About: Dead Little Sister   Sponge Permalink

An Entity of Type : owl:Thing, within Data Space : 134.155.108.49:8890 associated with source dataset(s)

The traumatic disillusioning event that pulls many heroes into angsty cynicism. The Anti-Hero or antagonist of a series actually used to be a hero or maybe even a proto-Messiah, who protected something that obviously needs protection. Location, artifact, or whatever. Anime is especially fond of giving aloof swordsmen a literal Dead Little Sister, but a younger sidekick or occasionally even a Love Interest can also work. Expect a Hollywood Atheist to have one of these to explain why he or she does not believe in God. Examples of Dead Little Sister include:

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  • Dead Little Sister
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  • The traumatic disillusioning event that pulls many heroes into angsty cynicism. The Anti-Hero or antagonist of a series actually used to be a hero or maybe even a proto-Messiah, who protected something that obviously needs protection. Location, artifact, or whatever. Anime is especially fond of giving aloof swordsmen a literal Dead Little Sister, but a younger sidekick or occasionally even a Love Interest can also work. Expect a Hollywood Atheist to have one of these to explain why he or she does not believe in God. Examples of Dead Little Sister include:
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  • The traumatic disillusioning event that pulls many heroes into angsty cynicism. The Anti-Hero or antagonist of a series actually used to be a hero or maybe even a proto-Messiah, who protected something that obviously needs protection. Location, artifact, or whatever. Anime is especially fond of giving aloof swordsmen a literal Dead Little Sister, but a younger sidekick or occasionally even a Love Interest can also work. He felt fulfilled protecting it, even if it was hard work and troubling, plus it was a good outlet for any negative tendencies. Unfortunately, at some point it is arbitrarily or meaninglessly destroyed. He'll either blame himself for inaction and not being a better hero, or curse the unfairness of the world. He'll swear off distractions like optimism or having friends, and if there's an enemy to be fought, swear an oath of vengeance against them. If not the Anti-Hero, he will become The Lancer or the resident stubborn, angsty cynic. He'll always be critical if he feels the show's actual hero isn't doing his job at protecting the ones he loves, although he may mellow out once he becomes friends with The Messiah. Further closure can be supplied by his former tormentor/villain appearing at a later date in the series so he can defeat them. Sometimes he'll get his own Morality Pet which reminds him of his Dead Little Sister, which may touch upon the theme of a Replacement Goldfish. If the little sister was also a Living Emotional Crutch, this "new crutch" may provide the needed emotional stability to become The Atoner. If, on the other hand, the character descends into full villainhood to punish the world that killed his Dead Little Sister; expect the heroes to utter the phrase "This isn't what she would have wanted!" upon learning his backstory. They still may say it if he's just a Well-Intentioned Extremist or The Atoner to the point of hideous self-flagellation. Expect a Hollywood Atheist to have one of these to explain why he or she does not believe in God. A subtrope of Disposable Woman. Occasionally ties into the Oblivious Younger Sibling. Can lead to a Shapeshifter Guilt Trip. A Dead Little Sister is usually a more or less fleshed out Posthumous Character, in which case, expect them to appear in a Happier Home Movie. In the case of her being a Love Interest, expect her to be The Lost Lenore. Compare to Chekhov MIA when it turns out they aren't dead. See also Death By Origin Story, Berserk Button. Examples of Dead Little Sister include:
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