt at doing this trope. However that is only because there was attempt at developing her prior to her death.I think it depends on how it’s done. I mean, it does seem like a lazy way of explaining a character’s backstory but at the same time it might make me empathize more with the character. Instead of saying “Guess he’s dead” I’ll be more inclined to respond with a “Oh, I see...” Almost like it explains their motives a little better. I know most people seem to have a negative opinion of this topic but the first example I thought of was the critically-acclaimed The Promised Neverland; both Sister Krone’s backstory is told right before she’s killed (which I thought was actually quite well done) and, in a way, Isabella’s backstory as well. Now I know Isabella isn’t killed (yet?) but it revealed her backstory right when she wasn’t a real threat anymore. Honestly, her backstory kind of ruined the character imo; I get tired of sympathetic villains and I was hoping she was just evil for the sake of it, now when I rewatch it I’ll feel like her actions don’t exactly match with her inner desires. |
|
| Yep one of the reasons why akame GA kill is trash though I did like how yuu yuu hakusho did it by showing it after the character's death just to give more context to their actions. |
| I don't have any particular opinion about this trope; I certainly don't object to it the way OP does. |
| Avatar character is Gabriel from Gabriel DropOut. |
| This is very common and it's lazy as fuck but if it exists it's because it makes sense. When is a better way to see through a character's most hidden emotions than when they are at their most vulnerable and about to be torn apart, both literally and figuratively? It's not like writers don't know what they are doing. They choose the moment that creates a bigger impact to the viewer. |
| I mean if it's short I'll let it slide however if it's longer than just a little bit ya it's annoying. |
 |
| I think it's just bad story telling. This is why survival game anime almost always fail because they try to give their characters some personality or history, which almost always leads to shallow characterization and really predictable plot lines. It's strange because I love the survival game formula, but I've found myself hating every anime that has fallen into that group. |
 |
| I mean if I cared about the characters before the flashback then I cry. But if I don't that's just plain stupid |
     |
Mercenary34 said: atleast u fucking know if their life was in despair or shit Your signaturre is not Obamos, it's just Dwayne Johnson, but in purple and smile. |
Help! I need somebody. Help! Not just anybody. Help! You know I need someone. Helpppppp!  |
Adimus_prime said: This is a trope/cliche that I absolutely despise with a fiery passion. I hate it because it wreaks of laziness. It always feels like a last minute attempt to make give a shit about a character that you didn't try to develop before. It literally never works in my opinion. I have yet to see an anime that has done this cliche right. My least favorite anime of all time is Akame ga Kill and one of the main reason I hate that show is the fact that it abuses this trope making all the deaths feel completely empty. There are even shows I like that suffer from this trope. Demon Slayers does this for almost all the deaths of the demons and I hated it everytime. Now that is just my opinion on this topic what is yours? I guess its kinda bad I don't really care. Killing off characters in anime usually is just lazy writing most of the time in the first place. |
| you're cool |
| Honestly, just dumb. If I didnt like a characters before i wont like him after the backstory too. Why would empathize or care about a character that is about to die. If he is unintresting no matter how tragic his backstory is it doesnt make a diffrence. |
 |
Sgt-BaitMan008 said: Your signaturre is not Obamos, it's just Dwayne Johnson, but in purple and smile. nah man it's a collabed face of Obama and thanos - OBAMOS |
| OBAMOS |
| I agree with your post completely, another shows that suffers horribly from this is Magical Girl Raising Project. |
More topics from this board
» Anime you didn't expect to be this confusing?m_alhafidz - Today |
16 |
by Kruszer
»»
8 minutes ago |
|
» 🍷 AD Summer 2025 Best Girl Contest ( 1 2 3 4 5 )Shizuna - Sep 28 |
231 |
by JessicaKari
»»
22 minutes ago |
|
» Do you assume that people know nothing about anime? ( 1 2 )thewiru - Oct 6 |
57 |
by thewiru
»»
23 minutes ago |
|
» What anime you have rated a 10?illBeGone - Sep 24 |
38 |
by Kruszer
»»
24 minutes ago |
|
» Waifu War V5 (Anniversary-Edition!) (Round 1) ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page )TheMinkalex - Sep 28 |
273 |
by RaiYou
»»
52 minutes ago |