History Main / Determinator

* Riot have had even worse luck than Anvil: they had to sue their record label to get an album released, and then were dropped. ''Fire Down Under'' was delayed for a year by lawsuits: it wasn't exactly a hit, but is often mentioned as the first Speed Metal album, and is to this day considered a classic. Then singer Guy Speranza quit music entirely. After recording one album with Rhett Forrester on vocals, they got dropped by their record label ''again''. It was discovered later that the record labels weren't even their biggest problem: their own management team acted in a way that scared off anybody who wanted to give Riot higher-level promotion, because their management was more interested in having a "pet" band than having a successful one. Among the promoters chased off were Music/{{Aerosmith}}'s management team, who [[WhatMightHaveBeen were looking to expand their roster]] at a time that Aerosmith were semi-disbanded. They eventually found another label, but in the meantime, the similarly-named Los Angeles band Music/QuietRiot had gone platinum, causing an identity problem for the New York City-based Riot. Riot broke up, and resurfaced in Texas several years later with only guitarist Mark Reale remaining from their "classic" lineup. They continue to this day to be a well-respected band, but are mainly able to keep going because they are [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff Big In Japan]]. Also, continuing the blues refrain, no hopes of reunions of their early lineups, as Speranza and Forrester have both since passed.

There is no stopping the Determinator. They do not understand tact. They do not KnowWhenToFoldEm, and it's a waste of time to [[NeverTellMeTheOdds tell them the odds]]. No one can reason with them. They'll [[IDidWhatIHadToDo do whatever they have to]] without question. [[IveComeTooFar No price is too great]] to pay for success, up to and including their own life. Do not expect them to realize they might be better off letting it go, even if [[YouCanBarelyStand they can barely stand]]. If you're ever kidnapped or lost with no hope of rescue, they'll be the one [[IWillFindYou who will find you]]. Their adversaries will shout, in [[VillainousBreakdown exasperated rage]], [[WhyWontYouDie "Why Won't You Die?!"]]. And they'll always move forward to their goals, [[InjuredSelfDrag no matter if their (many) wounds will make them drag or limp]]. For them, there is no line between "perseverance" and "insanity."

* A [[HungryMenace monster]] [[RansackedRoom breaks into a car]] and raids the ice box [[FinallyFoundTheBody until it finds a can of Chef Boyardee]], which it proceeds to [[MadeOfPlasticine tear the lid off of with it's bare hands]], then pour the contents into it's gaping jaws before a husband, who had been following the monster, comes out, then finds the monster [[HumanAllAlong has transformed into a boy]].

* Determinator/{{Advertising}}

* Determinator/ComicStrips

* Determinator/{{Music}}
* Determinator/{{Mythology}} & Religion
* Determinator/{{Pinball}}
* Determinator/{{Poetry}}
* Determinator/ProfessionalWrestling

* Determinator/{{Theatre}}

* Determinator/VisualNovels
* Determinator/{{Webcomics}}
* Determinator/WebOriginal

[[folder:Podcasts]]
* Lucretia from ''Podcast/TheAdventureZone'' is the anti-hero variety of this trope. She worked unrelentingly for a decade to almost ''single-handedly'' reverse the damage of the Grand Relics, protect her friends, and keep [[spoiler:the Hunger]] away, although her methods were certainly questionable. This attitude and behavior are explained in the [[spoiler:Stolen Century]] arc as being the result of a year she spent on the run from the Judges while they rest of her crew was imprisoned.
* The long haul trucker CharacterNarrator of ''Podcast/AliceIsntDead'' is stubbornly persistent in her quest to find her wife Alice, to get an in-person explanation for the mysterious, [[TheConspiracy Conspiracy]]-laden circumstances around Alice's disappearance, even though this search draws her into unwitting, unwilling encounters with the paranormal.
-->'''Narrator:''' I'll keep driving this truck. I'll keep wandering this country. I'm going to find you. I will.
* Starlee, host of ''Podcast/MysteryShow'', sticks with her cases until the very end. One of them even needs a TimePassesMontage in the middle, and her client teases her about it:
-->'''David:''' Maybe this is just your update where it's like, "I have no idea who Jake Gyllenhaal is, or how to measure human height. Just wanted to let you know I'm still plugging away!"
* Cassidy from ''Podcast/PokemonAdventuresInTheMillennium''. [[spoiler: She's Belle's Eevee from her original Team Rocket team. After discovering that her trainer had left her at a Pokemon Centre due to feeling like she wasn't good enough to keep them, she tried to follow her across the world to the Sinnoh Region--''and succeeded'']].

[[folder:Puppet Shows]]
* Donkey Hodie of the [[Series/DonkeyHodie show by the same name]]. She's not about to let some problem get in the way of something she wants or something she/she and her friends are doing, at least not for long. It's pretty much the whole point of the show, being an EdutainmentShow with stated goals of teaching resilience and perseverance.

[[folder:Web Animation]]
* ''WebAnimation/AstroLOLogy'': It's the main character trait of Capricorn that he has a very strict sense of commitment, meaning that if he wants something done, ''it's gonna get done no matter what''. His strict sense of commitment often makes him a ButtMonkey, the least well-treated of the cast.
* ''WebAnimation/DSBTInsaniT'': Seth. In his own words; "Its gonna take more than an ass-kicking to kick my ass!"
* ''WebAnimation/{{Dreamscape}}'': Dylan keeps going even against nigh-unstoppable villains trying to bring about TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt.
** Keela can be sent to an almost literal Hell, and she'll still stay strong.
* If you ''aren't'' a {{mook}} in the ''WebAnimation/MadnessCombat'' universe, you are automatically this trope. And while most of them are dead, they died ''hard''. [[DeathIsASlapOnTheWrist Some of them multiple times!]]
* ''WebAnimation/MinilifeTV'': Abel is inspired by one of his role models, a manga hero known as the Tremendous Toriyama, to not give up so easily.
* ''WebAnimation/OverTheHills'': The human and [[SentientVehicle vehicle]] crews of the Penwyth Valley Railway are trying to keep their local heritage railway running so the people of the towns they serve won't have to face another hard winter without a railway to use if the roads ice up and become unusable again. They are determined to keep the trains running through any difficulties they face, be it mechanical, financial, or even [=PR=].
* ''WebAnimation/PowerStar'' gives us Luigi, depicted here as a valiant warrior who spends the majority of the series in pursuit of his hypnotized brother Mario and stopping him in his rampage. Even when [[spoiler:the enemy far outnumbers him in power during the finale]], Luigi still doesn't surrender and puts up one last duel with Devil Mario. Saying that he's a far cry from the cowardly video game character is a giant understatement, to put it lightly.
* [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII Tifa Lockheart]] in the fan film series ''WebAnimation/DeadFantasy'' is an insanely awesome representation of this trope. Throughout five shorts, she has been slapped with an axe capable of downing a skyscraper, beaten to a bleeding pulp, which involved literally having the Materia knocked out of her, jumped onto a train, been slashed quite a few times, filled with arrows like it was target practice, stabbed through the arm, and chained up by kusarigama. [[spoiler: It takes Hayate's intervention to finally stop her.]]
* Church of WebAnimation/RedVsBlue is basically this. He acts like he doesn't care and isn't very good at being TheHero, but if there's something he thinks has to be done, he never gives up until he accomplishes it. This goes as far as to him facing [[spoiler:Wash and the Meta at the same time, after being shot, with just a pistol and Doc to help, after Tex is trapped in the memory unit]] in season 8. It doesn't work, but he still tried.
* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'':
** [[TheHeroine Ruby Rose]] believes in becoming a Huntress to protect people like a fairy tale hero. Yang reveals she's had this dream from a young age, so trained exceptionally hard to achieve it. Roman is so frustrated with her determination to thwart him that he beats her into the ground while yelling at her to give up and die like every other Huntsman in history. Ozpin tells Oscar that she's one of the rare people who have a spark inside them that can inspire others even in the darkest times, but also warns that it's a great burden few others will ever comprehend.
** [[BigGood Ozpin]] has been fighting [[BigBad Salem]] for [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld thousands of years]] with [[ForeverWar no hope of victory or end]]. He refuses to give up, constantly putting his hope in humanity no matter how often they fail; even his [[UndyingLoyalty most loyal supporter]] Qrow criticises his perpetual optimism. [[spoiler:Jinn reveals that Oz always returns to his [[TheChosenOne divine mission]], no matter how events may break him -- and Salem has made it [[HopeCrusher her mission]] to [[DespairEventHorizon permanently break him]]. As [[ParasiticImmortality he]] and [[CompleteImmortality Salem]] are both immortal, they cannot end their war by killing the other. By sowing division and chaos, Salem makes it impossible for Ozpin to fulfill his mission to [[TheDayOfReckonning prove to the gods]] that humanity is redeemable; meanwhile, Ozpin's refusal to give up helping humanity achieve harmony makes it impossible for Salem to achieve her own goal of convincing the gods that humanity is irredeemable. The fate of the world therefore rests on Ozpin's determination to keep going whatever the odds.]]
** [[MissingMom Summer Rose]] is discussed between Ruby and Qrow. As the heroes struggle to make decisions in the wake of learning about Salem's CompleteImmortality, Ruby asks Qrow how he thinks her mother would have handled it. Qrow considers that for a moment, then says [[LikeMotherLikeDaughter Summer would do exactly what Ruby is doing]]: even if she knew that there seems to be [[InvincibleVillain no way to defeat Salem]], Summer would still have pressed on regardless.
** For good or ill, [[FourStarBadass General James Ironwood]] never abandons his vision of protecting others, alienating his own allies in the process. After failing to convince Ozpin to do things his way, he uses the Atlesian and Vale councils to override Ozpin's authority and gain control of Vytal Festival security. When he tries to single-handedly regain control of his flagship from the villains, he fights his drones on foot even after the ship crashes. [[spoiler:In Atlas, he sacrifices his reputation by using Draconian measures to protect the kingdom, and his biological arm to defeat Watts in battle, vowing to do whatever it takes to stop Salem. Even when saving Atlas at everything else's expense turns everyone against him, he pursues his chosen path to the bitter end.]]
** [[TheJuggernaut Hazel Rainart's]] Aura recharge rate is something special. While his Semblance allows him to FeelNoPain and shrug off blows that would normally be crippling, he's still vulnerable to damage, whether it be getting thrown like a ragdoll and pummeled through the entrance of a building courtesy of Nora, or being impaled courtesy of Weiss' Queen Lancer summon. However, Hazel amazes the heroes by still being able to fight afterwards; Nora notes that the former can [[ManaMeter recharge]] his [[LifeForce Aura]] faster than she's ever seen and Qrow comments that it seems to be sheer force of willpower. While Ozpin says that "all" they need to do is get him to his limit, it's something none of them achieve by the end of the encounter, despite Hazel being vastly outnumbered. [[spoiler:When Salem came to recruit him, Hazel killed her over and over until he couldn't lift his arms anymore. She then redirected his rage at Ozpin instead; Oscar later redirects his rage back at Salem; in the end, neither the BigBad nor the BigGood can stop him, they can only manipulate or negotiate with him; in the end, he's willing to [[RedemptionEqualsDeath set himself on fire]] to stop Salem just long enough to buy the heroes a few precious hours to save an entire kingdom.]]
** [[UndyingLoyalty Neo]] is hellbent on [[RevengeBeforeReason vengeance, no matter the cost]]. She crosses two continents, endures working with [[TheHeavy Cinder]], steals the Relic of Knowledge twice, blackmails the Fall Maiden for a shot at revenge, and while falling through a seemingly endless void, she attacks Ruby with the intent to kill in a last-ditch attempt at accomplishing her goal. [[spoiler:In Volume 9, she successfully drives Ruby to suicidal despair, becoming the architect of her own defeat upon learning that VengeanceFeelsEmpty, which enables the ArcVillain to possess her EmptyShell. Once she escapes, she helps the heroes defeat the villain before choosing to Ascend so that she can take charge of her own destiny.]]
* ''WebAnimation/{{TP}}'' focuses on a toilet paper roll who's determined not to end up like his predecessors in the DisgustingPublicToilet he has found himself in. He spends a day and a night trying to escape from the hanger, and when Earl is about to rip some of his paper off, he finally manages to escape to the outside world, losing only a single square in the process.

[[TheFettered The nobility of their goal]] is ''not'' necessarily proportionate to their persistence. This is just as often an obsessive rival with a grudge as it is a hero on a chivalrous quest, and where their willpower ultimately leads them will depend both on their role and on where the work stands on the SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism. Heroes -- especially {{Badass Normal}}s with a ScrewDestiny attitude -- will defeat villains by virtue of being too stubborn to stay down. {{Anti Hero}}es will [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope Jump Off The Slippery Slope]], forsake The Powers of [[ThePowerOfLove Love]] and [[ThePowerOfFriendship Friendship]], [[HeWhoFightsMonsters become like that which they fight]], and walk the thin line between victory and tragedy. Villains will refuse to admit defeat, [[NoOneShouldSurviveThat resist seemingly fatal punishment]], [[SuperPersistentPredator hunt their prey tirelessly]] [[ImplacableMan and relentlessly]], and let the heroes know that WeWillMeetAgain. [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking And]] mailmen will [[UnstoppableMailman always get your mail to you.]] More inhuman beings such as monsters or an EldritchAbomination may just also be TheJuggernaut, and this will present a serious problem for the heroes who may have to find some MacGuffin just to survive as it endlessly plows through everything and refuses to take a break.

* Determinator/{{Manhwa}}

* If you ''aren't'' a {{mook}} in the ''WebAnimation/MadnessCombat'' universe, you are automatically this trope. And while most of them are dead, they died ''hard''. [[DeathIsASlapOnTheWrist Some of them multiple times!]]a

** [[LonelyRichKid Weiss Schnee]] has spent her life being controlled by her father Jacques, who is so resistant to her dreams of becoming a Huntress to the point where he organises a lethal combat test that she has to win before she's allowed to attend Beacon Academy. He uses the Battle of Beacon as an excuse to drag her back to Atlas and ultimately disinherits her for her insolence. Thus, she's determined to grow as strong as she can, in the face of persistent opposition, to live the life she wants for herself. [[spoiler:When she does return home in Volume 7, it's only as part of a mission she's on where she uses her authority as a Huntress to arrest Jacques for his treasonous deeds.]]
** When [[DarkAndTroubledPast Blake Belladonna]] finds out that Torchwick is working with the White Fang, she becomes obsessed with finding out they're up to and stopping it. Her determination becomes an obsession that takes a heavy toll on her grades, social life and health. Yang takes her to one side to tell her a story about how Yang's obsession with finding her birth mother almost got herself and Ruby killed at a young age. Yang has since mastered her desire and helps Blake to do the same, transforming her obsession into a healthier form of determination. [[spoiler:During the Battle of Beacon, she saves Yang's life by picking up Yang's unconscious body and running despite having just suffered a vengeful beating and being stabbed in the abdomen by her PsychoExBoyfriend.]]
** As a child, [[CoolBigSis Yang Xiao Long]] was obsessed with finding information on her disappeared birth mother. She would ask questions and follow up every clue she could get her hands on. Once, she was so convinced she'd found an important clue that she bundled up her sleeping sister in a cart, and dragged through the forest alone for miles. She ended up scratched, bruised and exhausted to the point of collapse, but all she found was an abandoned building full of Grimm. She and Ruby would have died that day if not for the timely arrival of her uncle Qrow to save them. [[spoiler:After Adam takes her arm during the Battle of Beacon, she learns how to pick herself up and keep going despite her PTSD, so that she can protect her sister in the fight against Salem. During the final fight with Adam, she shakes off the PTSD he tries to trigger to help Blake end his threat forever.]]
** Due to [[KnightInShiningArmour Jaune Arc's]] lack of combat background, there is initially a noticeable gap of ability between Jaune and almost every opponent he encounters. Despite this, he has never backed down from a fight and, once he engages in fighting, he won't stop until he wins or can't get back up. This means he either gets thrashed or does the thrashing depending on whether his fights depend more on skill (which he lacks) or grit (which he has in spades). Pyrrha once states that she has never met anyone with more determination to better themselves than Jaune, enabling him to start catching up with his peers in record time. [[spoiler:In Volume 8, Ren comments that Jaune is so convinced they can successfully rescue Oscar, that he's not even afraid to walk right into the heart of the BigBad's lair to do it. In Volume 9, AccidentalTimeTravel leaves him trapped in the [[TheWonderland Ever After]] for years waiting for Team RWBY to show up, surviving alone despite the mental toll it takes on him, on top of his existing trauma. He still keeps going and unknowingly thwarted the ArcVillain for years, who can only travel to Remnant by [[DemonicPossession possessing]] a human or Faunus that has been broken down into an EmptyShell; they eventually reveal that they hate Jaune for being impossible to break.]]

There is no stopping the Determinator. They do not understand tact. They do not KnowWhenToFoldEm, and it's a waste of time to [[NeverTellMeTheOdds tell them the odds]]. No one can reason with them. They'll [[IDidWhatIHadToDo do whatever they have to]] without question. [[IveComeTooFar No price is too great]] to pay for success, up to and including their own life. Do not expect them to realize they might be better off letting it go, even if [[YouCanBarelyStand they can barely stand]]. If you're ever kidnapped or lost with no hope of rescue, they'll be the one [[IWillFindYou who will find you]]. Their adversaries will shout, in [[VillainousBreakdown exasperated rage]], [[WhyWontYouDie "Why Won't You Die?!"]]. For them, there is no line between "perseverance" and "insanity."

** Discussed between Ruby and Qrow about [[MissingMom Summer Rose]]. As the heroes struggle to make decisions in the wake of learning about Salem's CompleteImmortality, Ruby asks Qrow how he thinks her mother would have handled it. Qrow considers that for a moment, then says [[LikeMotherLikeDaughter Summer would do exactly what Ruby is doing]]: even if she knew that there seems to be [[InvincibleVillain no way to defeat Salem]], Summer would still have pressed on regardless.

** Due to [[KnightInShiningArmour Jaune Arc's]] lack of combat background, there is initially a noticeable gap of ability between Jaune and almost every opponent he encounters. Despite this, he has never backed down from a fight and, once he engages in fighting, he won't stop until he wins or can't get back up. This means he either gets thrashed or does the thrashing depending on whether his fights depend more on skill (which he lacks) or grit (which he has in spades). Pyrrha once states that she has never met anyone with more determination to better themselves than Jaune, enabling him to start catching up with his peers in record time. [[spoiler:In Volume 8, Ren comments that Jaune is so convinced they can successfully rescue Oscar, that he's not even afraid to walk right into the heart of the BigBad's lair to do it.]]
** [[BigGood Ozpin]] has been fighting [[BigBad Salem]] for [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld thousands of years]] with [[ForeverWar no hope of victory or end]]. He refuses to give up, constantly putting his hope in humanity no matter how often they fail; even his [[UndyingLoyalty most loyal supporter]] Qrow criticises his perpetual optimism. [[spoiler:Jinn reveals that Oz always returns to his [[TheChosenOne divine mission]], no matter how events may break him -- and Salem has made it [[HopeCrusher her mission]] to [[DespairEventHorizon permanently break him]]. As [[ResurrectiveImmortality he]] and [[CompleteImmortality Salem]] are both immortal, they cannot end their war by killing the other. By sowing division and chaos, Salem makes it impossible for Ozpin to fulfill his mission to [[TheDayOfReckonning prove to the gods]] that humanity is redeemable; meanwhile, Ozpin's refusal to give up helping humanity achieve harmony makes it impossible for Salem to achieve her own goal of convincing the gods that humanity is irredeemable. The fate of the world therefore rests on Ozpin's determination to keep going whatever the odds.]]

* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'', initially made as a cooperative project by [[Creator/RoosterTeeth the creators]] [[Creator/MontyOum of two previous titles]], features a number of these:

[[caption-width-right:337:''[[Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger I can do this all day.]]'']]

* ''WebAnimation/OverTheHills'': The human and [[SentientVehicle vehicle]] crews of the Penwyth Valley Railway are trying to keep their local heritage railway running so the people of the towns they serve won't have to face another hard winter without a railway to use if the roads ice up and become unusable again. They are determined to keep the trains running through any difficulties they face, be it mechanical, financial, or even [=PR=].

* If you ''aren't'' a {{mook}} in the ''WebAnimation/MadnessCombat'' universe, you are automatically this trope. And while most of them are dead, they died ''hard''. [[DeathIsASlapOnTheWrist Some of them multiple times!]]

Compare SuicidalOverconfidence, a common feature of many {{Video Game}} genres where enemies will always, blindly, and relentlessly be at your throat with no regard for how horribly you are massacring them (though this is more due to [[NecessaryWeasel genre requirements]] than characterization). Compare TragicDream and DetrimentalDetermination, where becoming a '''Determinator''' can only end in tears. Can be identified by their trademark DeterminedExpression.

* Church of Machinima/RedVsBlue is basically this. He acts like he doesn't care and isn't very good at being TheHero, but if there's something he thinks has to be done, he never gives up until he accomplishes it. This goes as far as to him facing [[spoiler:Wash and the Meta at the same time, after being shot, with just a pistol and Doc to help, after Tex is trapped in the memory unit]] in season 8. It doesn't work, but he still tried.

Compare SuicidalOverconfidence, a common feature of many {{Video Game}} genres where enemies will always, blindly, and relentlessly be at your throat with no regard for how horribly you are massacring them (though this is more due to [[NecessaryWeasel genre requirements]] than characterization). Compare TragicDream, where becoming a '''Determinator''' can only end in tears. Can be identified by their trademark DeterminedExpression.

* Determinator/{{Mythology}}

* The long haul trucker {{Narrator}} of ''Podcast/AliceIsntDead'' is stubbornly persistent in her quest to find her wife Alice, to get an in-person explanation for the mysterious, [[TheConspiracy Conspiracy]]-laden circumstances around Alice's disappearance, even though this search draws her into unwitting, unwilling encounters with the paranormal.

** [[BigGood Ozpin]] has been fighting [[BigBad Salem]] for [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld thousands of years]] with [[ForeverWar no hope of victory or end]]. He refuses to give up, constantly putting his hope in humanity no matter how often they fail; even his [[UndyingLoyalty most loyal supporter]] Qrow criticises his perpetual optimism. [[spoiler:Jinn reveals that Oz always returns to his [[TheChosenOne divine mission]], no matter how events may break him -- and Salem has made it [[HopeCrusher her mission]] to break him. As [[ResurrectiveImmortality he]] and [[CompleteImmortality Salem]] are both immortal, they cannot end their war by killing the other. By sowing division and chaos, Salem makes it impossible for Ozpin to fulfill his mission to [[TheDayOfReckonning prove to the gods]] that humanity is redeemable; meanwhile, Ozpin's refusal to give up helping humanity achieve harmony makes it impossible for Salem to achieve her own goal of convincing the gods that humanity is irredeemable. The fate of the world therefore rests on Ozpin's determination to keep going whatever the odds.]]

** [[TheHeroine Ruby]] is determined to make the world a better place for people to live in, no matter what kind of threat she's facing. During the Battle of Beacon, she is heavily outmatched by both Neo and Roman, but she doesn't falter. Even when Roman is beating her with his cane and ranting about her inability to accept the world is a dangerous place where heroes like her achieve nothing but an early death, she keeps standing back up. The world might be a cold, dark place, but Ruby refuses to give up; even when her team mates are forced by circumstance to quit the fight, she simply joins forces with Team JNPR and keeps on going. [[spoiler:In Volume 6, her determination allowed her to save herself and her friends from a horde of Apathy Grimm who induced in them indifference and tiredness to the point of lethargy. Ruby activated her Silver Eyes and staved the Grimm off, allowing the party to come to their senses and flee from the location.]]
** [[TheLancer Weiss]] also counts, if Blake describing her as the incarnation of 'defiance' is any indication. In her introductory short, she stood against an Arma Gigas and was wounded by it, but still came out on top. She had to endure years of cold, possessive, and often outright abusive treatment from her father, while her mother [[ParentalNeglect basically abandoned her duties]] and instead [[DrowningMySorrows drank herself down to get away from her]] AwfulWeddedLife. Weiss also watched her familial business, the Schnee Dust Company, driven into a 'moral grey area' by [[CorruptCorporateExecutive said father]] to satisfy his avarice. Although she had an opportunity to accept her father's actions and get a cushy position in the company, Weiss firmly decided to make a difference and recover the fame of the company upon taking control over it -- and meanwhile, to contribute to the society as a Huntress. After returning to Atlas in Volume 4, she faced disapproval (to the point of being disinherited) by her father, mockery by her brother, and a lack of understanding by all Atlesian upper crust sans Ironwood -- all of this only reinforcing her will to stand for what is right, reflected by her ImageSong at the charity concert held by her father, "This Life Is Mine". Weiss left her home again for parts unknown, survived the crash of the plane she boarded to escape, was captured by Raven's tribe immediately after -- but she still made it to reunite with her friends. Not even getting herself almost killed via [[TheHeavy Cinder]] impaling her with a fiery javelin -- which she survived only thanks to Jaune's TraumaticSuperpowerAwakening -- was enough to make her turn from her path.
** Deconstructed by Blake. When Blake finds out that Torchwick is working with the White Fang, she becomes obsessed with finding out they're up to and stopping it. Her determination becomes an obsession that takes a heavy toll on her grades, social life and health. Yang takes her to one side to tell her a story about how Yang's obsession with finding her birth mother almost got herself and Ruby killed at a young age. Yang has since mastered her desire and helps Blake to do the same. Blake eventually plays the trope straight when she saves Yang's life by picking up Yang's unconscious body and running despite having just suffered a vengeful beating and being stabbed in the abdomen. Something that eventually keeps going in future Volumes.
** [[CoolBigSis Yang]] has been through A LOT to the point where she is one of the biggest Determinators in the series. There is little she hasn't been put through. [[MissingMom Abandonment by her mother]], the aforementioned near-death encounter when she tried to find her, [[FrameUp public humiliation]] in front of the world, [[AnArmAndALeg actual dismemberment]] and even more abandonment by almost everyone she remotely cared about in her life. While she ends up nearly crossing the DespairEventHorizon after Volume 3 (having suffered the most of the surviving characters from the Events), she still fights on, in spite of PTSD sets out into the World again to fight and protect her sister Ruby and their friends. Once this girl is in the game she won't quit, not even when she has to protect her partner from [[spoiler:the man who took her arm]] even though she is struggling with a Panic attack while doing so. No wonder Blake sees her as the embodiment of strength. When in Volume 7 [[spoiler:her sister broke down into TenderTears from a painful memory of her mother, Yang was the first one to comfort her.]]
** This is [[ButtMonkey Jaune Arc's]] greatest strength. He lacks any combat background, unlike the main cast, which makes him one of the weakest characters in the series. Even so, despite the visible gap of ability between Jaune and almost every opponent he encounters, he has never backed down from a fight and, once he engages, there's no way to intimidate him or make him give up. Pyrrha once comments that she's never met anyone with as much drive to better themselves as Jaune.
** [[BigGood Ozpin]] has been fighting [[BigBad Salem]] for [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld thousands of years]] with seemingly no progress, but outright refuses to give up, putting his hope in humanity again and again no matter how often they fail; even his [[UndyingLoyalty most loyal supporter]], Qrow, criticizes his perpetual optimism. As he lives under a divine curse that prevents him [[ResurrectiveImmortality truly dying]] until Salem is defeated, Salem cannot simply get rid of him by killing him. Instead, she states her plan is to destroy Ozpin's spirit through [[HopeCrusher destroying all his hope]] for humanity's future. [[spoiler:Ozpin has been tasked by the gods to unite humanity and prepare them for [[TheDayOfReckoning Judgement Day]] in an attempt to prove that humanity is capable of being redeemed. By dividing humanity and sowing chaos, Salem is making it impossible for Ozpin to fulfil his mission and, because she has been [[BarredFromTheAfterlife cursed]] with CompleteImmortality, Ozpin cannot solve the problem by killing her. However, if the gods decide humanity is irredeemable, they will destroy the entire world. Humanity's survival therefore rests entirely on Ozpin's determination to keep going whatever the odds.]]
** [[FourStarBadass General James Ironwood]] was revealed via WordOfGod to have this trait as a literal superpower. Named 'Mettle', it allows him to hyper-focus on his goals and strengthen his resolve, and lets him pulls off impressive feats like [[spoiler:dragging his arm out of a HardLight shield trap even though it badly burns him the whole way.]]
*** Unfortunately [[spoiler: Ironwood’s Mettle turns out to be a Deconstruction. His Determination to save Atlas eventually consumes him, combined with his Paranoia of betrayal and fear of Salem, makes him go down [[SlowlySlippingIntoEvil a dangerous road]]. After finding out Team RWBY withheld information for him and talked with Robyn about the Amity Project, he declares RWBY and Co. Traitors and decides to abandon the rest of Remnant while only saving Atlas with the Staff of Creation. He than proceeds to [[WouldHurtAChild shoot Oscar, the current incarnation of Ozpin]], try to emotionally manipulate Penny into surrendering, execute a Council member when they disagree with him, plays with the idea of leveraging the lives of Yang, Ren and Jaune and ultimately threatens to '''Nuke''' Mantle with a Dust Bomb if they don’t surrender, just so he can get his way. It ultimately ends with Atlas still falling, while Ironwood dies with it, none of his actions having saved a single person. [[WellIntentionedExtremist Ironwood started with the best intentions]] but his [[FallenHero determination to be the Hero in the War against Salem]] and refusal to cooperate with anyone who disagrees with him, not helped by Mettle influencing him, saw him commit greater and greater atrocities that all turned out to be AllForNothing.]]

There is no stopping the Determinator. They do not understand tact. They do not KnowWhenToFoldEm, and it's a waste of time to [[NeverTellMeTheOdds tell them the odds]]. No one can reason with them. They'll [[IDidWhatIHadToDo do whatever they have to]] without question. [[IveComeTooFar No price is too great]] to pay for success, up to and including their own life. Do not expect them to realize they might be better off letting it go, even if [[YouCanBarelyStand they can barely stand]]. If you're ever kidnapped or lost with no hope of rescue, they'll be the one [[IWillFindYou who will find you]]. Their adversaries will shout, in exasperated rage, [[WhyWontYouDie "Why Won't You Die?!"]]. For them, there is no line between "perseverance" and "insanity."

*** Unfortunately [[spoiler: Ironwood’s Mettle turns out to be a Deconstruction. His Determination to save Atlas eventually consumes him, combined with his Paranoia of betrayal and fear of Salem, makes him go down [[SlowlySlippingIntoEvil a dangerous road]]. After finding out Team RWBY withheld information for him and talked with Robyn about the Amity Project, he declares RWBY and Co. Traitors and decides to abandon the rest of Remnant while only saving Atlas with the Staff of Creation. He than proceeds to [[WouldHurtAChild shoot Oscar, the current incarnation of Ozpin]], try to emotionally manipulate Penny into surrendering, execute a Council member when they disagree with him, plays with the idea of leveraging the lives of Yang, Ren and Jaune and ultimately threatens to ‘’’Nuke’’’ Mantle with a Dust Bomb if they don’t surrender, just so he can get his way. It ultimately ends with Atlas still falling, while Ironwood dies with it, none of his actions having saved a single person. [[WellIntentionedExtremist Ironwood started with the best intentions]] but his [[FallenHero determination to be the Hero in the War against Salem]] and refusal to cooperate with anyone who disagrees with him, not helped by Mettle influencing him, saw him commit greater and greater atrocities that all turned out to be AllForNothing.]]

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