History Main / CueTheSun

* Used heavily in the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIFiy51T8IE Credits]] of ''VideoGame/LiveALive''.

See also HeavenAbove, NaturalSpotlight, RaysFromHeaven, RidingIntoTheSunset (when a character is shown driving towards the sun at the end of a story), AgainstTheSettingSun, WatchingTheSunset, FirstTimeInTheSun, and SuicideBySunlight. Contrast MelancholyMoon and CueTheRain, which are [[InvertedTrope inverses]]. Connected to RedSkyTakeWarning. Subverted with DaylightHorror.

** [[spoiler:The moon being restored after disappearing (along with the Waterbenders' abilities) leans rather closer to this trope]]
** Much later has a weirder version: [[spoiler:Sozin's comet finally passes just after Aang beats Ozai. Then it becomes possible to see that sun, which was being blocked by ''another light source''.]]

* ''Series/{{Inazuman}} Flash'' ends this way. [[spoiler:After defeating the Despar Army and rescuing Makoto's wife and daughter from Despar City, Goro and Makoto take Makoto's daughter Rumi, who never got to see the sun before due to growing up underground, up to the surface so she can witness the sunrise.]]

* In ''Anime/OnePieceBaronOmatsuriAndTheSecretIsland'', the sun rises over the island as Luffy and his reunite after Baron Omatsuri's defeat.

* The Art/SistineChapel's altar faces the east end so worshippers will be facing the rising sun, which symbolizes the risen UsefulNotes/{{Christ}} who shines life on all the just. To emphasize that connection, there's a painting right above the altar of Jesus bringing [[{{Heaven}} Earthly Paradise]] to the faithful where He is surrounded by a full-body [[HolyHalo halo]] painted like the sun.

* In ''Film/{{Napoleon}}'', the final night of the Siege of Toulon is fought during a rain- and hailstorm. After the battle is won, the weather clears up and the sun rises.

* After Kaname breaks Sousuke out of his HeroicBSOD at the end of ''LightNovel/FullMetalPanic! TSR'', the sun rises behind her.

[[quoteright:350:[[Literature/TheLordOfTheRings https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/battle_of_the_pelennor_fields.jpg]] "His golden shield was uncovered and lo! it shone like an image of the Sun, and the grass flamed into green about the white feet of his steed. For morning came, morning and a wind from the sea; and darkness was removed...'']]

* In ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'' episode "Jack and The Zombies", after Jack manages to drive Aku off and survive his long night against the army of zombies, the sun rises and Jack continues on his journey.

* The sun rises during the final mission of ''VideoGame/AceCombat5TheUnsungWar''; if you shoot down the optional fighters quickly enough, your wingmen remark on the beautiful sunrise and the hope they have for the future.
* ''VideoGame/AdvanceWars: Days of Ruin'' takes place in a [[AfterTheEnd meteor-devastated Earth]] covered in clouds of dust and ash. The sun rising in the epilogue is a pretty big deal. As a bonus, the final level is called Sunrise.
* Seeing this happen is the entire point of [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Fight 'Til Dawn]] mode from ''VideoGame/AlanWake's American Nightmare''. Each round starts ten minutes before dawn and ends at sunrise (when the light kills every Taken on the field). Also, in the story mode, you kill [[BigBad Mr. Scratch]] by [[spoiler:luring him in front of a film projector and playing a movie of Alan and Alice watching the sun rise.]]
* In ''VideoGame/BloodRayne2'', the entire plot revolved around a group of vampires creating an artificial cloud barrier called the Shroud which would block out the sun's rays and allow them and their demonic minions to wander the earth freely. Interestingly, they accomplish this, and the Shroud seems for the moment anyway to be permanent (Rayne going so far as to say that she felt "for some reason" like everything would go back to normal after she killed the final boss). The last cutscene shows a SequelHook that implies a third game about a Rayne-led organization that defends humanity in this vampire-ruled world.
* The "Light of Dawn" solo in ''VideoGame/BrutalLegend'' causes the rising sun to appear and motivate your on-field troops. It can only be played by Eddie.
* In most ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'' games, when you finally defeat the BigBad {{Dracula}}, the sun will come up moments later to herald the endgame cutscene.
** In ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaIISimonsQuest'' dawn is always heralded by the (unskippable, slowly scrolling onscreen) message "THE MORNING SUN HAS VANQUISHED THE HORRIBLE NIGHT".
** The above and this trope are referenced in ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaOrderOfEcclesia'' when Shanoa is about to storm Dracula's castle.

* In the [[AfterTheEnd post-apocalyptic future]] of ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'', one of your quests later in the game takes you to the peak of Death Peak. When you reach the summit [[spoiler:and bring Crono BackFromTheDead]], the sun peeks out from behind the thick cloud cover.
* The sun rises as ''VideoGame/CombatInstinct'' 3's FinalBoss is [[DoubleTap Double Tapped]].

* ''Manga/InuYasha'':

** In the "Bulbasaur's Mysterious Garden" episode, just as it seems Team Rocket might gonna be successful, the sun rises. Cue the epic guitar theme, and Bulbasaur charging its Solarbeam.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheBadGuys'': The race to stop the [[spoiler:hijacked charity trucks]] takes place at dawn, and [[spoiler:Mr. Wolf and Mr. Snake reunite]] against the sunrise.

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXV'': [[spoiler:when the game ends, the sun rises over Eos for the first time in over ten years.]]

** Inverted in ''Film/TheChroniclesOfRiddick'', where Riddick finds himself on a prison planet where the sun can actually kill you. (And thus a [[OutrunTheFireball desperate sprint]] away from ''sunrise'' manages to not be full of {{Narm}}.)

* Used near the end of ''Film/DarkCity'' when [[spoiler:John, after having taken control of the massive space station, rotates it so that the sun is shining across its surface for the first time.]]
* Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse:

* [[JustifiedTrope More than symbolic]] in ''Manga/{{Pluto}}'': the robot Epsilon is solar-powered, so the appearance of the sun in the middle of a fight signals a shift in his favour.

* Happens a lot in ''Manga/{{Saiyuki}}'' for numerous reasons thematically. The first is obviously to imply that the heroes are, well, heroes, can't you tell? Look at this heroic shot! The second is as part of a symbolic bet between Ukoku Sanzo and Koumyou Sanzo, the first being thematically attached to darkness and the second to the moon. Their bet is over who will be the rising sun who finally defeats Ukoku, and Koumyou obviously bet on his student, Sanzo. The third is just the obvious fact that the main characters are [[Literature/JourneytotheWest traveling west]]. What else travels west? WHY, THE SUN! There are actually more, but they mainly support Sanzo's thematic ties with the sun as per the bet Koumyou and Ukoku made, so I won't bother mentioning them. So I suppose this could perhaps be the most justified use of this trope? Ever?

* The sun rises immediately after the climax of the Battle of Teppelin in ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann''.

* In ''Anime/YuGiOhCapsuleMonsters'', the sun rises in Episode 10 after Yami slays the Five-Headed Dragon.

* In the 12th chapter of ''Fanfic/LovedAndLost'', [[spoiler:the usurped Princess Celestia is about to be hanged on the orders of [[EvilNephew Jewelius]] (who has [[LetNoCrisisGoToWaste used the Changeling invasion]] to turn everyone against his aunt) at nighttime, with most of Canterlot's ponies advocating for this, and the [[CorruptTheCutie manipulated Twilight Sparkle]] choosing to reluctantly let this happen. After the other [[HeroWithBadPublicity denigrated heroes]] [[CassandraTruth fail to convince anyone]] that Jewelius is the true mastermind behind the invasion, Celestia makes a final speech in which she apologizes to Twilight and everyone else for her own role in the events that led to the invasion happening. This causes Twilight and everyone else to feel forgiveness toward Celestia, but when the former princess raises the sun to bring morning to Equestria one last time, Twilight and the crowd plead for Jewelius to spare Celestia. Though they're unable to change his mind, Luna [[ShootTheRope appears from the crowd to save Celestia]] and free the other heroes, and from that point begins the gradual process of Jewelius' downfall as well as the heroes [[EarnYourHappyEnding reconciling with Twilight and gaining their lives back]]]].

* At the end of ''WesternAnimation/TheLandBeforeTime'' Littlefoot climbs up onto a ridge, following the spirit of his deceased mother in the form of a cloud. When the cloud dissipates, he sees the Great Valley spread out beneath him, bathed in sunlight.
* Convenient sunbeams illumine Pride Rock in ''WesternAnimation/{{The Lion King|1994}}'' when a new future monarch (lion cub) is presented. When Simba regains his throne, the clouds part to reveal the starry sky where the former kings are said to reside.
** Used somewhat famously in [[http://youtu.be/HwSKkKrUzUk?t=1s the opening seconds of the film.]]

* With an [[LargeHam excessively dramatic]] "Behold!" [[Literature/{{Belgariad}} Belgarath]] commands the sun to rise in a far northern land, in the dead of winter, causing the demon summoners who are busy summoning demons to lose their concentration, with naturally fatal results. Naturally, it was a rather neat illusion on Belgarath's part.
--> "Behold!" I thundered--augmenting my voice, I'll admit--and I pointed dramatically toward the south. I didn't want the moon or the northern lights lessening the impact of what I was going to do.
--> Then, posing like a charlatan in a country fair, I spoke the words that released my Will in a voice they probably heard in Kell.
--> "Rise up!" I roared--and the sun came up.
--> -------------------------------------------------
--> Oh, come now. You know better than that. Nobody can order the sun around. Don't be so gullible.
--> It looked like the sun, though. It was a very good illusion, even if I do say so myself.
* OlderThanFeudalism: In ''Literature/TheBible'', in the Literature/BookOfJoshua, Joshua commands "Stand still, O sun, at Gibeon, O moon, in the Valley of Aijalon!" so that his troops will have enough light to finish their battle.
** ''And God said, '''Let there be light!''' And there was light.''

* Creator/DouglasAdams lampshades this in ''Literature/DirkGentlysHolisticDetectiveAgency''
--> "With an impeccable timing of which it is very rarely capable the sun chose this moment to burst briefly through the gathering rainclouds, and as she played her cello a stormy light played on her and on the deep old brown of the instrument. Richard stood transfixed.
** From ''Literature/LifeTheUniverseAndEverything'':
--> Several billion trillion tons of superhot exploding hydrogen nuclei rose slowly above the horizon and managed to look small, cold and slightly damp.

* ''Literature/TheDivineComedy'': Hey, Dante, what's a good time to emerge from Hell? Oh, alright, I'll meet you when "Daybreak defeats darkness's last hour" and we'll start heading over to God's place. It'll be more symbolic than last time, I promise.
* Whenever Dracula needs to be killed, it's even money that it's the first rays of a sunrise that finishes him off. Unless some angry man with a whip and a family grudge comes beats his ass silly first.
** In ''VideoGame/SuperCastlevaniaIV'', it's both!
** [[spoiler:In [[Literature/{{Dracula}} the original novel]], Dracula's appearances were foreshadowed by the sunset.]]
** Subverted in the actual novel. Dracula is able to walk around in sunlight, he just has to stay in his coffin from dawn to noon. In fact, Dracula dies at ''sundown.'' It's a race to prevent him from becoming more powerful, not to waste time until he's weak.
*** Also he can shapeshift only at dawn and dusk so if they'd been a moment too late he could have turned into mist and escaped.
* Sunrise has significant magical power in ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles''. Because of its symbolism of renewal, it tends to wash away existing magics, even quite strong ones, so most spells will end at dawn unless enforced or protected. As well, intensely magical beings such as ghosts, vampires and some otherworldly beings cannot bear the sunrise, and will be destroyed or forced out of the mortal plane unless they can find shelter.

* In the climactic FinalBattle of ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows'', the morning sun rises while Harry and Voldemort are talking to each other, and it's the cue they use to attack for the last time. It was a long night after all...
* In ''Literature/TheHobbit'', Bilbo is caught by three trolls, and the dwarves are captured in their turn when they arrive to find out what has become of him. While Bilbo escapes to hide in a bush during the fight with the dwarves, he can do nothing but listen helplessly while the trolls argue about how to cook them; but Gandalf, unseen, keeps re-igniting the argument until sun-up when he shouts, "Dawn take you all!" and they turn to stone in the sunlight.

* Creator/JRRTolkien's ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'':
** At the end of the War of the Ring, Aragorn and the rest's HeroicSacrifice at the gates of Mordor is averted, when the successful destruction of The One Ring causes the perpetual cloud cover to dissipate, letting the sun break through -- and sending the bad guys fleeing in panic.
** The dramatic high point of the Siege of Gondor turns around the sun rising during the confrontation between Gandalf and the Witch-King of Angmar in the ruins of the main gate of Minas Tirith. Also the simultaneous charge of the Rohirrim during the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.
** Helm's Deep: Gandalf said "Await me at Helm's Gate!" Erkenbrand and Gandalf are specifically noted as arriving from the west, while on the east the valley is said to be "too sheer and stony" for anyone to escape. Further, they only actually arrive while Saruman's hosts are already in retreat.
*** As dawn breaks, Aragorn speaks to the orcs and tells them they should flee. They mock him, but he says that every dawn brings a new hope.
* ''{{Literature/Malevil}}'' makes use of this twice.

* In ''Literature/ThePaleKing'', Creator/DavidFosterWallace says that a rural Midwest sunrise is as soft and romantic as someone’s abruptly hitting the lights in a darkened room.

* Also from Tolkien, ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'':
** The first Sunrise signals the awakening of the race of Men, in a suitably dramatic passage.
** There's even a Cue the ''Moon''. It first appeared at the same time the Noldor reached the end of the Grinding Ice.
--> "and Fingolfin unfurled his blue and silver banners, and blew his horns, and flowers sprang beneath his marching feet, and the ages of the stars were ended."

* In Creator/GrahamMcNeill's TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}} Literature/HorusHeresy novel ''Fulgrim'', [[spoiler:Lucius]], having [[TurnCoat betrayed them]] and [[spoiler:[[FriendOrFoe tricked him into killing loyalist Space Marines]]]], [[DyingAlone walks away from the dying Solomon Demeter]]. Solomon is glad of the peace, but sees the diminishing light and feels as the world was marking his death.
* Rand al'Thor in ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'' books is apparently the prophesied leader of every diverse group of people in the world. Sucks for them that he's destined to destroy them as a result. Anyway, one of said groups, the Aiel, know him as (among other things) "He Who Comes With the Dawn." After journeying to an ancient city to prove his identity to them, he returns, successful (though battered) at, you guessed it, sunrise.

** The final book of ''The New Prophecy'', ironically titled ''Sunset'', ends with the sun rising after Brambleclaw reaffirms his loyalty to Firestar and the Clan by killing his evil brother Hawkfrost.

-->''Brave Helios, wake up your steeds''
-->''Bring the warmth the countryside needs''

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Mulan}}'', this happens at the climax of "Make a Man out of You". Ping/Mulan fails the whole training regimen and Shang pretty much tells him/her to go home. She then sees the arrow at the pole and decides to give it one last try. As she does, the sun rises and the other men start cheering her on. She succeeds and throws the arrow down to Shang's feet for emphasis, proving she ''can'' pull her own weight around.

* The Rising Sun has of course long been a symbol of Japan. In ''Film/MorningForTheOsoneFamily'' it takes on a new meaning. The Osones greet Ichiro, who is released after the war following nearly two years in prison. He points out the sunrise, saying "It's a new day for the Osone family...the dawn of Japan." The final shot of the movie shows the sun, here symbolizing the birth of democratic Japan, rising over the ocean.

* OlderThanFeudalism: In ''Literature/TheBible'', in the Book of Joshua, Joshua commands the "sun to stand still at Gibeon, and the moon in the valley of Ajalon" so that his troops will have enough light to finish their battle.

* Tavi literally cues the sun in ''Literature/CodexAlera'' Book 3. He orders his windcrafters to part the clouds and reveal the sun at high noon. He does this so the windcrafters can shape the air into a giant magnifying glass and fry the Canim like ants.

* In ''Literature/ThePhantomTollbooth'', our protagonist, Milo, runs into Chroma the Great, conductor of the orchestra that gives light to the world (It's a bit metaphysical.) Basically Chroma's job early in the morning is to cue the sunrise, and during the final battle, he whips up an epic light show.

* On a similar note, the first season of ''Series/{{Heroes}}'' concluded with Hiro gazing at an eclipse.

* The page quote is of course from Music/TheBeatles and "Here Comes the Sun" from ''Music/AbbeyRoad'', in which George is actually singing about springtime as the season of new life and renewal.

* [[Music/{{Metallica}} "Lay beside me, tell me what I've done / The door is closed, so are your eyes, but now I see the sun"]]

* "Sonne" by Music/{{Rammstein}} is pretty much a [[PyroManiac love song to the sun]]. "Sie ist der hellste sterrrrrn von allen!"

* The finale of Music/ArnoldSchoenberg's "Gurrelieder", with the huge 8-part choir (not to mention the 150-piece orchestra) singing "see, the sun!"

* Occurs at the end of ''VideoGame/GodOfWarIII''. [[spoiler:This is pretty much the only implication that, even after [[NiceJobBreakingItHero Kratos wrecked the planet out of revenge]], the world might be coming back together.]]

** Contrast Rain Dance, which, of course, makes it rain. As long as it's raining, Fire attacks and Solar Beam deal ''less'' damage, and Thunder is guaranteed to hit (in Diamond and Pearl, it even penetrates Protect and Detect 30% of the time).

** [[spoiler:Of course, the moon being restored after disappearing entirely (along with the Waterbenders' abilities) leans rather closer to this trope]]

* Played with (literally) in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', which results in Homer (during a MushroomSamba) breaking the sun.

* ''Art/TheRaftOfTheMedusa'': The foreground of the painting is rather dark. The sunshine in the distance, to which the hopeful passengers are looking, represents the possibility of rescue.

* ''Manga/Evangelion303'': [[http://eva303.smackjeeves.com/comics/2056794/001/ Chapter fifteen's cover]] features Asuka watching the rising Sun right before taking off. There are several symbolisms present in the image: it is the start of both a new chapter and Part III of the doujin: Asuka is about to leave for a mission and fight her newest rival; and [[BreakTheHaughty after]] [[HeroicBSOD hitting]] [[BrokenAce rock-bottom]] during Part II, she has fully recovered and it is a new dawn for her.