History Main / Forgiveness

* [[TurnTheOtherCheek Not taking revenge will spiritually cleanse the characters]], allowing such things as RedemptionEqualsLife and a HeelFaceTurn on the one spared and (if they weren't heroes) the protagonists.

** In the finalem, [[spoiler:Ryuuko, having defeated her tyrannical and maniacal mother Ragyo and stopped her plot of converting the entire Earth into an incubator for Life Fibers, urges Ragyo to come down with her back to Earth just like the mother and daughter that they are. That's right, after she learned that Ragyo ''threw her on a garbage dump when she's just an infant'', killed her father and when revealed that she possesses the same abilities as her mother's, her mother wasted no time to brainwash her. Unfortunately, Ragyo [[BetterToDieThanBeKilled chooses death instead]], destroying herself and spreading her Life Fibers into space. Ryuko offers the same as [[FaceOfAnAngelMindOfADemon Nui]], the one who killed her father, to give up rather than face death. Like Ragyo, Nui chooses [[DevourTheDragon death]] as well.]]

* ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'': #2 hero Enji Todoroki/Endeavor went to insane lengths to surpass his "rival" All Might, including marrying a woman specifically so they would have powerful children, neglecting the kids who weren't strong enough for his tastes, and physically and emotionally abusing the one who was, his fourth child Shoto. After an important event ([[spoiler:All Might's retiring from heroics]]), Endeavor is forced to [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone confront all the reprehensible things he did in pursuit of his goal]] and resolves to become a better hero ''and'' a better man and starts trying to make amends to his family. They've still got decades of abuse to work through (his wife is still in a mental hospital after his abuse lead to her pouring scalding water on Shoto's face), but the family acknowledges that he legitimately seems to be trying, and Endeavor knows that ''if'' they ever forgive him it won't be for a very long time. When TheHero Midoriya learns about it, he believes that Shoto is too kind of a person to not forgive his father eventually, but that he is still preparing himself to do so, meanwhile, Endeavor acknowledged the fact that his second youngest son, Natsuo, will probably never forgive him, and makes peace with it.
* In one arc of the ''Manga/RurouniKenshin'' manga and anime, a little boy's big brother dies protecting him from some bad guys. The little boy gets the chance to take revenge by killing one of the bad guys (who is unconscious), but is convinced not to: it wouldn't give him his brother back, and it would destroy him emotionally (basically bullet point 4 above). Instead, he should live a life that would make his brother proud of him, protecting those weaker than himself and not giving in to evil.
* In ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEED'', after [[spoiler:Athrun]] [[HeelFaceTurn joins the good guys]], Miriallia overhears a conversation between him and Kira and learns that it was him who killed her boyfriend Tolle. When questioned about how she feels about this, Miriallia just walks away, saying that revenge won't change anything, thus becoming the first character in the show to actually forgive a misguided enemy.
** Earlier and in the biggest display of Kira's new attitude he's confronted by Yzak at Alaska and Kira in his new Freedom is able to easily overpower his older Duel Gundam and line up a kill shot, and despite Kira having the fresh memory of Yzak blowing away that shuttle of civilians earlier he changes his attack to only damage Duel slightly and tosses Yzak clear of the battlefield, telling him to save himself. Yzak is stunned and it begins his character development of second guessing his views that all Naturals are evil scum that deserve to die, leading his side switching in the finale.
** At the end of ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamSeedDestiny'', Kira offers friendship and an alliance to Shinn Asuka, who has spent a good part of the series trying very hard to kill him. Shinn actually breaks down crying when he realizes that Kira honestly doesn't hold a grudge against him for this, or for anything else he's done.
** In another instance ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam00'', Saji Crossroad follows Aesop 1 and tried his damnedest to get Louise Halevy to follow his footsteps. Unfortunately, [[spoiler:Louise ignores him and goes on to exact righteous vengeance on her parents' murderer Nena Trinity. She ends up in effects 4, for a short while until her mentality and moral gets restored by Setsuna's GN Particles, and Saji's persistence]]
* In ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' taking revenge makes Team Ten and especially Shikamaru grow up and get over their grief (although it's largely motivated by finishing the mission that [[spoiler:Asuma]] died trying to complete). It's Aesop three.
** Sasuke on the other hand leans ''very'' heavily on Aesop three [[spoiler:to the point of wanting to kill his entire home town for the actions of few elders.]] Tough to say how he'll end up.
** Compare with Naruto, who [[spoiler: completely forgives Pain, unlike the two above]].
* ''Manga/{{Monster}}'' - the most important lesson.

* A certain Roman soldier in ''Anime/SoundOfTheSky'', talking to the UnwittingPawn who created a SyntheticPlague that was unleashed on her home:
-->''Du hast genug gelitten, deshalb vergebe ich dir, auch wenn dir sonst niemand vergeben sollte.'' [[spoiler: You have suffered enough, so I forgive you, even when nobody else will.]]
* In the final episode of ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing'', Lady Une (having since resolved her SplitPersonality) [[PleaseKillMeIfItSatisfiesYou offers Relena a gun]], saying that she's like a body without a soul and letting the girl take revenge for Une murdering her father. Relena pushes the gun aside, saying they need to break the ViciousCycle.
** Earlier in the series, after Heero is duped into killing [[TheFederation Alliance]] leaders who wanted to pursue peace with the space colonies (the very reason he was fighting in the first place), he goes around to their families confessing his guilt and offering them a gun. After this has happened, Field Marshall Noventa's widow asks Relena to deliver a letter to Heero, asking him to stop beating himself up over an honest mistake and encouraging him to think about the future rather than fixating on the past.
* ''Anime/CodeGeass'':
** Shirley, having regained her memories that Lelouch is Zero, the man responsible for the death of her father, is once again conflicted about her feelings, until she realizes Lelouch has been fighting by himself "in a world of lies", and forgives him. She tries to get Suzaku to do the same for Lelouch. [[spoiler:Tragically, she is fatally wounded by Rolo a short while later, and after declaring her love and forgiveness in a DyingDeclarationOfLove, she dies. Tragically ironic in that it has the effect of making Suzaku even more suspicious of Lelouch, who he suspects of doing the deed.]]
** Lelouch to ''everyone'' [[spoiler: in the end. He and Suzaku sacrifice themselves so that everyone can have a happy, peaceful life, regardless of what they've done during the wars]]. While it has a [[MisaimedFandom lot of fans]] crying KarmaHoudini, it isn't that at all - the characters in question aren't going to go on to hurt others again, and the [[CycleOfRevenge alternative]] would be much worse, and would undermine the concept of the peaceful world Lelouch wants to create. Besides, [[GreyAndGreyMorality no one in the series is pure]], and it would be hypocritical of him to [[ProtagonistCenteredMorality forgive his allies but not his enemies]] when their actions are more or less equal.
* Weed in ''Anime/GingaDensetsuWeed'' says in the GrandFinale that friendship and forgiveness should be what would build Ohu up from the devastation Hougen had caused. In fact, his willingness to forgive prompts Gin from pressuring his son to kill Hougen and announces him as the new leader of the pack. So this would mean Weed took option number 1.
** Subverted in the case with Kamakiri. Weed says that he would never forgive any dog who would risk others' lives to save their own hides. Kamakiri, however, doesn't give a crap.

* In the finale of ''Anime/KillLaKill'', [[spoiler:Ryuuko, having defeated her tyrannical and maniacal mother Ragyo and stopped her plot of converting the entire Earth into an incubator for Life Fibers, urges Ragyo to come down with her back to Earth just like the mother and daughter that they are. That's right, after she learned that Ragyo ''threw her on a garbage dump when she's just an infant'', killed her father and when revealed that she possesses the same abilities as her mother's, her mother wasted no time to brainwash her. Unfortunately, Ragyo [[BetterToDieThanBeKilled chooses death instead]], destroying herself and spreading her Life Fibers into space. Ryuko offers the same as [[FaceOfAnAngelMindOfADemon Nui]], the one who killed her father, to give up rather than face death. Like Ragyo, Nui chooses [[DevourTheDragon death]] as well.]]
** And even before that, [[spoiler: after spending twenty-two episodes aiming at each other's throats, Ryuko forgave [[WellIntentionedExtremist Satsuki]], her elder sister. From HotBlooded who is hellbent for revenge and to know her estranged father, that's quite a CharacterDevelopment for someone who [[MemeticMutation always loses her way.]]]]

** While never directly addressed, a small amount of FridgeLogic make it clear that Genya forgave [[spoiler: Cinque, Nove, and Wendi for brutally assaulting and kidnapping his eldest daughter (and Cinque being a part of the team responsible for his wife's death) because [[HappilyAdopted he adopted them]].]]
** The franchise in general is big on forgiveness and second chances, owing to how far down the idealistic side of the SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism it lies. It's a good thing too, otherwise the fact that Nanoha lets her daughter spend all her free time with an ex member of a terrorist organization responsible for the kidnapping and torture of said daughter would be seen as irresponsible.

** Lillie had a strain relationship with her mother, Lusamine, as she was always busy with her work and didn't have time to be with her or Gladion. Also, Lillie didn't like that her mother does things without considering her feelings. However, in ''Mission: Total Recall!'', [[WhatTheHellHero through]] Gladion's [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech help]], Lusamine [[JerkassRealization realized]] how [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone bad]] she let work get in the way of her family and that she failed to notice the trauma Lillie went through when she was little that caused her fear of touching Pokémon. After finding her daughter, Lusamine embraced Lillie then tearfully apologized to her for her neglectful behavior and her daughter happily forgives her.

* ''Anime/MyHime'' gives us the example of Natsuki Kuga, who learns in a matter of days that her late-mother had been planning to sell her to the Searrs Foundation, leading to a HeroicBSOD, and then overhearing a confrontation between Yukino and Shizuru, learns that her closest friend, Shizuru, had possibly raped her in her sleep. But Natsuki decides to "trust the mother in her heart", and then to acknowledge that Shizuru was her most important person, and forgive her for her transgressions. It doesn't hurt that after both of them die and are resurrected, it's strongly hinted that Shizuru was NotHerself , and shows [[TearsOfRemorse genuine remorse for what she did.]]

** Yui wants to forgive her husband for being so single-mindedly obsessed about saving her that he treated their children -and other people- like crap but she cannot forgive him unless he earns Shinji and Rei's forgiveness. However Shinji will not forgive his father unless Asuka forgives him. And Asuka is not feeling very forgiving to say the least.
** Gendo wants to earn the pilots’ forgiveness. It sounds like a goal nearly impossible to achieve until you remember Gendo will stop at NOTHING to get his wife back.

** On the other hand Asuka wondered if she would ever forgive him for leaving her alone when she needed him the most… until they remembered her own actions during Instrumentality and she realized he HAD tried to reach her out despite everything:
--->'''Asuka''':''“I forgive you.”''\\
'''Shinji'''(blinking):''“What?”''\\
'''Asuka''':''“A betrayal for a betrayal. You betrayed me when you left me to fight alone and die… and I betrayed you when you needed me to help you the most, and you were still trying to help me. After all that you’d lost, watching Misato and me die, me yelling at you on that train-place… after all that you still asked to help me and stay with me. And I just told you ‘No’. I hurt you and you hurt me, both at the worst possible times… we’re even, Shinji. So I forgive you, for not being there at that battle… and I’m sorry for telling you ‘No’ when you were so low, but still reached out to me. You really are… for me.”''

* ''Fanfic/OnceMoreWithFeeling'': Even if no one else knows what he did in the original timeline, Shinji wants to earn everybody's forgiveness for his actions, so he is fighting hard to save the world this time.
* A major theme in ''Fanfic/{{Retribution}}'': Spock forgives Kirk for [[Recap/StarTrekS2E12TheDeadlyYears his earlier accusations of treachery]] because he knows the captain was NotHimself and forces Kirk to forgive himself by reminding him that Kirk forgave him for [[Recap/StarTrekS2E1AmokTime much worse.]]
* ''Fanfic/ScarTissue'': Forgiveness is a very important theme in this story. Many characters feel that they have done unforgivable, terrible things, and hope atone for them:
** Asuka wishes that Shinji can forgive her someday for abusing him, although she thinks she does not deserve it and she does not dare to hope that he does.
** Shinji wishes that Asuka forgives him for everything that he did to her (never helping her when she needed him, masturbating over her catatonic body, abandoning her when she was fighting for her life and leaving her dying), although he thinks that he does not deserve it.
** Former Nerv higher-ups like Ritsuko, and later [[spoiler:Gendo]] and possibly [[spoiler:Yui]] are working to make sure that the pilots can lead happy lives in the future as a way of expiation.
* The ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' fanfic ''Fanfic/WhyAmICrying'' has this as the focus of Scootaloo's arc. After [[AlphaBitch Diamond Tiara]] dies in an accident, Scootaloo initially doesn't want to forgive her on account of all the nasty things she did to her and her friends, saying that bullies like her are unable to change, and ends up having an internal crisis when she finds out some hidden, surprising stuff about her and other ponies. At the funeral, [[spoiler: she decides that she's not ready to forgive Tiara, but admits that she doesn't hate her anymore. She finally does when she visits her grave as a teenager years later.]]
* In ''Fanfic/NeonGenesisEvangelionGenocide'', Shinji and Rei argue the subject of forgiveness after Shinji hurts Asuka.
-->'''Shinji:''' I shouldn't have… But she... she can be so mean. She had no right to say those things to you … but I had no right to say them to her. I had no right … please, forgive me.\\
'''Rei:''' Forgiveness is not mine to give\\
'''Shinji:''' Uh?\\
'''Rei:''' You can ask me for forgiveness, but I have no reason to forgive you. You have done nothing to me that would require it. If you feel it is the Second who should forgive you, then you should go to her and ask her to do so instead.\\
'''Shinji:''' I can't. I can't go to her. She hates me. She—\\
'''Rei:''' She is who she is. And she does not have to forgive you. It is not an obligation.\\
'''Shinji:''' But … what's the point in apologizing to someone if they will just hate you for it?\\
'''Rei:''' Will it make you feel better? People make themselves what they want to be, not what others wish them to be. I can only be me, and no one else. You accept me for being me, so you should accept her for being her.
* A FandomSpecificPlot of ''WesternAnimation/{{Frozen|2013}}'' fanfiction regarding [[spoiler:Prince Hans]] has him go through a HeelRealization for his crimes and set out to make things right with Anna and Elsa, usually the latter due to [[FoeYayShipping being shipped with her in some of these stories]]. They tend to have the characters learn about his FreudianExcuse or put in a scenario where they have to get to know him, and only after he goes through Hell do they decide to forgive him. Thankfully, most of these are done ''without'' making his actions excusable.
* ''Fanfic/LovedAndLost'': A recurring theme in the story.

** After Sam and Kara are rescued and defeat Vlad, Sam genuinely apologizes to Danny and admits it was her fault. To Sam's shock, Danny hugs her and quickly forgivse her. When she asks how he can forgive her soeasily, Danny tells her that he never ''hated'' her, he was just afraid that he lost one of his best friends forever. Kara also forgives Sam when she apologizes to her, much to her surprise and gratitude.

-->'''Carol:''' At one time or another, I was on the outs with a bunch of you. Sometimes the Avengers, sometimes the X-Men. Sometimes I had reason to be, sometimes... it was just my own stupid fault. Sometimes I was right, sometimes I was really, really wrong. But the thing... the thing I was most wrong about... was thinking that you, and you, and you, and all the rest of you, were anything but friends. You were there for me. I wasn’t always there for you. I messed up. Big-time. With the drinking. I hope I’ve... put all that behind me now. Can you... forgive me? And can we all... still be friends?
* ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'': When he first goes to Hogwarts, Loki is confronted by several of the students, who had relatives that died in [[Film/TheAvengers The Battle of New York]]. The ReformedButNotTamed Loki, who is actively a part of the Avengers here and trying to make up for his actions in said battle, to the point of looking up and memorizing the people killed in it, flat-out ''gives them permission to kill him if they want''. While none of the students are truly willing or able to kill him, at least one says that he isn't willing to forgive or forget what he's done. [[TheAtoner Loki says he expects nothing less]].

* ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' had these as recurring lesson. [[{{Anvilicious}} Again and again]]. [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools Then again]], [[SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped some lessons needs to be always reminded]].

** Jesus stated that forgiving others was necessary, otherwise God could not and would not forgive you. This warning was accompanied by a parable where a rich man found that one of his servants owed him around a year's wages. He was about to have the man and his family sold into slavery to pay the debt but when the man begged for time, the rich man forgave the entire debt. Then the servant promptly went out and found a man who owed him a bit under a month's wages and demanded immediate payment. When the third man begged for time to pay, the servant refused and had the third man put in prison. The rich man found out about this and was furious. He summoned the servant, "unforgave" his debt and had the servant put in prison to be tortured until the entire debt was repaid. Fairly clearly an example of the first type.

Contrast with a hard example of a MoralEventHorizon. See also: EasilyForgiven, GoAndSinNoMore, ForgivenessRequiresDeath, CutenessEqualsForgiveness, ThisIsUnforgivable, and ForgivenButNotForgotten.

** Goh met a friend named Horace when he was younger, but believed he was betrayed when Horace didn't meet up with him like he promised he would. As a result, Goh ended up holding a grudge towards Horace for two years and [[NeverBeHurtAgain didn't make any other friends outside of Chloe]] until he meets Ash. However, in ''Time After Time!'', Goh finds out that Horace was ill on the day that they were supposed to meet up, and Goh forgives him.

** Goh met a friend named Horace when he was younger but believed he was betrayed when he didn't meet up with him like he promised he would. As a result, Goh ended up holding a grudge towards Horace for two years and [[NeverBeHurtAgain didn't make any other friends outside of Chloe]] until he meet Ash. However, in ''Time After Time!'', Goh found out that Horace was ill on the day that they were supposed to meet up his word and ended up forgiving him.

** Goh met a friend named Horace when he was younger but believed he was betrayed when he didn't meet up with him like he promised he would. As a result, Goh ended up holding a grudge towards Horace for two years and [[NeverBeHurtAgain didn't make any other [[NeverBeHurtAgain friends outside of Chloe]] until he meet Ash. However, in ''Time After Time!'', Goh found out that Horace was ill on the day that they were supposed to meet up his word and ended up forgiving him.

** Goh met a friend named Horace when he was younger but believed he was betrayed when he didn't meet up with him like he promised he would. Through those events, Goh hold a grudge towards Horace for two years and didn't make any other [[NeverBeHurtAgain friends]] beside Chloe until he meet Ash. However, in ''Time After Time!'', Goh found out why Horace broke his word and forgives him as he got the chance to see him again as a Pokémon Trainer.

* ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'':
** Misty followed Ash until he payed her back for her accidental destroyed bike, after he borrowed it to save Pikachu's life. However, over time, Misty forgave Ash as she understood that his intentions of borrowing her bike were good and it getting destroyed was all an accident.
** Iris' Excadrill had shunned Iris out ever since they lost to Drayden because she kept telling him to keep battling despite him knowing his opponent was unbeatable. However, in ''Iris and Excadrill against the Dragon Buster!'', after losing to Georgia and through Cilan's advice, Iris realized her selfish actions and tearfully apologized to Excadrill. Hearing Iris' heartfelt apology and remembering that she didn't give up on him, Excadrill forgives his Trainer and renewed their bond.

** Lillie had a strain relationship with her mother, Lusamine, as she was always busy with her work and didn't have time to be with her or Gladion. Also, Lillie didn't like that her mother does things without considering her feelings. However, in ''Mission: Total Recall!'', through Gladion's help, Lusamine realized how bad she let work get in the way of her family and that she failed to notice the trauma Lillie went through when she was little that caused her fear of touching Pokémon. After finding her daughter, Lusamine embraced Lillie then tearfully apologized to her for her neglectful behavior and her daughter happily forgives her.

** Goh met a friend named Horace when he was younger but believed he was betrayed when he didn't meet up with him like he promised he would. However, in ''Time After Time!'', Goh found out why Horace broke his word and forgives him as he got the chance to see him again as a Pokémon Trainer.

* In ''Series/GoodLuckCharlie'', Teddy was heartbroken when she found out that Spencer was cheating on her with another girl. Although she got over her heartbreak, Teddy was visited by Spencer as he tried to fix things by apologizing for cheating and hurting her. However, Teddy could't take Spencer's apology as she can't trust him for what he did. Although, Teddy tried to be friends with Spencer but secretly hold a grudge against him. However, when they started working together at a theme park, Teddy feelings for Spencer return but became conflicted. When Spencer visited her and told her that what he did to her was the biggest regret he ever had, Teddy was not only convinced to forgive him but also gave him a second chance.

** Lillie had a strain relationship with her mother, Lusamine, as she was always busy with her work and didn't have time to be with her or Gladion. Also, Lillie didn't like that her mother does things without considering her feelings. However, in ''Mission: Total Recall!'', through Gladion's help, Lusamine realized how bad she let work get in the way of her family and that she failed to notice the trauma Lillie went through when she was little that caused her fear of touching Pokémon. After finding her daughter, Lusamine embraced Lillie and tearfully apologized to her for her neglectful behavior. Through her experiences and hearing Lusamine's apology, Lillie happily forgives her mother.
** Mallow lost her temper at her mother before she passed away when she was younger but quickly regretted her outburst because those were the last words she said to her. In ''Memories Made in the Mist!'', Mallow didn't want to see her mother as she didn't want to face her. However, Mallow deep down did want to see her mother as she wanted to make things right and ended up getting that chance as she forgives her. Mallow was also able to forgive herself for her past actions.

* Azmuth wasn't pleased when Ben tried to hack the Omnitrix in ''WesternAnimation/Ben10AlienForce'' and he declared that he won't help him anymore because his actions caused him to lose faith in him. However, despite not willing to forgive Ben for his actions, Azmuth not only went back on his word and helped him in his time off need but also somewhat appreciated his help when he needed it the most, which got him to regain some of his trust in him. In the ''WesternAnimation/Ben10UltimateAlien'' episode the ''The Ultimate Sacrifice'', upon witnessing Ben willing to risk his life to help the Ultimate aliens leave the Ultimatrix, Azmuth was convinced to forgive him for his actions and fully trusts him again.

** "A Late Delivery From Avalon", shown between David [=McIntyre=] "King Arthur" and Delenn. That is the soldier who had fired the shot that killed Dukhat and the Satai who had ordered the Minbari declaration of war. For much of the episode, he believed himself to be Arthur and he needed to return Excalibur to the Lady of the Lake.
** "Ship of Tears": G'Kar is told that the Minbari knew about the Shadow influence on the Centauri, and could have spoken out about them then, but [[TheNeedsOfTheMany this would have resulted in catastrophe as the Shadows would have started moving openly before they were ready]]. G'Kar mentions that if he had known this as the Centauri were bombing his world, he would have killed her. Now, he agrees that her actions, though painful, were correct. And that ''someday''--but not today--he might be able to forgive her for it.

** "Passing Through Gethsemane": One of Brother Theo's monks (Brother Edward) turns out to have a dark past [[LaserGuidedAmnesia that he does not remember]], and that he only just learned about. One member of families of the victims Brother Edward killed, unable to forgive the person he was before (a serial murderer), and the person who actually did the deed is sentenced to "death of personality"--the same punishment inflicted on the person who became Brother Edward. Brother Theo grants forgiveness to Brother Edward as he's dying, and then asks the same of Sheridan of the person who killed Brother Edward, stating that "forgiveness is a ''hard'' thing, but something ''ever to strive for''" (emphasis his).

* An episode of ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' called ''I Only Have Eyes For You'' featured a ghost endlessly repeating his murder/suicide in an effort to find forgiveness. Buffy (connecting the ghost's story to the self-loathing she was feeling at the time) declares that he doesn't deserve forgiveness. Giles responds "To forgive is an act of compassion, Buffy. It's-it's ... it's not done because people deserve it. It's done because they need it."

* The importance of genuine regret followed by genuine forgiveness is a pervasive theme of the British children's series Series/{{Rainbow}}.

* The importance of genuine regret followed by genuine forgiveness is a pervasive theme of the [[{{Series/Rainbow}} the British children's series ''Rainbow'']].

* Azmuth wasn't pleased when Ben tried to hack the Omnitrix in ''WesternAnimation/Ben10AlienForce'' and he declared that he won't help him anymore because his actions caused him to lose faith in him. However, despite not willing to forgive Ben for his actions, Azmuth not only went back on his word and helped him in his time off need but also somewhat appreciated his help when he needed it the most, which got him to regain some of his trust in him. In the ''WesternAnimation/Ben10UltimateAlien'' episode the ''The Ultimate Sacrifice'', upon witnessing Ben willing to risk his life to the help the Ultimate aliens leave the Ultimatrix, Azmuth was convinced to forgive him for his actions and fully trusts him again.

* In ''Series/ShakeItUp'', Rocky would get drag by "[=CeCe=]" into a lot of situation. However, out of all the times that "[=CeCe=]" got her into trouble, Rocky holds the events of ''Shake It Up, Up & Away'' as the biggest one she ever did as she brings it up twice and mention it in a flashback. However, in ''Remember Me'', Rocky not only realized that not letting go of "[=CeCe=]"'s actions clouded her judgment and that she did more good for her as a friend then she could ever do for her but also forgives her for the events of ''Shake It Up, Up & Away''. Through Rocky's willingness to forgive and let go along with her saying how much she needs her, "[=CeCe=]"'s memory started to return and remembers who she is along with everyone in her life.

* ''Webcomic/LovelyPeople'', as a pro-Christianity story, has this as part of the story. Two of the three leads each temporarily turn their backs to one of the other values promoted by the story, but ultimately return to them by the end of the story and forgiven for their brief changes of heart.

* In ''Series/ShakeItUp'', Rocky would get drag by "[=CeCe=]" into interesting situation. However, in ''Shrink it Up'', Rocky tells the shrink her feelings about "[=CeCe=]" pushing her around and telling her what to do. Also, Rocky not only reminded "[=CeCe=]" the times she dragged her into interesting situations but also hints her of her holding grudge against her, especially the events of ''Shake It Up, Up & Away''. However, after hearing "[=CeCe=]" admit about bossing her around and reasons for dragging her a lot, Rocky was convinced to forgive her. Although she forgave her for two out three of the situation, Rocky was still holding a grudge against "[=CeCe=]" because of the events of ''Shake It Up, Up & Away'' but tries not to and being more understanding of her. In ''Remember Me'', when "[=CeCe=]" got amnesia from a modeling gig, Rocky tried to help her remember as she mention the messes she drag her into. However, after "[=CeCe=]" failed to remember their friendship, Rocky not only became heartbroken but also realized that holding a grudge against her might have made her want to remember their friendship. Realizing what she has done, Rocky not only made one final attempt to help "[=CeCe=]" remember as she tells how much she needs her but was also ready to forgive her for the events of ''Shake It Up, Up & Away'' and the other moments she mention to help her. Hearing her words, "[=CeCe=]"'s memory started to return and remembers who she is along with everyone in her life.
In ''Series/GoodLuckCharlie'', Teddy was heartbroken when she found out that Spencer was cheating on her with another girl. Although she got over her heartbreak, Teddy was visited by Spencer as he tried to fix things by apologizing for cheating and hurting her. However, Teddy could't take Spencer's apology as she can't trust him for what he did. Although, Teddy tried to be friends with Spencer but secretly hold a grudge against him. However, when they started working together at a theme park, Teddy feelings for Spencer return but became conflict. When Spencer visited her and told her that what he did to her was the biggest regret he ever had, Teddy was not only convinced to forgive him but also gave him a second chance.

* Not taking revenge prevents mental recovery, as revenge is necessary for proper closure.

* In ''Series/ShakeItUp'', Rocky would get drag by "[=CeCe=]" into interesting situation. Although she would't tell "[=CeCe=]", Rocky has hold a little grudge against her for the times she got her into trouble. However, in ''Shrink it Up'', after hearing "[=CeCe=]" reasons for dragging her a lot, Rocky was convinced to forgive her for two out of three of the situation. After those events, Rocky tired not to hold a grudge against "[=CeCe=]" and being more understanding of her. In ''Remember Me'', when "[=CeCe=]" got amnesia from a modeling gig, Rocky tried to help her remember as she mention the messes she drag her into, which indicated she was still holding her little grudge. However, after "[=CeCe=]" failed to remember their friendship, Rocky not only became heartbroken but also realized that not forgiving her for the other times might of made her not want to remember their friendship. Rocky made one final attempt to help "[=CeCe=]" remember as she tells how much she needs her, which indicates that she finally forgives her for all the other times she got her into trouble. Hearing her words, "[=CeCe=]"'s memory started to return and remembers who she is along with everyone in her life.

* In ''Series/ShakeItUp'', Rocky would get drag by "[=CeCe=]" into interesting situation. Although she would't tell "[=CeCe=]", Rocky has hold a little grudge against her for the times she got her into trouble. However, in ''Shrink it Up'', after hearing "[=CeCe=]" reasons for dragging her a lot, Rocky was convinced to forgive her for two out of three of the situation. After those events, Rocky tired not to hold a grudge against "[=CeCe=]" and being more understanding of her. In ''Remember Me'', when "[=CeCe=]" got amnesia from a modeling gig, Rocky tried to help her remember as she mention the messes she drag her into, which indicated she was still holding her little grudge. However, after "[=CeCe=]" failed to remember, Rocky not only became heartbroken but also realized that not forgiving her for the other times might of made her not want to remember their friendship. Rocky made one final attempt to help "[=CeCe=]" remember as she tells how much she needs her, which indicates that she finally forgives her for all the other times she got her into trouble. Hearing her words, "[=CeCe=]" memory started to return and remembers who she is along with everyone in her life.

* ''Fanfic/TheManyDatesOfDannyFenton'' (''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'' WesternAnimation, [[{{Series}} TV Series]], and ComicBooks.):

* ''Anime/{{Monster}}'' - the most important lesson.

* ''Anime/MaiHime'' gives us the example of Natsuki Kuga, who learns in a matter of days that her late-mother had been planning to sell her to the Searrs Foundation, leading to a HeroicBSOD, and then overhearing a confrontation between Yukino and Shizuru, learns that her closest friend, Shizuru, had possibility raped her in her sleep. But Natsuki decides to "trust the mother in her heart", and then to acknowledge that Shizuru was her most important person, and forgive her for her transgressions. It doesn't hurt that after both of them die and are resurrected, it's strongly hinted that Shizuru wash NotHerself , and shows [[TearsOfRemorse genuine remorse for what she did.]]

* {{ComicBook/Batwoman}}: A peripheral theme. Various Hispanic parents lose their children to The Weeping Woman (a woman whose children were killed and her soul bound to her corpse and the water). After various accusations of racism and implicitly homophobic insults against the police and Maggie, they form a posse to get their kids back when the city goes into anarchy. One father is almost killed by gangsters in the Mob, but the Weeping Woman saves him by killing them. The father sees her as the broken soul she is and forgives her, while Maggie, implicitly, does not care about the parent's harassment as they were under duress, but thinks that if she was in the father's position, she wouldn't be able to forgive. In the end, The Weeping Woman saves the children by killing Maro, the man who killed her children to turn her, who was going to kill the other children in turn.

* A major theme in ''FanFic/{{Retribution}}'': Spock forgives Kirk for [[Recap/StarTrekS2E12TheDeadlyYears his earlier accusations of treachery]] because he knows the captain was NotHimself and forces Kirk to forgive himself by reminding him that Kirk forgave him for [[Recap/StarTrekS2E1AmokTime much worse.]]

* The ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' fanfic ''[[FanFic/WhyAmICrying Why Am I Crying?]]'' has this as the focus of Scootaloo's arc. After [[AlphaBitch Diamond Tiara]] dies in an accident, Scootaloo initially doesn't want to forgive her on account of all the nasty things she did to her and her friends, saying that bullies like her are unable to change, and ends up having an internal crisis when she finds out some hidden, surprising stuff about her and other ponies. At the funeral, [[spoiler: she decides that she's not ready to forgive Tiara, but admits that she doesn't hate her anymore. She finally does when she visits her grave as a teenager years later.]]

* One of the major themes on the movie, ''Film/{{Super 8}}'' such as [[spoiler: From the captured alien stopping his RoaringRampageOfRevenge to Alice's father forgiven for the (indirect) death of Joe's mother.]]
* ''Film/SpiderMan3'',

* In ''Series/BabylonFive''

* ''VideoGame/{{BioShock 2}}'' lets the player practice this with a few characters, notably Grace Holloway (who [[VoiceWithAnInternetConnection Sinclair]] tells you is merely a misguided old lady who loves Eleanor as much as you do) and Stanley Poole (who Eleanor tells you is responsible for you two becoming what you are). [[spoiler:Your actions will ultimately influence whether or not Eleanor chooses to save her mother or kill her.]]

--> '''Lloyd''': [[spoiler: I defeated Kratos, the angel, the one who betrayed us. And I forgive Kratos, the hero of the Ancient War, who helped us. That's all.]]

* This is crucial to the plot in ''Videogame/SuikodenIV'', since the True Rune of Punishment that attaches itself to the main character Lazlo's hand governs atonement ''and'' forgiveness. Lazlo's life goes downhill after his best friend Snowe betrays him early in the game. After gathering 107 of Stars of Destiny, the last Star will appear: Snowe himself, assuming Lazlo hadn't already killed him. By this point, Snowe has been thoroughly humbled by his self-inflicted hardships and is willing to accept whatever punishment Lazlo has in store for him. If Lazlo forgives him, Snowe joins the crew as the final Star. This has several gameplay and storyline benefits: Lazlo and Snowe's "True Friends Attack" one of the best combo attacks in the game is unlocked, the Rune of Punishment gains a powerful damage spell that actually ''heals'' Lazlo instead of draining his health like the previous spells, and most significantly [[spoiler:the act of forgiveness shifts the Rune into its Forgiveness phase, meaning it won't kill Lazlo when he uses its full power at the very end of the game.]]