History Main / AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence

** Though, to date, they have only been hinted-at in-game or have been mentioned dripping in heavy metaphor, there exist several "ascended" metaphysical states in the ''ES'' universe. (Each has been further fleshed out by [[AllThereInTheManual developer]] [[LooseCanon supplemental texts]].) The first of these states is CHIM, where one [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall becomes aware of the nature]] of [[GodOfGods Anu's]] Dream but exists as one with it and maintains a sense of individuality. (Dunmeri PhysicalGod Vivec claims to have achieved this level.) Taking another step, the second is Amaranth, where one exits Anu's Dream [[TheOmnipotent to create one's own]]. If one fails to maintain their individuality in either step, they instead experience Zero-Sum, where one simply [[CessationOfExistence fades into Anu's Dream]]. (Dagoth Ur, BigBad of ''Morrowind'', is said to have found a dangerous middle ground between these three. Instead of exiting the Dream, his twisted, traumatized, and broken mind is ''being imprinted'' on the Dream of Anu, making him something truly terrible and [[EldritchAbomination Eldritch]].)

* At the end of the 16th installment of ''Franchise/SuperSentai'', ''Series/KyoryuSentaiZyuranger'', the titular Zyurangers and their mentor Barza ascend to Heaven after finally defeating the witch [[BIgBad Bandora]].

* The Shura boss from ''VideoGame/EasternExorcist'', a VengefulGhost driven by it's hatred towards humanity, was eventually released after you defeat it in battle. The following cutscene sees the SHura reverting to his original form, a young ghost-boy, who then rises to the heavens.

* This happens to the entire population of the alien world of Cocytus in Lucasarts' ''VideoGame/TheDig'': Their technology allows them to create an interdimensional gate, which they use to literally Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence called Spacetime Six, where a person can observe and move in three dimensions of space as well as three dimensions of time, contrasting "our" dimension, Spacetime Four. The only trouble is that (a) they find out that it's [[WhoWantsToLiveForever boring as Hell]] (pun intentional) and (b) they can't get back (oops). The protagonists of the game, having arrived LateToTheTragedy on the deserted planet, eventually manage to reactivate the gate and lead the Cocytans back into the real world, for which they earn eternal gratitude and (implied in the ending) the services of a [[SufficientlyAdvancedAlien vastly superior culture]] on behalf of humanity.

* ''WesternAnimation/StarTrekLowerDecks'': PlayedForHorror in "[[Recap/StarTrekLowerDecksS1E04MoistVessel Moist Vessel]]". After lying about ascending all episode, O'Connor finally does so near the end. It results in terror and agony for him, and the episode is vague over whether he actually ''survived'' in any meaningful sense.

* In Creator/JamesHerbert's ''Literature/TheSecretOfCrickleyHall'', psychic Lili Peel recalls, as a child, having befriended Agnes, an unaccountably arrived young girl in Victorian attire. On introduction to the concept of Heaven, Agnes grows increasingly transparent, and announces her summons, as if from another room, to somewhere inscrutable. On bidding Lili a fond farewell, Agnes fades to an orb of light, and merges with another, recently arrived orb, both of which then vanish.

In Kamen Rider Geats, Ace becomes a God and ascends .

In Kamen Rider Geats , Ace becomes a God and ascends .

In Kamen Rider Gaim, Kouta eats the Forbidden Fruit and ascends to another planet .

In Kamen Rider Gaim ,Kouta eats the Forbidden Fruit and ascends to another planet .

In Kamen Rider Gaim , Korea eats the Forbidden Fruit and ascends to another planet .

** "Eternity lies ahead of us, and behind. Have you drunk your fill?"
* Although it's more of a Return To A Higher Plane of Existence, this is Chip's ultimate fate in ''VideoGame/SonicUnleashed''.
* In VideoGame/SpacebaseStartopia this is what happens to true believers, acording to the people who run the temple. All the player gets to see is them being dragged into a pool by a tentacle. Oh and they leave all their money to you.
* In the ''VideoGame/StarcraftIIWingsOfLiberty'' campaign, Tassadar who died in the original game briefly reappears floating and states that he didn't die... and never will.
** In ''VideoGame/StarcraftIILegacyOfTheVoid'' it turns out that the [[{{Precursors}} Xel'naga]] originated in the Void and created universe after universe, each time a species with "purity of essence" and another species with "purity of form" would find their way to a Xel'naga temple in the space between universes and combine to form a single perfect race that the Xel'naga elders would bequeath their power to, turning them into the next generation of Xel'naga. [[spoiler: Until this cycle when a rogue Xel'naga known as Amon uplifted the Protoss, created the Zerg Overmind, and used them to wipe out the other Xel'naga hiding in the Void. The vision of Tassadar turns out to be a guise used by Ouros, the last good Xel'naga, hiding in the Void. And he grants his essence to Kerrigan, who becomes a fiery angelic being and slays Amon before disappearing into the Void. Two years later she appears to Raynor, neither of them are ever seen again after that.]]

** A significant component of the ''Literature/TheCosmere''. In the backstory a god (or force or being) called Adonalsium was Shattered, resulting in it's power being divided into 16 equal parts, called Shards. Each shard has an Intent that made up 1/16th of both Adonalsium's power and purpose, for example Devotion, Cultivation, Honor, or Ambition. Sixteen regular people (seemingly the people responsible for the Shattering in the first place) took one of the shards each then went their separate ways, becoming the defacto gods of the Cosmere, only really able to be threatened by one another. It is still possible for them to die, primarily due to the actions of another shard, allowing someone else to pick up their Shard and Ascend.

* In the GrandFinale of ''WesternAnimation/{{Amphibia}}'', [[spoiler:after Anne dies from using the secret spell of the Calamity Gems to destroy the Core, her soul wakes up in a celestial plane where she meets the multiuniversal guardian who created the gems as a test to see what mortals would do with their unlimited power. Because Anne was the only one to use the gems' power for good, the guardian wants her to take its place so it can retire after thousands of years, but she turns down the offer due to being a kid who will probably screw things up and doesn't know much just then. Thus, the guardian decides to wait until Anne's lived her whole lifespan, and [[CloningBlues upon creating a copy of her body prior to her passing]], restores Anne back to life.]]

* Happens to Master Oogway of ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda''. It's a way of increasing tension since he is the only one who can handily defeat BigBad Tai Lung. Now Master Shifu and [[{{Acrofatic}} Po]] have to figure out how to fight the villain alone.

* ''Anime/ShadowSkill'' The ultimate reward for the greatest warriors in the warrior kingdom of Ashliana is to become an immortal guardian DeityOfHumanOrigin of the floating capital Juliannes.

* ''Manga/SoulHunter'': those who are "Houshined" (notable humans, Monsters and Sennin who die during the conflict and have their souls sent to the Houshindai) will become part of a newly created "Divine World" separated from the Human and Sennin Worlds. [[spoiler: By the end of the manga, all the Houshined people have reincarnated as themselves in the Divine World and, as Genshi Tenson explains, can help mortals in spiritual form. In the end, Dakki achieves a similar result by taking over Joka's real body and merging it with the Earth itself.]]

* This happens to the entire population of the alien world of Cocytus in Lucasarts' ''VideoGame/TheDig'': Their technology allows them to create an interdimensional gate, which they use to literally AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence called Spacetime Six, where a person can observe and move in three dimensions of space as well as three dimensions of time, contrasting "our" dimension, Spacetime Four. The only trouble is that (a) they find out that it's [[WhoWantsToLiveForever boring as Hell]] (pun intentional) and (b) they can't get back (oops). The protagonists of the game, having arrived LateToTheTragedy on the deserted planet, eventually manage to reactivate the gate and lead the Cocytans back into the real world, for which they earn eternal gratitude and (implied in the ending) the services of a [[SufficientlyAdvancedAlien vastly superior culture]] on behalf of humanity.

* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' provides several examples. It's important to keep in mind that most examples get a little [[MindScrew Mind Screwy]], as is the [[RealityWarper nature]] [[TimeCrash of]] [[CosmicRetcon divinity]] in the ES universe.

* In ''VideoGame/TheHitchHikersGuideToTheGalaxy1984'', if you fail to eat the peanuts after being teleported, your reaction to the protein loss leads to a new quieter Galaxy that eventually results in the ''entire universe'' being reborn "on a higher and better plane of existence". Shame you're dead, really.

** This is what [[spoiler: the [[EldritchAbomination Reapers]] are. Transcendent flesh, and certainly godlike in the series. They are harvested civilizations, compressed into a single entity. Meaning, all those people harvested? Ascended into a collective mind in a Reaper body, while their [[BodyHorror melted flesh]] makes up at least part of said body. [[AssimilationPlot Billions of people for a single one.]]]] No one said ascending had to be free of horror.

Expect examples of this trope to make use of the words "ascend" and "above" in line with HeavenAbove, where the divine and supernatural are associated with the sky above us. Compare DisappearsIntoLight, WingedSoulFliesOffAtDeath, NoBodyLeftBehind, FadingAway. Contrast CessationOfExistence. See EndingByAscending for more symbolic versions of this.

* ''Series/BabylonFive'': In the Season 1 Episode "Mind War", Jason Ironheart ascends. It is shown that one million years later, Mankind (and some of the other Younger Races, too) will also leave behind their material forms and ascend to become glowy EnergyBeings.
** Lorien possibly helps John Sheridan ascend.
* The Finale of ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|2003}}'' has this happen to Starbuck, after it is revealed she had been DeadAllAlong (well, dead since her Viper crashed on Earth).
** It is heavily implied that this is Anders's fate too, hence the "I'll see you on the other side". It also means the two characters ended up TogetherInDeath.

* The Whitelighters in ''Series/{{Charmed|1998}}''.
** The ancestors of the Halliwell sisters are not Whitelighters but have a similar status as ascended matriarchs (not that it stops them from coming back, of course).

* ''Literature/MermaidsOfErianaKwai'': For thousands of years, the spirit of Eriana, the [[FounderOfTheNation founder of Eriana Kwai]], has been bound to the giant two-headed serpent Sisiutl. She is a DeityOfHumanOrigin and wants to ascend to the stars to watch over the island that bears her name, but the only way she can do that is for Sisiutl to be killed, and nothing can kill Sisiutl. [[spoiler:In ''Ice Kingdom'', Meela has Sisiutl's two heads attack and kill each other, freeing Eriana.]]

* ''Literature/NinaTanleven'': [[spoiler:All four stories in the series end with the titular ghost ascending to Heaven, guided by another ghost in ''The Ghost Wore Gray'' and ''The Ghost Let Go'', and accompanied by the ghost of someone who’d died during the events of the book in ''The Ghost in the Third Row'' and ''The Ghost in the Big Brass Bed''.]]